Return of the Last McKenna. Shirley Jump
warmed, and the traffic outside became a low, muted hum. Brody wished he was an ordinary customer, here on an ordinary reason. That he wasn’t going to have to make that smile dim by telling her the truth.
Kate broke eye contact first. She jerked her attention to the register, her fingers hovering over the keys. “Goodness. I got so distracted by talking, I forgot to charge you.”
“And I forgot to pay.” Brody handed over a credit card. As he did, he noticed her hands. Long, delicate fingers tipped with no-nonsense nails. Pretty hands. The kind that seemed like they’d have an easy, gentle touch.
She took the credit card, slid it through the register, pushed a few buttons, then waited for a receipt to print. She glanced down at his name as she handed him back the card. “Mr. McKenna, is it?”
He braced himself. Did she recognize the last name? But her smile remained friendly.
Yes, I’m Brody McKenna. The doctor who let your brother die.
Not the answer he wanted to give. Call him selfish, call him a coward, but for right now, he wanted only to see her smile again. He told himself it was because that was what Andrew had wanted, but really, Brody liked Kate’s smile. A lot.
“Yes. But I prefer Brody.” He scrawled his name across the receipt and slid it back to her.
“Well, thank you, Brody.” His name slid off her tongue with an easy, sweet lilt. “I hope you return if you’re in the neighborhood again.”
“Thank you, Kate.” He picked up his basket and headed for the door. As he pushed on the exit, he paused, turned back. He had come here for a reason, and had yet to fulfill even a tenth of that purpose. “Maybe someday I can return the favor.”
“I didn’t do anything special, just my job. If you want to return the favor, then tell all your friends to shop here and to call on us to help them celebrate special moments.” And then, like a gift, she smiled at him again. “That’ll be more than enough.”
“No, it won’t,” he said, his voice low and quiet, then headed out the door.
CHAPTER TWO
WHAT had he been thinking?
He’d gone into that little shop planning…what?
To tell Kate the truth? That her little brother had charged him with making sure his sister was okay. That Brody was supposed to make sure she wasn’t letting her grief overwhelm her, and that she was staying on track with her life, despite losing Andrew. Instead Brody had bought a basket of chocolates, and chickened out at the last minute. Damn.
“Tell me you’re quiet because you’re distracted by that pretty hostess over there,” Riley said to Brody. The dim interior provided the perfect backdrop for the microbrewery/restaurant that had become their newest favorite stop for lunch. Brody had called Riley yesterday after his visit to Nora’s Sweet Shop, and made plans for lunch today. That, he figured, would keep him from making another visit. And leaving without saying or doing what he’d gone there to do.
“Why are you mentioning the hostess?” Brody asked. “Aren’t you getting married soon?”
“I am indeed. But that doesn’t mean I can’t keep my eye out for a pretty girl…” Riley leaned across the table and grinned, “for you. You’re the last of the McKenna boys who isn’t married. Better pony up to the bar, brother, and join the club.”
“No way. I’ve tried that—”
“You got engaged. Not married. Doesn’t count. You came to the edge of the cliff and didn’t jump.”
“For good reason.” Melissa had been more interested in the glamour of being a doctor’s wife than in being Brody’s wife. Once she’d realized he had opted for a small family practice instead of a lucrative practice like plastic surgery or cardiac care, she’d called off the engagement. She didn’t want a man who spent his life “sacrificing,” she’d said. No matter what Brody said or did, he couldn’t fix their relationship and couldn’t get it back on track. Brody’s family dream had evaporated like a puddle on a summer day.
Brody picked up the menu and scanned the offerings. “How’s work going?”
That drew more laughter from Riley. “Don’t think I’m falling for that. You’re changing the subject.”
“You got me.” Brody put up his hands. “I don’t want to talk about the hostess or my love life or why I didn’t get married. I want to visit with my little brother before he attaches the ball and chain to his ankle.”
“No need for that. I’m head over heels in love with my wife to be.” A goofy grin spread across Riley’s face. “We’re working out the final details for the wedding. Got the place—”
“The diner.” A busy, quaint place in the heart of Boston where the former playboy Riley had worked for a few weeks when their grandmother had cut him off from the family pocketbook and told him to get a job and grow up. Now, a couple of months later, Riley had turned into a different man. Stace had brought out the best in Brody’s little brother.
“Gran had a fit about us having the wedding at the Morning Glory, because she wanted us to get married at the Park Plaza, but Stace and I love that old diner, so it seemed only fitting we seal the deal there. Stace has her dress, though I am forbidden from seeing it until the wedding day. And you guys all have your suits—”
“Thank you again for not making me put on a tux.”
Riley grinned. “You know me, Brody. I’d rather wear a horsehair shirt than a tux. Finn’s the only formal one out of the three of us. He actually wanted a tux. Says I’m killing a tradition with the suit idea.” Riley waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m sure Ellie will talk some sense into him. That wife of his has been the best thing ever for ol’ stick in the mud Finn.”
Brody shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re talking about wedding plans. You’ve changed, little brother.”
“For the better, believe me. Meeting Stace made me change everything about myself, my life. And I’m glad it did.” The waitress came by their table to take their orders. Riley opted to try the new Autumn Lager, while Brody stuck to water.
Riley raised a hand when a few of their mutual friends came in. Then he turned back to Brody. “Want me to invite them over to join us?”
Brody thought of the small talk they’d exchange, idle chatter about women, work and sports. “I don’t feel much like company. Maybe another time.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Brody pushed his menu to the side of the table and avoided his brother’s gaze.
“Sure you are. Brody, you’re still struggling. You should talk about it.”
The waitress dropped off their drinks. Brody thanked her, then took a long sip of the icy water. Talking about it hadn’t done any good. He’d lost patients before, back when he was an intern, and in the last few years, seen a few patients die of heart disease and cancer, but this one had been different. Maybe because he’d lacked the tools so easy to obtain here.
Either way, Brody didn’t want to discuss the loss of Andrew. Of the three McKennas, Brody kept the most inside. Maybe it came from being the middle brother, sandwiched between practical Finn and boisterous Riley. Or maybe it stemmed from his job—the good doctor trying to keep emotion out of the equation and relying on logic to make decisions. Or maybe it stemmed from something deeper.
Admitting he had failed. Doctors were the ones people relied on to fix it, make it better, and Brody hadn’t done either.
“By the way,” Brody said, “if you guys don’t have a cake picked out yet for the wedding, there’s this bakery down the street from my office that does cupcake wedding cakes. They had a display in the window. I thought it looked kind of cool. I know you and Stace