Chapter 2

Jeremy

Who knew our small town had a queen and she was made of ice and as unfeeling as stone. She was so clinical and sterile she probably performed surgery right off her flat chest.

I had held my tongue as much as I could, but left her standing there, slack-jawed and wide-eyed like I’d thrown a bucket of ice water on her. Maybe she was melting. That would explain a lot.

I threw my papers down on the counter as a nagging headache burned deep in my skull like some tiny man was in there pounding his way out. I glanced around and look at all the miserable people still waiting in the lobby and leaned in across the counter. “Send me the bill for every person on this list for the past three hours.” I didn’t have to say more or explain in great detail why because every person in the town knew who I was.

The whole town’s residents had their opinions of me and they were all so different that it made for one hell of a pie chart. You had those who knew and loved me, those who knew and hated me and then there were about five different shades of those who had heard the gossip about me that was already a good year old and had either decided I was a cad or completely innocent.

My ex, Meagan, had found out she was pregnant after a month of dating, and to her dismay, I was better at math than she’d expected and lucky for me, I had better attorneys. Turns out the man she left me for was the father, and I’d only been a stop along the way with hopes that I’d take responsibility and pay her off. I took her to court instead, and though I had tried to keep the whole thing quiet for both of our sakes, she was content to tell everyone within earshot who would listen.

To some, it didn’t matter that they’d known me half my life or that I’d donated thousands to their charities or volunteered as much as my brother had in the past. Nope, I was suddenly branded the black sheep.

I wasn’t sure where Nora fell on the big pie chart that Meagan had left me with, but after her comment, I had a pretty good idea. And it wasn’t a shock. Nora had no doubt heard what she wanted to hear while Meagan came in for her baby appointments.

My jaw clenched as I realized why the good doctor had stuffed me into that closet she called the infant room. Well, at least now I knew why she hated me so much. The only thing I needed to figure out was why of all the women across town, hell across the world, who I could have, why did I want her?

Maybe it was that old adage: we always want what we can’t have. Too bad I wasn’t used to not getting my way. It was the challenge, I’d always liked one, but everyone had their breaking point where it was better to give up and cut your losses and I think Nora had me close to mine.

“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Daniels.” Her tag read Amy and I realized I had donated a large sum to her sister’s benefit a year ago. But who would remember that and tell their boss about it? Not Amy.

Don’t get me wrong, I never helped anyone to get praise, and I didn’t even expect a thank you. But why couldn’t Nora have heard something good about me? I guess it was time to let her go and be myself. If she couldn’t see the real me for all of the ugly gossips then it was her loss.

My loss.

I paid my bill and left taking my pride with me.

I did as she instructed and went straight to the pharmacy to get my prescription so I could hurry up and kill the monstrous headache and get back home. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I guess that wasn’t a good idea either. Not alone anyway.

The young girl behind the counter, who I knew as the pharmacist’s daughter or niece, had a big smile for me. “Hello, Mr. Daniels. How can I help you today?” I looked her up and down. She was a lot curvier than Nora, who was a tall, thin blonde. This girl’s dark roots were a dead giveaway that the carpet didn’t match the drapes like Nora. Maybe Nora was exactly what I needed. I leaned in and read her nametag.

“Kari Anne, I’d like for you to fill this.” I handed her the slip of paper which sent her fingers working across her computer keys.

“Okay, give me just a minute and I’ll take care of that myself.” She gave me a wink and headed to the back. I made busy and wondered what my wait time would be. The small town’s pharmacy usually didn’t have a wait.

I walked down an aisle and looked at ice packs. I wondered if I’d need one, but then Nora hadn’t said anything about it. I was about to see how much they wanted for a blood pressure cuff like the one Nora’s nurse had used on me when Kari Anne returned.

“Okay, Mr. Daniels, you’re all set.”

“Call me Jeremy, please.” I leaned in over the counter and bit my lip as I watched her type. It was hard to be seductive when you felt like you’d been hit by a truck.

“Yes, Jeremy, so this medicine has codeine, so you want to make sure you take it with food and plenty of water. Try some milk if it upsets your stomach and do not drink alcohol.” She handed me the medicine and I gave her my insurance and credit cards.

“Looks like you hit your head pretty hard.” She gestured to my bandage. “You look good in pink.”

“Yeah, I was told I have a concussion, so I’m not supposed to spend the night alone.”

She blushed, but then I caught myself. What was I doing? I didn’t want her. I wanted Nora. Dammit all to hell.

After a moment of inner struggle which probably had me looking like a real loon, she snapped back into focus. “Yeah, I guess I could slip into a coma or something terrible.” I took the card back and then picked up my prescription. “So, I guess. . . wish me luck.” I got the hell out of there while she watched me like I was an escaped mental patient. Nora was officially making me crazy.

While I was walking out to my car, my brother’s friend, and fellow Little League coach, Steve came running past. He stopped when he saw me. “Hey, you happen to know where your brother is? I’ve tried calling him all morning. I’m not going to be able to be at practice tomorrow evening. The wife is going into surgery tomorrow. I’m going to drive her down to the city first thing in the morning.”

“Oh, man. I thought he’d called you. He’s gone out of town and I’m not sure he’ll be back in time. He’s in New York.” It wasn’t like my brother not to take care of things, but with Harper doing a number on his brain he was a bit distracted. Must run in the family.

Steve scratched his head. “I hate to cancel on those kids. They look forward to it, but I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“I tell you what, I’ll do it.” I gave him a nudge and he looked surprised.

“You? I thought you gave it up years ago.” His smile widened as he nodded. “That would be great. Are you sure you’re up for it?” He gestured to my pink bandage. Very funny, Nora.

“Sure, it’ll be fun.” I used to love baseball, but it had been years since I’d played.

The guy held out his hand. “Tomorrow evening at 4:30.”

“I’ll be there and I’ll let Luke know. He must have bad reception on the road.” I shook his hand and gave a little shrug though my head was pounding. I sure hoped it got better before my commitment.

I got in my car and took my recommended dosage to speed my healing. Then I headed home as Nora had instructed.

By the time I got there, I was as sick as a dog.