Can't Help Falling in Love (Memphis Moments Book 2) Read online

  “So you’re really going to let Ruby stay with you?” she asked. “And I’ll be able to come to your house and see her whenever I’m able?”

  He nodded. “Mom and Dad are bringing her with them tomorrow when they come to visit you.” His parents had been keeping the dog while he’d been out of the country. He would’ve brought her with him last night, but his truck had been full of his earthly possessions.

  “What do you say to Uncle Andrew?” Sarah asked.

  Mary Kate beamed. “Thank you.”

  Andrew turned his head to wipe away a tear without Mary Kate catching him. Moving to Memphis while his only niece went through months of chemotherapy and fought for her life was the least he could do. He’d figured if they had a home base near the hospital, Mary Kate would be able to keep her life as normal as possible. If anything, he didn’t feel like he was doing enough for her.

  “You okay?” Sarah whispered. “Because if you can’t stay here I understand.”

  He faced his sister. “I know you have errands to run. And I want to be here with Mary Kate. I hate that I haven’t been able to help these past weeks.”

  Sarah shook her head. “You’re here now. That’s what counts. These next few months will be tough, and I’m thankful we don’t have to face them alone.” A shadow crossed her face.

  Sarah’s husband, Curtis, had left his wife and child when Mary Kate was just a toddler, declaring that a domesticated life wasn’t for him. They’d had very little contact with him since. “Whatever I need to do. You know that.”

  She gave him a tiny smile. “I can’t thank you enough.” She turned to Mary Kate. “I’m going to run out and get a few things that we need. Uncle Andrew is going to stay here with you, okay?”

  Mary Kate nodded. “Okay, Mama.”

  Sarah bent down and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I’ll be back in about an hour.” She grabbed her purse from the floor next to Mary Kate’s bed. “Love you.”

  Once his sister was gone, he turned his attention back to Mary Kate. She was engrossed in coloring a picture of a Disney princess. “Do you need anything?”

  She looked up. “Nope. My nurse will be here in a minute to get started.” She cocked her head. “Are you nervous?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other. “No. Why do you say that?” Nine years old and she can read me like a book.

  She shrugged. “You just look nervous. Don’t worry, Uncle Andrew. I’ve been through this before.”

  “That’s right. She’s an old pro.”

  He looked up to see a familiar face. Of all the nurses in this place, we have to get the one I mowed down earlier?

  “Emily, look what my uncle Andrew brought me.” Mary Kate pointed at the Justin Bieber cutout that loomed behind her bed, a reminder of Andrew’s earlier clumsiness.

  “That’s a cool surprise.” She eyed Andrew. “So you’re the famous Uncle Andrew I’ve heard so much about?”

  He chuckled. “That depends. Have you heard good stuff or bad stuff?”

  “So good I expected you to be wearing a superhero cape.”

  He chuckled. “Not quite, as evidenced by me knocking you over in the hallway.”

  Emily flashed him a smile and walked over to Mary Kate’s bed. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Pretty good, I guess.” Mary Kate put her coloring book down on the bed next to her. “Mama brought me some gum so I won’t get such a bad taste in my mouth.” She chomped on her gum. “Uncle Andrew is going to keep my dog while me and Mama are staying at Target House.”

  Emily glanced up at Andrew, her eyebrows raised. “That’s awfully nice of him.”

  He grinned. “I guess we haven’t formally met. Sorry again about running over you in the hallway. I’m Andrew Beckett.”

  “Emily Madden. Nice to meet you. Mary Kate and Sarah have mentioned you often.” She turned her attention back to Mary Kate. “Do you need anything before we start? A warming blanket?”

  Mary Kate shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe in a minute.”

  Andrew watched as Emily started the IV and spoke quietly to Mary Kate. He couldn’t help but wonder if Mary Kate would be in pain during her treatment. He should’ve asked Sarah more questions, but he hadn’t wanted her to think he was too incompetent to be of any help. “Everything okay?” he asked as Emily finished what she was doing.

  She nodded.

  “Don’t worry so much, Uncle Andrew. This isn’t the bad part yet.” Mary Kate offered him a smile.

  “She’s doing great,” Emily said. “And I know she’s very excited about you being here to keep her company. If I remember right, you’ve been on a trip?”

  Andrew nodded. “That’s right. I was teaching English in China.” He’d tried to back out once Mary Kate was diagnosed, but Sarah had urged him to go.

  “He’s moving here to be close to me and Mama,” Mary Kate explained.

  Emily raised her brows. “Moving here, huh?” She grinned at Mary Kate. “He must be a pretty good uncle then.”

  Mary Kate nodded. “He is. Last year he took me to the Daddy/Daughter dance at school. Sometimes he does stuff like that.”

  Andrew couldn’t help but smile at the memory. “That was a fun time.”

  “Uncle Andrew doesn’t have kids of his own,” Mary Kate said. “Or a wife. Mama says maybe he’ll meet a nice girl someday, but I don’t know.”

  Emily chuckled.

  “I’m sure Emily doesn’t want to hear about all of that,” Andrew said as the heat rose up his face. He would just as soon the details of his personal life not be shared with the very attractive nurse he’d already gotten off on the wrong foot with.

  Mary Kate frowned. “Well, it’s true. Mama says that after Miss Beth—”

  “Are you sure you don’t need a blanket or anything?” Andrew asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  Emily cleared her throat. “So you’re moving to Memphis to be near your niece and sister? That’s a pretty big commitment.”

  Andrew appreciated her swift subject change. “It will be temporary. Once Mary Kate is all better, we’ll all go back to Mississippi.”

  “Are you job hunting?” Emily asked.

  “He’s a teacher,” Mary Kate piped up. “He’s going to be working at a school here.”

  Emily raised her brows. “For some reason I didn’t peg you as a teacher when I first saw you.”

  “Oh? What was your guess?”

  She grinned. “Considering the way you came around the corner, I’d have guessed you were a race car driver.” She turned to Mary Kate and explained the earlier altercation with her Justin Bieber cutout.

  Mary Kate laughed. “I wish I could’ve seen that.”

  Andrew watched her and tried to capture the moment in his mind. For that second, despite the medication dripping into her vein and the cancer raging in her body, Mary Kate looked like the same carefree little girl he’d taken to the Daddy/Daughter dance last year. “It was pretty funny.”

  “Are you all moved in to your new house?” Mary Kate asked. “I’ll be glad when I get to come see it—and Ruby.”

  “I unloaded everything last night and came straight here this morning, so I’m not settled in just yet. But I’m sure your grandma will help me tomorrow.” He suspected his parents would be making the five-hour drive to Memphis often now that their two children and only grandchild were temporary residents.

  “What part of town did you move to?” Emily asked.

  He wrinkled his forehead. “I’m not really familiar with the city just yet. I interviewed for the position right after Mary Kate was referred to St. Jude. I already had everything all set up to go teach in China for a month and the school was nice enough to help me find a place to live while I was gone. The junior high basketball coach had a house for rent. It’s in a residential neighborhood called Colonial Acres. So I guess that would be considered. . .east Memphis?”

  Emily nodded. “Yep. I have a friend who lives in that area. Her house is near Sea Isle
Park. In fact, we run at the park sometimes.”

  Andrew smiled. “That sounds familiar. I’m pretty sure I drove past there this morning.”

  “It’s a nice area. Do you know many people in Memphis?”

  “He doesn’t know anyone,” Mary Kate said. “Mama is worried that moving here is going to kill his social life. I heard her and Grandma talking about it on the phone last night.”

  “Your mama sure does worry a lot.” Andrew couldn’t help but laugh, though. Mary Kate was like a sponge. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. In fact, tonight I think I’m going to go to the Redbirds game and watch some baseball.”

  “Do you like baseball, Emily?” Mary Kate asked.

  Emily nodded. “I go to games every now and then.”

  “Why don’t you go with Uncle Andrew tonight so he doesn’t have to go by himself?” She smiled sweetly.

  Andrew met Emily’s surprised eyes and knew his own horror was reflected in them.

  How could they get out of this without hurting Mary Kate’s feelings?

  Chapter Three

  Emily stood, frozen to the spot. The last thing she wanted to do was go to a baseball game tonight. And the last person she wanted to go with was some guy she’d just met today who happened to be the uncle of one of her patients.

  “I’m sure Emily has better things to do tonight than show me around,” Andrew said gently.

  Mary Kate frowned, but didn’t say anything.

  Andrew glanced at Emily as if willing her to agree with his statement.

  She racked her brain. Surely she had something to do tonight. “Closets.”

  Mary Kate made a face. “Closets?”

  “I’m cleaning them out. You know, to get ready for fall.”

  “It’s not even August yet.” Mary Kate chomped her gum.

  Emily looked over at Andrew. She would probably regret what she was about to do until her dying day. But she also knew that today’s date was always a tough one for her. In fact, she’d tried to make plans with Suzanne and Jade, but they were both already busy. “She’s right. I won’t need those sweaters for months.” She grinned. “So how about we go cheer for the Redbirds tonight?”

  Andrew’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything.

  Mary Kate’s face lit up. “Will you bring me a baseball cap?” She reached for her hair. It hadn’t fallen out yet, but everyone knew the time was coming soon.

  Andrew smiled down at his niece. “Of course.”

  “How’s everything going?” Sarah asked, walking into the room. She stopped next to Andrew. “I see you’ve met Emily. She’s been such a huge blessing since we got here.”

  Emily blushed. “Just doing my job.”

  “Yes, we met earlier.” Andrew grinned. “I guess you could say I swept her off of her feet.”

  Sarah raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything. She walked over to smooth Mary Kate’s blond hair. “How’s my girl?”

  Mary Kate managed a smile. “Uncle Andrew is going to the Redbirds game tonight and bringing me back a baseball cap.”

  “Cool.” Sarah grinned at her brother.

  “And Emily is going to go with him,” Mary Kate announced.

  Surprise flashed across Sarah’s face. “Really? Well that sounds like fun.”

  Maybe it was stupid to have agreed to go tonight. She knew she’d only agreed because Mary Kate reminded her so much of her sister, Holly. It had been that way from the moment she’d seen the little girl. The way she moved, the way she talked. Even the color of her hair. And because of that, it was almost like having Holly around again. Almost. “I’m going to run and get you a warming blanket, Mary Kate. Do you need anything else?”

  Mary Kate shook her head but didn’t speak. The strong dosage of drugs was beginning to have an effect.

  Emily hurried toward the room where they kept warming blankets for patients to use during their chemo treatments.

  “Wait up,” Andrew called, catching up with her in the hallway. “Listen, I’m sorry she put you on the spot like that. You don’t have to go with me tonight. I’m sure I’ll be fine alone.”

  Emily regarded him for a moment. His eyes were the same blue color as Mary Kate’s, but his hair was a darker shade of blond. It was a nice contrast. And from what she could tell, he seemed like a decent guy. There should be no reason why she couldn’t go with him to a baseball game, especially on this day. It would keep her from a trip down memory lane she wasn’t especially in the mood to go on. “I don’t mind going.” She stopped. “Unless you don’t want me to go. In which case I understand.”

  “Truthfully I’d like the company. I’m still figuring out my way around downtown. Plus sitting at a baseball game alone doesn’t sound like that much fun.” He grinned. “But if you want me to bring the cardboard Bieber to sit between us, I’d be glad to buy him a ticket.”

  She laughed. “Not necessary. Tell you what. I’ll meet you in the main lobby at six. We can go from there.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Andrew nodded at her and went back into Mary Kate’s room.

  Emily hurried to get a blanket, still wondering what she’d gotten herself into.

  By six o’clock, she’d changed clothes and freshened up her makeup. It was a good thing she always kept some extra things at her office. She might not be excited about going to a ballgame with someone she barely knew, but at least she wanted to look nice. She glanced one last time in the mirror that hung behind her office door and stepped out into the hallway.

  “Well, well. Someone has after-work plans.” Charlotte closed the door to her office and looked Emily up and down.

  Emily felt the heat rise up her face. So much for keeping her plans quiet. “Just headed to a Redbirds game. No big deal.”

  “I haven’t seen you with plans after work in at least a year except for getting together with your friends.” She raised an eyebrow. “But you don’t look like you’re headed to a girls’ night out. Tell me who the lucky guy is.”

  Emily pressed the button for the elevator. “You’re going to make fun.”

  “Try me.”

  The elevator bell dinged as the doors opened and they stepped inside.

  “That guy from this morning.”

  Charlotte chuckled. “The cardboard Bieber guy? Too funny. What’s his story?”

  “He’s Mary Kate’s uncle. Just moved to town and doesn’t know anyone. She kind of suggested we see the game together.” She shrugged. “I hated to say no.

  “You’ve got such a sweet spot for that one, don’t you?”

  Emily nodded. “I guess. It’s hard not to.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “I know she reminds you of your sister. I’ve seen the picture on your desk. Don’t get too attached.”

  “I’m not.”

  “And have fun!” Charlotte called as Emily stepped off the elevator. “I want a full report next time I see you.”

  Emily shot her friend a smile and headed to meet Andrew.

  ***

  Andrew paced the lobby. It had been such a long day. Mary Kate was wiped out after her treatment, and they’d gone to Target House once she was finished with the day’s appointments. Even though Sarah had described things to him over email and through phone calls while he was in China, seeing the facilities in person made a huge impact on him.

  Everyone he met had been so nice, and he liked that they all had the same goal—to make Mary Kate better so she could go back to the business of being a nine-year-old.

  He was glad to see that Sarah had made friends at Target House. She’d introduced him to Judy, another single mom who was there with her son, Alex. Sarah had told him later that it was nice to have a friend who really understood what she was going through. She had a great group of friends back home who were praying diligently, but it was hard for them to really grasp the emotions of what she was dealing with.

  “You ready?” Emily asked coming up behind him.

  He turned to face her.

  She’d taken her dark r
ed hair out of the ponytail she’d sported that morning and it hung in long waves. Khaki shorts and a green Polo shirt showed off an athletic figure.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, concern etched across her face. “Mary Kate isn’t sick is she?”

  He shook his head. “She’s fine, just a little tired.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  Andrew raked his fingers through his hair. “Um. You look different.”

  “Different? I think cardboard Bieber might be a better conversationalist.”

  Andrew laughed. “Sorry. You look nice. Pretty. Not like a nurse but like a real person.” Stop talking. Stop talking now you sound like an idiot.

  “Right. I guess you’ve run into a lot of nurses that aren’t real? I mean, I know Mississippi is a backwards state and all.”

  He liked it. She wasn’t cutting him any slack. “Let’s start over please. It’s been a weird day.”

  She laughed. “That it has. Do you want me to drive? Since you’re new in town and all?”

  Andrew held the door open for her. “If you don’t mind that would be great.” He followed her to a shiny, black BMW. “Nice car.”

  “Thanks.”

  They climbed inside and she started the engine.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed this was your vehicle.”

  Emily pulled onto the road. “No? Because this isn’t what a ‘real’ person drives?”

  “Funny.” He slipped on his sunglasses. “I don’t know why, really. I think when we walked out to the parking lot I was picturing you in something more. . .sporty. Like the kind of SUV where you can haul a couple of dogs in the back and go over terrain other than paved roads.”

  She grinned. “How do you get more sporty than a sports car?” she asked, slowing down as they hit traffic.

  “Different kind of sporty, don’t you think? I’m talking about the kind of sporty where the driver might actually play a sport other than golf or tennis.”

  She laughed and flipped on her blinker. “Looks like the Peabody Place parking garage is going to be our best bet.”