Fringe Benefits (19 page)

Beth was released from the hospital the next day, and Dani was relieved. Not only because Beth felt better, but also because caring for Emma wasn’t easy. Plus, a whole week of fall break remained for Dani and Nate to enjoy.

He clicked away on his laptop. Sitting on the couch, he’d propped his feet on the coffee table, looking very relaxed. While he cruised the Internet, Dani watched a television show about renovating old houses and found herself grateful to Robert for building her such a beautiful new home.

“We could still do the zoo,” he said. “Even without Emma. We could drive up to Chicago tomorrow and spend the whole day. Maybe even stay in a hotel and hit a couple of museums the day after.”

“I figured you might want to go back to Indiana to see your family.” Although the last thing in the world she wanted to do was deal with Kat Brennan again, Dani wouldn’t disappoint Nate. Their visit had been so short. He deserved a chance to return for a few more days.

He shook his head. “I saw my mom and Mark. I’m good.”

“We were supposed to have dinner with your brother and his wife.” His
pregnant
wife.

Damn, but she and Nate needed to talk. She just couldn’t manage to broach the topic of children. She loved him too much to lose him, but no matter how much she tried to convince herself he loved her, too, she couldn’t stop believing he’d leave if he knew she had no intention of having kids.

No
. She needed to do this. For him. For herself.

After a deep, steadying breath, she dove right in. “Nate, I need to tell you something.”

Before he could say anything, his phone chimed yet another text. Kat again, no doubt.

That woman was another topic Dani should address. But if she said anything about Kat, it would show him that she’d been snooping. The texts she’d read from Kat were bound to come up. Trust was everything to Nate. He’d have a hard time forgiving her for invading his privacy.

“Shit.” He set his phone aside and closed his laptop, a pained frown on his face.

Dani immediately responded to the hurt in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“My grandpa—Papa Delgado—had a stroke.” Nate had spoken often of his love for his mother’s father and about how close he’d always been to the man.

“I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I need to talk to Mom and see what’s happening.” He laid the computer on the table and picked up his phone. After he dialed, he started pacing. The man seemed to have an inability to stand still whenever he had a lengthy phone conversation. “Mom? Fill me in.”

Although Dani could only hear one side of the conversation, she grew more and more worried by the minute. The old man was clearly in danger. Jackie seemed to be pressing Nate to go to Orlando to be with him, but he was resisting.

“My car would never make it,” he said, tossing Dani a look of helplessness.

All she wanted to do was make this right for him. She was about to suggest he take her car—and perhaps her, too—when he started talking about airlines and where he could fly out of to get to Florida.

Nate put up token resistance, but whatever his mom said convinced him to accept. “Thanks, Mom. See you when I get there.” After he ended the call, he took Dani’s hand. “I’m meeting Mom at the airport in Indy; then we’re taking a late flight to Orlando. She and Mark were supposed to go to Rome next week, but she cashed in those tickets so we could see Grandpa. I need to throw a few things in a bag and get going.”

“I could drive you,” she offered.

He shook his head. “I appreciate that, sweetheart, but I have no idea how long I’ll be down there. I’ll leave my POS in the long-term parking lot. Saves you a trip to come fetch me when I get back.” A glance at the wall calendar. “At least this happened during fall break.”

“This has been a really shitty break,” she grumbled.

“It sure has.” He kissed her forehead.

“Hopefully your grandpa will get well quickly.” She squeezed his hand.

After a nod, he eased his hand back. “I don’t have any banked personal days yet. Not ’til next pay period. I won’t be able to stay past Sunday.”

“If you have to stay longer, call Jim Reinhardt. He’s great about family stuff, especially emergencies. So is our superintendent. They’ll find a way for you to be with your grandfather.”

He shrugged. “I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

Dani brushed a kiss over his mouth. “One step at a time. Let’s hope it turns out to be nothing big.” Her curiosity was killing her. “It’s just you and your mom going to Orlando?”

“Yeah. Patrick can’t leave, not when the baby’s so close.”

“Mark?”

Nate shook his head.

Since Jackie’s father was no relation to Kat, Dani had no reason to ask about her. She did anyway. “Kat making the trip?”

“What?”

Trailing her fingers over the island countertop, she tried to sound nonchalant. “Just wondered if Kat was going, too.”

“Why would she?”

To be with you
. “I didn’t think she would.”

Nate cocked his head and stared at her. “Dani, are you jealous of Kat?”

Fuck, yeah
. “Should I be?”

He gathered her into his arms. “No. Not in the least. Kat is ancient history.”

Then why the text messages declaring her undying love? And why are you lying to me if Kat doesn’t mean anything to you?

If only Dani could have read some of Nate’s replies… Perhaps then the jealousy could be easily put to rest. But having no idea what Nate said to Kat was killing her. “Ancient history, huh?”

Nate kissed her, a lingering and very loving kiss. “I’m in love with
you.
Remember that. Okay?”

Dani gave him a curt nod.

He nudged her chin up so she was looking into his handsome eyes. “I mean it, Dani. There’s absolutely no reason for you to worry about Kat. I. Love. You. I want to be with
you
.”

Instead of replying, she kissed him, hoping she could get a grip on her distrust before she ruined things between them.

*   *   *

Nate purposefully tried to ignore Kat, even though she was sitting right across the airplane’s tiny aisle. No matter how many times she attempted to draw him into a conversation or throw him a flirtatious bat of her eyes, he focused on the solitaire game on his phone.

She tried yet again. “I think it would be great if we could go out tomorrow morning and take a sunrise walk on the beach.”

He put a red eight over a black nine and counted to ten.

“You know how much I love seafood.” She sounded damned cheerful for a woman who was traveling to a hospital to see a stricken man. “We can check out some of the local restaurants. I can look for some good nightclubs, too. That would be so much fun.”

Thankfully, his mother finally intervened—the same way she’d been running interference since he’d met her at the airport. He’d been riding up the escalator to head to the airline’s check-in, and as he neared the top, there was his mom with an apologetic frown.

And Kat standing at her side.

Nate’s first instinct had been to jump over the rail to the descending escalator, hightail it back to his car, and drive straight back to Cloverleaf. The only thing that kept him moving toward her was his need to see his grandfather. If Dani ever found out Kat was going on this trip, she’d
never
believe he hadn’t planned for his ex to tag along, especially after she’d asked point-blank about just that. With the way her thoughts worked overtime, Dani was liable to think he’d lied about the stroke to arrange a secret vacation with Kat.

He’d eventually have to tell her that Kat went to Orlando with him and his mother. But not now. Not until he got home and could look her in the eye as he pleaded his innocence. Dani was a woman who needed to see to believe, so once he was with her again, he would explain how Kat had invited herself and that he’d had no idea Kat was heading to Orlando until he arrived at the airport.

But would Dani have faith in him? It boiled down to one thing—had she truly learned to trust him?

“Kat… enough. Okay?” Jackie, who was sitting in the window seat, leaned over Nate and smacked Kat’s armrest. “We talked about this before we left. Once we get there, we’ll be spending our time at the hospital with Grandpa or helping out Grandma. There won’t be time to go to the beach or to some fancy restaurant. Resign yourself to hospital cafeteria food and, for the love of God, suck it up.”

Kat pouted her lip. “A couple of hours won’t make a difference.”

Nate put a red queen over a black king and let his mother handle the princess.

Jackie shook her head. “We’re there for my parents, not for us. And most definitely not for
you
.”

Thankfully, Kat simply frowned, shoved in her earbuds, and started fiddling with her phone.

“I’m sorry.” Jackie patted his arm and spoke in a soft voice. “I shouldn’t have let Mark book the tickets. I was so busy packing and getting things ready. Kat told him that since she was on break from school I’d asked her to come along to help. I wasn’t there to correct that ridiculous notion.”

He put his hand over his mother’s. “You already explained three times. I know it wasn’t your fault. You’d think Mark would know better.”

In all the time he’d known Kat, she’d never been remotely nurturing. Not once. Not even when they lost the baby. Sure, she’d wanted to be pampered and coddled after the miscarriage, but when Nate mentioned his lost child, she’d all but ordered him to “get over it.”

Although he valued life, especially helpless infants in their mothers’ wombs, he admitted to himself that he’d felt the loss of his baby. Yet the pregnancy was over before he’d even had the chance to get too accustomed to the idea of being a father.

Jackie shook her head. “He’s still kinda blind where his daughters are concerned.”

“Just Kat. Carly isn’t like her at all.”

“Even Carly has her moments. Mark sees them both through some kind of filter that softens what they truly are. And Kat has gotten a lot worse since… well, since you two broke up. I imagine he’ll always think they’re near to perfect.” She grinned. “Exactly like me with my boys.”

She had him there. Jackie had always been willing to forgive anything Nate or Patrick had done if they offered her a contrite expression and a muttered apology, even if it was a halfhearted one.

After they landed, they headed toward the baggage area to wait for their luggage. Jackie was talking on the phone to her mom while Nate grabbed their stuff off the large conveyer, not at all surprised Kat was standing next to his mother instead of helping.

Jackie ended the call right as he dropped her bag next to her. “Thanks, Nate.” She extended the handle on her rolling suitcase. “Ready to head to the hospital?”

“I’m too tired.” Kat frowned when Nate slung the strap of her vinyl bag over her shoulder, probably angry he was refusing to carry it. “Can’t we just go to the hotel, drop off our stuff, and get some supper?”

“I’m going to the hospital,” Jackie said firmly. “You two can go wherever you please. You’re both adults.”

“I’m going to the hospital, too,” Nate said. “Kat can do whatever the hell she wants. I want to see Grandpa.”

Kat hiked the strap higher up on her shoulder. “I’m heading to the hotel.”

Would it be cruel to say he was relieved?

Fishing around in her purse, Jackie pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Here’s the info about the hotel reservation.” Then she turned worried eyes to Nate. “I… um… forgot to tell you. We were only able to get one room.”

“
One
room?” Damn. He’d be trapped there with Kat. Sure, his mom could run interference, but Kat would be in the same room. All the time. “Mom…” He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face.

“I’m sorry. I really am. It’s their busiest season, almost as bad as spring break. Lots of families here for school breaks. Mark said we were lucky to even get a double.”

She was worried enough about her father. Nate’s disappointment would only add to her burden. “It’s fine. I’m sure they can bring in a rollaway for me.”

“No. It’s a suite, so Kat and I will take the beds. There’s a foldout couch in the living space if you don’t mind that.”

“Works for me,” he said.

“Great,” Jackie said. “Then let’s go hail a couple of cabs.”

While they waited, Nate fished his phone charger out of his bag. When they got to the hospital, maybe he could find a plug and charge his phone. The thing was dead from playing too many games as a way to escape any kind of conversation with Kat. “Can you put this in your purse, Mom? Then Kat can take my bag back to the hotel.”

Jackie nodded, took the charger, and shoved it in her purse.

“You want me to haul your stuff?” Kat sighed but nodded. “Anything to help, honey.”

Instead of triggering her temper by rebuking her right then and there, he tried being polite. “Please. I’d appreciate it.”

A cab pulled along the curb, and Nate helped the driver throw the luggage in the trunk. He slammed the lid as the cabbie crawled back into the driver’s seat.

As the cab drove away, Jackie signaled for another. They got into the backseat, and with a shaky voice, she asked the cabbie to take them to the hospital, where her father’s life hung in the balance.

Nate took her hand. “Grandpa Delgado is a tough old bird. He’ll get through this.”

She drew her lips into a grim line. “He’s eighty-three years old. We have to remember that. Bouncing back isn’t easy at that age.” She let out a little snort. “Hell, it’s not easy at thirty-eighteen, either.”

“You look pretty healthy to me.” He jostled her with his elbow.

As the bright streetlights on the busy interstate passed by, she stared out the window, seemingly at nothing. “Let’s pray we get there in time.”

Nate had to smile at his mother when he heard Grandpa Delgado’s scolding voice echoing down the long corridor. “I wanna go back to sleep. Leave me be, young lady.”

The ICU had been quiet, most of the patients asleep, since it was after midnight. The glass doors were closed on each room with the exception of one farther down the hall, the one where Grandpa was admonishing whoever was in his cubicle.

Jackie smiled back as she quickened her steps. “He sounds great considering he just had a stroke.” When she reached the end of the hall, her eyes rapidly scanned the name on the whiteboard before she swept into the room. “Hi, Dad. You sound like you’re feeling better.”

Nate was a step behind, his grin growing when he saw his grandfather giving the poor nurse one of his penetrating frowns. “Hi, Grandpa. You had us worried. Glad to hear you’re being grouchy with the staff. Means you’re doing well.”

“Definitely grouchy.” The nurse winked as she finished checking his vitals, which was probably why he’d been complaining. She smiled at Jackie and Nate. “I’m Carrie.”

“I’m Jackie. His daughter.”

“He told me you were coming.” Carrie shifted her gaze to Nate.

“I’m his grandson. Nate.”

She nodded. “He’s doing fine. The TPA did its job very well, and he’s lucky his wife brought him straight to the hospital. If things keep improving, we’re hoping to transfer him to a regular room tomorrow morning.” On that, she went to the small computer station just outside the room, pulling the sliding glass door closed behind her.

“Spying on me all damn day,” Grandpa grumbled, pointing at the window of the computer station that helped the nurse keep an eye on the room.

Carrie smiled back at him.

“This is the intensive care unit, Dad,” Jackie said, moving to his bedside. She kissed his forehead. “They have to watch their patients closely.”

“Don’t need intensive care.” He looked to Nate. “You gonna get fired for leaving work?”

Grandpa Delgado. Blunt as always
. “It’s a school break, Grandpa. I’m not going to get fired. I wanted to see how you were doing.” Nate would’ve given him a hug had the poor man not been hooked up to so many wires and tubes. “So how are you?”

“Doin’ fine,” Grandpa replied. “Gave me somethin’ when I got here that busted up the clot… or whatever the hell it was making me talk wrong. Got better right after.”

Whatever the TPA the nurse mentioned was, Nate sent up a thankful prayer that it had kept his grandfather from having a catastrophic stroke. “You sure sound fine to me, Grandpa. Wanna go get a beer?” he teased.

“Told you, doin’ fine. Doubt the nurses would let me have a cold Bud. Sounds good right now, though. Would help me sleep. Those young girls keep coming in to check my blood pressure and such. Always wakin’ me up.”

Jackie set her purse on the empty chair. “Where’s Mom?”

“Sent your mother home to get some sleep.”

After searching for an empty plug in the darkened room, Nate found plenty, but they were all red, and he wasn’t sure if that meant they were reserved for special equipment. So he gave up on recharging his phone. Once he got back to the hotel, he could catch up on any messages or calls. Besides, it was so late, the nurses and other ICU patients probably wouldn’t appreciate him doing a lot of talking.

“I’m going to chat with the nurse for a minute,” Jackie said before letting herself out of the room.

Grandpa fixed his wise dark eyes, so much like his daughter’s, on Nate. “Heard you went and got yourself a new lady.”

The news had traveled fast in the Delgado clan. As usual. “I did. Her name is Dani… um…
Danielle
. She’s a teacher at my new school.”

“Picked better this time, I hope.”

“Much better.”

In his typical fashion, Grandpa spoke his mind. “Kat might be a nice girl, but too flighty. Not like her daddy at all.”

“No, she’s not.”

“This Danielle solid? Smart? You need a smart woman, Nathaniel.”

“She’s smart. Probably smarter than me.”

Grandpa nodded. “Good. Good. Don’t let her get away, then. Not like your stepdaddy near to let my Jacqueline get away. Gotta close the deal before she changes her mind, if you know what I mean.”

Since Nate hadn’t been there for the rocky courtship between his mom and Mark—that, and he’d been busy trying to keep his own relationship with Kat from floundering—Nate wasn’t exactly sure what his grandfather was talking about. “He almost let her get away?”

Another nod. “She was ready to cut him loose when he didn’t call her for a couple of weeks. Dragged his feet too long, gave her too much time to think.”

“Oh, you mean after their first dates, right?”

“Yep. Was wrestlin’ his conscience, thinkin’ he was being disrespectful to his dead wife or some other nonsense. Gave my Jacqueline time to worry, and you know my girl. Can worry up a storm.” He laid his hand over Nate’s where it rested on the bedrail. “Take my advice, Nathaniel. Don’t give your girl time to think too hard. Gets smart women like your mother into mischief. And I imagine she’s a lot like Jacqueline.”

The advice had set Nate’s stomach plummeting to his feet. The man was right; Dani was exactly like his mother. She overanalyzed absolutely everything.

But what could he do to, as his grandfather said,
close the deal
? “It’s not like I can ask her to marry me, Grandpa.”

“Why the hell not?” Grandpa Delgado flashed Nate a wicked grin. “That’s what I did with your grandma. Swept her off her feet and dragged her to a justice of the peace. It was all over and done with before she could do anythin’ about it. I’m thinkin’ you should make history repeat itself before you lose her.”

*   *   *

Tired of worrying, Dani plucked her cell phone off the nightstand. It was silly to agonize so much, but no matter how hard she tried to get to sleep, she couldn’t stop fretting about Nate and all the hurt he might be going through.

He hadn’t texted when he got to Orlando, but she didn’t want to be the needy girlfriend who kept him on a short leash. He’d check in when he could. Her fervent wish was that his grandfather was doing very well and that Nate had simply been too busy being with his family to let her know he’d had a safe flight and that things hadn’t been nearly as dire as they’d feared.

The jealousy over Kat niggled at Dani’s confidence. Kat had obviously known exactly how much Dani would worry when she’d said she was going to try to win Nate back. But that didn’t make this worry over what Nate was doing Kat’s fault. All Dani had to do was trust him to call her when he could and push aside the negative thoughts Kat had planted. The problem was that Kat had found fertile ground in Dani’s insecurity about Nate, and once Kat had promised to move heaven and earth to reclaim him, Dani allowed her fear to rule her thoughts and her actions.

Holding tight to her phone, she argued with herself. She shouldn’t call the hotel where Nate would be staying. It was almost two in the morning. He was probably exhausted from the trip and seeing his grandfather and was sound asleep by now. After such a long, draining day, he needed his rest not to be disturbed by his unhinged girlfriend.

But she needed to hear his voice.

She called, the whole time reassuring herself that he’d understand. He loved her. He’d know she wanted to talk to him before she could sleep.

“Orlando’s Family Resort,” a cheerful male voice answered. “May I help you?”

“Could you please ring me through to Nate Ryan’s room?”

The click of keys being hit filtered through the earpiece. “I’m afraid there’s no Nate Ryan currently registered here.”

“Oh… um… is there a Jackie Brennan? That’s his mom. He might be sharing a room with her.”

“That might be likely, ma’am,” the man said. “We’re full up tonight. Let me check.” More clicks. “There is a Jackie Brennan registered with two guests.”

“Two guests? So she and Nate are sharing a room?”

“No, ma’am. I mean, yes, ma’am, but there are three total guests registered in that suite. Ms. Brennan and two more.”

Her heart started pounding so hard, Dani could barely hear from the echo in her ears. “Three? There are
three
people in the room?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Refusing to let her imagination run amok, Dani guessed Mark had traveled with them. Nate had said he wasn’t going, but he must have changed his mind and decided to be there for Jackie. “Please connect me to that room.”

“I’m sorry, but our policy is that we don’t ring through to rooms after ten. I can take a message or connect you to voice mail for those guests.”

She’d already left at least five messages on Nate’s voice mail and a slew of texts. “I really need to talk to him now.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. If you leave a voice mail, there’s a red light on the room’s phone that will illuminate. If they’re awake, the guests are likely to see it right away. Then perhaps they’ll call you back.”

“Fine,” Dani snapped. Then she was immediately contrite. None of this was the poor receptionist’s fault. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried.”

“Would you like the room’s voice mail?”

“Yes, please.”

“Thank you for your patience, ma’am. Wait for the tone, then leave your message.”

The beep was so quick she didn’t even have time to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. “Um… hi. Nate, it’s Dani. I’m sorry to bug you. I was just… worried. Hope your grandpa is doing okay. Please let me know you got to Orlando safely and if there’s anything I can do. I could try to catch a flight down there tomorrow.” She almost hung up before she added, “Hope you and your mom and Mark find time to get some rest. Good night.”

Dani put her phone on the nightstand and punched her pillow, angry that she’d given in to the immature need to call. Nate would never believe she trusted him if she spent so much time checking up on what he was doing whenever he left her alone. She lay down, hoping she could finally get some sleep. At least they’d arrived in one piece since they’d claimed their hotel room.

Her thoughts had just begun to scatter into the void of sleep when her phone rang. Although she didn’t recognize the number, the area code was the same as the hotel. She answered, wondering if Nate’s older-than-dirt cell phone had finally given up the ghost and forced him to use the motel’s phone. “Nate?”

“No, it’s Kat.”

“Kat?”

Son of a fucking bitch
.

Dani’s stomach flipped, and she hoped she could make it through this awkward conversation before she had to sprint to the bathroom to throw up. “What are you doing there?”

“Nate asked me to come. He’s really worried about his grandpa.”

“Let me talk to him,” Dani demanded, trying hard to hold tight to her rising temper.

“He’s still at the hospital with his mom.” Kat’s voice dripped with fake concern. “I hope they got to see the poor man before… well, you know. Can I give him a message?” She had to be loving this, probably reveling in the hurt she knew she’d inflicted when she’d called Dani back.

“So you listened to
his
voice mail message?” Dani couldn’t keep the sneer out of her voice. “And then you figured you would be the person who should call me back?”

“You don’t need to sound so bitchy. I was just trying to be nice. Nate might not even be back here tonight, and I thought you’d be worried. I would’ve been. I mean, he’s your boyfriend and he hasn’t even found a moment to text you to let you know what was happening. That seemed a bit… cruel to me.”

Cruel?
Kat knew damn well that Nate might have a valid reason for not calling or texting. The cruelty was her going to Orlando with him and having the audacity to return Dani’s call.

“Why are you
really
there, Kat? Nate is with me now. Why can’t you leave him alone?”

“You know why. I love him. He loves me, too.”

“So you’re gonna keep throwing yourself at a guy who doesn’t want you?”

“He sure acted like he wanted me when he kissed me. I’ll bet he didn’t tell you that, did he?”

Swallowing her hurt to try to keep what little pride she still had intact, Dani chose her words carefully. “Please tell him to call me when he can and that I’m praying for his grandfather.” She ended the call before Kat had a chance to inflict any new wounds.

Despite the urge to throw her cell against the wall to watch it break into a thousand pieces, she set it down. Destroying her phone might help vent her anger, but it wouldn’t fix a damn thing. Kat was doing exactly what she’d promised: she was driving a wedge between Dani and Nate.

Had he really kissed Kat?

No. Dani didn’t believe it. Nate was all about honesty. He would have told her.

Wouldn’t he?

If Dani trusted Nate, none of this would be bothering her. None of it. She should let Kat’s machinations roll right off her back, comforted by the thought that Nate would never betray her.

She wanted to call Beth and cry on her shoulder, but there was no way she’d wake her up this late. After breakfast, she’d get herself together, drive over to the Ashfords’, and see if Beth could talk Dani out of confronting Nate over Kat being in Orlando.

And over the kiss he’d kept secret from her.

Maybe her best friend could talk some sense—and some trust—into her.