Suddenly Last Summer. Sarah Morgan

exchange with his brothers was comfortable and familiar and kept him sane until the elevator finally stopped. He strode out before the doors were fully open, relieved to be out of the confined space, trapped with emotions he didn’t want to confront.

      Tyler was right on his heels. “I can’t stand hospitals. All those white coats and beeping machines and people using incomprehensible words.” His face was noticeably paler than usual. “It’s like being on an alien spaceship.”

      Sean wondered if being here reminded his brother of his accident.

      For him, hospitals were exciting places, centers for research, full of possibilities.

      He felt completely at home and his brothers seemed to know that because Jackson slapped him on the shoulder.

      “You know your way around this spaceship. Ready to kick some butt?”

      “Do aliens have butts?”

      Kayla rolled her eyes. “You sound like a bad movie.”

      “What sort of movie?” Jackson’s eyes were on her mouth. “You mean like a porn movie? Because if you want to do bad things to me, that’s fine.”

      Sean caught Tyler’s eye. His brother shrugged.

      “Like I said—true love. It will happen to you one day when you least expect it. And the next thing you know you’ll be walking around with your lips glued to some chick making embarrassing noises like our beloved brother here.”

      And not long after that the sacrifices would start. I became us and along with us came a giant dollop of compromise and suddenly your life didn’t look anything like the way you’d once wanted it to look. You stared into the mirror and asked yourself how the hell did I end up here?

      There was no way, no way, that was ever going to happen to him.

      “There’s an ice machine at the end of the corridor.” Sean glanced at the signs and found the direction he wanted. “You two should go sit in it while I talk to Gramps.”

      ÉLISE SPENT THE evening cooking. Combining flavors and textures was a way of occupying her mind and soothing her anxiety. She told herself it was work, that she needed new recipes for the café, but in truth it was distraction. Distraction from thoughts of Walter and that horrible moment when he’d collapsed at her feet.

      It had been hours and she’d heard nothing. She’d texted Kayla twice and received no response. The next step would be to call the hospital and she was close to doing that.

      It was almost midnight. Why hadn’t Kayla called?

      Dark fell over the lake.

      An owl hooted.

      Unable to contemplate sleep, she cooked and wrote notes on the laptop she kept permanently on the countertop in the kitchen. Some of the recipes would make it into her repertoire and would be used in the restaurant or the café. Others would never be used again.

      She pulled a tray of savory mushroom pastries out of the oven and set them aside to cool, pleased with the result. Picking up a fork, she cut into one. The pastry was a pale golden-brown, crisp and buttery. It flaked in the mouth and melted on the tongue, blending perfectly with the creamy filling.

      “Something smells good.” Sean’s voice came from behind her and she turned sharply, her pulse rate doubling.

      He stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking her view of the lake.

      It was the first time he’d been to her lodge since she’d been living in it. The fact that he’d come in person could only mean bad news.

      “Something has happened to Walter? Is he—?” The fear was brutal. Her head spun and her vision felt distant and strange.

      She didn’t see him move, but the next moment strong hands clamped her shoulders and she was being guided into the chair.

      “Put your head down.” His voice was calm and sure. “You’re fine, sweetheart, you’ve just had a long day. Gramps is good. He’s doing well.”

      She leaned forward, waiting for the world to stop spinning. “Is that the truth? You’re not lying to me?”

      “I never lie. Some women would say it’s my biggest failing.” He crouched down next to her and closed a hand over hers. “Better?”

      “Yes.”

      She didn’t say that his honesty was one of the things she liked best about him.

      Lifting her head, she met his gaze. Her stomach tightened.

      It didn’t matter how much they tried to ignore it, the connection was always there.

      Merde. And now she was leaning on him like a pathetic creature. And she didn’t do that. She never did that.

      “You scared me. I thought—” She couldn’t even say what she’d thought. It was a relief to feel her heart thudding against her chest. For a moment she’d thought it had stopped. “Kayla didn’t answer my texts. I was worried.”

      “Probably too busy kissing my brother to check her phone.” He gave her hand another squeeze and stood up. “Do those two ever stop?”

      She flexed her fingers, thinking that she should have been the one to pull her hand away.

      “They’re apart for a lot of the week so I suppose they want to make the most of the time they’re together. Tell me about your grandfather. How was he when you left?”

      “Awake and talking. Scolding Grams for having stayed with him the whole time when she should have gone home to bed.”

      “Scolding? That sounds so much like him.” The relief was so great it was almost physical. “I will kill Kayla for not texting me.” She knew she should stand up but she didn’t trust her legs so she stayed sitting on the pretty blue wooden chair she’d bought for her kitchen. “I’m shaking! I am a mess.”

      “From what I’ve heard you’ve had a hell of a day, so shaking is allowed. Here. Have a drink.” Pulling a bottle of cognac from her shelf, he sloshed a generous measure into a glass and sniffed it with appreciation. “This is good stuff. If I’d known you were hiding this I would have been around sooner.”

      He handed her the glass and she took it, horrified to feel a hot ball of tears wedged in her throat.

      “Sorry—”

      “Are you apologizing for not sharing your cognac or for caring about my grandfather?”

      “I’m apologizing for overreacting.” And she was furious with herself for allowing her thoughts to wander into worst-case land. She sipped and felt the liquid burn her throat.

      Sean watched her. “I’m the one who should be apologizing for showing up at your door without warning. It didn’t occur to me that you might think I was the bearer of bad news. Women are usually pleased to see me.” He obviously intended it as a joke, but she knew it was probably the truth.

      “You have never come to my lodge before and I’ve been worrying and when I couldn’t reach Kayla I thought maybe—” her heart was still pounding “—I saw you there and I was so afraid—”

      “If you were that afraid why didn’t you call me?”

      “I wouldn’t do that.”

      “For God’s sake Élise, we’re not strangers. You ripped my clothes off. We had sex. If we can roll naked together, you can pick up the damn phone.”

      She felt the betraying color streak across her cheeks. “You ripped my clothes off, too, in case your memory is faulty.”

      But she’d started it.

      She’d made the first move on that hot summer night with the scent of the forest around them and her blood on fire for him.

      “Yeah,