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Buckling her seatbelt, she turned to Chad in the plush cream leather seat beside her.
“Care to explain how we just boarded a private jet within thirty minutes of you telling me we were leaving?” she asked, her heart still racing from the mad dash that led them here.
“Tom called. It just so happens that his plane is used for humanitarian missions the majority of the time so when you called to say we couldn’t make it, he didn’t volunteer his plane because he almost never uses it for a single-person flight.”
“Chad, he is my almost son. I know all of this. I have also been on his plane, and this is not it.”
“No, but he and another man, Gabriel, work together on these humanitarian endeavors, and it just so happens that Gabe’s plane brought an organ for transplant here this afternoon and has to be back north this evening for maintenance before an early morning flight where they are flying aid to a small African village and picking up a small boy who is coming to the US for a life-saving surgery. They happen to have the time and got the flight plan approved for a pit stop in Massachusetts, so you get to be with your family on Christmas.”
“But I don’t have any clothes. And how are we going to get back? We don’t have any tickets, and flights are going to be hard to come by.”
“Don’t worry about that. I took care of everything. I had a little warning and was able to get coverage for you at the hospital for three days, as well as return flights. It will all work out,” he said, leaning over to kiss her temple.
“We still don’t have any clothes. Well, you might, you always have fresh clothes in your office in case of emergency meetings. I, on the other hand, don’t have a fancy office or an assistant that picks up my dry cleaning,” Beth muttered wondering what she was going to wear since she didn’t usually wear her hospital scrubs any further than her bathroom to keep the potential spread of germs down.
“Sarah said you wear the same size, so not to worry. We also are not staying with her as they moved the baby into the nursery and do not want to throw off her routine now that she is sleeping through the night.” Chad lifted his hand to still her as she opened her mouth to ask more questions. “We will be staying at the Harrington House. One of their friends, Zach, I believe, has recently opened it to guests and was kind enough to prepare us a room on short notice. My understanding is that the Christmas Eve party will be held there tomorrow evening, so it will be a little loud, but we aren’t so old yet that we need all of our beautysleep. A few hours should do. Sarah will fly down in January to go dress shopping with you since this trip did not turn out as planned. Now, I think I covered all of the pertinent details. Do you have any questions now?” he asked, turning towards her, his face triumphant at his ability to cover all the bases.
“No, I think that covers it. I am so happy to get to see the family all together and get to introduce you around. Thank you,” she said softly and tilted her head up to place a tender kiss on his lips.
“You are welcome, my love.” He lifted the armrest between them, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into his side. She was exhausted and they could both do with a little rest.
The next day, they awoke in their gorgeously appointed rooms to the sound of snow being shoveled from the sidewalks. The estate had an expansive garden behind the old mansion, and Beth longed to explore it. Eric had delivered a suitcase full of clothing and toiletries to the house before they arrived, so Beth was able to clean up and rest comfortably in clothes that didn’t smell of antiseptic.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and a woman several years older than Beth stood on the other side holding a tray of delicious-smelling food. “You missed breakfast, so I brought you a little of everything I had left. Tomorrow being Christmas Day, I will host it a little later so I can spend time with my grandkids first thing. Brunch will be served at 11, and then you’re on your own for dinner, as Mr. Harrington always gives me the rest of the day off. Miss Sarah said not to worry ’cause you would be with her anyway.”
Handing over the tray, the woman turned and walked down the hall.
“Thank you!” Beth called, “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Mrs. Walters, but most folks just call me Bess. My husband is the one outside shoveling, and folks call him Walter, even though that is his last name. I don’t reckon most even know his first name is James.” She chuckled as she descended the stairs and disappeared out of sight.
Chad reached for the tray in her hands, startling her out of her reverie, “Mind sharing this, or do you plan to eat it all yourself?” he teased.
“You know I am perfectly happy with my coffee in the morning, but this smells so good I am going to have to try some.”
They settled at a small table by the window and dug into the food. When they had nearly finished, Chad remarked, “Beth, I need to discuss something with you.”
“Okay, this sounds serious,” she replied, a pinch of trepidation settling in her now overstuffed belly.
“I am not happy with the direction the hospital has taken, and I am thinking I am no longer the man for the job. I have worked too long and too hard to have to fight for every tiny baby step of progress day in and day out. I am thinking seriously about going into private practice. Something I have a little bit more flexibility with. Perhaps share the responsibilities with another doctor, and we each work two to three days a week. I was thinking it would be fun for us to work together again like we did back at the beginning. If I can find a position, would you be interested in resigning from the hospital and working with me in a smaller practice and taking some time off?”
Beth couldn’t read his expression. His voice seemed hopeful but he was being very careful to hide his emotions from her. “I have really been struggling at the hospital as well. I was thinking just this week that I am a tiny bit too old to be working sixty and seventy-hour weeks. The overtime is nice, but I just don’t bounce back like I used to after staying on my feet for twenty hoursstraight and only getting six to eight hours to recuperate before doing it again. I would love to work with you at a smaller clinic.”
A sigh of relief escaped his lips, and he grasped her fingers, “I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am to hear you say that. I am so excited for the next phase of our lives. Are you sure you want to wait until Valentine’s Day to get married? We could ask the minister to do it after the Christmas morning service tomorrow.” His grin said he was teasing, but Beth knew there was at least three-quarters of his heart that was hoping for her to say yes.
“Chadwick Spencer, you can’t go rushing a wedding when you haven’t even properly proposed!” Beth replied sternly.
“Now, don’t go ruining all my plans Bethany Elouise. And you didn’t answer my question. Can we move the wedding up to tomorrow?”
“No!” she swatted his arm playfully and walked to their shared bathroom to finish preparing herself for the day.
“Well, if you won’t marry me, will you at least go for a walk in the garden with me this fine afternoon?”
“Afternoon? What time is it?” she shouted from behind the closed door.
“Almost 1 pm. We were both exhausted, so I asked that we not be disturbed. I am a little surprised the other guests in the hall this morning didn’t wake you, but I know how many hours you have been pulling, so it wasn’t really a surprise you slept half the day away.”
Peeking her head through the crack in the door, one eye perfectly lined and the other still waiting to be finished, “What time did you wake up?” she inquired suspiciously.
