“A little better today. Thank you for asking.”
“So she wasn’t having a crisis when you had to rush over there last night?”
“Nothing serious, this time. She was developing a respiratory infection, which is fairly common for her these days. Her immune system is depressed by her illnesses and her other medications, which makes her highly susceptible to infection. I put her on a round of antibiotics for ten days. We’ll watch her closely, but I think she’ll recover fairly easily.”
This time, she repeated silently. The day was approaching all too quickly when antibiotics would not be enough.
“How’s Nina?” she asked, pushing that all-too-familiar awareness to the back of her mind. She knew Seth would be closely monitoring Nina’s progress.
“She came through the surgery just fine. I sat with Lisa and Alan during the operation and I got to see Nina for a few minutes before I left for the office. Her blood pressure is still a little too high, but she should be able to leave the hospital in a few days. Lisa let me know that she intends to keep Nina with her in Mississippi, even after she’s back on her feet. She and Alan have a garage studio they’re converting for Nina’s use, so she’ll have her independence but will still be close to them.”
“I know you’ll miss her, but it’s nice that Nina will be close to her daughter.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said without much enthusiasm. “I don’t suppose you know anyone looking for a full-time housekeeping job?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I have someone who comes in to do the heavy cleaning twice a month, but she prefers part-time work. She wouldn’t be interested in a full-time position. I’ll ask around for you, if you like.”
“Well, if you hear of anyone, I’d appreciate the tip.”
“How was Alice this morning?”
“Fine, once I convinced her Nina’s going to be okay. I don’t mind admitting that whole episode scared the bejeebers out of both of us.”
She smiled a little in response to his wording. “I’m sure it did. I was relieved when I first saw Nina and realized there were no head or internal injuries.”
“Alice wanted to go with me to the hospital today, but I convinced her to go on to school. She felt better about it when I told her she could come to your house after school. That invitation is still open, isn’t it? You don’t have any other plans?”
“Of course she’s welcome. Do you need me to pick her up?”
“No, thanks, that’s not necessary. Alice’s best friend’s grandmother Margaret will chauffeur the kids both ways. She won’t even let me reimburse her for gas.”
“That’s very generous of her.”
“She’s fond of Alice. And of Nina. They met for coffee occasionally. She said she’s going to stop by the hospital on the way to pick up the girls this afternoon.”
Meagan heard a woman’s voice in the background of Seth’s call—a secretary, she guessed—and then Seth’s muffled reply before he returned his attention to her. “I’m sorry, Meagan, I have to go. Send Alice home if you need to leave or anything, okay? She’ll be fine on her own until I get there.”
“Don’t worry about her, Seth. We’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Well, then…I’ll see you.”
“See you.” She realized she was smiling when she disconnected the call, and she suspected her sister would have teased her mercilessly had Madison seen that particular smile. Madison would probably say something silly—like calling Meagan smitten or infatuated by Alice’s cute dad. As the smile slowly faded, Meagan had an uneasy suspicion that Madison’s imagined accusation wouldn’t have been completely wrong.
Chapter Five
“Wow.” Having seen Meagan only in casual clothing until that moment, Seth was suitably impressed when she opened the door to him in more formal attire Friday evening. “You look very nice.”
That was most definitely an understatement. On some blondes, the long, basic black sheath might have been too stark or too bland. Neither was true for Meagan. The dress fit her well-toned curves to perfection. The draped neckline dipped low enough to expose an appealing glimpse of creamy skin accented with a glitter of diamond pendant. Seth had to make a masterful effort to keep his gaze on her face rather than her cleavage or the length of leg revealed by a thigh-high slit in the straight skirt. He supposed the dress was modest enough by most standards, but he still felt his blood pressure rise a bit in response to what it revealed.
She smiled in pleasure at the compliment. “Thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve had an occasion to dress up. You look very dashing in your tux, too.”
He dipped into a teasing bow. “Why, thank you, ma’am.”
/> Tucking a shiny little black clutch bag beneath her arm, she locked her door and walked with him to his car. He opened her door for her, waited until she was safely tucked inside, then closed the door and rounded the front of the vehicle. It felt good to perform those little rituals, he realized with a faint smile.
He loved being a dad. For a while, he’d even enjoyed being a husband. Tonight, it was kind of fun to remember what it felt like to be just a single guy on a date with an attractive woman who made his pulse race.
“How’s your grandmother?” he asked as soon as they were on the road toward the downtown hotel where the event was being held.