Then, There's Love

Ashley McKenny climbed out of the SUV, and tried to stop the quizzical contortion from taking over her face. Could anything worse happen to the McKenny household?

She turned, feeling like she moved in slow motion, and watched her mother step around from the driver’s side, blow a kiss, and saunter through the double glass doors to her place of work.

What? Juste? Happened here? The sound of crinkling paper brought her attention to the sheet crushing between her fingers. Cutbacks, Mom had said. An invitation to resign—as if pretty words made a difference. Straightening the paper, she ironed it against her thigh then collapsed it along the two-fold crease lines.

Incredulous, she tore the thing open again to read it one more time.

And it was pink. Who thinks of this? Ashley wrinkled her face at the implication. A global powerhouse decided to fire her mother, and this gaudy color was supposed to keep her calm. She pshaw’d a puff of anger. Didn’t know what to do with herself. Mom dropped the news like a bomb, then walked away without giving her a chance to blow her stack.

Left alone with confused, raging thoughts, Ashley calculated how the news factored in to their already crippling financial situation. Car repairs, two out of three household members would be unemployed, her father’s recent extra loans. This couldn’t be happening.

Idiots, she hissed. Her voice echoed in the underground parking garage louder than expected, but her ire let her get over it quickly enough.

Eighteen years Mom poured into this international company. A flourishing industry leader as far as Ashley knew. Eighteen years. The Christmas achievement award for outstanding service sat polished on the mantle at home. This is what their hard workers got in return. A cruel dismissal. On a pink piece of paper! Ashley kicked the passenger tire on her way around to the driver’s side.

Calming effects, her left eye. Selfish, greedy ingrates, she mumbled.

The letter slapped the rain-misted headlights and hood as she stomped to the waiting vehicle door. Really, God. What else can go wrong? Her nursing job didn’t provide an income for three. She couldn’t support her parents. Not now. There wasn’t enough to go around.

Taking a deep breath, she reached to calm her racing thoughts. Why be a card-carrying, God-fearing woman if she couldn’t call on him for help instead of with desperate snatches of information he already knew? Okay, well, God, do something, fast, was all she could muster, ’cause her anchoring faith up and left somewhere in the middle of the letter.

Closing her eyes, any sliver of calm evaporated. Prospering Revealing Raes put her family’s welfare in jeopardy to save a few measly bucks a year.

Selfish, she grunted with another furtive kick to the driver side tire. How do you expect people to live when you don’t fight fair?

The underbelly of the bumper received its own kick as well as the hubcap. Seeing a scuff mark on the chrome, she thought that if she damaged the car, they’d have to spend more money to repair her dents. A hysterical laugh rose from her chest at the insane thought, but only a half-grunt, half-sob made it out.

Calm down, Ash. This is what she turned into after working too many twelve-hour overnight shifts and no sleep before driving her mother to work.

Too bad.

She stamped the heel of her hand on the hood and stared at her contorted reflection. How is this supposed to work?

Usually when you sit behind the wheel and press the accelerator, it pretty much works itself.

Sparks ricocheted up her spine. Unsolicited wisecrack remarks from strange men in her present state of mind? Not a smart idea. Anyone ought to know better than to step into the ranting stream of a madwoman.

Standing up straight, her anger at anyone having to do with this company reignited. She jerked round to glare at the sap who’d dared interrupt her tantrum. She was thankful for her five-nine frame because he must have been six-three, and giving a tongue lashing while getting whiplash—even from ten feet away—wasn’t desirable. Heaven help her concentrate. He was beautiful.

A barely-there smile sealed her doom. Having problems opening the hood? Need a hand?

Huh?

The onslaught of a hot temper fizzled, incoherent mind images detained her. Ashley stood mute, petrified, soaking up good looks of the towering white man before her. Taking in tanned skin, she remained mesmerized by the smooth angles of his deep-set eyes, nose, and jaw line. Even the tailored navy suit with light blue shirt worked lovely things on the large frame.

She tightened her slack jaw. Words were required. They were forthcoming. Any moment now. Just one more second to memorize how his hair and eyes were the same shade of pale brown, the irises dimensioned with ash. Men shouldn’t have such incredible, piercing eyes. She could stay there all day and bask in their glint. Glint? More like gloat. Those striking, arrogant orbs stared as though her inability to respond proved she was crazy—and attracted.

Summoning her most God-allowed offending look, Ashley took a step toward him. Unless you’re a mechanic in a seven hundred dollar suit, keep your stroll.

He couldn’t have appeared more unimpressed. A near-curl took his lips. Feeling stupid, Ashley wished she’d aimed higher. The suit must be a few grand.

So that was a yes or…? She heard the tease behind his query, right before the eyes skirted to her hand and dried of humor. You are…?

Someone who’s had it up to here with blind, selfish, ungrateful, greedy rich folk, and I’ll leave it at that. She realized that was a mouthful in itself and therefore another stupid thing to say.

From the corner of her eye Ashley noticed she’d left the passenger door open, and retraced her steps to close it. With her back turned, she closed her eyelids and clenched her jaw. Her heated face scrunched in an attempt to time-travel and take back those idiotic remarks. Other people avoiding the drizzling rain outside moved around in the garage; she’d just acted out in front of strangers. As if her mother didn’t have it bad enough.

You look like you’re doing very well for yourself, the stranger said.

Wha…? Still here? She glanced at the expensive vehicle, its open driver’s door giving him a view of what her parents could currently afford.

She remembered saying she was sick of rich folk. Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving, buddy. After barely surviving the events of the past year, her mother’s job was all they clung to.

Rounding the front of the car again, she gave him a look to back up as he came closer. His gaze lowered again to the fateful paper flapping in her hand. When their eyes locked, she understood he knew what the pink slip represented, and probably why he’d asked who she was. Ashley dragged her teeth across the corner of her bottom lip to shut up. Neither she nor her mother would be office gossip fodder today.

Doing a double take at his faint engaging smile, she realized he’d been taking in a lot more than a pink paper: her sandals, Capri’s, halter top, bare face, hair not quite presentable for such close male inspection.

Oh, she must look horrible. Somewhere along the line she’d switched to gnawing her inner lip. Ashley hopped into the soft leather seat, only venturing a look at Mr. Handsome from the safety of the rearview mirror. Not usually so flighty, she allowed shame to crowd into the car with her. She cranked the air conditioner and rode a speed bump too quickly.

Bring it down. Home. Definitely get some sleep. And no more thinking about going off the deep end in public. Clearing the garage, she felt the heat of another kind of embarrassment, the kind of behaving like a stereotypical mad idiot in front of a gorgeous guy.

Serves her right. Act the fool and prove yourself to be one, she muttered, and vowed a day like today would never be repeated.

NOT much amused him, but Aaron felt the corner of his mouth quirk with the beginnings of a grin. The strange woman had blushed in either anger or embarrassment. Whatever the cause, it made one sexy treat for eight o’clock in the morning.

His quirk pulled into a full-blown smile watching her tear away.

Until she hit the speed bump.

He raised an eye brow and nearly scowled at the racing vehicle, then shook his head and continued to his own chaos which awaited inside. Accosted by employees the second he stepped through the double glass doors, Aaron tempered his impatient breaths.

Good morning, Mr. Gilyard. If you have a minute later today, I’d like to see you about the—

He held up his hand and barely mustered a wave to silence the accounts manager. In the elevator, he received the treatment to which he was accustomed. The three women and two men bounced stares and glances for business or pleasure, or avoided eye contact altogether. His phone sounded off three times. He checked the message alerts. They could wait.

Couldn’t even make it to his office in peace, as he watched a middle-aged man stride down the hall toward him. Aaron shook his head. Not now.

Mr. Gilyard, we need to give a response as soon as possible. We’re still receiving calls. The occasional reporter visits the front lobby for one story or anoth—

What part of ‘not now’ do you not understand? He spared two seconds to stop walking and stare at the man.

Moving on he didn’t look back. He’d requested media inquiries be brought to him directly, but his mind was in no condition to take it right now. That woman and the speed bump. It agitated him.

Shaking his head, Aaron entered the overdone, abandoned office he’d called home for the past week, took his seat behind the desk, then dropped his cell to the smooth stone surface. He stared at the blank screen. He wanted to check on his grandmother, but Valerie Gilyard proved to be the diehard tough-head he’d inherited his stubborn streak from. She’d insisted he take care of business, not her.

I’m not the real reason we’re up here. I’ll call you during the day, but you have a lot of work to take care of, she’d reminded.

True, but even if they hadn’t been stuck in Canada taking care of a gap in the Revealing chain of command, there were other dire concerns Val must never know. The tip of the iceberg nearly did her in. Aaron couldn’t afford her finding out what lay below.

His mind stayed on her for a moment and he smiled, thinking of her tenacity. A contentious force when she wanted to be. Why she insisted on being called by her fist name, he never understood until now. Until that iceberg all but took her from him.

He loved seeing her smile, to know she was okay, not smashed and broken; bruised and in pain; casts, bandages, and stitches holding her together like a rag doll. He’d never believed someone her age could survive such a car wreck.

Speed bumps of life.

His smile faded and he swiveled his chair to stare out the window. His gaze met the glass and steel of the other high-rise offices across the downtown Toronto street. It wasn’t home.

The phone buzzed again. He checked the ID before setting it aside and reaching for his laptop. Even if he were home, he’d still have to deal with this mountain of a problem. It was the bane of his existence, and it wasn’t going away on its own.

CHAPTER TWO

REHEARSING THE task of driving her mother to work, Ashley thought about their uncomfortable breakfast session. Her parents felt it necessary to explain that losing a job wasn’t the end-all to end all. Meanwhile, her father insisted they had enough to keep them for a time.

Exactly how long constituted a time? The bottom falling out from the software company he’d worked for had been bad enough. Stocks he’d held ended up causing enormous personal debts. Not that she’d ever hear the stubborn John McKenny admit how desperate things had become, but she knew.

With her apartment tucked upstairs in the large duplex her parents owned, where they occupied the ground floor and basement, she was around enough to figure things out. She couldn’t believe her great idea of moving back downstairs to rent out her space had been vetoed.

They’d been tripping over each other since her car died, leaving each of them to drive from Revealing Raes to the hospital where she worked, to job hunting for her father. As long as they were joined at the hip, what was the problem?

I don’t know how you can refuse me moving back in, Ashley argued, picking up their discussion. She flipped on the signal for a right turn. You make great money as CFO, but I know finances are just starting to balance out. We can’t recover if things go south again.

Don’t mention anything to your brothers. They have enough to worry about. Her mom peered across the car. And what’s all this ‘we’ talk? Live your life, Ash. You look like you’re going through the trial of your life.

Ashley threw her mother a glare. They’d been through a trial, a literal trial, and anything attacking her family made her defensive.

Fix that bottom lip or I’ll pull it out farther.

Ma.

What?

I’m thinking. This is my thinking face. I’m working something out here.

She’d prayed about the recently available job assignment and felt cleared to go. But now with her mother losing her job...

Ashley grimaced. Her brothers lived two hours away in opposite directions, and she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d be abandoning her parents in their time of need.

Mom, all of a sudden, belted out a very bad rendition of He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands. They scuffled as Ashley tried to cup her hand over her mother’s mouth, her mom pretentiously fending her off.

Manicured nails clicked closer and closer to Ashley’s face, making her squeal out a playful scream while she pushed the talons away. She pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of the building and scolded her mother for making it a harrowing ride in the kiss ‘n ride lane. But her mom’s behavior was encouraging, if her mother wasn’t worried, why should Ashley be?

Mom opened the back door to retrieve her briefcase and purse, and Ashley’s heart raced as she released the news. I’m moving out.

From outside the SUV her mother stared over the seat. What’s this about?

I’ve been offered an assignment as a personal nurse. Christine told me about it a few days ago.

And you chose now to tell me?

It’s for the best, and I have to give her an answer today.

What I mean is— she closed the back door, and leaned in the front. Why do we wait until I’m at my doorstep before springing surprises on each other?

Wonder where I get that from. Ashley tapped a finger on the corner of her mouth, and avoided another swat from her mother. It’s an exclusive care-giver position for one of my patients. Live-in. I really like her, Mom. I’ll be fine. And being out of the house, not using the car would save a few dollars a day.

Her mom sighed. We have lousy timing, Ash. The makings of a small smile smoothed out some of the stress lines Ashley had noticed over the past couple of weeks. Dressed to kill in a black and red business pants suit, flaunting a half-inch tight-curled haircut, her mother kissed her fingers, then waved them at Ashley. She turned, strutting every bit like a woman who had it right with the world.

The familiar smirk on her mother’s face told her she’d just made her day. Being secure, being taken care of, that’s all her mother ever wanted for her. That made two of them. She was glad she put a small spark back after someone crushed out the light.

Grinning, Ashley pulled away from the curb. No shift scheduled for tonight, she pronounced this a party day and changed direction to visit her supervisor to tell her she’d accept the contract.

INCOMPETENCE. It was something he couldn’t stand. Something he wouldn’t tolerate when it came to his family.

Again, Mr. Gilyard, we apologize for the misdiagnosis.

Leaning over Valerie’s bed, Aaron stared down the doctor on the other side. He ignored the nurse cowering over the doctor’s shoulder although she’d been the one who made the alarming phone call. But the doctor, Aaron blamed him for just about giving him a heart attack by saying his grandmother had suffered one not forty minutes before.

He’d made a frantic, quite illegal drive through rush-hour traffic to reach her side. Val’s skin had been pale grey, almost the same color as her grey-white curls.

It won’t happen again.

No. Aaron’s low command jumped in as sharp as the razor glare he knew he gave. The two incompetents could share it between them.

The doctor nodded slowly. The nurse lowered her eyes. Then a throat cleared behind him. His cousin. Telling him to mind his manners? Et tu, Brute? These people didn’t understand the magnitude of what happened here.

Val patted his wrist with a sturdy strength for someone in her condition. Aaron, I’m fine.

One look in her eyes softened the sting of his glare. Under the covered sutures plastered on the left side of her face, bandages held her together from shoulder to toe; cracked ribs, broken left arm and leg. He couldn’t believe here lay the invincible woman who’d raised him.

Her skin still held the death-hued pallor, healthier looking than before, but too pallid for his liking. She smiled something defiant. Oh. No question about where he got that stubborn streak.

"I’m fine, she said again, and nodded. Just thank God all is well."

His grandmother, even his cousin—the only two people he had left in this world, the only people he actually loved—couldn’t persuade him to rise up to meet faith in God the way they did.

This isn’t about God. This is about an inept so-called experienced doctor who’d said you suffered another heart attack. As if the initial one and subsequent car accident that landed her here in the first place hadn’t caused him worry enough.

Val’s grip tightened on his corded wrist. Thank you, Doctor Milo. Can you give us a few minutes, please? Aaron, say goodbye to the doctor and Miss Christine, and let’s talk.

Words refused to come but the doctor and nurse-in-charge didn’t seem to need any. Pushing them out the room with his stare, he peeked over his shoulder at the closed door. Even his cousin had hightailed it out. He turned to Val, staring at her in question. They both knew he didn’t need a cleared room to talk freely.

Remind me to check his credentials. He resisted the reach for his phone to make it happen.

She pouted. You can run the business with that attitude, not our personal lives.

I don’t have a personal life. I thought I didn’t have a grandmother, the way those two put it. You can’t make excuses for him, Val.

You’re the one who’s bent it out of shape.

How could being upset with the hospital because they ignored his instructions to call him only in the event of a dire emergency be bending it out of shape? His heart had hijacked his throat at hearing the news.

Aaron tried to school his features and not stress her out by arguing about it. I can hardly wait until you’re well enough to come home.

A few more days. And don’t worry about the doctor. It was a snap decision. If it wasn’t made and I’d suffered something serious, you’d have regretted him not calling. Take the blessings as they come, Aaron. I’ve learned not to dwell on the little things.

He wondered how she could refer to her life as a little thing.

These eyes have seen too much for that. I’m here now. I have a legacy and a loving family. What more do I need?

He caught her cast-free right hand in both of his. Legacies. Loving families. Before he choked on those misplaced sentiments, he bowed his head and kissed her knuckles, eventually pressing his face to hers to hide his reaction of the truth.

A moment later, regrouped, he lifted his head. Nothing more, Val.

She smiled. Well… Her voice implied perhaps there was. There might be one or two things I forgot to tell you.

With a loving pat on his cheek, the gleam in her eyes told him he wasn’t going to like her next idea.

WEAVING through the downtown core traffic, nothing beat a good set of woofers, lack of inhibition, and reassurance that all would turn out fine. At the private recovery facility, Ashley treaded down the color-coordinated floors in search of her boss.

Coworkers hovered outside her patient’s room and she quickened her pace. She became more concerned when Christine emerged.

Christine. What’s happened to Val?

Her friend waved her fingers to calm her. Thirty pounds overweight, always vowing to lose forty, the redhead looked winded like she’d just finished her self-imposed walk up and down the hospital’s stairs.

You know the string of bad luck Val’s had lately? Right after you left this morning, she had chest pains and labored breathing, tingling—the whole shebang—so smarty doc thinks it’s another mild heart attack and tells me to call in the family as per instructed. No, don’t look so worried, the good and bad news is it was gas.

Ashley wanted to laugh, but too strung on nerves. Not another heart attack?

No. You saw her notes last night, she was nauseous yesterday afternoon, and hadn’t eaten since. The doc thought better safe than sorry by calling everyone in. Someone should have warned him about the family. We got the riot act read to us by the grandson this morning. But at least he was humble enough to call us back in there just now to apologize. She wagged a thumb toward the door. For the prickly one in the family he seemed sincere.

Ashley peeked through the door’s small glass window, trying to get a view. Valerie had spoken of her grandson staying in town. He’s here?

"Spends most afternoons with her. But you should have heard him yelling at everybody, ordering us around like he’s boss. He’s a pain in the butt-tuchis, but he loves her, I’ll grant him that. Not to mention he’s hot under the collar in more ways than one."

The corner of Ashley’s mouth tickled at Christine’s sassy grin.

What can I say, Ash? It wasn’t concern for dear Val that kept me in there so long. She purred like a tigress. Ought to be a law against so many good genes in one family. All the ice cream flavors you can ask for. Vanilla, butterscotch...

Ashley didn’t understand, but shifted her position to sneak a better peek. Dr. Milo’s balding head blocked her view of a blond. Causes that much of a stir, huh?

Green eyes swept over her. What brings you in during the daylight hours?

Ashley pointed to the door. She does. I’d like to take you up on your offer.

Wide-eyed, Christine yelped then lowered her voice to a whisper. It’s Val’s handpicked offer, but I’m glad you agreed. You deserve it. Aww. I’m gonna’ miss you.

O…kay… It’s only a few months, Chris. It’s what I was doing before I came here, remember? Not a promotion.

Christine’s deep chuckle rumbled in her throat. Oh, it is a promotion. And to be honest, she’s loaded.

Most of the patients here have enough money to buy the place. Ashley had long ago stopped being impressed by a sizable portfolio. A good portion of their patients paid big money for their privacy and anonymity.

Christine clutched her arm and dragged her down the hallway. Okay. Step into my office. We have a leave of absence to arrange.

Trying to keep up, Ashley heard a murmured conversation, and turned to see the doctor emerging from Val’s room. A handsome, thirtyish blond followed wearing tan khaki shorts and a green polo shirt.

After shaking hands, it seemed he wanted to go back into the room, but paused to look through the viewing window. He rested his hands on either side of the door, leaning forward as if he didn’t have the strength to go back in.

Stirred with compassion for the family, Ashley continued to stare as the man put his hands into his pockets and began to pace. Without warning, he glanced up and saw her watching.

Frazzled at being caught, she turned abruptly, following her friend. But not before narrowly missing another patient walking his I.V.

THREE weeks already? Ashley couldn’t remember the days that flew by. Between work, packing, and making personal arrangements, she couldn’t afford dividing her attention to anything else. As busy as life became, she considered the work permit papers and endless lawyer calls, a tiny sacrifice for spending her spring and summer in The Hamptons.

When Christine first mentioned that Val was an American citizen, and her grandson insisted on taking her home for recovery, she barely wavered in her decision to leave friends and family behind.

You’re going to The Hamptons, baby. Christine grinned and nodded, tapping a persistent finger on the dotted line for Ashley to hurry up and sign before she could change her mind.

Patients’ families preferred their loved ones home, or close by, for convalescence. With Val’s birthday fast approaching, no doubt her grandson wanted her near friends and in familiar surroundings.

She poured all her energy into Val.