Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,71
a wonderful little boy, and I'm trying to make it a good Christmas for him."
"I'm sure you will succeed. I remember Kelly as a teenager. She was headstrong but also had such a beautiful laugh. She volunteered at the hospital one summer, and she was good with the patients. I thought she might go into medicine."
"I forgot she volunteered here. I don't really know why she did. But then, I'm starting to realize there was probably a lot I didn't know about her then. And there's certainly a ton I don't know about her now. I guess it's true what they say—everyone has secrets."
His smile dimmed at her words. "That is true. We never really know who anyone is. We only see what they want to show us."
"That's very philosophical."
"And way too heavy for a Christmas party."
She had to admit there was a stress in his eyes that seemed unusual for a holiday party. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes, everything is fine."
"You seem a bit off."
"I'm a little tired. But I actually got some good news a few minutes ago. We just snagged a very big donation that will go into next year's budget. It looks like we'll be getting a new MRI machine."
"That would be wonderful." She was impressed with how hard Davis worked to keep the hospital as technologically up to date as possible. "You're always working so hard for the hospital. I hope you know how much we all appreciate it."
"Thank you for saying that, but it's a group effort."
"You're the leader of the team."
He gave her a somewhat weak smile as his gaze drifted across the room. She realized he was looking at Jake.
"You should talk to Jake," she said quietly.
He straightened, annoyance moving into his eyes as he realized he'd been caught in perhaps a more vulnerable state than he would like anyone to see. "Why?" he asked.
"Because he's your son."
"He doesn't want to be my son. He hasn't in a very long time."
"I don't know what's between you, but I wish you could talk it out. It feels like you both have something to say, but neither one of you wants to be the first to say it."
"Don't worry about it, Hannah."
"I can't help it. I care about both of you."
"You care about Jake? I thought he broke your heart."
"He did, but that was a long time ago, and he's not that kid anymore."
His gaze sharpened as it swept across her face. "Are you and Jake getting back together?"
"Oh, I don’t know about that," she said hastily. "But we have called a truce."
"How did that happen?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it happened. Maybe you and Jake need to do the same thing. You're living in the same town."
"I don't see him any more now than I did when he was traveling the world. I think his mother sees him, but he usually manages to avoid me."
"Why does he do that?" It wasn't her business, but she couldn't stop the question from sliding through her lips.
"He never told you?" Davis asked.
"No."
His jaw tightened. "Well, it's between Jake and me. Excuse me, Hannah, I need to speak to Alan."
She had a feeling he had less of a need to speak to the head of orthopedics than to get away from the conversation they were having, but she simply nodded.
As Davis headed across the room, her gaze reconnected with Jake's. He'd left her mother and was walking straight toward her, and the look in his eyes made her heart jump into her throat. The instantaneous reaction reminded her of high school, of how fast her pulse had raced when Jake gave her his trademark smile—boyish charm mixed with smoking-hot sexuality.
She drew in a breath, wishing she could make a run for it, but he was already too close.
"Hi," he said, exchanging a look with her that was filled with intimate memories from the night before. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she said, swiping her lips with her tongue as her mouth went dry. "I didn't think you'd be here. It's your father's turf."
"It's yours, too. And I wanted to see you."
"I should find my mom and Brett," she said, eager to get away from all the unsettled feelings running through her.
"They're getting ready to hear the Christmas story," he said, tipping his head toward the far end of the room. The kids were settling into a circle, getting ready to hear Dr. McKenna's traditional reading of A Christmas Story.