Page 26 of August Kind of Love

“I understand. You have ambition. I admire that.” I stopped myself. I didn’t want to sound “needy.”

“I’m glad you understand. I hope you can explain it to Emily. Tell her that when I see her, we’ll have fun. I don’t know when I’ll see her.”

“I’ll make sure she knows that.”

He smiled, and his smile was genuine. I couldn’t help but feel its aura.

“Jasmine, you’re one great mom, not to mention a good VP.” He paused. “Can I call you when you get back? I need to talk to you about bank business.”

“Sure. Any time. I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Good, great, that’s terrific. I need to talk to Doak first, but after that, I’ll check in with you.”

“Works for me.”

He held out his arms, and we hugged. I could believe how good it felt to be hugged by a handsome, sexy man. I didn’t want it to feel so good. I wanted it to continue long after he released me. It had been too long.

With a little wave, he turned and marched away. I watched till he turned the corner, a tingle running up my spine. I told myself to get a grip. He was still Dracula, intent on his own career. He might like Emily. He might even like me, but he wasn’t going to change. When hard times came, and they would, he would be locked into his own world.

But I so enjoyed the hug.

I slipped back into the room, placed the pink teddy bear at the bottom of Emily’s bed, and resumed my vigil in the recliner. I closed my eyes and let sleep and exhaustion take me. During the night, I woke several times. Each time, I found a nurse tending to Emily. I knew I would still be tired in the morning. How could I not be?

Emily was very much like her old self, although her face still showed the bruises from her fall. The first thing she did was grab the teddy bear and hug it, placing it at her side. She ate a small breakfast as we waited for the doctor. The news was encouraging. Emily could go home but would have to stay home from school for three more days. That pleased me, as I could work from home.

“His name is Chicago,” Emily said as I drove home.

“That’s a fine name. When you see Mr. Tradat, you must remember to thank him.”

“I will. He’s very nice, isn’t he?”

“He is. Perhaps, we can ask him over for dinner. Would you like that?”

“Chicago and I would both like that.”

I chuckled. “I can see you and Chicago are going to be good friends.”

After getting Emily set up in the family room, Chicago by her side, I jumped in the shower. The hot water invigorated me. I made lunch and went to work on my laptop. My email inbox was full of…complaints. I bit my lip and went to work.

My first rule was to answer the person who sent the email. I might not be able to fix the problem right away, but I wanted the sender to know I was working on the issue. I remembered how I stewed every time a flight was delayed, and the pilots wouldn’t tell the passengers what was going on. Unrest bubbled up quickly when there was no information. I wasn’t going to have that. Even as I sent mail, more arrived. I wondered just what was going on back at the bank.

I kept an eye on Emily. She was watching TV and whispering to Chicago. I didn’t try to listen. It was encouraging to see her returning to her old self. By dinner time, I had processed my inbox, and Emily was hungry. I was about to make dinner when the doorbell rang.

“Supper,” Codrin said and held up two large sacks. “Spaghetti, salad, bread, all the good stuff.”

“You didn’t have to do this,” I said.

“I know, but I figured you were busy with Emily and work. This is the least I could do.”

I opened the door wide. “Well, come in, and you realize this means you’re staying for dinner.”

“I was hoping you would say that. Oh, there’s a bottle of chianti too.”

I was a bit stunned and more than a bit pleased to welcome Codrin into my house. Emily squealed when she saw him, and the first thing she did was hold up Chicago and thank Codrin.

“I’m glad you like it,” Codrin said. “What did you name it?”

“Chicago. Whenever I look at it, I’ll remember Chicago.”

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