Page 8 of Henley

I was next in line, and then came my sister Riley who was only eleven months younger than me and the wild one of the family. Although since she was an elementary school teacher, she kept her slightly aggressive behavior under wraps from everyone but us.

The last of our clan was Huntley, who was now a firefighter in my hometown. He had considered coming to work for a larger house, but he said with our parents aging, he wanted to be close to home and help them out. I knew that he did a lot around the house and even worked with Brad once in a while, too.

It bothered me probably more than I cared to admit that Roxy’s father might not support her in whatever job she was doing. I think that’s what got me up and dressed earlier than I intended. In fact, as soon as I’d had a cup of coffee, I was itching to head to the hospital and check on her. Maybe she would have been discharged already, but I had a feeling they would keep her at least overnight.

It wasn’t until I was walking into the hospital that I wondered if she would even want to see me or if her brother would be bothered by my visit. I knew that if some guy started hitting on Kayley or Riley, my brotherly instincts would have kicked in right away.

Well, I was here now, might as well at least go say hi. I could say I was here checking on another patient that I had brought in overnight. I had thought about them briefly this morning too. I checked in at the front desk, and the elderly woman behind the counter was happy to share what room she was in. She knew that from time to time, I came to check on patients, so there were no questions asked.

I took the elevator up to the fourth floor and started heading down the corridor. When I got to her room, I paused. What was she going to think about me coming to see her? What if she had been joking this morning about dinner? What if she had a boyfriend already, or was dating someone? Shit.

I peered around the corner and saw feet, but the visitor chair was empty. I stepped into the room slowly, peering around the privacy curtain to find her alone and staring at the window. The blood was gone from her face now, and she had tape over the bridge of her nose. Bruising colored the area around her eyes and the sides of her nose.

As if she knew someone was watching her, she turned slowly, her eyes enlarging in surprise at seeing me. “Lee, what are you doing here?”

Her voice sounded a bit off, and I assumed that was from the packing in her nasal cavity.

“Hi, I was in the area and thought I would check on you. Wondered if you were ready for dinner yet?”

She began to laugh and then winced, putting her hand to her nose. “Oh, god, don’t make me laugh. Everything hurts.”

“Did they fix your nose?”

“Yes, they figured it was easier to fix it while I was already in surgery for my leg.”

“How’s that doing?”

“It hurts, but I’m going to live. Thanks to you.”

I grinned as I stepped closer. “Glad to hear that. I hope you don’t mind me visiting.”

“No, I’m glad you did.”

“I thought your brother and father might be here. Wasn’t sure they would want another man around.”

She waved her hand at me. “My father was here when I woke up, and as soon as I did, he started on me.”

“I take it by the conversation that I overheard on the way to the hospital that he doesn’t much care for your choice in career. What is it that you do? You mentioned a client you were supposed to meet with.”

“I’m a wedding specialist,” she replied and then sighed, dropping her head back on the pillow. “At least I was. I really needed that client. I think my father was right, and this was all a silly fantasy.”

“Why would it be a silly fantasy? I know a lot of people like to have someone coordinate everything for weddings.”

“Yes, they do, but there is another woman in town that does weddings too, and she always seems to undercut my costs. No matter how low I go, she gives the clients something that I can’t afford to give them. She actually gave one of her recent clients first-class tickets to Tahiti. I can’t afford to do that, especially with her stealing all my business away.”

“Hmm—” I pondered it for a moment, instantly realizing who she was talking about. “Have you ever thought of reaching out to other areas? I mean, do you travel at all?”

“Not really. I have mostly been looking at local couples.”

“Then maybe you should look at people outside of our area. Maybe an hour or two away,” I suggested and then had an idea. “In fact, I might even know one, if not two couples that could use your assistance.”

She studied me. “You’re not half of one of those couples, are you?”

I grinned at her and went to sit on the side of the bed. “No, I’m not otherwise engaged. In fact, I am very single. What about you?”

“Single,” she replied, and the two of us stared at one another. “Did I hit my head earlier today, and I’m imagining this, or are you and I flirting with one another?”

“I’m pretty sure we are flirting, but if you’d like me to stop, just let me know.”

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