“What’s OFO?” Jenna asked.
Cole gave a brief explanation, but Jenna was too busy sneaking pieces of food to Rumi to pay full attention.
“So you finished everything on Nicole’s list.” His mom tilted her head to the side in thoughtful consideration. “How do you feel?”
“Good.” He meant it. He’d done what he set out to do and in the process released himself from his promise and the uncomfortable feeling of dragging his feet. “Really good. And relieved,” he added. “I think I did it justice and that if she’s looking down, she’s happy.”
“No doubt,” Bethany said. She and Nicole had formed a fast and easy friendship, so her confirmation meant a lot to Maverick. “Does this mean you ate Creier pane?”
“I did. And just like Nicole said, ‘fry anything and it tastes good.’” The Romanian dish consisted of boiled calf brains coated in flour, eggs, and bread crumbs, and then fried to a golden brown.
“Do I want to know what that is?” Cole asked.
“No,” he and Bethany both said.
“Favorite place?” his dad asked.
“Patagonia,” he said without hesitation. “The Andes Mountains were breathtaking, and the penguins that Nicole had wanted to see were fun to watch.” He caught his mom’s warmhearted expression. “What?” he asked her.
“This is the first time you’ve talked so freely about Nicole.”
“It finally feels okay.” He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he’d been set free from the sorrow weighing him down, but he was pretty sure it started before he’d left for his trip and around the time Kennedy, in all her fun, fascinating, feminine glory, showed up on his ranch.
Kennedy.
He’d written her numerous letters and postcards.
And never mailed them.
Instead, he planned to give them to her in person. The time apart had done nothing to quell the love he felt for her. He’d told himself that, when he touched back down in California, if he couldn’t picture life without her, then he’d do whatever it took to make her his, as long as that was still what she wanted. If they had to navigate cross-country trips to see each other, then so be it.
Because he was ready.
He hoped she was, too. He hoped he hadn’t blown it with his silence, and he prayed some other ER doctor hadn’t made a move on her.
“That’s great!” Nova said, looking at him funny.
Talk turned to plans for Thanksgiving next week and hiring seasonal help for the month of December. Besides the bustling Christmas tree business they did, there were three weddings booked.
“Anything exciting happen here while I was gone?” he asked, taking his last bite of food.
Nova practically bounced Jenna off her lap as she said, “That depends.”
“On what?” He looked around the table to find everyone’s eyes on him like they knew a secret he didn’t, which, given his absence, made sense.
“On your feelings about a certain doctor,” Nova said.
“What are you talking about?” Had Kennedy visited Windsong?
“Uncle Mav, don’t be dense,” Jenna said. Then glancing up at her parents with wide, apologetic eyes added, “I’m going to take Rumi outside to go potty. Bye!”
Silence fell over the table.
“Is Kennedy…here?” he asked evenly.
“She’s been here for two months,” Nova said with an edge of excitement. “She’s taking over Doc’s practice.” His sister could not have smiled any bigger if she tried.
Maverick’s jaw dropped before he pressed his lips together, unsure what to say, if he could even speak right now. Shock registered, followed by annoyance. Someone should have told him sooner. Preferably Kennedy herself. But then she wasn’t here for him; she was here for a job.
His mom reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. “We thought it best to wait to tell you.”
“Did she ask you not to?”
“No.” His mom shook her head. “She wouldn’t do that, honey.”
He looked around the table again. A mix of hopefulness and worry shaped everyone’s expressions. Except Nova’s. She had a look of pure joy on her face, and so Maverick focused on her.
“What happened to Boston?”
“She turned it down.”
“Why? She said that was her dream job.”
“I think she should tell you why.”
He didn’t like the uncomfortable feeling Nova’s answer planted in his stomach. “She’s good, though, right?”
Nova nodded. “Yes.”
“Did you tell her I was coming home today?”
“She knows.” Nova glanced at their mom and then Bethany. “But…”
“But…?” Jesus, since when did he have to pull teeth to get info out of his talkative sister?
“She said you haven’t been in touch. At all. And…”
He was about to lose his mind. “Please just say it.”
“I think she secretly loves you, and is waiting for you, but Nash Radcliffe is interested in her and so if you don’t have a plan to whisk her off her feet, then you’re in big trouble because Nash has it all going on.”
Maverick gritted his teeth. Nash Radcliffe lived in Rustic Creek, the next town over. He’d liked the guy until right this second. “What’s Rad doing in Windsong?” The pro football player should be with his team.
“I just told you.”
“How did he meet Kennedy?”
“Rumor has it they had a meet-cute at the office.”
“‘Meet-cute’? What the hell is that?”
“Mav.” His mom leveled him with a look that said, chill out. “There’s nothing going on between them.”
“Yet,” Nova so kindly added.
He pushed back his chair with a little more force than necessary and stood. As tired as he was, he couldn’t wait to see Kennedy. “Where is she?”
“Slow down, cowboy,” Nova said. “You can’t go see her guns blazing and piss her off. You need a plan.”
“I have a plan.”
Hunter laughed. “Dude, we’re talking about Kennedy. You need a solid approach, not a two-second alpha-ass strategy that she will not appreciate.”