Island Christmas (3 page)

His heart melted for Rachel. She clearly didn’t need one more thing to go wrong tonight. “Have you eaten?”

“Technically no, but we sample enough food to make sure it’s seasoned correctly that I feel as though I have.” She moved to stand.

“Please stay. I know it’s selfish of me, but I’d like the company.”

She looked around. “Maybe I could visit for a few minutes.”

“Good. I know your stay on the island got off to a bad start, but I’m sure it will only improve from here.”

She chuckled. “I hope so. If every day turned out like this one…” She shook her head.

He grinned. “You mentioned coming to the island once before. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you here?”

She sat back and a sparkle lit her eyes. “I can laugh about it now, but at the time that was a pretty difficult time in my life. When my husband was on his deathbed he asked me to go to his parents’ house and find a ring he’d stolen and hidden as a child, and return it to his grandmother. The problem was, he couldn’t remember where he’d hidden it. My in-laws were devastated with the loss of their son and sold the B&B to Nick.”

“Wait a minute. You mean to tell me your husband’s family owned Wildflower B&B?”

She nodded. “Small world. Right?”

“For sure.” He leaned in. “Tell me more.”

“I secured a place at the B&B for the summer hoping to figure out a few things while I looked for the ring.”

“Nick and Zoe didn’t mind you snooping around?”

She chuckled. “That’s another story, but let’s say in the end they helped and Nick’s nephew ended up finding it.” Rachel’s face appeared more relaxed than it had since he’d met her.

“I’d love to hear the rest of the story sometime.”

“Maybe you will.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I should go.”

“Please stay.”

Tension immediately filled her face. “I’d better not. If Mrs. Grayson comes out here and sees me like this, I may not have a job to come back to tomorrow. I trust Zoe will smooth over what happened in the kitchen, but I don’t want to push my luck. Right now I’m going to visit the gift shop. I promised Jason a postcard of the place where I work.”

Disappointment shot through him. “Understood. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow. Will you still be staying at the B&B?”

“Our reservation is through the end of the week. I hope to find a place for myself and Jason by then.” She stood and pushed in the chair. “The prime rib was a good choice. To use a much overused word, it’s a-ma-zing.”

“Good.” He didn’t want her to leave yet. It was nice having someone to talk with. “May I walk you to your car?”

“No, thanks. I’m detouring to the shop.”

Right. She’d already told him that. Too bad he couldn’t come up with a good reason to visit the gift shop right now. She seemed like she could use a friend.

“Your order will be ready in a few minutes. See you, Chris.” She hustled through the dining room and out of his sight.

He shook his head. He’d met Zoe and had no doubt Rachel’s words were correct. Zoe would indeed smooth things over with Piper, but it was too bad she needed to. Poor Rachel. Trouble seemed to follow her.

He gazed onto the lake and noted the dock. A Christmas tree at the end lit in a riot of colors grabbed his attention. Why hadn’t he noticed that sooner? It seemed odd to have a Christmas tree on a dock, much less have one up before Thanksgiving, but he knew some people couldn’t wait.

Piper entered the dining room, wearing a serious expression.

“Excuse me,” he said.

She plastered on a smile. “Yes, sir?”

“I was curious about the tree on the dock. Why is it
there
for starters and up so soon?”

She peered out the window, and her face softened. “My husband must have put that up today. I know it’s early, but there’s a lot of decorating to do, so some things like that tree are up prematurely. We go all out for Christmas, including decorating the dock. It may seem odd to some people, but we enjoy it being there.”

“I look forward to seeing the decorations. Did he string all those lights too?”

“His landscaping company did. Those stay up year round.” She returned her focus to him. “I’m Piper Grayson, the owner of the resort. Are you a guest at the resort?”

“No. I’m staying at the Wildflower B&B.”

Her smile widened. “That’s a wonderful place. It was where I first stayed when I arrived on the island. I hope you enjoy your visit, Mister…”

“Campbell. But please call me Chris.” He pulled his business card from his pocket out of habit and handed it to her. “I specialize in software and web design.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She slid his card into her pocket. “Enjoy your meal, Chris.”

He almost groaned but caught himself. He was here to relax, not drum up more business. He was busy enough. Like they say, old habits die hard.

The hostess rushed to Piper and spoke softly. He couldn’t hear her words but whatever she’d said caused Piper to hustle toward the exit.

His meal arrived and he wasn’t disappointed. Never one to linger over food, he wolfed it down in a matter of minutes. The only thing missing was someone to share the experience with. Rachel was right. It was a-ma-zing. He grinned at her exaggerated enunciation of the word. He finished off his water, paid and left a tip, then stood to leave.

A commotion at the door grabbed his attention. Curiosity drew him. Flashing lights in the parking lot shot alarm bells through his head. What had happened? He peered through the glass doors and spotted medics hovering over someone. The person next to him said a woman who worked here was unconscious.

Rachel’s head pounded. What were all
these people doing around her, and why was she on the ground? A shiver ran through her. “Excuse me!” She felt like she was shouting, but her voice sounded barely above a whisper. She grabbed at an arm that seemed to float overhead.

“She’s conscious.” A blurry-faced man held two fingers over her face—or at least she thought it was two. If only she could focus. She blinked rapidly trying to clear her vision. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two?”

“What’s your name?”

“Rachel. What’s all this about, and why am I lying down and who are you?” She knew that voice. “Nick?” She tilted her head to the side as his face came into focus. “It
is
you. What are you doing?”

“Piper called and told me you’d passed out in the parking lot. I told her to call 911 but decided I should swing by and see if I could help.”

She tried to sit up, but Nick quickly held her shoulder in place so she couldn’t.

“Take it easy, Rachel. I don’t want you to move yet. Do you hurt anywhere other than your head?”

She shook her head and winced—bad idea. “Nick, I don’t know what happened. I was heading to my car and the next thing I know…”

“How did you feel before you passed out?”

“I passed out?”

“It appears so. No one actually saw you, so we aren’t sure how long you were unconscious.”

“Oh boy. That sounds bad.”

“Can you describe how you were feeling this evening?”

“Stressed, anxious… I went to the gift shop and looked around for quite a while then began to feel light headed and figured I should go back to the Bed-and-Breakfast. It’s been a rough day and an even rougher evening.”

“Do you have any underlying conditions I should know about?”

“No. At least none that I know of.” Panic surged through her. What if there was something seriously wrong with her? Her son’s dad had died of a brain tumor—if she died Jason would be all alone. Well, there were her parents, but still…

“Okay, then. I think it’s best you go to the hospital and have some tests run. I suspect you had a vasovagal attack, but I’d like to rule out a few other things. Were you injured when you fell?”

“What is a vasovagal attack?”

“It’s nothing serious and very common in young people. It basically means you fainted due to a rapid heart rate drop. I’m more concerned about any injury you may have sustained in falling.”

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. Her head hurt as well as her back, but neither was excruciating. She described her pain to Nick, then allowed the paramedics to load her into the ambulance. As they lifted her onto the gurney, she had a view of the parking lot. At least there wasn’t a huge crowd gathered around watching. She spotted Chris and sighed. She could add embarrassment to her growing list of things that had gone wrong today.

The rest of the evening flew by in a blur of doctors and tests. By midnight she was exhausted, and all she wanted was to snuggle beside her baby boy and sleep. Instead she lay on a hospital bed in the emergency department of a tiny hospital that had not been on the island the last time she had been there. Things had changed more than she’d realized.

A nurse glided into the room wearing a smile. “Ms. Narrelli, the doctor signed the paperwork, and you are free to go.”

Finally
. Joy washed through her. “Thank you. Is there a cab service I can call to take me to my car?”

“There’s a gentleman in the waiting room. He said he would be delivering you home.”

Relief washed over her, and she quickly prepared to leave. That was nice of Nick to stick around and save her the expense of a cab. Once again he was coming to her rescue.

“These are your after-care instructions along with your diagnosis.” The nurse handed her a few papers. “Would you like a wheel chair or are you up to walking?”

“I’m fine. Thanks.” Although slightly surprised the nurse hadn’t insisted on a wheelchair. She remembered seeing people walk out of the ER back home too, so they must not require it unless admitted.

She glanced at the diagnosis.
Vasovagal attack
. Which she already knew since the doctor had explained her diagnosis and all that entailed. This must be in case she forgot what he said. She walked into the emergency department’s waiting room and looked for Nick.

“Hey there.”

She spun around to the left. “Chris. Are you the person waiting to take me to my car?”

“Actually, I was instructed that you are not to drive until tomorrow. I’ll give you a lift to your vehicle in the morning. Right now, we both need to get back to the B&B. You’re a popular lady. Piper stopped by to check on you, but no one would tell her anything or allow her to see you, so she left.”

“No kidding. That was really nice of her.”

“Yeah. So why the frown?”

“Just thinking. Tonight is going to cost me a small fortune in insurance deductibles and babysitting. If I’d been thinking clearly I wouldn’t have agreed to the ambulance ride to the hospital.” She shivered. At this rate she’d never be able to afford a little place for herself and her son. She hoped there was a good selection of rentals because after tonight, she wouldn’t be able to put a down payment on a house any time soon.

This island held a special place in her heart, and her dream since leaving it three years ago was to move back and make a life for herself and Jason. Would that dream ever become a reality?

Chris looked Rachel over
from head to toe. He felt bad for her and was glad he’d thought to come check on her before heading to the B&B for the night. The longer he’d waited the more concerned he’d become, but other than her drooping eyelids that threatened to cover her deep brown eyes and her somewhat slumped shoulders, she appeared to be doing great. Anyone would be worn out after the ordeal she’d had this evening. He hadn’t been the one to pass out and spend several hours in the hospital, and he was more than ready for his comfy bed.

She slid the band off her ponytail and massaged her head. Her raven colored hair cascaded to her shoulders and looked silky soft. Yep, she looked good. “Thanks for coming for me.” Rachel shot him a look filled with gratitude.

“I’m happy to help.”

She swayed slightly.

He shot his arms out to steady her. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Just crazy tired. Aside from the day I gave birth to Jason, I think this has been the longest day of my life.”

“Yeah, I get that.” He kept a hand on her elbow and gently guided her outside to the parking lot. After making sure she was seated, he closed the door and rushed around to the driver’s side of his black Prius. The sooner he delivered her to the B&B the better. She was ready to drop.

Comfortable silence filled the car as he whisked them to the bed-and-breakfast. He pulled into the driveway and parked in the same spot he’d vacated earlier in the evening. “I have an appointment with a Realtor in the morning. Do you think you could be ready to go by nine?”

“I’m not sure. How about we play it by ear. If I can’t catch a ride with you, I’ll figure something else out.”

“Okay.” He slid out and moved around to get her door, but she was already out and heading up the stairs.

She stopped, her hand resting on the railing. “Thanks for tonight. We’ve just met, yet you were there for me.” She shook her head. “You’re rare, Chris.” She opened the door. A dim light illuminated the stairwell and together they plodded up the stairs. At her room she rested her hand on the doorknob. “Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, Rachel.” His heart did a little pitter-patter at the look in her eyes. He knew that look. Had felt it himself a few times in his life. Wanted to feel it again, but now was not the time.

“You too.” She slipped into her room and closed the door softly.

He moved to the next door and went inside. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his life had been permanently altered tonight. But at thirty-five he was too old for Rachel, he didn’t want the complication of a relationship right now, and then there was his family medical history. Rachel did not need to be subjected to that. She’d already lost one husband—not that he was thinking marriage, he barely knew her. But he had to think about those kinds of things when he was attracted to a woman. Rachel would remain in the friend zone. It was best that way for both of them.