“And it’s all because of you,” she said.
“It was a team effort.”
“We were kind of amazing in there.”
He nodded, unable to speak for fear he’d say what he was thinking. They could be amazing in other ways too. Boy, he could be heading for big trouble, but he wasn’t sure he cared anymore.
*
May continued tofly by for Carly. Her father enrolled in an online bookkeeping class. He’d also followed through on his promises to be a more involved parent with Ryder. Unfortunately, her relationship with her brother hadn’t changed. He avoided her and when he couldn’t do that, he responded in three words or less. The good news was there hadn’t been any behavioral issues since the night at the bowling alley.
But the biggest changes in her life were because of Owen. He became a familiar fixture in the Horses for Heroes offices. When they weren’t in therapy sessions, they worked on the office plans, or other long-term fundraising strategies. Her job became enjoyable and instead of dreading going into the office, she looked forward to her days there.
She and Owen also enjoyed each other’s company at dinner, the bowling alley, playing miniature golf, or watching movies. Neither mentioned her moving or the future, preferring to live for now. But what confused and surprised her most, was despite how comfortable they were and their attraction burning between them, they hadn’t progressed past heavy petting when they found her house or his parents’ empty.
Tonight, she and Owen sat snuggled on his couch watching the latest Marvel superhero movie. The more time they spent together, the queasier the thought of leaving Owen made her.
“You seem far away tonight,” Owen said, breaking through her thoughts.
Before she could answer, her cell phone rang. She wiggled and twisted in Owen’s arms until she grabbed it from her back pocket. Before she shut it off, from habit, she glanced at the screen, and paused seeing her assistant’s name. “It’s Holly. She wouldn’t call unless it was important. I’d better answer.”
Owen nodded.
“What’s up, Holly?”
“Carly, I’m in the hospital. I started bleeding.” Holly’s faint voice crackled with fear.
“The baby? Is it okay? Are you?” Carly asked.
“We’re both fine for now, but because of my history, my doctor’s admitting me. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine at work.” Carly mentally ran through Holly’s duties to determine the ones she’d need to immediately assume and what could be assigned to volunteers.
“I hate to do this to you, but my doctor says I’m done working,” Holly said, pulling Carly away from her list.
What? Done working? “If I get released from the hospital, I’ll be on bedrest until the baby’s born.”
Carly swallowed hard. In November. Over five months from now. She struggled to process the news. If Carly stuck to her timeline, no way Holly could be considered to replace her. That meant the board would have to look for an outside candidate which would take longer. She’d also have to hire a temp for Holly.
“I’m sorry this will cause problems for you at work,” Holly whispered.
Carly clutched her cell phone. “You have no reason to apologize. Your health and the baby are what’s important.”
Then she added she’d keep Holly, Brent, and the baby in her prayers, ended the call, turned off her phone, and threw it in her purse.
“You okay?”
She nodded, trying to shut off the disappointment coursing through her. “How about you start the movie?”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Starting the movie?” she joked.
“That, the weather, the state of the economy, or the call that’s got you upset. Whatever, I’m here to listen.”
Owen slid his arm around her, and she rested her head on his broad shoulder. Her heart ached. Almost as bad as when her mother died. For a minute, she leaned against him, letting his strong presence surround her, as if she could absorb his strength to bolster her waning energy. Lately, Owen’s strong, supportive shoulders had been there every time the world shifted under her feet.
Nervous and afraid of what she felt, how she’d started relying on him, she pulled away to sit beside him on the couch. Choosing her words carefully because HIPAA laws prevented her from sharing anything about Holly’s pregnancy complications, she said, “The HIPAA approved phrase is ‘Holly will be on an unanticipated medical leave of undetermined length.’ Because of that, her taking over as executive director is no longer an option.”
