“Andrew says your phone isn’t in his car,” Ava called out.
“Maybe it fell onto the ground,” she said, walking back to the couch and pushing Maverick to the back of her mind. “Can I use yours?”
She called the hospital and sure enough, they had her phone. Only it had been destroyed when a car pulling up to the hospital ran over it. She asked to be connected to Hugo’s room next, and was glad to hear from Maria that things were status quo. She handed the cell back to her sister and covered her face with her hands. “At some point today, I need to get a new phone.”
An hour later, Andrew showed up with breakfast burritos—he argued she needed something more substantial than a glazed doughnut if she planned to be at the hospital all day—and regaled Ava with stories from Windsong.
“On a scale of one to ten,” Ava said, “how hot was Maverick?”
“With or without his cowboy hat?” Andrew asked.
Kennedy made to leave the room. She didn’t want to hear anything about Maverick. He’d had all day yesterday to get in touch with her before she lost her phone, and the fact that he didn’t told her everything she needed to know. They were done. He’d taken her albeit unpleasant note and respectfully decided to let her go without any further exchange.
Andrew stayed her with his hand on her arm.
“Oh my God. He wore a cowboy hat?” Ava fanned herself.
“I need to get dressed and head to the hospital,” Kennedy said, reading the clock on the wall. Visiting hours started in thirty minutes.
“I know you do,” Andrew started, “but there’s something I didn’t tell you yesterday.”
Kennedy stiffened, unsure if anything else about yesterday mattered. Her usual curiosity, though, got the best of her. “What?”
“Before I left the ranch, I had a quick heart-to-heart with Bethany. She asked about our sudden leaving and I told her about Hugo. She was really upset on your behalf, and said she spoke for the whole family when she said she wished you the best and hoped Hugo would be okay. Then she told me about Maverick.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yesterday was the anniversary of his girlfriend’s death.”
Kennedy’s fist flew to her mouth as a rush of compassion overwhelmed her. “I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t think so. It was also her birthday.”
“No,” she whispered, pressing her closed hand against her lips. As if Nicole’s death wasn’t tragic enough, she left the world the same day she entered it. “So, yesterday was…”
“A tough day for him. Bethany said every year he drives to San Francisco to spend the day at the cemetery and to see Nicole’s parents. He refuses company and makes it a solitary thing.”
“I would have—” She stopped herself. If she’d known, she would have gone with him instead of attending the wedding in a heartbeat. She would have wormed her way into his plan because she knew he could have used the support. And that’s what a person did for someone they loved, whether they liked it or not.
She froze.
She loved him.
Ava gently took Kennedy’s fist and lowered her arm. “Breathe,” she instructed.
Kennedy took a deep breath. She loved him. With her heart. With her soul. And she was overcome with sympathy for him. “He’d already left when I got to his house?”
“I think so.” Andrew wrapped up the remaining half of his burrito.
“Do you think he even read my note?” She hoped not. Maybe a window had been left open and a gust of wind came through his kitchen and blew the piece of paper into a black hole. She hated the brief, unkind words she’d left him with, made much worse with this new knowledge.
“I don’t know.”
“I should call him.” She looked around the room for her phone before remembering it was roadkill.
“Use mine,” Andrew and Ava said at the same time, phones thrust at her.
She pulled a face, remembering she didn’t have his number. “I need to call the inn.” Her eyes darted back to the clock. “But I can’t right now. I can’t think about anything other than Hugo.” She stood, threw away what was left of her breakfast. “I’ll get a new phone later and reach out then.” At the moment, she could only deal with one important person at a time.
In the privacy of her room, she leaned against the closed door and slid down to the floor. It felt like the walls were closing in on her. Hugo. Her interview in Boston. Maverick.
The day went by in a blur. She’d dressed, driven to the hospital, and remained by Hugo’s bedside with Maria. When Hugo finally woke fully with his memory intact and much better mobility in his arms and legs, she and Maria literally jumped for joy. She’d never been so relieved.
Hugo moved out of the PICU and to a regular room. At the request of Maria, Kennedy spoke with his doctors. Given the seriousness of his accident and his underlying health condition, they decided to keep him in the hospital until his surgery.
Left cardiac sympathetic denervation surgery. A big deal, but necessary given the failure of his defibrillator. She explained the procedure to Maria, assured her it was the best option, and promised to stop in tomorrow before her flight to Boston.
By the time she left the hospital, it was too late to head to the Apple Store for a new phone. She added it to her list for tomorrow, wishing she could wrinkle her nose and stop time for a couple of hours so she could catch up.
Ava and Andrew were waiting for her with pizza when she walked into the apartment, and she almost cried at the consideration. They watched a movie while they ate, but mostly Kennedy sat dazed and unfocused for a good chunk of time. Before the romantic comedy ended, she excused herself and fell into bed, bone-tired from the mental workout of the past two days. As was becoming habit, a slow-motion montage of Maverick played behind her eyelids as she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning she packed an overnight bag for her trip to Boston. She settled on a black knee-length skirt, light green blouse, and black pumps for her interview, linen pants and a comfy tee for the plane.
She had breakfast on the table when Ava wandered into the kitchen ready to go to class. “Morning, sunshine.”
“Ugh. I’ll be so glad when school is over. Thank you for this.” Ava downed a plate of scrambled eggs, then buttered a piece of toast to take with her. “Have a good flight and kick butt tomorrow.” She kissed Kennedy’s cheek. “Call me tonight.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
At the knock on the door five minutes later, Kennedy glanced around, thinking Ava forgot her keys or a textbook or something. She opened the door wide. “What did you—?”