Meant to Be: Southern Heat Series (3 page)

Julia and Patrick both questioned whether trying to resolve things with Mitch was a good idea, but fortunately, neither had tried to stop her. She’d hit the jackpot with her friends. She needed to find a way to let them know how grateful she was.

“Yes, come down and we’ll live it up. Well, as much as you can live it up in a town where everything closes by nine.”

“Nine!”

Sydney winced. “We’ll make our own fun. Maybe we can find some genuine moonshine.”

“Now you’re talking. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

S
ydney used
a tissue to wipe sonogram gel off Alicia Shoner’s pregnant belly. “Not long now. Maybe even this weekend.”

“Really?” Alicia stared at Sydney with wide blue eyes. “I don’t think I’m ready.”

“No one is ever ready.” Sydney smiled, although she was concerned Alicia was less ready than most of her moms. At only nineteen, Alicia was nearing the end of an unplanned pregnancy. But she’d accepted her situation and, along with her boyfriend, JD, was doing her best to get ready.

“I’ve helped many women have babies. By the end, they say they’re ready, but it always takes them by surprise. I think it’s more that they’re ready to not be pregnant anymore.”

“No doubt.” Alicia took Sydney’s extended hand to help her up.

“Why don’t you sit over there and we’ll finish up a few things.”

Alicia waddled to the chair and sat.

“Have you seen your nurse and case worker from CTMCH?” The first thing Sydney did when she arrived in Charlotte Tavern was to familiarize herself with all the resources for families, as well as meet with their directors and many of their direct service workers so she could make appropriate referrals. Sending Alicia to Charlotte Tavern Maternal Child Health services was a no-brainer for Sydney. Although Alicia and her boyfriend were committed and had support from Alicia’s father and grandmother, they were young and uneducated. They’d need more than love to survive.

“Yeah. She helped me get a car seat and some really cute onsies for the baby.”

“What about school and work?”

“I just finished my first year at community college. I checked out those customer service places you told me about that let you work from home, and I have an interview with one next week. I’m worried, though, because they say you can’t have background noise. Don’t babies cry a lot?”

“I thought your dad or grandmother would help.” Sydney wished young people would consider the real-life ramifications of having a baby before having sex. Although, admittedly, she and Mitch hadn’t always been careful in college.

“JD and I are getting our own place. But it’s not far from Gram’s, so maybe she can help. I’ll talk to her. “

“Do it soon. You don’t have much time. Between now and when this little person shows up, get some rest, because there’ll be no more of it once you’re a mom.”

“I can’t believe it.” Alicia looked at her hands rubbing her belly.

“Believe it. I’ll have a nurse bring you some more things you might need and a few reminders about what to expect.”

“Thank you, Doctor Preston.”

Sydney left Alicia, handing orders to the nurse as she made her way to the front of the clinic. Checking her watch, she headed over to the hospital to check on Mrs. Warner.

“Oh, Doctor Preston, there you are.” Jenny and a petite woman with assessing eyes approached. “I want you to meet someone.”

Sydney had a sense of
déjà vu
, looking into the woman’s green eyes, but since she didn’t know anyone outside the hospital, she couldn’t place her.

“This is my friend Lexie Carmichael. This is our new OB/GYN, Doctor Preston.”

“How do you do?” Sydney extended her hand.

The woman took it but didn’t look happy about meeting her.

“Lexie is just entering her second trimester.” Jenny grinned, clearly excited for her friend.

“How wonderful. How are you feeling?”

“I’m holding down my food again.”

“Good. Well…”

“Lexie is Mitch’s sister. This is the doctor I told you about, Lex, the one that knew your brother in college.”

Sydney’s heart jumped. Now it made sense. Lexie had Mitch’s green eyes. They even glared at her with the same anger. There was no mistaking that Lexie knew exactly who Sydney was and what she’d done to Mitch. Apparently, she hadn’t said anything to Jenny, who beamed her usual affable smile.

“Jenny, can you bring Mrs. Warner a couple of ibuprofen? She’s been having a hard time with the cramping. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Sure. I’ll take care of it now. I’ll see ya, Lex.”

“Bye, Jen.”

“Shall we move over here?” Sydney motioned to the empty waiting area.

“Why?” Lexie’s suspicious eyes narrowed.

“Because I know you have things you want to say to me, and I doubt they’re about your pregnancy.”

“Charlotte Tavern is not so big that people won’t eventually know who you are and what you did.”

Sydney didn’t respond. She moved to the empty waiting room and stared out the window, gathering her thoughts as she waited for Lexie to join her.

“What are you doing here?” Lexie went straight to the heart of the matter.

Sydney turned to Lexie. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” In the few weeks Sydney had been in Charlotte Tavern, she’d learned everything was everyone’s business, but she didn’t have to make it easy for them to find out. Especially since this was a conversation she should be having with Mitch.

“I’m Mitch’s sister. That makes it my business.”

Sydney shook her head. “No. It makes you his sister. My business is my business. If I have business with Mitch, I’ll discuss it with him.”

Lexie snorted. “Honey, that juice ain’t worth the squeezin’. There’s no way Mitch is going to be in the same room with you, much less talk to you.”

Sydney bit her lower lip to keep from saying something rude. Since coming out of her shell, and especially after her work abroad where assertiveness, even aggressiveness, was required to get things done, she’d learned to speak her mind. But the south had a different form of communication. Southerners could be equally as snarky as northerners, but it was usually hidden in subtlety. During her first week in town, Sydney had discovered the term “Bless your heart” wasn’t always an expression of pity or sympathy. More often than not, it meant, “You’re an idiot.”

“That would be unfortunate.”

Lexie’s eyes narrowed and then softened. “So you are here to see him?”

Sydney opted to not reply. She’d already told Lexie where she stood on the subject.

“You hurt him. Seeing you again brings that all back. Why would you do that?”

Lexie’s switch from aggression to pleading softened Sydney’s stance. “I don’t want to hurt him, but there are things that need to be said.”

“Why now?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Lexie rolled her eyes. “Great day, you
are
contrary. I could help you if I thought you were being sincere.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because he’s broken and if you can fix him, I want to help you do that.”

Guilt stabbed at Sydney’s heart. Broken. Of course, she was broken too. Wasn’t that why she was here? “I don’t know if I can.”

“Would you if you could?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Lexie pursed her lips, suggesting she wasn’t convinced. “When do you get off?”

“What?”

“When are you done with work tonight?”

“About six or so.”

“You show up at my house at seven tonight. I’ll have Mitch there.”

“I have company coming tonight.”

“Do you want to talk to him or not?” As it turned out, Lexie preferred to be blunt as well.

Sydney nodded. “Yes. I’ll be there.”

“Good. Here’s my address.” Lexie scribbled her address on a scrap of paper and handed it to Sydney. “I hope I’m doing the right thing,” she muttered under her breath.

“Why are you doing this for me?”

“It’s not for you. It’s for Mitch.”

Sydney watched Lexie walk off, surprised that Mitch’s sister was willing to arrange for her to see him. No. Not for her, but for him. Sydney wasn’t sure she’d help him. It was possible she’d make it worse for them both. A part of her longed for the relationship they’d had in college, when their love was young, pure, and passionate, but as usual, she pushed those feelings aside. She couldn’t risk hoping for more than understanding and forgiveness.

She blew out a breath and made her way to Mrs. Warner’s room. After checking that mother and baby were doing well, Sydney headed out of the hospital, crossing the street to the outpatient buildings, where she had more patients to see. As she walked, she called Julia to let her know her plans. She was relieved when Julia told her the earliest flight she could get to Charlotte Tavern, which, she grumbled, required a connection in Washington, D.C., would put her at Sydney’s around nine.

Sydney entered her office, taking a moment to collect herself before meeting her next patient. She was going to see Mitch later that night. Nerves fluttered at the thought. She was grateful Julia would be arriving. Sydney feared that by the end of the night, she’d be more broken than she already was.

M
itch pulled
into the hospital parking lot, hoping to hell he wouldn’t run into Sydney. It was bad enough that she invaded his dreams the night before, with her long, sexy hair and curvy legs. Fortunately, a cold shower that morning had washed away the lust, clearing his mind of everything except the reminder of why he couldn’t trust his heart. But his dream was a wake-up call that she still had a pull on him, which meant he needed to steer clear of her.

As he pulled into a parking space, he spotted her crossing the street from the hospital to the outpatient building. She was talking on the phone and not noticing the car barreling down the road. That was Sydney, always multitasking and not paying attention. Of course, the one time he’d visited her in New York, he’d discovered people there crossed the street whenever and however they wanted and, as far as he could tell, no one ever got hit. In Charlotte Tavern, even walking in the crosswalk with the light there was a chance of getting hit by a car.

“You know, Jenny is the sweetest person on earth. She only thinks good things about people, so she didn’t catch on about Sydney being the one that left you at the altar,” Kevin said. “But I, being a great detective, knew it immediately.”

“She didn’t leave me at the altar.”

“You were engaged and then she dumped you. That’s the definition of leaving you at the altar.”

Mitch scowled, hoping Kevin saw annoyance and not the pain Sydney had left him with.

“I wonder what she’s doing here.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Mitch repeated the words he’d said to Lexie the day before. He even almost believed them. The truth was, he was curious what had brought her to Charlotte Tavern. He didn’t want to be conceited enough to think she’d come for him and yet, rural, central Virginia wasn’t on the radar of anyone outside of Virginia. She had to be here because he was here, but why after all these years?

Her beauty made his heart thud hard in his chest as he watched her make her way across the street, her long, shapely legs taking the few steps to the front door of the building. A memory of those legs wrapping around him flashed in his mind. He swore under his breath and pushed the image away, determined to not let her get under his skin again, even if his libido had other ideas.

“You lie like a rug.” Kevin laughed. “You’re dying to know what she’s doing here. So go ask.”

Mitch exited the car, taking his irritation out by slamming the door.

Kevin grinned at him over the hood. “I’m heading in to get some sugar.”

“Yeah, you do that. I’m going to stay out here so I don’t lose my lunch.”

By the time Kevin entered the hospital and Mitch was able to return his attention to Sydney, she was already in the outpatient building.

“Just as well.”

“Hey, Mitch.” He turned to see Lexie exiting the hospital.

“Hey. You here for a client?” He strode over to her.

It had taken Lexie awhile to find her career in nursing, but since becoming a hospice nurse after caring for her husband’s grandfather, she never looked back.

“No. I was visiting Jenny.”

There was something in the wide-eyed innocence on her face that made him think she wasn’t being completely honest.

“Oh, God, you didn’t come here to harass Sydney, did you?”

“Would you care if I did?”

“Yes.”

“So you still like her?”

“No.” Mitch crossed his arms over his chest.

“Then why do you care if I harass her or not?”

“Because it’s not your business.”

“Funny. That’s what she said to me.” Her words and ensuing grin taunted him.

Mitch ran his fingers through his hair. “Leave it be, Lex.”

“Why? How come you’re not curious about why she’s here?”

“Because I’m not.”

“Liar.”

He blew out an annoyed breath. “If we ignore her, she’ll go away.”

“Coward.”

“Great day, Lexie. Sometimes…” He turned away, not wanting to make a scene in public.

“You should come over tonight.”

“I was at your place last night.”

“Come tonight. Around seven.”

He studied Lexie, red flags waving in his head at the twinkle in her eye. “You invited her to your place? After what she did, you’re bringing her into your home like she was long-lost kin?”

Her eyes shone with pity, which only ratcheted up his anger. “You should find out why she’s here.”

“Why? Why after all this time does it matter? For all we know, she’s married with six kids.”