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I envied the look of intimacy that passed between them. They'd been through a lot of heartache since their wedding, but they seemed to have grown stronger because of it. I hoped today's exam would provide nothing but good news. They deserved a break.
"I'm going to grab my purse. I'll be right back," Dani told Steve.
As she went into the back room, Steve moved over to the counter. "Have you talked to your dad lately, Brynn?"
"No. Why?" I asked curiously.
"Vicky just called me. She wanted to know if I knew where Ross had gone on his business trip. His assistant told her he'd gone to Portland, but he's not staying at his usual hotel there. Nor is he returning her calls."
"Why would she call you?"
"Ross and I are supposed to play golf on Sunday."
"Oh. Well, my father doesn't check in with me. Dani would hear from him before I would."
"I'll talk to her about it." He paused. "Don't say anything about your dad right now. Dani might worry, and I want her to go into this appointment with a relaxed, positive attitude."
I could see by the tension in his eyes that he wasn't feeling at all relaxed. "I won't say anything, and I hope it goes well today."
"Me, too. It has been a lot to get to this point."
"It's all going to be good from here on," I assured him. "I wouldn't worry about Dad or Vicky. She lives for drama. She has always been insecure, imagining the worst whenever Dad isn't giving her a hundred percent of his attention. But he gets distracted by work, and he doesn't always check his phone when he's with clients. I'm sure he's fine."
"I hope so. I don't want Dani to be stressed about anything right now. Whatever you can do to take pressure off her, I'd really appreciate."
My heart sank at his words. I couldn't promise him I'd be taking pressure off Dani, not with what I needed to talk to her about. But first things first; they needed to see the doctor and find out everything was exactly as it should be.
Dani came back into the shop and gave me a smile. "Thanks for taking over, Brynn. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Her words lingered in the air long after she and Steve had left. She was going to have to do without me if I took my dream job.WhenI took my dream job, I silently amended.
It was a risk. I could play horribly and get fired within a week, and that might hurt worse than not playing at all. But I'd been playing it safe my entire life.
Growing up, Dani had never let me stray too far. If I got close to the street, she'd take my hand and yank me back. I hadn't always appreciated her tight grip on me, but I had relied on it. She had kept me safe over the years. But I couldn't let my sister's needs dictate the rest of my life. I was twenty-seven years old, and Dani and I both needed more than each other. She had Steve and the boutique and a baby on the way. It was my turn.
But for now, I needed to finish the day. For the next hour, I did everything I could do to keep myself from thinking too much. As the clock ticked toward five, the customers petered out.
Maddie left to get ready for a date, and I was about to turn the sign toClosedwhen the door opened, and Jeff Dunbar walked in with a smile on his boyishly handsome face. He wore gray slacks and a light-blue shirt with a tie loose around his neck. Jeff was a lawyer at Steve's firm and one of my brother-in-law's best friends. We'd been dating the last few weeks, and I liked him, but I didn't see it going anywhere.
There was nothing wrong with Jeff. He was attractive and nice. There were a few sparks, but I rarely thought about him when we weren't together, which wasn't the best sign. He was also five years older than me and far more interested in settling down than I was. With my change in career looming, I couldn't imagine where he would fit into my life, or if he would even want to. But I couldn't get into anything with him before I spoke to Dani.
"Hey, Brynn," he said with a smile. "How about Happy Hour at Casa Maria tonight? Margaritas, chips, and guacamole are calling my name."
A drink didn't sound bad, but I felt in too much emotional turmoil to fake being a good date tonight. The sound of my phone ringing gave me a reason to stall. "Hold on, I need to get my phone. Dani is at the doctor." I dashed into the office to retrieve my phone from my bag. I really didn't want this to be Dani calling with bad news.
Jeff followed me into the office with concern in his eyes. But it was an unknown number flashing on my screen.
"It's not her," I said. But I answered the call just in case it was the doctor's office. "Hello?"
"Brynn Landry?" a woman asked.
"Yes."
"I'm Kendra Miller, a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco."
"Okay." When she saidhospital, my brain went straight to Dani, but my sister wasn't in San Francisco. "What do you want?" I asked.
"I have some bad news," the woman replied. "Your mother is in critical condition."
