The Gift of Love (Finding Love Book 9) Read online

“I’ll take care of that so you can sleep in.”

  “Do you still remember how to cook? It’s been years since you’ve had to fix your own meals.”

  “You’re on a roll tonight, aren’t you?”

  “I think so,” she agreed, grinning. “Joel will be here sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I wondered how long he’d be able to stay away from you.”

  “That’s normal for a couple only married four months.”

  Thinking of his own experience, he said, “Enjoy it while you can.”

  Jade punched him in the arm. “Don’t be such a cynic. Love is like anything else. It doesn’t always work out the first time.”

  “Or the second. In any case, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’m past all that.”

  “I’ve got news for you. Love doesn’t have a statute of limitations, Stratton. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.”

  “Now you’re just trying to scare me.”

  “I’m trying to stop you from making the worst mistake of your life.”

  He reached down to get his bag. “I’ve already done that. Her name is Eva.”

  Jade dismissed his ex-wife with a wave of her hand. “You can’t use her as an excuse anymore.”

  “It’s not an excuse. I’m giving credit where it’s due.”

  “Sounds like throwing in the towel to me. In avoiding relationships, you could be missing out on the woman who might make you forget Eva ever existed.”

  Stratton shook his head. “That’ll never happen.”

  “Never say never.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “See you in the morning.”

  After making sure the doors were locked and the alarm was set, he went upstairs to Denver’s room. Every thought flew from his mind as he moved closer to the child-size bed. He tucked the thin arms back under the comforter, and then touched the smooth head that used to be full of dark hair. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. He hadn’t needed to see the results of the latest tests to know they were fighting a losing battle. There was only so much modern medicine could do.

  With a heavy sigh, he made his way to the room next door. Sinking down on the bed, he slowly unfolded the paper Jade had given him. When he got to the last item, his insides clinched and his hands started to shake. Along with a telescope, remote control car, Batman hoodie, and a trip to the planetarium, Denver wanted a mommy.

  Stratton should have seen this coming. Maybe if he hadn’t been so caught up in his own grief, he would have realized his son needed things he couldn’t give him. That was true now more than ever. What sick child doesn’t yearn for a mother?

  Chapter Three

  In spite of several delays, Leah managed to get her best friend since sixth grade to the church just as the clock was striking six. Evangeline’s fiancé met them in the vestibule.

  “I was wondering if you’d decided to skip the rehearsal.”

  Evangeline laughed as she returned his kiss. “You know how it is when Leah and I get together.”

  “As much as you two talk on the phone, I’m amazed you have anything left to talk about in person.” Cecil turned to Leah. “How was your trip?”

  “It only took a little over two hours which isn’t bad considering it’s a Friday.”

  “Is everyone here?” Evangeline asked, peering through the double doors into the sanctuary.

  “Yes and no. We’ve got a little problem.”

  Evangeline’s pretty smile faded. “What kind of problem?”

  “Carson just texted me. He won’t be able to make it. They had to take his mother to the emergency room. They’re thinking it might be food poisoning.”

  “Oh, no! I hope she’s going to be okay.”

  “Me, too. In the meantime, we’re short a groomsman. I’m working on a replacement for tomorrow in case Carson can’t get here, but it’s too late for tonight.”

  Evangeline, ever the optimist, nodded. “We’ll find someone. Leah will just have to go it alone for now.”

  Thinking about her lackluster dating life, she said, “Don’t worry. I’m used to it.”

  “Only because you’re the pickiest woman on the planet.”

  Cecil chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with that. When it comes to a life-long commitment, it pays to be choosey.”

  “You can’t get to a life-long commitment if you don’t go out. Leah hasn’t had a steady boyfriend in I don’t know how long.”

  Leah laughed. “Thanks for reminding me. Can we get back to the reason we’re here tonight?”

  “That’s just what I was thinking,” Cecil said as he held open the door and waved them inside.

  As the three of them joined the group of people gathered at the front of the church, Leah remembered something her Aunt Anita was always saying: ‘Love isn’t about getting. It’s about giving, not only your heart, but everything that matters to you.’ Would she ever meet someone who would make her willing to do that?

  It didn’t take long for Evangeline to explain how she wanted things to go. Organizing a wedding rehearsal was a piece of cake for someone who spent her days as an event planner for the convention center in downtown Florence. Not quite an hour later, a stream of cars were pulling into the parking lot of The Blue Moon restaurant. A cheerful hostess led them to a private dining room. Leah found the place card bearing her name and glanced to either side to see who she’d be sitting with during dinner. She would have Cecil’s sister on her left and the absent groomsman on her right.

  The salad course had just been served when Leah became aware of movement behind her. She turned her head to see what was going on and nearly dropped the dinner roll she’d been in the act of buttering. Under her astonished gaze, Dr. Levy sat down in the empty seat beside her.

  After thanking the waitress for a menu and asking for coffee, he turned to Leah and smiled. “Hello, again. If I wasn’t so sure you don’t like me, I’d begin to think you’re following me.”

  This provocative greeting broke the spell she’d fallen under. “I was here first, so the person doing the following is you.”

  “Don’t confuse the issue with facts.” He opened the menu and ran his eyes down the offerings. “This place has a little of everything, doesn’t it? What did you get?”

  “Grilled shrimp with a baked sweet potato and Caesar salad.”

  “Sounds good. I think I’ll get that, too.”

  As if on cue, the waitress arrived with his coffee and took his order. Leah used the time to finish buttering her roll and quiet her suddenly jangled nerves. In the three weeks since Dr. Levy had given her a ride during that awful trip to Lake Oconee, she’d avoided going anywhere near his area of the clinic. This kind of behavior was unusual for her, but no one likes being caught in an embarrassing situation by someone who already thinks badly of them.

  And now, here they were again, thrown together by forces outside her control and which no one could have foreseen. Escape was impossible. Her only choice was to make the best of it. While she was doing that, she might as well satisfy her curiosity about his presence here. They had to talk about something; it might as well be that. Besides, it was always better to go on the offensive in situations like this.

  “How do you know Evangeline and Cecil, Dr. Levy?”

  He smiled as he stirred cream into his coffee. “The name is Stratton. Save Dr. Levy for work. I don’t know Evangeline at all. I’m one of Cecil’s numerous cousins. What about you?”

  She didn’t hear much of what he said after the word Stratton. It was an unusual name, but it suited him somehow. As for calling him by it, that was something else entirely. They weren’t (and would probably never be) on those kind of terms. She realized he was waiting for an answer and blushed slightly. “Evangeline and I met in middle school. Her family moved to South Carolina during our senior year. She was thrilled when I took the job in Myrtle Beach.”

  “It seems I’m going to be more than a wedding guest tomorrow. Cecil just asked if I could fill in for one of the
groomsmen.”

  Which meant he’d be the one walking her down the aisle. Could things get any stranger? “It’s nice of you to do it on such short notice.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind. If we’d known ahead of time that we were both coming this way, we could have ridden together.”

  Leah was saved having to come up with a response to this startling remark by the arrival of the main course. In truth, she was having trouble reconciling this sociable man with the somewhat reserved and often-times stern physician she knew from the clinic. Which one was the real Stratton?

  She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice close to her ear.

  “What are you doing after this thing is over?”

  “I’m going back to Evangeline’s house. All the bridesmaids are staying there.”

  “It’s still early. Would you be interested in taking a drive?”

  Taking a drive? With him? Now things were just starting to get weird.

  When she didn’t say anything, a gleam appeared in his eyes. “It’s okay to refuse, Leah. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to go; I’m just…” She stopped, trying to think of a nicer word than flabbergasted or amazed. “I’m surprised. Our acquaintance has had some…rocky moments.”

  He speared one of his shrimp and doused it in melted butter. “Then it’s about time we did something to change that.”

  “Is it?”

  “Of course. First or even second impressions aren’t always the right ones.”

  “How about third or fourth?” she couldn’t resist asking.

  He nodded. “Those, too. Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves and each other to find out how wrong or right we were?”

  I guess so, and we probably won’t have a better opportunity than this.”

  “I agree.”

  “In that case, I’ll be happy to go for a drive with you.”

  * * * * *

  As Stratton waited for Leah to finish her conversation with Evangeline, he imagined what Jade would say if she could see him right now. Not that he had any intention of telling her. Such an action would provoke a host of questions he wasn’t ready to answer. The seed of an idea was taking shape in his head; whether it would remain there was yet to be seen.

  “Sorry I took so long,” she said as she rejoined him. “Evangeline wanted me to meet her aunt and uncle from Michigan.”

  “Since I got here late, I’m parked at the back. Do you want me to pick you up at the entrance?”

  “That’s not necessary. I like walking.”

  Remembering the night he found her on the road, he couldn’t help saying, “Yes, I know.”

  “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

  “You sure did.” He reached around her to open the door, an action that brought him close enough to catch a drift of something tantalizing mixed with the warmth of her skin. A curious awareness passed over him. He spent the walk to his truck trying to rationalize it.

  “I didn’t think I’d be riding with you again so soon,” she said when he joined her in the cab.

  He smiled as he started the engine. “Life is full of strange coincidences. What do you do when you’re not hanging out at Hutchison Clinic?”

  “At the moment, I’m taking a cooking class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I used to go to the gym, but my brother gave me a treadmill which means I can exercise at home. I also volunteer at an animal shelter.”

  “What about a social life? You can’t tell me there aren’t men lined up outside your door.”

  She bit her lip, her eyes sliding away from his. “They’re not the right kind of men. According to Evangeline, I’m too picky.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what is the right kind of man?”

  Leah hesitated for so long he thought she wasn’t going to answer. When she did, her voice was pitched low. “Someone who’ll love me for who I am, not for what I look like.” She glanced at him, her expression wary. “I suppose that sounds ridiculous to you.”

  “Not at all. Looks are temporary. What counts is what’s inside a person. I found that out the hard way when my ex-wife decided she’d be happier with the guy who cleaned our pool.”

  There was a few seconds of stunned silence and then, “I’m sorry to hear that, Dr. Levy.”

  “It’s water over the dam. I thought we agreed that you’d call me Stratton.”

  “I’ll try, but it’s hard to think of you as a…normal person.”

  “Then it’s up to me to change your mind. I don’t know about you, but I could use some exercise after that heavy meal. There’s a park with a pier close by. We could get out and stretch our legs a little.”

  “That sounds great. I spent most of the day sitting in my car. Do you come to Florence often?”

  “Not anymore. My ex-wife grew up not far from here.” He exited the highway and turned on a narrow two-lane road lined on either side with vehicles. “It looks like we’re not the only ones who want to walk off our dinner.”

  “I can’t blame them. This is a lovely spot with the canopy of trees and the water in the distance.”

  Pulling into one of the few remaining spaces, he cut the engine and walked around to help her out. The breeze coming off the river stirred the silken strands of her hair, blowing them across her face and parted lips. Stratton felt a stirring of attraction that wasn’t so much surprising as it was unwanted. “It’s colder out here than I realized. Will you be warm enough?” She smiled up at him, and his breath hitched in his chest.

  “I’m fine.”

  At least one of them was. He didn’t know what was going on with him. To keep from staring at her, he shifted his eyes to the water. “Are you driving back after the reception tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I’m helping with Ashley Tomlinson’s baby shower on Sunday afternoon. You know her, don’t you? She’s Dr. Gorman’s receptionist.”

  He rolled his eyes. “It would be impossible not to know her. I’ve never met a more talkative woman.”

  Leah sent him an impish grin. “It’s terrible to admit this, but I sometimes wonder if her husband ever gets a word in.”

  “Don’t feel bad. I’ve thought the same thing. Since we’re both driving back, we should travel together. Then I could take you to dinner when we get back to Myrtle Beach.”

  There was a slight pause and then, “I’m confused, Dr. Le…I mean, Stratton. Why this sudden interest in me?”

  She was lovely, stimulating, and intuitive. Talk about a hard-to-resist combination. It was a good thing his heart was encased in a block of ice thick enough to last a lifetime. “I’d rather not tell you that now.”

  “Is this some sort of joke?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t joke around at the expense of someone’s feelings.”

  “I didn’t think so.” A dry smile passed over her lips. “This is long overdue, but I’m sorry I fell asleep during your lecture. That probably doesn’t happen to you very often.”

  “It was a humbling experience to find out I was boring.”

  “You’re not boring. My morning nap had nothing to do with you. That was the Monday after my sister Violet’s wedding. I didn’t leave Columbus until almost ten on Sunday evening. By the time I got to my apartment around five in the morning, there wasn’t much point in going to bed. A hot shower and three cups of coffee worked pretty well until I got into the auditorium. Sitting in semi-darkness listening to your quiet voice sent me right off.”

  “Maybe I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

  She laughed, a low, musical sound that played havoc with his pulse rate. “Let me finish first. I’m also sorry I called you a beast.”

  “Don’t be. I know I can be tough to work with sometimes.”

  Leah held out her arm and pinched it. “I felt that which means this isn’t a dream. We really are having this strange conversation. I wonder what will happen when we get back to work.”

  “I’m sure we’ll continue
to have our, what did you call them, rocky moments. We’re both outspoken, opinionated people who don’t shy away from telling others what we think.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I guess we should head back to the truck. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow. Not to beleaguer the point, but you never gave me an answer about dinner.”

  “We’ve managed to be civil to each other for nearly an hour so I guess we could share another meal.”

  “If you wake up in the morning and realize you’ve made a mistake, let me know.”

  She smiled slowly. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

  * * * * *

  Leah closed the door and turned the lock. Instead of following the murmurs of conversation coming from the kitchen, she moved over to stand at the window. All that was left of Stratton was the red glow of his tail lights. In spite of his friendliness (and abundant charm), she would bet the farm that he hadn’t experienced some kind of revelation where she was concerned. There was another reason for his sudden attention to her existence. But why her and not someone else? More to the point, why hadn’t she nipped the whole thing in the bud by refusing to have dinner with him?

  Bright light filled the foyer. Evangeline appeared comfortably attired in a pair of striped pajamas and white bunny slippers.

  “When did you get back?”

  “Just now.”

  Evangeline’s grin threatened to crack her pale green facial mask. “I can’t believe Cecil’s cousin turned out to be a doctor at your clinic. Stratton’s cute. Why haven’t you said anything about him before?”

  “Mainly because our few interactions haven’t gone very well.”

  “Does that include tonight?”

  Leah tapped her cheek. “No. Tonight was…different. What I mean is, he was different.”

  “Different in a good way?”

  “You could say that, yes. He wants us to travel back to Myrtle Beach together after the wedding and have dinner.”

  Evangeline twirled a lock of her hair. “Sounds promising.”

  A faint smile tugged at Leah’s lips. “I’m not sure what to think about it. No one knows anything about him. He comes in, does his work, and goes home. I didn’t know until tonight that he’s divorced.”