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Her voice cracked a little bit and her eyes were bright as she pasted a too-big smile on her face. “I’m going to go visit at the church a bit. Lorraine mentioned needing some help getting ready for the clothing drive this weekend.” She paused, then grabbed the cookies and handed the container to Dallas. “Dallas, you take as good care of my boy at home as you did when you were here, you hear me?” she said. I didn’t see Dallas’s response, but I had no doubt he’d nodded.
My mother went to grab her purse. She started to walk past me, but then stopped. Her eyes were wet with tears, but none fell. “You drive real safe, okay? Snow’s just starting to fall.”
I nodded and watched her walk to the coat rack to grab her coat.
Don’t let it change who you are.
“Mom…” I waited until she turned to look at me. “You too.”
She smiled tremulously. “I will, honey. See you soon.” She held my gaze for a moment before she left the house.
I knew it hadn’t been much, but it was all I’d had left in me. And when Dallas’s arms wrapped around me from behind and he pressed a kiss against my cheek, I knew it had been enough.
Chapter Eighteen
Dallas
“Baby, wake up, we’re here,” Nolan murmured. His lips skimmed my temple and then his fingers closed around mine. My brain felt fuzzy as I forced my eyes open. I sat up and automatically reached for the bandage on my throat, but Nolan gently grabbed my free hand. “It needs to stay on for a few more days, remember?” he said.
I nodded, though the move made my already pained head hurt more.
“Why don’t you stay in here and I’ll run into the office to get the papers?”
I shook my head, then straightened and tried to clear the cobwebs in my brain. I knew it was just the lingering effects of the pain pills, but I was tired of feeling so out of it. I’d had my surgery five days earlier, and while it had been deemed a success in that my breathing had improved and I was able to swallow the soft foods I was allowed to eat with no problem, it would be several weeks before I’d learn if my voice would return.
Nolan had been at my side both before and after the surgery, making me wonder how I’d ever managed it on my own the last couple of times. I’d also been fortunate to have Sawyer offer to continue handling the center while I was laid up and Nolan was taking care of me. I hadn’t seen my brother again since the day of Nolan’s father’s funeral, and I’d been relieved.
Mostly.
I hadn’t allowed myself to think about the other emotions I’d been feeling.
I took my phone out and typed, It will be faster if I get them.
“Okay,” Nolan said. Not surprisingly, he got out of the truck and came around to my side to help me. I didn’t really need the help since I’d regained most of my strength, and I’d cut the dosage of pain medication in half so I wouldn’t be as off-balance, but I certainly wasn’t going to begrudge Nolan putting his hands on me.
Especially since I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d get the opportunity.
After news of who’d really stolen the violin had been made public, Nolan had been inundated with calls, both from reporters and from former colleagues and friends. After a while, he’d stopped answering the phone. We hadn’t really talked about what Nolan’s plans were, since he was still trying to cope with his father’s death and the things his mother had told him, but I’d inadvertently overheard one of the messages Nolan had gotten on his voicemail when he’d left the phone on the speakerphone setting as he’d played it and I’d been in the bathroom getting dressed.
It had been from someone with the orchestra in London that Nolan had been auditioning for when the theft of the Stradivarius had occurred. They’d wanted the opportunity to talk to Nolan about him joining their orchestra.
The call had come the day before my surgery, so I had no idea if Nolan had called them back, and I was too afraid to ask. In my heart, I knew he needed to go – there was just no choosing between cleaning up after animals in a wildlife sanctuary with a broken man and playing in one of the most renowned orchestras in the world.
But that didn’t make it any easier to know my time with him was running down at a fast clip. I suspected he was waiting until I was fully recovered before he broke the news to me. As hard as it would be to let him go, I couldn’t be the person that held him back. I couldn’t be the reason he didn’t follow his dream.
