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The rest, she would have to think about.
•••
Quaid ignored the stale coffee sitting on the table. The waiting room they’d sent him to smelled slightly bitter, and he wished he’d brought a sweater or jacket, because the whole place was cold.
The door opened and the world became infinitely warmer as Jayna walked through followed by his brother.
“Hey.” She strode right up to him and wrapped him up in her arms.
He could breathe for the first time in hours. “I was getting worried about you. Did you have trouble on the road?”
She pulled back. “No. We made it fine. Just got waylaid. How’s your mom doing?”
“Have you talked to the doctor?” Paul asked.
“She’s having a stent placed right now.” He glanced at the clock. “She’s been back there for thirty minutes, so it shouldn’t be long. He said it might take up to an hour, but it’s a minimally invasive procedure. The blockage was bad, but the doctor says this is a routine procedure. She’s going to stay here for two nights and then she’ll have some rehabwork to do. She’s going to have to make some lifestyle changes.”
“I’ll call Lila in the morning and make arrangements for home health care and her rehab appointments,” Jayna offered.
“And I’ll talk to Caroline about eating healthier,” Paul replied. “I wouldn’t mind a change. I can’t get paunchy.”
Jayna shook her head. “That’s good to hear.” She yawned behind her hand. “I got us and Paul rooms at the hotel down the street. I’m going to go check us in and maybe catch a couple of hours of sleep before I go back to Papillon. I’ve already arranged for Rene to come up here tomorrow afternoon so you’ll have a car.”
“You have to go back?” He’d counted on her staying with him.
“I’ve got three meetings tomorrow,” she explained. “I managed to get the court date moved two weeks, but unless we’re shutting your office down, I should take those meetings. I can move them if you need me here.”
His mother was going to be fine. There was no need for Jayna to stay up and rearrange her whole life when she’d already done that once tonight. She was right that they needed to keep things moving. “No, I’m okay. You’ve done more than enough. Thank you.”
“I’ll text you our room number,” she promised. “And here are your keys. I’ll catch a cab.”
“No. We’ll catch the cab. You take the car.”
He hadn’t said the words. He’d been about to, but he was surprised that Paul was the one who insisted. Paul rarely inconvenienced himself.
“And I’ll walk you out.” He wasn’t letting her walk around a parking lot by herself at three in the morning. “I’ll be right back.”
They walked out to the parking lot, her hand in his.When they’d made it to his car, he kissed her, wanting to put off the moment she had to leave. “Thank you for bringing my brother out.”
She tilted her face up. “No problem, but you should talk to him.”
“Why? Was he the reason you got waylaid?” They’d taken at least an extra hour more than they’d needed. “Did he try to go home and pack or something?”
“No. He called Caroline and she’s going to pack a few things for him,” Jayna replied. “I stopped by the apartment and grabbed you some toiletries and a change of clothes. They’re in the car. Paul wanted to get here as quickly as he could, and you should know I’m going to need you to wire transfer a pretty hefty amount of money tomorrow.”
A deep relief overtook him. “He told you where to send the money?”
She nodded. “Yes, I convinced him staying safe was more important than proving to you he’s changed.”
“Good. I’ll send you all the info you need,” he promised.
“I think he has.” She looked up at him, a solemn expression on her face.
“Has what?”
“Changed. At least I think he’s truly trying. I talked to him for a long time tonight and I think he’s made some important choices.”
“My brother is very good at playing out dramatic scenes.”
