Saving Forever - Part 2 (6 page)

Malcolm gave her shoulder a squeeze. “If your car’s gone, let me know and I’ll give you a lift to your place. He may just need a moment.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and headed outside. There were valet attendants hired to drive people to their cars in golf carts. She bypassed them and decided to walk to where Elijah had parked the car earlier. She headed down the row and saw several empty parking spaces. A different car stood parked in their original parking spot. He had probably left as Malcolm had said. Did he plan on coming back to pick her up? She wasn’t worried about herself; the concern lied with where Elijah had gone.  She checked her phone to see if he had sent a message. Nothing. She sent him a text:
Where are you?

She turned to go back inside and spotted her car in the
next row over. She’d come down the wrong row. She walked over when she spotted Elijah sitting in the passenger seat, his head leaning against the window. She went around to the driver’s side and lightly tapped on the window before opening the door. “Hey,” she said quietly. “I’ve been looking for you.” She settled in behind the wheel.

“Found me.” He held up a three
-quarter-empty bottle of rye. “Wanthome?”

“I’m good thanks.” Poor guy. “How about I drive us back to my place?”

He dug the keys out of his tuxedo jacket and handed them to her. After, he took a long swig from the bottle and put the cap back on, then tossed it on the back seat. “Let’s go.” He tried to click his seatbelt in and ended up needing Charity’s help.

She started the car and backed out of their parking spot. Elijah leaned his head back against the car seat and closed his eyes. They drove in silence the first few miles. Charity wanted to say something but had no clue what to say. Elijah groaned and rubbed his forehead. “Sorry to put such a damper on the evening. Was it a success?”

“Don’t apologize, silly. You have nothing to be sorry about.” She rested her hand on his knee, enjoying the slight thrill which ran up her arm.
Focus.
She put her hand back on the wheel. “The whole fundraising thing today probably made more than double I was hoping for.”

“That’s great.” He smiled but his eyes stayed tightly shut.

She chewed on her lip and tried to think of the right way to approach his father’s passing. “When are you flying out?”

“Tomorrow around noon.” He checked his watch, opening only one eye before closing it and dropping his head back against the seat again.

“I meant to home. To New Zealand.”

He scowled and shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll make it back.”

What? “When’s the funeral?”

“Next week sometime. My mother’s going to let me know.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope. Just me.”

“You have to go back then.”

“My mother’ll be fine.” He tried to wave his hand but it flopped awkwardly instead. “She’z a do it yerself kinda gal.”

He made no sense. Either it was the drink or he only knew how to speak in subliminal messages. “She’s going to need you.”

“You don’t know my mother. She’ll have everything organized and I’ll just get in the way.”

Suck it up, dude. “This really is none of my business but speaking from a person who’s lost a parent, you need to go. You need to say goodbye to your father.” She turned into her driveway and put the car in park.

With glazed eyes, Elijah peered through
the front window of the car. “This isn’t my place.”

Oh boy. Not a good sign. “It’s mine. Let me help you.” She jumped out
of the car and ran around it to open his door.

He slowly stumbled his way out
of his seat. As he stood, he stroked her gently on the cheek. “You’re such a sweetie.” They walked together toward her door. He stopped suddenly halfway there. “Come wifme.”

“Pardon?”

His licked his lips and swallowed. “Come with me to New Zealand.”

Chapter 7

“Come with me,” Elijah repeated
, swaying slightly. “I’ll go back if you go.”

She wanted to. In her head she knew it was ridiculous. This was the drunk-Elijah-who-just-lost-his-dad speaking. In the morning he would regret asking, if he even remembered. “Let’s get inside. I’m freezing.” She rubbed her arms and felt her lower lip start to shiver.

Elijah set his feet shoulder width apart. “I’m not going anywhere until you answer the question.”

He was sexy even when drunk. The whole vulnerable thing looked good on him. Charity closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. She imagined going with him and trying to explain who she was and why she’d come along. They barely knew each other. She opened her eyes and put her hands on his shoulders. “This is your family, Elijah. I don’t think they would appreciate a stranger stepping in at this time.”

He shrugged and looked her straight in the eye – too straight for someone who had drunk three quarters of a bottle of whiskey. “I don’t give a fuck wha’ my family thinks! They don’t understand who I am or why I left.” He sighed. “I’m asking you to come for me, not them.”

Apparently he had the same family issues she did. He lifted his finger and touched her trembling lip. It was her undoing. She fought back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. She was going to fall for him no matter what she did. “H-How long?”

His lips replaced where his finger had been. He smiled and hugged her. “Five days. Seven days tops including travel time.” He laced his fingers with hers. “Let’s go inside, you’re freezing!”

She rolled her eyes when he turned and headed for the door, pulling her along. What was she getting herself into?  She unlocked the door and they stepped inside. Flipping the lights on in the living room as she headed to the kitchen
, she said, “I’ll make us some coffee.”

Elijah undid his tuxedo jacket and took it off. He tried to hang it up on the wall unit but it slipped and fell to the ground without him noticing. “How do you turn your stereo on? I can’t figure out which remote goes with what.”

She laughed and strolled over beside him. “You save lives and can’t find the power button?”

He leaned and nearly slipped. “Whoops!” He raised his hands innocently. “I’d like to try pushing a few of your buttons. Or you can push mine. Wasn’t I promised some kind of lap dance a couple of weeks ago?”

“I don’t think so! That was Simon lamely trying to get me to teach Julie. I don’t do stripper. Ever.”

He pretended to pout. “Not even for me?”

The sexy lips weren’t going to help him. “Not even you.”

“I’ve had one hell of an evening.”

She shook a finger at him. He was seriously trying to play that card. She tried not to smile. “No sympathy dances either.”

“Maybe one day then?”

“If you stick around long enough.” The words were out of her mouth before her brain could process them and keep them inside.

Elijah crossed his arms over his chest and raised one eyebrow. “That’s bribery. Shame on you.”

Thank goodness he took it as a joke. She shot back, “And you tried to use your dad as a wild card! Shame on you!”

He tried to look guilty,
but the corners of his mouth kept turning up. Distracted, he pointed to the far wall. “Is that some kind of antique psychiatrist couch?” He walked to it and lied down on it, tucking his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and yawned. “Comfy.”

Charity went to the kitchen to pour some coffee. “It is actually. I did a stint with an old, old hospital in
Maine,” she chatted as she got the cream and sugar out. “And the wing they wanted to rebuild had been a psych ward. That couch was in one of the offices. I took it and had it reupholstered. It’s actually a kinda cool story, like a psycho-thriller.” She carried the steaming mugs into the living room and stopped. Elijah’s mouth hung slightly open and he was snoring. “I guess I’ll have to tell it to you another time.”

She headed into her room and grabbed the top blanket off her bed. It was
a quilt her mother had bought her back in university.  She carefully laid it on Elijah, who didn’t even move or break his breathing pattern. Charity watched him sleeping. He’d flown down here to surprise her. That was pretty big. A guy had to be pretty into you to do that – or pretty desperate to get laid. Elijah Bennet did not have an ounce of desperation inside of him. She didn’t know him that well but that was obvious.

He wanted her to go with him to
New Zealand. She took a sip of her coffee. Initially she wanted to go but now having a chance to process the idea, she wasn’t so sure. They were physically attracted to each other, but a long flight with no escape and then five days in a country where she didn’t know anybody, to go to a funeral of a man she’d never met, it just seemed crazy. Her father would have a coronary if he found out. He’d be furious with her and accuse her of trying to take his precious Dr. Bennet away. Shoot, he’d probably blame her for Elijah’s dad’s passing.

She brought her empty cup to the kitchen and kissed Elijah lightly on his forehead. She didn’t plan on mentioning him asking her to go tomorrow. Best to pretend it didn’t even happen.

Her bed seemed strangely empty when she crawled into it. Falling asleep took a long time even though she was exhausted from the busy day. Whenever Elijah moved or made a noise, her heart would speed up and she would listen hard to see if he was waking up. She knew he needed to sleep, but the idea of him crawling into her bed kept her body tense and aroused.

She somehow managed to drift off to sleep at one point in the night. The last she’d looked at her watch it had been after three a
.m. It seemed she’d only shut her eyes a moment and the next she was curled in her bed and the smell of bacon filled her nostrils. At first she thought she had to be dreaming, but the sounds of someone moving about in her kitchen proved she was no longer sleeping.

She squinted to focus on the numbers of her watch. Nearly nine. She rolled over to enjoy a few more moments of half
-sleep but bolted up a moment later. The computer tech said he’d email her the results of the silent auction and she had to send them to the newspapers as a press release.

Her iPad lay charging on the nightstand beside her. She checked the results and grinned. A few auctions had gone up higher before the night ended. She sent the press release out and closed the
iPad cover. She leaned across the bed to set it back on the stand and froze when Elijah appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He’d showered while she slept and changed into a pair of jeans and a grey top. He held a tray in his hands and smiled when their eyes met.

“Mornin
,’” he said.

She wore only a tank top and panties. His full clothing made her conscientious of
how bare she was. She tucked the bed sheet under her armpits and held it tight. How did her hair look? Frizzy? All over? Had she even bothered to wash her makeup off last night before she fell asleep? She sniffed… something smelled good.

“I’m not much of a cook
, but you had bacon and bread, so I made you bacon, tomato on toast, and a cup of coffee.” He walked to the end of the bed and set the tray down near her feet. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her. “Everything okay?” He blinked. “I wasn’t rude last night, was I? A bit of the evening’s gone a bit fuzzy.”

She shook her head. “You were fine.” Maybe he wouldn’t remember he’d asked her to come to
New Zealand. No need to bring it up if she didn’t have to.

He sat on the end of the bed. “I’m… uh… sorry
about the alcohol.” He stared at the wall across from them and rubbed the stubble forming on his chin and jaw line. “Guess I was a bit surprised.”

“Don’t apologize, silly. I don’t care.” She watched him a moment. “Everything okay?”

“Besides a bit of a hangover I fully deserve? I’m fine.” He handed her one of the mugs of coffee on the tray.

She sampled the hot liquid in the mug. He made good coffee. Good to know.

“I hate to jet, but I need to get back to the airport to drop the rental car off before I catch my flight.” He slowly stood and sighed.

The air between the two of them felt weird. What had always seemed easy now seemed awkward – like they were hiding secrets and both knew it and didn’t want to admit it. Charity slid her feet over the side of the bed. She got up and grabbed a pair of jogging pants from the clean, folded laundry basket by her dresser. “Thanks for breakfast.” What a dumb thing to say. The guy lost his father and she had to make silly pleasantries? Pants on, she moved closer to him and gave him a tight hug. “I’m sorry.”

Touching him seemed to break the awkwardness between them. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her hair. “I was curious what you were hiding under the sheets. Shame I didn’t get to figure that out last night. I’m such a dufus for taking the bottle of whiskey the bartender slipped me.” He shook his head. “My own fault and I completely regret the opportunity I missed out on.” He grinned at her appreciatively, before squeezing her tight and running his hand down her back. “Shoot, I gotta go. When I get back to New York, I need to get in touch with the hospital’s travel agent.”

She needed to tell him she wasn’t going to go. She looked up at him, not wanting to move from his warm embrace. His hard chest muscles felt good against the thin cotton of her tank top. “Wait a minute. Your hospital has a travel agent?”