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“He didn’t ask for food, Ford,” Martha said, clearly stressed too.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t take him something,” her son said, and Rosalie smiled at the child. He did love his father, that much was evident. Ford glared at his mother, and Rosalie definitely recognized that fire. She’d seen the same look on Lee’s face when he spoke to his brothers.
She couldn’t help smiling at him. “I’ll call him and see if he’s eaten.”
Martha took a breath and blew it out. “Ford’s right. They won’t eat in the hospital. The Cooper brothers know how to worry like little old ladies. They’ll pace, and they’ll argue, but they won’t eat.”
“I’ll take them something,” Rosalie said, her mind firing options at her now. One of them was marching straight over to the hospital and verifying what Martha had said. If Lee’s mother was so ill she had to be in the hospital, why hadn’t he told her?
“Lee worries for the world,” Martha said softly, and all Rosalie could do was nod. She had never experienced such humiliation in her life, not even when James had come into their bedroom one morning and said he as moving out.
“I’ll get pizza,” she said as cheerfully as she could. That would feed all three men, and their daddy too, and Rosalie could get an extra cheese pie for Autumn. The task-master inside her quickly made a list that needed to be accomplished, and she wanted to get started right away.
“Good luck,” Martha said, and Rosalie wasn’t sure how to take that. She walked away, keen to be out of this grocery store and on her way. She put her items on the short belt leading to the cashier, and she pulled out her phone to call Lee.
He didn’t answer, and Rosalie’s irritation with the surly cowboy grew. She paid for her few groceries and headed outside. She called for pizza, then called Charity to let her know the situation. With the fifteen-minute drive home, she’d arrive close to the same time as the pizza, and she could make sure her family was fed before heading over to the hospital.
As she drove back to her house, she called the hospital. “Information,” a woman said.
“Yes, hello,” she said in as positive of a voice as she could. “I’m wondering if you can tell me what room Chrissy Cooper is in.”
“Chrissy Cooper…” the woman repeated. Rosalie made a left turn on Main and wanted to stomp on the accelerator. That wouldn’t get the pizza to her house any faster, and she couldn’t leave before the food arrived. “She’s in room three-twelve.”
“Thank you,” Rosalie said, barely pushing the words out of her mouth. Anguish and worry snaked through her, barely dampened by her fury with the auburn-haired cowboy who hadn’t called her when it was really important.
She wasn’t sure if she should slap him across the face as she delivered his dinner or ask the driver to take it to room three-twelve so she didn’t have to see him. He obviously didn’t want to see her. He didn’t want to find comfort in her arms, and the humiliation sliced through her, flooded her, choked her.
She pulled into her driveway and carried the few groceries into the house, taking care to step over the new gate she’d installed. “I’m home,” she called, her own exhaustion starting to make her muscles like marshmallows. She wanted nothing more than to change her clothes and fall onto the couch while her stuffed peppers baked.
Autumn came running toward her, and she’d barely set the groceries on the counter before her daughter clung to her legs. “Momma, you’re home.”
“I’m home.” She bent and lifted her daughter into her arms. “How was the preschool party?” As it was almost summer, the preschool had done a summer kick-off party on a rare Friday. She wouldn’t have classes for a couple of weeks, and then the summer programs would start up.
“Good,” Autumn said, playing with Rosalie’s collar. “I’m hungry, Momma.”
“Yes, I am too.” She set Autumn on the floor. “I ordered pizza. It should be here soon.” She glanced over as Charity started unpacking the groceries. “Thank you, Charity.”
“No problem.” The blonde college student had been the only person keeping Rosalie sane for the past few months, and she suddenly couldn’t hold back her tears. She turned away from everyone and started walking down the hall, the horrible heat in her nose, mouth, and eyes simply awful.
“Momma,” Autumn said, but Charity said, “Leave her for a minute, honey.”
Rosalie didn’t want to break down, but she absolutely couldn’t stand to break-up with Lee.Then don’trang through her mind. She drew in a breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. She wasn’t going to let him walk out of her life the way James had.
She was going to take him and his brothers a pizza, and then she was going to let Lee know that his behavior was unacceptable. She reminded herself that his mama was sick, and she could perhaps give him a pass for the rude phone call. But no matter what, he should’ve at least communicated with her about what was going on. She should’ve never had had to find out from his son and ex-wife in the grocery store.
She returned to the kitchen and crouched down despite the pinching in her toes and the ache in her feet. She hugged Autumn and said, “I have to go visit a friend in the hospital tonight,” she said. “I ordered pizza for us, and Charity is going to stay with you while I’m gone.”
“Who’s at the hops..sital?” Autumn asked.
Rosalie grinned at her and booped their noses together. “It’s actually my boyfriend, honey. His name is Lee.”
“Is he nice?”
“Sometimes,” Rosalie said. “He just needs a pizza too, and then I’ll come right back, okay?”
“Okay.”
Thankfully, the doorbell rang, and Rosalie got to her feet to go get the food. She signed the receipt and handed one box to Charity. She’d have to pay the young woman extra for tonight, and Rosalie knew it was absolutely worth it.
She wanted to start crying again when she met her nanny’s eyes, but Charity shook her head with a smile. “We’re fine here, Rosalie,” she said. “Go figure out what’s going on.”
“Thank you,” Rosalie managed to say, all of her emotions storming through her chest. She wasn’t sure she could maintain her composure once she came face-to-face with the man who’d been starring in her daydreams since the math night at the elementary school, and she wasn’t sure if it mattered if she did or not.
What she knew was she suddenly understood Lee’s hatred of driving and how long it took.
She arrived at the hospital, reached for the two pizzas she’d bought for the Coopers, her own stomach clawing at her and reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything in a while. Her legs shook as she entered the hospital, and she felt only moments away from passing out.
Every step took her closer to the elevator bank, and then down the hall to the block of patient rooms where Lee’s mother was. She hadn’t fainted and she wasn’t going to quit.
If Lee didn’t want to be with her, he was going to have to say it right to her face while she held the dinner she’d brought for him. The only thing she regretted as room three-twelve came into view was that she hadn’t changed out of her heels.
