RidingtheWaves (14 page)

A chain of loud beeps fled from the heart monitor.

“I wanted to be here when he wakes up. Please tell him that.
I don’t want him to think—”

“It’s okay,” he whispered in a reassuring tone. “He’ll
know.”

“Can you give me a ride to the airport?”

“You know I will.”

Tiny, blue-eyed, white-haired Grandma was sitting up in the
hospital bed, alert and all smiles when Annalee followed her parents into the
room. If Annalee hadn’t known about her Alzheimer’s disease she’d never guess
she’d been diagnosed with it. Immediately Grandma reached outward for her.

“My precious Annie. Come here. Give me a hug.”

“Hi, Grandma,” she squealed. How awesome to see her lively
and fully coherent when she’d expected her to be inhaling her final breaths.

Annalee smiled ear to ear and snuggled into her grandma’s
frail arms. She’d lost a lot of weight and her shoulder blades and spine
protruded through her thin gown, but it felt good to be held in her embrace.
She still smelled like roses just as Annalee remembered. It took her way back
to the times when she’d curled up on Grandma’s lap and Grandma rocked her to
sleep. “I’ve missed you, Grandma. How are you feeling?”

Her grandma stiffened then slowly relaxed in Annalee’s arms.
“Grandma?” she said softly into her ear. “Grandma, are you all right?”

Grandma’s arms dropped to the bed and Annalee had to clasp
her tightly to prevent her from falling backward. “Mom, something’s wrong with
Grandma.” Gently Annalee laid her down.

Her skin was ashen, lips blue, and her eyes were wide open.

“Mom?” Annalee’s mom said, rushing to the bedside. “Mom!”
She looked frantic while taking hold of Grandma’s hand. “Honey,” she shouted to
her husband, “get a nurse in here.”

Annalee pushed the call button while her dad ran into the
corridor. Within seconds a group of medical staff rushed into the room.
“Please, you’ll have to wait outside in the hall,” a nurse said briskly.

Annalee’s mom didn’t move. Annalee and her dad grabbed her
around the waist and physically guided her through the door and sat her in a
chair in the waiting area.

“She’s gone,” her mom sobbed. “I know she’s gone.”

Yes, Annalee had no doubt Grandma passed away. She’d
literally died in Annalee’s arms. She would cling to that precious moment for
the rest of her life. And as she inhaled Grandma’s scent of roses drifting from
her blouse, tears bubbled in her eyes. As they slid along her cheeks she knelt
beside her mom and wrapped her tightly in her arms.

“Excuse me,” a gentleman said at her back. “I’m looking for
the family of Genevieve Landing.”

Annalee released her mom and stood.

“I’m her daughter,” her mother said, dabbing her eyes with a
tissue she pulled from a box on the table beside the chair.

He stepped closer and laid his hand consolingly on her
shoulder. “I’m sorry. Your mother has passed.”

Annalee closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the
ceiling.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving me the opportunity to see my grandma
alive one last time.

Chapter Nine

Annalee scurried through Whiltby & Sons’ main entrance,
loosening the grip she’d held on her purse. No longer feeling the need to use
it as a weapon as she had in the parking garage, she flung it over her shoulder
and inhaled a deep breath. What in the hell just happened?

An eerie, bone-chilling sensation had groped her the instant
she’d stepped out of her car, as if she was being watched or something, and her
insides still trembled. She’d even thought she’d heard footsteps trailing her
but she’d refused to stop and look back. That’s the first time in her seven
years at Whiltby’s she’d experienced such eerie feelings. First time ever,
actually.

“Good morning, Ms. Parschen,” said Tina, the attractive new
receptionist, flashing a warm smile. “Welcome back. I’m very sorry about your
grandmother’s passing.”

Annalee halted and sucked in a breath. “Good morning, Tina.
Thank you,” she replied, stopping at the desk. The elevator chimed. She quickly
glanced over her shoulder into the corridor to see who exited onto the second
floor. A janitor pushing a large trash can stepped off. He nodded and smiled
before he headed toward the public restrooms.

Annalee sighed in relief and glanced at Tina. “Can you
please have Willow Gordon meet me in my office in five?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” After Annalee closed herself inside her office she
made a pot of coffee and sat down at her desk, glancing at the mound of folders
stacked on the upper left corner. Dang, her nerves were tangled in knots. Even
her fingers still trembled as she reached for the top file and set it down on
her workstation. She needed more sleep or something. It was pretty sad to suspect
someone watching her in the parking garage for no apparent reason. This entire
Brent situation plus Grandma’s passing had gotten the best of her. She was a
nervous wreck and her brains were so tired and rattled she couldn’t think
straight.

Although she’d expected Willow to arrive any minute, she
jumped in surprise when Willow actually knocked on the door. “Come in,” Annalee
shouted.

Willow twisted the handle and stepped inside. “Did you want
to see me?”

Other than passing each other in the halls or lunch room,
this was the first time Annalee encountered Willow face-to-face since the night
she’d broken the wedding engagement. It soured her stomach somewhat. “Your
February receivable reports should’ve been turned in yesterday.”

“You weren’t here yesterday. I’ll try to get them to you by
five o’clock.”

Annalee sneezed. Dang it, Willow needed a new perfume. “Then
you should have turned them in to Mr. Horrance. Instead he called me demanding
to know where they are. If they’re not on my desk by the end of the day, this
time Monday you’ll be looking for another job.”

Willow fisted a hand on her perfectly sculpted hip, which
was outlined by a lime-green suit,
which
looked fabulous on her curvy
frame. The color even emphasized her dark, green eyes. No wonder Jared chased
her like a dog in heat. No, he hadn’t
chased
her, he’d succumbed to the
powers of her sexual deviations.
Oh brother.

Willow’s eyes widened. “Is this personal?”

“No.” Annalee leaned forward in the office chair and planted
her elbows on the desk, where she lifted a pen and rolled it in between her
fingers. “It’s about meeting your scheduled deadlines.”

“This is about Jared, isn’t it?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Willow crossed her arms and harrumphed. “You’ve never
threatened my job before and I’ve turned those damn reports in later than one
day.”

“Well, things have changed. We’re on a tighter schedule now
that Thailand’s product demand has increased.” She set the pen on a folder and
reclined in her chair. “You’re wasting time.”

“That’s bullshit, Annalee. This doesn’t pertain to my job.
Talk to exporting about delays.”

“Really? Your reports don’t verify revenue? So it’s okay to
keep shipping merchandise whether or not previous orders have been paid?”

“I input data and print the reports. I don’t interpret them,
that’s
your
job.”

“Exactly. And when you don’t do your job, I can’t do mine.”

“This goes much deeper than work. I think you’re retaliating
against me.”

Annalee rolled her eyes. “If you think I’m unfairly accusing
you of poor job performance due to personal issues, take it up with human
resources. I’ll have documentation ready to present.”

Willow’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Sorry,” she said
contritely. “I have a lot going on.”

I bet you do.
“Leave your personal life at the door
before you clock in.” Seriously, Annalee could barely function when she’d found
out about the affair but she left that shit at home when it came time to work.
Like now, she’d rather be home weeping over Grandma than sitting in this chair.
A piece of her heart was now missing. And watching her mom go through such a
horrifying situation—there were no words to describe the sadness.

Boarding the plane home from Kentucky yesterday was very
hard. Not only had she been forced to permanently say goodbye to Grandma, but
leaving her mom in a distressed state tore her heart to shreds. She’d
practically begged Mom to let her stay, but she’d insisted Annalee get her life
back on track and assist in Brent’s recovery if needed.

The doctors brought him out of the drug-induced coma a few
days after she’d left Seattle and she’d spoken to him briefly every day since.
The scariest part—waiting on his brain function test results to determine the
amount of damage, if any. Thankfully they returned perfectly normal. He’d since
regained his strength and faced a full recovery.

And then there was Morton, the suddenly psycho kitty. Bless
his little fur-ball heart. He’d spazzed out in the kennel numerous times and
had chosen to display his anxiety on the kennel crew’s faces and arms.

“Annalee?” Willow grabbed a flock of red, disobedient curls
and began twisting them around her finger. Big tears filled her eyes as she
dropped down into the vinyl chair on the opposite side of the desk. “Things
weren’t supposed to happen this way. I’m so sorry. I miss you and me.”

And how were things supposed to have happened? Had she hoped
the affair would remain hidden so she could give Jared back when she’d gotten
bored? The woman really had done Annalee a favor.

Despite Willow sounding truly genuine, Annalee ignored her.
“This isn’t the proper time, Willow. I have a lot of work to do.” She stood up
and opened the door, indicating it was time for Willow to go. Willow pushed
herself to her feet. Her mouth dropped open but she snapped it shut while
marching past Annalee through the opened doorway.

What nerve. How could she assume Annalee reprimanded her
solely because of the Jared situation? How about job inadequacies! The woman
had no clue she’d done Annalee a tremendous service by sweeping him off his
feet with her BDSM seduction. Unbelievable.

Annalee poured herself a cup of coffee, returned to her
chair, removed a handful of spreadsheets and reports from her inbox and started
rustling through the papers. At least Lydia in accounts payable had a handle on
her responsibilities and had turned her monthly summaries in on time.

She glanced at the cash requirement report, browsed the
amount due column and corresponding vendor, but it was like reading a blank
document. Brent’s and Grandma’s faces kept flashing before her eyes—she
couldn’t concentrate on a single thing.

Tears bubbled in her eyes. She buried her face in her hands
and cried into her palms.
Sometimes life is so, so unfair.

Hadn’t she cried enough over the past week? She needed to
save the tears for the privacy of home before someone walked in to see her
blubbering. She yanked three tissues out of the box, dabbed her eyes, blew her
nose then dug the cell out of her purse and punched in Brent’s number. When he
neglected to answer she called Brody.

He answered immediately. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you—”

“What’s the matter? Are you all right?”

“Yes,” she sniffled. “I’m okay. How’s Brent?”

“Trust me, he’s getting better every day.”

Brody sounded so much like Brent when he’d said that, her
heart skipped a beat. “I just tried calling him. Is he asleep?”

A long gap of silence followed. “Brody?” She listened
closely for background noise.

“Yes, he’s sleeping like a baby. I’ll have him call the
instant he wakes up.”

“Tell him to call my cell, not the office phone.”

“I will.” He paused for a moment and she knew by the muffled
sound he’d clamped his hand over the receiver. “I don’t mean to rush you but I
have to go. I’ll make sure he calls.” Again he cupped the receiver to block
background commotion. “I’ll talk to you later, sweetheart,” he said and hung up
the phone.

Well, that was a bizarre, short, uninformative
conversation—totally unlike Brody.

She flipped through Lydia’s reports then finished the
remainder of the morning and afternoon reorganizing folders and filing mounds of
papers. The gazillion sheets kept her so busy and engrossed she hadn’t even
stopped for lunch. Periodically she’d glanced at the clock, counting down
Willow’s remaining time at Whiltby & Sons. Three forty-five. The woman had
fifteen minutes to rectify her screw-up.

She sat down, pulled a termination form from her drawer and
started filling in Willow’s name and the reason for her dismissal. Not even two
minutes later someone knocked on the door and Willow stepped into the office.

“All done,” she said, handing Annalee a handful of reports.
“I guess I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning.”

“Thank you,” Annalee replied, placing the papers on her
desk. She sneezed and grabbed a tissue. “Leave the door open. And have a good
weekend,” she said, scrolling through the pages, making sure all were
completed.

“Yeah, you too.” She stood watching Annalee a minute before
she sat down, wringing her hands in her lap. “I meant what I said earlier,
Annalee. I don’t want to lose our friendship over Jared.”

Annalee bit her tongue. She hadn’t had the opportunity to
display anger toward Willow prior to this. But what would a bundle of
derogatory words prove now? Willow wanted Jared—she’d gotten him. It was time
to move on. “A true friend would
not
sleep with a friend’s partner.”

“I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
Willow glanced down at her legs. “I tried to tell you, I swear.”

“I would’ve remembered that.”

“The evening we shopped for your costume. I told you to dump
his ass. I knew if he did this with me, he’d do it with other women too. I
didn’t want him to hurt you anymore.”

“But it was okay for
you
to hurt me? What happened to
sacred friendships and honesty, Willow?”

Willow’s eyes rolled upward slowly. They were filled with
huge, crystal tears. “I couldn’t confide he was cheating on you, because he was
cheating with me. I wish I could take it back.”

What a bunch of crap. “And he cheated with you because you’d
made the first move.”

A tear slid down Willow’s cheek. “Will you ever forgive me?”

“Absolutely not. How can you even ask that?” Hell, the woman
had more balls than most men she knew.

“You’re a forgiving person.”

“I’ll never forgive either of you for what you’ve done. I
never want to see him again. And you, Willow,” she studied her closely, “will
not go beyond the realm of coworker.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Willow wiped her cheek with
the back of her hand and sniffled as she stood. “I’ll make sure we never bother
you again.”

As she walked to the door, propped it open and entered the
corridor, Annalee straightened the remaining piles of paper on her desk and
laid her favorite pen inside the drawer. She’d lost many to the weekend office
cleaners.

“Ugh,” Willow groaned. “I’m sorry, I did…n’t see…you.”

Annalee looked up and her jaw dropped. Brent’s enormous
presence filled the outside frame of the doorway. Willow was plastered against
his huge chest—his large hands cupped her shoulders.

Annalee stood, knees trembling. And as she gazed directly
into Brent’s eyes her heart exploded. Yet her stomach clenched because Willow’s
breasts were smashed against his body.

He moved Willow aside and smiled at Annalee. “Hello,
beautiful.”

“Hi. You’re…” Her eyes did a grand sweep from his boots up
to his face. Dark whiskers, longer than normal, shadowed his cheeks and chin,
adding a distinct, rougher edge to his features. Surgical strips had replaced
the stitches above his brow. “You’re here,” she choked.

“I wanted to fly to Kentucky to be with you during the
funeral, but doctors. I’m sorry I didn’t make it.”

As he stepped into the office he walked with a very slight
limp. She trotted around her desk to study him closer. Instead she stood
directly in front of him and placed her hands on his cheeks. “Are you okay?” At
that moment she noticed Willow still standing in the door, her mouth agape.
“Willow, go punch out. Your shift is over.”

“Are you ready to go too?” Brent asked, cupping Annalee’s
face. “I’ve missed you, baby.” He planted a kiss on her that folded her toes
and her hormones tripped over each other.

She loved when he called her
baby
. He used it
sensually, almost possessively, as if he’d created it solely for her. And
considering she’d nearly lost him, it meant so much more. “Yes,” she said
breathlessly. “Is Brody here too?”

“No, he dropped me at the airport and went home.”

Airport? That explained all the commotion she’d heard on the
phone. “So you were with him when I called?”

He grinned and nodded.

“Sleeping, huh?”

His smile faded. “If you get mad at anyone, get mad at me. I
forbade him from saying anything. I wanted to surprise you.”