Mixing Business With Pleasure (Love Conquers All Book 2) Read online

  Matt looked over at Tiffany and smiled. He knew that she had to be tired, because he was. It was nearly a 6 1/2 hour trip, including the layover, and then having to drive another 3 hours from Rock Springs to Shoshoni WY, it was enough to make anyone sleepy. As he pulled into the hospital, he paused before waking her up. He needed to see his dad before heading to a hotel and getting settled in. It was almost 4:00 Wyoming time, since they stopped and grabbed that quick lunch. He hadn’t heard from his grandma and so he didn’t know how he was doing. “Tiffany; we’re here.” He gently jarred her from her sleep.

  “Hm?’ She moaned as she stretched in the passenger seat. “Where are we?”

  “We’re at the hospital. I figured we could see how he was doing before we went to the hotel.”

  “Good idea.” She yawned and then got out of the car. “Are you sure I can pull off being your girlfriend?”

  He rolled his eyes; she was such a worrier. “Yes; I am positive. Just smile and nod and don’t speak unless spoken to.”

  She hit him and he started to laugh. “You better be teasing, because I could just as easily stay in the car and continue to sleep.”

  “I am kidding. It will be fine; most importantly, they’ll love you.”

  He wasn’t sure about much lately, but he knew for a fact they would fall in love with her. This would make things even more difficult when he would tell them that they were finished. “Okay; I hope you’re right.” She smiled, which made Matt happy. It didn’t seem like she was going to smile at all during that trip and that would have made for even more questions. He reached for her hand and to his delight she didn’t pull away. She was already in character. They entered the small hospital and made their way to the receptionist.

  “Hi, may I help you?”

  “Yeah; I’m here to visit my father. His name is Jacob Oswalt.”

  The young girl looked down at her computer. “He’s in the ICU room 1520. Do you want someone to direct you?”

  “I think we can manage.” He hated hearing he was in ICU, but from what his grandma had said he wasn’t surprised.

  “I’m starting to get nervous.” Tiffany whispered. “I feel like I’m really going to meet my boyfriend’s family.

  He squeezed her hand. “Trust me; it will be fine.” She nodded as they made their way down the ICU hallway. He spotted his grandma, the instant they rounded the corner. “Grandma!”

  She turned and looked at him; tears broke through and she ran to him and gave him a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She then turned to Tiffany and tried to smile. “This must be your girlfriend.”

  “Yes; this is Tiffany Jenkins.” His grandma hugged her tightly and he could see the smile in Tiffany’s eyes. “It’s a blessing to meet you my dear.”

  “I am glad to meet you; I just wish it was in different circumstances.”

  “Grandma; how’s he doing?”

  “He’s doing pretty well, all things considered. He made it through surgery, but he’s not out of the woods.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  When he asked the question he sensed his grandma’s mood shift. She walked to a seat and sat down. Her face was grey as she remained still.”I don’t know what I’m going to do with that man. No matter how many times I talk to him and beg him to quit, he just doesn’t.”

  “Grandma, you’re not making any sense.”

  “According to the cops he was drinking. I overheard them say that his blood alcohol was nearly 3x the legal limit.”

  “Oh no!” Matt replied with a moan. “I thought he had gotten better. What about his meetings?” He shot a glance at Tiffany and she was looking at him.

  “He had gotten better. He was going to the meetings regularly; in fact, he even starting dating a woman at his job.” Matt almost laughed, thinking how ironic that was.

  “So, what happened?”

  “Well, I don’t know the details but she took off. I’m guessing because he started drinking and it scared her away. I’ve tried calling her, but she won’t return the calls.”

  “Oh; that’s too bad.”

  “Well, anyway a witness said that they saw him coming around the corner. They quickly veered off the road, so that they wouldn’t collide. Well, a car that was heading in the other direction, didn’t get as lucky. She tried to swerve, but instead her car flipped several times and landed in a ditch. The car burst into flames before anyone could get her out.”

  “Is she…”

  She slowly nodded and then started to cry again. “There was nothing anyone could do to save her.”

  “Does anyone know who she is?”

  “She’s an out-of-towner. I don’t remember what state, but they were able to identify her and the family was informed.”

  “I am so sorry Mrs. Oswalt. I can’t even imagine what’s going on through your mind.”

  “Thank you dear. I just pray that he makes it so that I can knock some sense into him.”

  “That makes two of us.” Matt replied. He couldn’t believe how stupid his dad was. It was bad enough that it caused him to leave his family all those years ago, but now he stole a life.”

  “Do you want to see him? He obviously isn’t a very good host, but they say if you talk to him…he knows you’re there.”

  Matt stood up. “I guess I will give it a shot. Are you coming Tiffany?”

  “I think I should stay out here. You can talk to him alone.”

  “Nonsense; I want you there.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. He didn’t want to face it alone, even if his dad wasn’t awake.

  ___________________

  Tiffany didn’t know why she was so nervous walking into his hospital room. It wasn’t like he was able to speak to her. Yet, she would have rather been anywhere, but there.

  “Dad, I’m here for you. My girlfriend Tiffany is here too. We’re pulling for you to wake up.” Tiffany couldn’t lie about the fact that she liked hearing Matt call her his girlfriend, but it did freak her out. “You have to wake up so we can get you back into those meetings and you can get well again.” She saw a tear trail down his face and she squeezed his hand. Before she knew it he was hugging her and she didn’t know if she could let go. “I have never told him how much I love him,” he whispered. His head was buried in her neck and she could feel the soft breath as he spoke. “What am I going to do?”

  “Matt, he knows how much you love him. Parents, they know this without even being told. It just goes with the job. Not to mention, you’ll get a chance to tell him. In fact, tell him now. If he can hear; maybe this will give him an incentive to wake up.”

  He pulled away and she wiped a tear from his eye and tried giving him a smile. “Do you really think so?”

  “It doesn’t hurt to try.”

  He looked back at the man, who strongly resembled him and reached out for his hand. “I love you dad and I don’t know why I haven’t told you that sooner, but I do. No matter what happened when I was growing up, that has never changed. I want to rebuild our relationship, but we can’t do that if you don’t wake up.”

  Tiffany smiled at the exchange. She reached for his hand; “Do you feel better?”

  “I do and I know you’re right.”

  “Aren’t I always?”

  He laughed. “I don’t know why I can’t remember that.”

  “It takes time, but you’ll figure it out.” She winked at him and he smiled.

  It felt good to joke with him, even in the stressful time. “Let’s go and get settled at the hotel. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat and come back up a little bit later.”

  “Okay; sounds good.”

  “Grandma, we’re going to go to the hotel. We’ll be back a little bit later tonight.”

  “You’re not staying at a hotel. I have plenty of room at my house.”

  “Grandma, we don’t want to disrupt your household. I don’t know how long we’ll be here.”

  “Don’t be silly; it will be good to have you guys there, for as long
as you need to.” Matt shot a quick glance to Tiffany and she just shrugged. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Okay, we will stay.”

  “Good. I’ll see you guys later. Here’s a key to the house. Do you remember where it’s at?”

  “It hasn’t been that long.” Matt laughed as he grabbed the key. “Do you want us to bring you anything back from the house?”

  “I could use a sandwich or something to eat. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten something in my stomach.”

  “Okay, we’ll be back in a couple of hours.” He kissed her on the cheek and they left the hospital. “I know this isn’t what we planned.”

  “You mean having to stay at the same house she lives in? Yeah, it’s going to be pretty hard to handle the bed situation. Will she think it’s weird that we aren’t in the same room?”

  “I’ll just explain that we are waiting until marriage.” He opened the car door for her and she started to laugh nervously. “What? She’ll by that.”

  “I’m just a little lost at the marriage part. We’ve only known each other for a few months.”

  “Yes, but she doesn’t know that. She thinks we met when I came to New York on vacation last year.”

  “I was wondering how we met.”

  “So, she’ll believe the story. I’ll be sure she does.” She knew he would; he could be pretty convincing.

  ___________________

  Matt wandered into the room that Tiffany was setting up as her home for the next few days. “Are you ready?” Tiffany was staring out the window and she didn’t act like she heard him. “What are you looking at?” He walked over and peered over her shoulder.

  “It’s such a beautiful view. Imagine living on a beach. I don’t know why you would ever want to leave this place.”

  “Where I lived, it wasn’t nearly as beautiful.”

  “I’d love to see it while we’re here.” When she looked at him he got lost in her beauty.

  “Well, it’s on the way to the hospital. I mean, if you really want to see it.” He moved away from her, to a much safer distance.

  She nodded and then turned back to look out the window. “I’m ready. Did you call your mom?”

  “I did. She wants to have us over before we leave.”

  “That’s sounds good; I would like to meet her.”

  Before they left the room, he stopped her. “You seem to be relaxing quite nicely.”

  “I am. Your grandma is really sweet.”

  “I can tell she likes you.”

  Tiffany laughed. “Is that so? We’ve barely seen each other.”

  “It’s a hunch.”

  He grabbed her hand and they headed out down the stairs. “You know, we’re the only ones here, you wouldn’t have to hold my hand.”

  “I like holding your hand. Do you have a problem with that? I mean, does it make you uncomfortable?”

  “No; it feels nice.”

  He smiled to himself. It appeared she was coming around.

  ____________________

  “That cafeteria food wasn’t quite bad.” Tiffany remarked as they headed back to Matt’s father’s room.

  “I’ll owe it to you. Before we go back to New York I’ll be sure to take you to Charlie’s Chicken Grill.”

  “What kind of food do they have?” She started laughing to show that she was just kidding.

  “You laugh, but they do have the best Fried Chicken on this planet.”

  “Hm¸ then we’ll definitely have to check it out.”

  “Grandma, we brought you a cheeseburger and fries; I hope that is okay.”

  “That sounds good.” She then looked longingly at the room. “There’s still no change.”

  “Well, it’s only been 24 hours since surgery. It’s a good sign that he’s still in a coma; that will help him heal. At least he’s not in pain.”

  “You always have the positive attitude.” She took a bite of the sandwich, but then her facial expressions went solemn. “I got into an argument with him a couple of days ago. We were fighting about his drinking and he told me to mind my own business.” She sniffled and Tiffany could tell she was holding back the tears. “I will never forgive myself if he doesn’t wake up.”

  “I know where you’re coming from, but a wise woman once told me that he knows we love him.” Matt looked at Tiffany and gave her a wink. She felt a weird feeling as he looked at her. She couldn’t explain it, but something was definitely shifting in her mood. “The only things we can do are pray and talk to him. When did you get some sleep?”

  “I haven’t slept since before he was brought in here.”

  “You have to get some rest. We can stay here tonight.”

  “That’s not necessary. If he wakes up, they’ll call us.”

  “Are you sure grandma?”

  “Yeah; I’m positive. We should all get some rest. You guys had a long day today and I would hate for you to have to stay here.”

  “Let’s say goodbye to him before we leave.” Tiffany grabbed Matt’s hand and they went back in his room. “Dad, we’ll be back tomorrow.” He leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Tiffany nearly lost it at the sight of the encounter. “I love you dad, but you have to wake up. Grandma, we’ll let you talk to him in private. We’ll wait for you out in the hallway.”

  “That was sweet.”

  “What was?”

  “The way you kissed your father.”

  “I just hope he wakes up so that I can prove to him we’ll change together.”

  “Don’t go changing too much. I think you’re pretty special the way you are.”

  “Why Tiffany Jenkins, if I didn’t know better, I would say you’re starting to crush on me.”

  She knew she was probably turning red at that remark. “Dream on Matt. I’m just saying that I’m pretty lucky to have you in my life, as a friend.”

  “I hear ya! Well, friend…as soon as my grandma gets out here we can leave and get some sleep.”

  “I’m ready.” She paused for a moment and then turned to Matt. “You both make a cute couple.”

  Tiffany smiled and then looked at Matt. “You know Grandma, I couldn’t agree more.”

  Chapter 12

  Tiffany sighed as the breeze brushed over her. She had a lot to think about, and walking was the best way to do that. She reveled in the feel of the sand beneath her feet as she walked down the beach, being sure to remember which house was Matt’s grandmas. She knew that everything she was feeling was normal; she was there to comfort Matt and it was only likely that she would find herself having feelings for him. There was no substantiating evidence that she was falling in love with him. It just wasn’t probable; she was not the kind to fall for anyone and she wasn’t going to start now. “May anyone walk on this beach?” She jumped when she heard Matt behind her.

  “Matt!” She instantly felt the cold breeze on her arms.

  “May I join you?”

  “S…s…sure,” she stuttered.

  “Are you chilly? Wow; I sense dejavu.” He giggled as he placed his jacket around her shoulders. “There; is that better?”

  “Uh, yeah…thank you! How did you know I would be out here?”

  “I didn’t, but I like to walk when I have things on my mind. I figured this would clear my thoughts.”

  “I feel the same.”

  “Yet, another thing we have in common.” The words were spoken soft, so she acted like she didn’t hear him.

  “I was wondering, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

  “Tiffany, what were you wondering?”

  “Do you not drink because of your father?”

  He didn’t speak for a minute, but in the darkness she saw his slight nod. “I just figured that nothing good ever came from taking a drink, so why do it?”

  “That’s a good observation Matt, but you’re not your dad.”

  He snickered. “Yeah, I’m well aware of that. I would never leave my wife and young child alone.”

&n
bsp; She could feel her palms sweating, just thinking about her being the woman in his life. “Did your dad always drink?”

  “No. When I was a baby, until I was about 4, he was a pretty stand up guy. Then he started to go through some sort of mid-life crisis and he turned away from us and went straight to drinking. He would go out with the guys nearly every night. Then he just left one night and never returned.” He then stopped and turned to Tiffany, when he placed his hand in hers she nearly jumped. “Don’t be nervous around me Tiff; it’s just me.”

  “I know that.”

  “Since we got here this afternoon, I almost feel a shift from you. Am I wrong?” Tiffany wanted to lie, tell him he was reading too much into her actions. She told him that she would never love him and he needed to know that they were only portraying two people in love. Yet, every time she looked at him, thought of him, she couldn’t stop wishing it was different. “Why did you come out here tonight to think?”

  “That’s a loaded question Matt.” She pulled her shaky hand from his grasp and looked out into the lake.

  “I would like an answer. You seem to pull away from me every time I want to have a serious conversation. I know that you said you didn’t want a relationship and I have tried to move on, but I see it in your eyes. You can’t deny that you don’t feel something.”

  “You want know the truth? I’ll tell you why I came out here tonight and why I even came on this trip in the first place. I came here because I felt obligated.” His expression turned cold as she continued to talk. “I felt obligated to help you out. You have been helpful with me, picked me up late at night, and hitting Bruce. I felt like I owed you something.”

  “Wow! I guess I never…”

  “Let me finish.” She turned away from him; she could feel her heart beating faster. “I needed to think, because everything I have tried so hard to instill in your brain is crumbling to the ground. I don’t know how to stop it and I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

  “Is that my fault?”

  She looked back into his eyes and shook her head. “I wish I could blame this on you; I wish I could blame this on anyone, but the truth is it’s my fault. I have set up these walls, hoping I could keep my feelings out of the mix. I didn’t want a relationship and yet when I see you, I begin to wonder if I was being crazy.”