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“Chad…” the warning sound in her voice made his lips curve up in a giant smile. He could just imagine Beth using that tone with Sarah and Tom when they were about to get into trouble with her. He also bet it was enough to whip them into shape because he was certain they never wanted to disappoint her any more than he did.
“Okay, okay. I just want to say, no obligation. It is just an idea, and if I had my way, you wouldn’t know about this for at least six more months. Promise. No feelings of any kind; just think it over and see what answer sits well with you. I am happy no matter what. It was just an…”
“Chad! Out with it. The clock is literally ticking, and we were supposed to have a discussion about it, and then you went and had me waste half of our time talking about my family. Go already!”
Beth rarely showed her impatience, and it tickled his insides every time he saw it. He couldn’t say why exactly; it just did. Hetried very hard to keep the smile from splitting his face, worried she would read the wrong thing into it and feel pressured by his proposal.
“I was thinking that you could take a week off at Thanksgiving this year and go on a cruise with me.” Holding up a hand to stall her, he added, “Wait, I know this will be Saraphina’s first holiday season, and you just mentioned you are grateful for every second you get to spend with her. I heard you, and that is why I was going to wait. I also know that you didn’t make it to Thanksgiving last year because you are in the habit of taking holiday shifts for everyone who wants to spend it with their family, and you feel it is your personal mission to make the holidays as special for your patients as possible.” Taking a breath, he reached across the table and took both hands in his before meeting her thoughtful gaze with one of his own. “I also know that you have been working hard for many years, and it is time to have some fun yourself. I think Sarah would agree that the date you go see your granddaughter does not matter. You said yourself that Sarah has a wonderful group of people in her life now that might just make missing this holiday a little easier for you. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and this was a bit of a hair-brained idea on my part, so I already purchased your ticket. It is yours or no ones. I do not want to spend another Thanksgiving alone, so I am going to go. I would love it if you joined me, but I understand completely if I lose to a pint-sized angel.” He lifted her hand, placing a kiss on the back before releasing it and sitting back in his chair, never breaking eye contact. Beth had the most amazing blue eyes; he didn’t think he would ever get tired of looking into them.
Chapter 3
Taking a moment to breathe and consider her next words, Beth’s gaze turned from contemplative into a glare, “Chadwick Spencer Fox, did you seriously just dump an invitation on me to go on a Thanksgiving cruise instead of going to visit my grandchild- during mylunch break?”.Beth punctuated this statement by crossing her arms over her chest. This was a gesture he very rarely saw on Beth. In all the years they had been friends, he had only seen her truly angry three times, and someone was being mistreated or taken advantage of every single time. Now, her feathers were ruffled, and he found it amusing, endearing, and a little frightening. He had never been on the receiving end of one of her less happy emotional outbursts.
He took a moment to think through his options. Smiling was averybad idea, so that was off the table. Shrugging could be misinterpreted as he didn’t care or didn’t know when really all it would mean is,‘Yep, and I knew it was a bad idea, but you pushed me into it.’That would also be a bad move. Doing something drastic, like kissing her, to shock her in a differentway and take this current train off course was a possibility, but he wasn’t sure where that idea had come from. Better to save that for later after he had given it a lot more thought. So, he did what he did best, ‘When in doubt, fake it till you make it.’Standing and collecting their trash, he mustered all of his confidence, wrapped his ego around him like a cloak, and said, “Yes. Yes, I did, and you have until 6am on November 20thto let me know what you decide. If you would like more details about the destination, the ship, your stateroom, and available amenities, let me know, and I can talk those through with you, or, on second thought, I will have my travel agent forward you the trip itinerary and pertinent details. You would not need a passport as it is a Caribbean cruise. The choice is yours, Beth. No pressure, just options.“ With that, he leaned down, gently kissed her right cheek, scooped up the trash, and walked away like he owned the place.
Beth sat there in her seat, staring at his back. She felt like her world had just turned upside down and she was standing on her head. What was that? Her thoughts were such a jumble she literally could not grab onto any single thought to process it. He said this conversation was not bad news, but after it was over, she wasn’t sure she could say it was exactly good news either. This was…news.She felt as though things had just changed, and she couldn’t put her finger on how. They were just very different.
Pulling up the hem of her sleeve with two fingers, she glanced at her watch and realized she had to get back. As she made her way upstairs to the Intensive Care Unit, she tried once again to process the information. The fact that she was struggling with this at all and not just dismissing the idea immediately spoke to how badly she wanted to go on a cruise. Going by herself was not appealing at all. She had considered taking a singles cruise a few years ago. Sarah had swapped houses with Tom for the winter, and it seemed like a perfect time to go since her daughterwouldn’t be home for Christmas, but she hadn’t seen Tom since he joined the military several years before, and she needed to see the boy. As soon as she heard he was coming to Florida for the holidays, her mind was made up. She would never regret that decision.
Now, she had to choose between seeing her granddaughter or going. This time, she wouldn’t be alone; one of her closest friends would be with her. She would feel safe going on adventures and excursions with Chad by her side. If she ever talked Annette into accompanying her, they would be spending their time relaxing in the spa or shopping. Not that those were bad things, but she ached to see a little bit of the world.
Oh, that man. If she could get her hands on him right now, she might wring his neck. Well, that would probably be difficult. Her fingers were strong, but she would bet that Chad’s spine wouldn’t snap very easily. What a morbid thought!
Ugh, she was feeling a little crazy at the moment. Best to just focus on the work at hand. She had close to ten more hours ahead of her; she would have to wait until later to think this situation through. Or better yet, no, she would just text Chad right now and say, ‘Thank you for the offer but, I must decline.”
Reaching into her pocket to retrieve her smartphone, she grabbed a handful of soft linen instead.Ugh! Chadwick Fox!He was so kind and yet flabbergasting. She pulled the phone out and was getting ready to type a text when the elevator doors opened, and she walked onto her floor to be met with mass chaos. It was all hands on deck, and she didn’t have another moment to think about her precious Saraphina, her best friend, or the adventure offered by a Thanksgiving cruise for the next twelve hours.
When her relief finally arrived, every part of her body ached; her feet felt bruised, and her shoulders were so tight they could be rubber bands. She was dressed in her backup hospital scrubs, and even those were soiled after this shift.What a day!
The moment she got home, she went straight to the bathroom and started a bubble bath. When she and Sarah were looking for her new home years ago, Sarah insisted she either buy one with a spa tub or have one installed. She wound up buying a slightly older home and having it remodeled. The tub seemed like an extravagance at the time, but her Sarah was right; at the end of these long days, it really soothed her. Not just her body but her mind as well.
She was gathering her night clothes and nibbling on a snack as she walked back towards the bathroom when her cell phone rang. It was about 9 am, so it might be Sarah. That was one call she never let go to voice mail if she had a choice. Sure enough, her daughter’s smiling face was displayed on the screen when she picked up the phone off the nightstand.
“Hi sweetie, everything okay?” she asked as soon as she hit the little green accept button.
“Hi Mom, yeah, everything is fine here, but you sound absolutely exhausted. Did you just get off work?” Sarah inquired from the other end of the line.
Beth could hear the baby cooing in the background and smiled. Returning to the bathroom, she turned off the water to prevent it from overflowing if she got caught up in the conversation and forgot about it. “Yep, just walked through the door. How is my granddaughter this morning?”
“Hungry. Impatient. In love with her daddy. Precious. Now, back to you. How many hours did you work yesterday if you are just getting home at 9 am?” Beth could hear the worry in her voice.
“I was supposed to work sixteen, but I think I was pushing twenty by the time my relief made it in. Before you ask, there was a horrible accident on the interstate yesterday and it swamped us. It also shut down the roads with several-hour backups, so even if we weren’t in a state of emergency in the hospital, thefolks coming in were in a deadlock on the roads. It was a madhouse. Even Chad and the other upper management came down to help.”
“Wow! That sounds terrible. Well, you need your sleep. I will talk to you later this evening when you wake up if you have the energy, or tomorrow would probably be better.Pleasetell me you have tomorrow off after such a grueling day.”
“I do, but you know I can’t sleep that long. I will try to sleep for six hours or so, and then I will call you. Anything important that can’t wait?” Beth never wanted her daughter to feel like anything in the world was more important than her, and that included her own sleep.
“We are good. Nothing is more important than you getting as much rest as you possibly can. Do not set an alarm; just sleep until your body says it’s ready to get up.Promise!”When Sarah turned on her stern voice, it made Beth smile. Children trying to parent the parents. She was grateful her daughter cared.
“I promise. I love you, Sarah. Kiss Saraphina and Eric for me.”
“I will. I love you too, Mom. Sleep well.”
As the call ended, Beth was overwhelmed with exhaustion. She no longer wanted the bath; she just wanted her bed. The sooner she slept, the sooner she could call Sarah back and see what had her calling so early.
After changing into her night clothes and climbing between the cool sheets, Beth closed her eyes as her head sank into her soft, fluffy pillow and took a deep, cleansing breath. Just as sleep started to claim her, thoughts of Chad, an endless view of the deep blue ocean, and an enormous white cruise ship fluttered across her mind. A smile lifted the corner of her lips as she entered dreamland, and new adventures played out behind her eyelids.
Chapter 4
