Island Christmas (15 page)

The following morning, Rachel pulled into
her driveway and grinned when she spotted Chris walking out her front door. She’d hoped he’d received her message, that he still had her house key. Nick was so impressed by Jason’s progress he’d released him at nine this morning with the promise that she would call if Jason showed any sign of trouble. “We’re home, Jasie.”

“Okay. I still want to play in the snow.” His bottom lip stuck out, and he sat with crossed arms.

They’d been having this conversation ever since he first spotted the snow in the hospital parking lot. “I know. Maybe we can work on a snowman tomorrow. Let’s give your body one more day to heal.” She got out and was immediately pulled into Chris’s arms. “Well, hello.” This wasn’t like Chris, but she’d roll with it.

“Welcome home.” His lips found hers.

Her insides jolted in unexpected pleasure. “Wow. What was that for?”

“I’m happy you’re here.”

She laughed. “Me too. Will you carry Jason in for me? I forgot he didn’t have shoes on when I took him to the hospital.”

“My pleasure. I hope you don’t mind that I went inside your house. I got here early, and it was freezing in my car. I turned your heater up a bit. It was pretty cold in there too.”

“I don’t mind at all. And thanks for turning the heat up.”

“Sure.” He opened the back door and unstrapped her son. “How you doing, little dude?”

“I want to play in the snow.”

“I see.” He scooped him into his arms. “That might be uncomfortable with your stitches.”

Jason let out a puff of air in exasperation.

Rachel covered her mouth so he wouldn’t see her smile. That would only frustrate her son even more. She grabbed her bag and followed Chris and Jason. Inside, warm air and the scent of pine enveloped her. The tree stood undecorated except for lights in the front window. “You couldn’t find any ornaments?”

Disappointment washed over her. She’d thought for sure Chris said he’d taken care of everything, but now that she thought about it, he’d said mostly. It was fine. She could decorate it, and Jason would probably enjoy helping too.

“I like the Christmas tree, Mommy.”

“Good.” She raised a brow as she faced Chris.

“The box under the tree has ornaments. I knew how much Jason wanted to do it, so I skipped that part.”

A surge of affection for this man replaced the disappointment and almost overwhelmed her. His thoughtfulness, his kind heart… everything about him drew her to him. But did he feel the same way toward her?

“Can we decorate it now?” Jason asked.

“I don’t see why not. Would you like to stay and help, Chris?”

“I’d like that a whole lot more than what I have to do. But I have an appointment on the mainland. Your keys are on the kitchen counter.” He mussed up Jason’s hair. “Goodbye, buddy.” A shadow crossed his face.

“’Bye.” Jason walked gingerly to the tree. “Come on, Mommy.”

She glanced down at her son then up at Chris. Something wasn’t right with him. He looked worried—uneasy. Why? Since she’d met him he’d been easygoing and upbeat. What could possibly be bothering him?

She wanted to question him, but if he wanted to tell her, he would. She needed to respect his privacy. After all, she hadn’t told him every little thing about herself. “Thanks for everything, Chris.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Will you call me later?”

“I’ll try.” He left without a backward glance.

Why did she feel as though he’d just walked out of their lives for good? But if that’s the case, why did he greet her like that? She shook off the thought. Of course he would be back. They were at the very least friends, and she hoped on their way to being much more, especially in light of the kiss he’d greeted her with.

She pushed her concern to the back of her mind and plastered on a smile for Jason while she pried the lid off the fancy box that held compartments for each ornament. These weren’t cheap drugstore baubles. Well, maybe a few were, but most weren’t. She pulled a delicate glass ball in shades of purple, blue and green from the box and held it to the light. It was iridescent. “It’s so beautiful.”
And very breakable.
Where had these come from?

“I hang it.” Jason reached for the ball.

“Mommy will do this one.” She handed him what looked to be a candy cane made from clay. The kind she used to make at school and they’d bake in the oven then paint. Whose ornaments were these? Surely they weren’t Chris’s.

She wondered at the man’s demeanor. She should stop thinking about him, but worry knotted the pit of her stomach as she reached for another clay-like ornament and handed it to Jason. If Chris wanted her to know his personal affairs he’d tell her. She needed to think about something else. Like baking Christmas cookies to take to Zoe and Nick’s on Christmas Eve. There couldn’t be too many cookies to her way of thinking. Maybe she’d bake a couple of pies while she was at it.

It was nice that Nick and Zoe were closing the B&B from Christmas Eve to New Years to allow their staff to spend time with family and friends. Her mind drifted back to Chris again. Did he have plans for Christmas?

Chris sat on the
exam table in his doctor’s office. His chest ached for lack of a better word. He knew in his gut this wasn’t simply anxiety. Something was seriously wrong, and he was scared.

Doctor Sampson typed into his laptop. “The EKG looks normal. I suspect what you experienced last night was stress related. Your heart sounds fine, and your blood pressure is slightly elevated, but to be safe, I’d like you to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist. I think it’s time to run a few tests.”

“Okay. I doubt I’ll be able to get in to see anyone quickly. Will it keep until after the holiday?” Not that he wanted to wait that long to find out the exact cause of the pain he’d experienced last night, but he was a realist.

Doctor Sampson looked up with a frown. “I don’t think waiting would be prudent. I’ll have my nurse call a friend of mine. He’s one of the best cardiologists in the area, and he owes me one. He may be able to work you in.”

Chris’s stomach sickened. If his doctor felt it important enough to call in a favor with a friend, then he must be concerned.

Doctor Sampson stood and offered his hand. “Expect a call from either my office or The Heart Center.”

Chris gave his hand a firm shake. “Thanks.” He walked out more unnerved than when he’d entered. Now what? He’d begun to plan a future in his head for himself, Rachel, and her son, but now everything had changed.

In a daze, he left Doctor Sampson’s office and headed for the ferry. He didn’t want to go back. If he ran into Rachel she’d know something was wrong, and he had no answers. He couldn’t face her until he knew exactly what was going on with his body.

He’d had a feeling things were about to change when he awoke this morning, so he had packed his suitcase and put all his stuff into his car before heading over to Rachel’s. Maybe he should find a hotel on the mainland until he took possession of his house.

Once in his car, he pulled out his cell and phoned the B&B.

“Wildflower Bed-and-Breakfast. Jill speaking.”

“Hi, Jill. It’s Chris. I decided to check out today rather than next week.”

“Is everything okay?” Concern filled her voice.

He should have known leaving the way he did would create questions. He’d gotten to know the staff at the B&B over the past several weeks and had shared his housing plans, but this was too personal. “I have to be on the mainland to deal with something. I sign the papers on my house Friday, so I’ll camp out there until my furniture arrives next week. There’s no point moving back and forth, and I should probably be onsite when the work crews are there anyway.” His argument sounded weak even to him, since he could easily check in at his house and sleep at the B&B, but this way was best.

“Okay. I’ll make a note that you’ve checked out. Your credit card on file will be charged for your stay.”

“Okay. Thanks. I hear you’ll be at Nick and Zoe’s Christmas Eve bash. I’ll see you there.”

“Great. Take care,” she said before disconnecting the call.

He set his phone in the cup holder and sat, unsure of his next move. He signed papers in two days on his house. He wouldn’t have any furniture until the following Wednesday, but like he told Jill, he could camp on the floor until then and a motel would do until Friday. A place near the water would be ideal for a couple of nights.

He checked into a rundown looking place a block from the ferry. It wasn’t fancy, and it didn’t come close to the Wildflower B&B, but it was clean and the bed was comfortable. He could work as easily from here as anyplace else.

He stared out the small window toward the parking lot where the snow had been cleared and wished for his island view instead of the concrete jungle outside.

This was for the best though. He couldn’t face Rachel until he knew exactly what was going on with his heart.

He’d been lying to himself. He wanted to live a good long life, not to die young like the other men in his family. Even though he spouted off about being in his golden years, he’d never truly believed he was going to die any time soon until last night. He thought he’d be the exception. He realized Doctor Sampson had told him to reduce stress as a precaution, but his blood work had always come back within acceptable ranges, and his heart had always sounded fine.

His cell phone broke the silence in the room. He answered when he saw it was Doctor Sampson’s office.

“Chris, we were able to get you in to see Doctor Zwape at three this afternoon. He had a last minute cancellation and said he’d fit you in.”

“Really?” He wrote down the important information and checked his watch. “If I hurry, I’ll make it. Thanks!” He grabbed his wallet and keys and darted from the room. Good thing the roads were clear of snow.

Three hours later, Chris walked to his car in a daze—
angina
. How had Doctor Sampson missed this?

The appointment had been brutal. The blood work wasn’t a big deal, but he hadn’t anticipated the stress test and echocardiogram. It wasn’t a death sentence according to his doctor, but he needed to fill a prescription and also begin taking aspirin to help prevent clotting and make it easier for his blood to flow to his heart. To his relief, the doctor seemed confident this treatment was all that was required at this time, but warned if the cholesterol test came back high he’d add a statin drug to his treatment plan.

He shook his brain free of the fog his diagnosis had caused. This was not a death sentence. His doctor was a specialist and knew what he was doing. His condition could be managed.
Thank You, Lord.

At least he knew with diet, exercise, and medication he could live a long life, and he didn’t have to fear a relationship. He might easily live to be an old man. He stepped a little lighter with the realization. Regret that he’d checked out of the B&B hit him. He’d allowed fear to determine his steps today, and that had been a mistake. He wanted to see Rachel and see if she’d made a commitment to the Lord. He suspected she had, but he needed to know for certain.

He could phone her, but he wanted to see her face when he asked her. Plus that conversation was best conducted in person. No, tonight he’d pick up his meds, an air mattress, and sleeping bag for when he moved into his house, watch some TV, then book a room at the resort in the morning since he didn’t care to explain checking out then checking back in. Living like a nomad was growing tiresome, but it was only for another day. After that he’d have the keys to his house.

His cell phone rang, disrupting the quiet of his car. He clicked the button allowing him to talk hands-free. “This is Chris.”

“Hey there.”

He grinned at the sound of Rachel’s voice. “Hi yourself. How did the decorating go?”

“Jason lasted about ten minutes then asked to watch cartoons.”

He chuckled. “I never much enjoyed it myself as a kid, but he’d seemed to want to do it, so I gave him the chance. I’m sorry you ended up decorating alone.” He pulled into a parking lot and stopped.

“It’s okay. Those ornaments were really neat. Where did they come from?”

“Here and there, but mostly the thrift shop on the island. I added a few clay ones I made as a kid. My mom has given me an ornament every year since I was a baby, so I have plenty to share.” To this day his mother continued the tradition. “What are you doing tonight?”