Page 18 of Flamingo Christmas

Art turned to Sue, his need to talk about the accident uppermost in his mind. Other than the police, he hadn’t been able to share the horrors of that day. Yet he wanted… no needed to put into words the nightmare he’d been reliving over and over until he thought he’d go crazy.

She looked back at him, her expression open and her soft smile inviting. Did she know how he’d bottled up the dreadfulness and let it eat away at his very soul?

Deciding there couldn’t be a better time to confess, he described the abject shame he felt every time he saw Lisa lying so still in her bed. His voice shook with self-reproach, and his face looked shattered.

Sue couldn’t stay silent and reminded him about what she considered the crux of the incident. “You said a drunk man t-boned your car, Art. There’s no way you could have known it would happen, no way you could have avoided the accident. If anyone holds any blame, it’s the fool who drank too much and then decided to get behind the wheel of a four-thousand-pound weapon.”

He looked over the still dark water and let her words enter his consciousness. Words others had tried to say to him, but he’d refused to hear. Suddenly, a warmth washed over his body, and he sighed… the relief overwhelming. Without realizing his intentions, he wrapped her in his arms, and holding her close, he balanced his chin on her head.

“My God, you’re right, Sue. I guess I knew it all along, but I refused to accept it. I think I had to be the one to suffer… to be the failure. How could I let myself off the hook when my beautiful baby lay there dying.”

“And now?” She made her voice very soft.

“Now I recognize it’s not about me, is it? It’s about what’s best for Lisa. All I can do is love her, pray for her to come back to me, and accept it’s out of my hands.” He sighed so long that he worried his wretched feelings might cause a breakdown. In the dark of the hospital room, he’d cried so many times, he’d be surprised if there were any tears left.

Then he felt the wetness on his cheeks and knew these tears were different. They weren’t created from anger and dripping with fury. Instead, they were warm and healing. He stood and held the gentle woman in his arms for a long time before he stepped back to see her questioning gaze.

Standing there staring into a face he could love… did love, he slowly lowered his lips to find hers waiting. The kiss filled with questioning tenderness almost brought him to his knees. In the midst of so much pain, how could he have found such strong desire… such a wonder of emotion. It seemed impossible for any man to go from the depths of despair to such giddy heights in twenty-four hours. He clung to her, rocking her ever so slightly, knowing he’d remember this moment for the rest of his life.

Art knew that after the death of his wife, he’d given up finding love again. Now it seemed inconceivable for him to move forward without his wonderful Sue being a part of his world.

Art stepped back and looked into her face. Stars shone from glowing eyes that watched his every move. Clearly, she wore a look that told him she was also invested in this moment with him. That she felt the same wonder as he did. He kissed her again. This time with all the passion she stirred in his body.

And wonder upon wonder, she kissed him back in the same way.

Chapter Sixteen

The next day, Sue couldn’t wait to close up shop so she could go to the hospital. Most of her day, she spent living in her dreams of the night before. Visualizing when Art had kissed her, treating her like spun glass.

After they’d shared that beautiful moment on the harbor, he’d asked her, his voice tender, “Would you mind coming with me to my place so I can grab a shower? Then I’ll drive you back to the hospital where we left your car?” He’d grinned cheekily and added, “I promise to behave.”

“Of course, I’ll come with you, and I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

“Behave.” She giggled at his look of astonishment.

When they arrived at his dark, dreary home, all her romantic thoughts fled. This wasn’t the surroundings that could keep her romance alive. It was the gloomy cave of a man living through hell.

While he went into his bedroom, she looked around and decided to get busy. First, she cleaned off the dirty dishes from the counters and sink, shoving them into the dishwasher she first had to empty. Obviously, someone had been in a hurry and hadn’t taken the time to look after the well-appointed kitchen. Next, she opened the windows and doors to let the fresh air in and tried to bring some semblance of tidiness to the overall disarray.

Entering the room, his hair freshly washed and wearing a different pair of jeans topped with a bright blue shirt, Art stopped dead. “God, Sue. I’m so sorry about the condition of the place. Honestly, I’m usually a good housekeeper. In fact, my mom says I’m practically annal about keeping it nice. But—”

“But when a man’s daughter is lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life, housekeeping is at the bottom of his priorities. I truly understand. I’d be the same way. I don’t mind helping.”

He’d approached her then, his face filled with tenderness and his whole manner that of a man who couldn’t believe his luck. “You are wonderful, Sue Ross. I can’t believe you came into my world at a time like this.”

When his lips found hers waiting, he kissed her long and hard. His hands holding her so close, he felt like a teenager on the brink of his first time with a female.

Before things got too carried away, he pulled away. “I need to get back to the hospital, and yet I want to stay here and spend the night holding you in my arms.”

Sue’s sigh of forgiveness made him smile. “I know, but we can’t. Lisa needs you now. We’ll have other times to be together.”

“Lots of times?”

“Lots of times.”

“You promise?”

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