Judy Duarte: Race To The Altar

“It’s on a Saturday this year,” his mother added, “so I hope you’ll put it on your calendar before you get it all filled up. Your dad would be so disappointed if you missed it again, especially with it being such a biggie.”

“I’ll be there,” Chase said, even if he didn’t have a calendar handy. “Tell Callie, Susan and Jana hello for me.”

“I will.”

“Have you got a minute?” he asked.

“For my baby? I’ve always got time for you, Chase.”

He supposed she always managed to find it, but when he’d been younger, he’d often felt as though he was in the way, as if his birth had somehow thrown the family dynamics out of whack.

His parents had never come out and said it, but his brothers had. And he’d sensed it often enough.

He always carried a credit card or two with him, so he could use one to pay the hospital for the kid, as well as any charges that might be left to pay for himself, but that would put his name out there, plus the statements went directly to Gerald Barden, who’d been watching them closely. And he wasn’t ready for the questions Gerald would have.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked.

“I’m out of the area right now, so I’m going to need someone to be my right hand. And I hoped you’d do it for me.”

“Sure. Does it need to be done today?”

He wanted to say yes, but he hated to be demanding. “No, tomorrow is fine. Since you have a spare key to my place, I’d like you to go inside and get my checkbook out of the desk drawer in the den. And I’d like you to mail it to me.”

“Let me get a pen and paper to write down your address.”

Uh-oh. All of a sudden, something he’d thought would be easy to orchestrate when he picked up the phone suddenly seemed a bit more complicated than he’d expected. And a fuzzy brain wasn’t helping.

What address did he give her? The hospital’s? No, he knew his mother, and she’d be here before he could blink an eye.

“You know,” he said, “I just realized that I don’t have the address in front of me. I’ll give you a call with it later, okay?”

“All right, but why do you need your checkbook?”

“I found out about a family that’s struggling financially, and I’d like to give them some money.”

“That’s really sweet, Chase. I’m proud of you.”

He hadn’t been trying to impress his mother, but he couldn’t help being glad that he had. And the fact that his act had touched her was also a sign that his plan would work.

If his sponsors got wind of what he was doing, and if the newspapers did, too…well, let’s just say that he could use some good press for a change.

Not that he minded helping the family out. But to be honest, his motive hadn’t been entirely altruistic. The good PR was an added benefit.

“Where are you?” his mom asked.

“I’m…” He glanced at the hospital room, knowing he’d have to be clever. He might have given his poor mother a few headaches while growing up, but he’d never lied to her and didn’t want to start now, especially when his senses weren’t as sharp as usual. “I guess you could say I’m taking a break from the rat race and kicking back.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I worry about you not getting enough sleep, Chase. The newspapers and magazines make it sound as though you’ve been keeping some late nights.”

“Not recently,” he said. He was going to fly under the radar for a while, just as Gerald Barden had ordered.

“That’s a relief.”

Maybe so, but settling down wasn’t going to be permanent—but he wouldn’t tell her that.

“Who’s there with you?” she asked. “A woman? A girlfriend, maybe? If you were serious about someone, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

His mom would be the first to know. Everyone else in the Mayfield family was happily married, and when he and Pamela had divorced, he’d felt as if he was the only failure on the family tree.

He was just about to tell her he was alone and that there wasn’t a woman in his life that he’d consider significant when his Florence Nightingale returned to his room. And when she did, some of the pain-and drug-induced fog in his brain lifted.

If word got out that he had a girlfriend, maybe then the gossip that bordered on truth would die down, and then Barden and the others would lay off him for a while.

Of course, Chase didn’t actually need to have a girlfriend; rumors of a special lady in his life might be all that was needed.

A smile broke out, which forced the Vicodin-dulled ache in his head to return and caused him to relax his facial muscles. “Actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing, Mom. I’m with a pretty blonde named Molly, and she just walked back into the room.”

The nurse halted, and her lips parted as Chase decided to toss out information his mother could blow out of proportion. In fact, he was going to enjoy watching Nurse Molly’s reaction to his words.

“You’d really like Molly, Mom. She’s been giving me some long-needed TLC.”

Molly crossed her arms, shifted her weight to one hip and lifted her brows in an I-can’t-believe-you’re-doing-this way.

Her expressive blue eyes sparked with both amusement and disbelief, making her prettier than ever. And he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.

Even in a pair of pale blue hospital scrubs, she promised to be shapely underneath.

For a moment the girlfriend rumor didn’t sound the least bit far-fetched.

When his mom mentioned the party again and suggested he bring Molly, Chase said, “You bet. I’ll tell her all about Dad’s birthday at the end of next month. Of course, she may get tired of me by them, boot me out of her life and tell me to find another bed to warm.”

“Now, you be nice to her,” his mom said. “And stop teasing her like that. I know you, and she must be listening, no doubt embarrassed. But if you really were sleeping with her, you wouldn’t be talking about it, especially with me. So she must be holding out. And if so, good for her. She’s got morals and brains. I like her already.”

Chase laughed, but only until the pain shot through his head again. “Hey, Mom, I’ll have to give you a call later with that address, okay?”

“Sure. But if you want it to arrive tomorrow, you need to get it to me before the post office closes. And be sure to say hello to Molly. Tell her that I hope to meet her soon.”

“I will.”

The call ended, and Chase fumbled with the phone as he tried to hang up.

“What was that all about?” Molly asked.

“My mother said to give you her best.”

“You told her you were on vacation? With a blonde named Molly?”

“Actually, ‘vacationing’ was her idea. I said I was kicking back.”

“Oh. So you’re one of those.” Her eyes sparked again, and her tone suggested she hadn’t meant it as a compliment.

His smile faded, but this time it wasn’t just to make his head and face feel better. “I’m one of what?”

“A creative liar. A guy who knows how to fabricate an alibi or an excuse without actually coming right out and perjuring himself.”

“No, I’m usually pretty up-front and honest, even with the ladies I date. But in this case, I didn’t want to worry my mother. So I’m just…creating a myth that will put her heart at ease.”

But for some reason, the thought of kicking back with Nurse Molly in his bed was making him feel better than any pain meds had.

It had been a long, grueling day, and by the time Molly stopped at the market to pick up a bag of cat litter, a quart of milk and a dozen eggs, it was well after nine.

She had grocery shopping down to a science, though. As long as she could pack it all in a single bag, she could carry it on her bike.