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“You fainted.”
“No, I did not.” She looked around wildly, then back at him. He held her gaze steadily. “Okay, maybe I…momentarily lost…the helicopter. Did they find out…what’s…”
“Galen is making some calls.” He didn’t want to bring up the hospital in case that made her faint again.
But Jenna had clearly gotten ahold of herself by now. “We need to call the hospital in Braddock, the clinic—”
“He’s on it. Just…sit here for a second. Let me get you some water.” He hurried into the kitchen and poured her a glass from the tap. Then he hesitated. If the power was out, the town water filtration system might be compromised. They’d have to boil their water.
Instead, he filled a glass of orange juice from a carton in the thawing refrigerator. He should get the generator going so they didn’t lose everything in the freezer. After that he should boil some water so they had some to drink, just in case. Was it too late to pour antifreeze down the pipes to make sure they didn’t freeze if the house got too cold?
First things first. He rushed back into the living room to see Jenna back on her feet, swaying slightly.
“I told you to sit.”
“Billy, the kids are missing! I can’t just sit.” She took the glass from him and drank deeply. “I think I was a little dehydrated.”
“You think? You haven’t had a drop since Minneapolis.”
“I was afraid I would throw it up.” She finished the glass and handed it to him, which amused him to no end. Hey, it was nice to feel needed. He set the glass on the table. “I still might,” she warned him.
“No biggie, I’ve seen you throw up plenty of times. I’d say over fifty. Mostly when you were pregnant, but then there was that time when we stayed up all night playing beer pong and you had to run out to the lake and …”
She clutched at her stomach. “Can you please not?”
“Sorry. Look. I’m worried too, of course, but wherever they are, Annika is with them. You trust Annika, right?”
“Annika thinks we got together too young.”
Ouch. He knew Annika was protective of Jenna, and therefore wary of him, especially since the divorce. But they also had a good-natured teasing kind of vibe. If she thought their love story was a mistake, well, that hurt.
“Okay. She has the right to think what she wants. But I still trust her with the boys, don’t you?”
Eyes wide, Jenna stepped toward him. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I said that.” She touched his arm. “Can I take it back? I don’t even know if it’s true anymore. She hasn’t said it in a long time.”
“Maybe she’s right. We were young and optimistic. We didn’t stay together, so…” He shrugged a shoulder, trying to give the impression of not caring, which was very much untrue. He’d never consider marrying Jenna a mistake, and it would break his heart if she did.
Jenna shook her head, her gray eyes never leaving his.
“No, she’s wrong. Annika’s too cynical. She’s skeptical about love and romance and…” She was so close to him that her scent saturated his senses and he lost track of what she was saying. She snapped her fingers. “That guy!”
“What?”
“She’s been seeing someone. Well, not seeing. He doesn’t live here. She met him this summer when he and his son came into the clinic. He was going to come back for Christmas break, and I’m pretty sure he’s already here. I overheard her on the phone joking about his staff getting the house ready. Anyway, he’s very wealthy. I remember her mentioning that he has a private helicopter.”
“That’s great, Jenna.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. “You’re a genius. What’s his name?”
“I don’t know! She never says his name. She refers to him as ‘the not-so-terrible guy I’ve been not-seeing’ or something like that.”
“That Annika, she’s such a sap,” said Billy dryly. “Do you know where he’s staying?”
“One of the big summer houses on the eastern shore, that’s all I know. Probably not far from your guest house.”
Galen came bursting through the door, as was his habit. “They’re not at the hospital. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“I have an idea where they might be. Do you remember that billionaire Jason rescued from the burning boat last summer?”
Galen looked confused, but nodded. “Sure. He gave the fire department a huge donation, which is how they could afford a fire boat. Caldwell something?”
