Meet Me in Barefoot Bay - Roxanne St. Claire Page 0,109

window seat on a piece of foam rubber that doubled as a guest bed in a hospital.

The dawn’s earliest light peeked through the blinds, and with it came the harsh memory that the doctors had insisted on keeping Ashley overnight for observation.

She blinked at the sight of someone standing next to Ashley’s bed, then gasped when she realized who it was.

“Oh my God, you’re here.”

Jocelyn smiled and came around the bed to the window, holding out her hands. “Of course I’m here. I got on a red-eye when Tessa called. See? I have the red eyes to prove it.”

Of course she didn’t have red eyes or bed head or morning breath, unlike Lacey, who no doubt had them all.

“My cavalry comes again.”

“The other two-thirds of your cavalry is asleep in the waiting room.”

“Oh.” Lacey sighed. “Where would I be without you guys?”

“You’ll never have to know.” She glanced at the bed. “Please tell me it looks worse than it is.”

“It does,” Lacey confirmed. “She has a concussion, but nothing permanent. We’re lucky.”

Jocelyn put both hands on Lacey’s cheeks. “And how’s Mom?”

“A wreck.”

“What about the big meeting?”

“It starts in…” She looked around the room for a clock. Naturally, Jocelyn wore a watch, which was already set to local time. Lacey took her wrist and did a quick calculation. “Less than three hours. And I’m two hours away. Shit.”

“Is that your excuse?”

“No, I have a better one. I’m not leaving Ashley. She’s been through enough.”

“Poor thing.” Jocelyn reached out and touched the blanket but not the sleeping girl. “We’ll stay with her. You go and fight the good fight, Lace.”

Not a chance. “The meeting’s at ten, Joss. I’d have to leave in the next hour to even get down to Mimosa Key in time, let alone shower, dress, and get my act together.” She glanced at her sleep-worn T-shirt and jeans, the flip-flops on her feet, and—no, she didn’t even want to think about her hair.

“We can go.” Zoe stood in the doorway, looking a lot like Lacey felt. “You can stay here with Ashley.”

“We can be down there with time to spare,” Tessa said, coming up behind her with a sleepy yawn. “We’re co-investors. We’ll fight the old-school bastards.”

Ashley stirred, stopping the conversation as Lacey practically leaped to her side.

“Hey, Princess Pot-Pie. How ya feelin’?”

“’Kay.”

“Did she just call her Princess Pot-Pie?” Zoe nearly choked. “Did I hear that right?”

“That’s what she calls me.” Ashley smiled and brought her stuffed unicorn up to her chin, then her eyes flew open. “Oh! Aunt Jocelyn’s back.”

Jocelyn reached over and hugged her. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Are they going to let me go home, Mom? I really want to go home.”

“Not for a few hours, honey.”

“Long enough for us to get back to Mimosa Key in the rental car I got at the Tampa airport,” Jocelyn said. “We can handle the meeting, or at least start it. When you’re done here, you follow. By then we could have the whole zoning issue resolved.”

“You can’t present,” Lacey said, digging for her phone to check for a message she knew wasn’t going to be there. “You have to be a resident of Mimosa Key.” Nothing on the phone.

How long would she keep checking and hoping for word from Clay?

“Then let’s do what Zoe suggested,” Jocelyn said. “We’ll stay with Ashley and you go.”

“Yeah, Mom, that’s the best plan.”

“No.” Lacey shook her head. “I have to sign you out, honey. You’re a minor.”

“We’ll spring her,” Zoe said. “Throw her on a gurney and sneak her out the back like they do in the movies.”

Ashley giggled. “Fun!”

“C’mon, Lace,” Tessa prodded.

“Well, let me talk to the nurse and find out if I can pre-sign or something, then if I leave now… but I—”

“Lacey!” They all said her name in perfect unison. “Quit making excuses!”

“Okay, okay.” She rounded the bed, kissed Jocelyn on the cheek, gave high fives to Zoe and Tessa, then leaned over and gently hugged her baby. “God, I love the four of you.”

She’d made it out the door and down the hall a few steps when Ashley called out, “Mommy! I love you!”

“I love you, too, Pot-Pie!”

The nurse complied with the discharge paperwork, and in less than twenty minutes Lacey was powering the big Rubicon down I-75. By nine-fifteen she was in gridlock Fort Myers morning traffic, swearing as she watched the digital numbers on the dashboard clock click closer to ten.

Running out of time would not be her excuse for missing this presentation, damn it.

By nine-forty she crossed the