Free Spirits Read online

  “Then you start thinking about the most important part, love.”

  Alex opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but nothing came out. She was furious with herself for not being able to come up with a quick reply.

  “I’m sure you didn’t come back here for us to argue, so I think I’ll call Jason and explain to him what happened.” She picked up the receiver. Except she turned out not to be so lucky when Jason’s secretary put her on hold, then returned to explain that Mr. Palmer would return her call later in the day. “He’s punishing me,” she muttered, not realizing how irrational she might sound. She glared at her parent. As far as she was concerned they were completely at fault. “Please, do me a favor. Don’t do me any favors!” She stomped off to her studio, slamming the door behind her.

  “I always hoped she would lean to control that temper of hers,” Marian sighed.

  Patrick shook his head. He sat down on the couch and picked up the television remote control, switching on ESPN. “She takes more after your side of the family every day.”

  “Mine? If I recall correctly, it was your mother who was known to throw the good china at your father. How many sets did they go through? And none of that now!” Marian snatched the remote control from him and punched the off button. “Patrick, we have to do something about Alex.”

  He didn’t try to regain ownership of the remote. He knew his wife only too well. “Marian, you’ve said that for the last thirty years and Alex has always gone her own way. I don’t think we’d have a chance of changing that routine now. We already inadvertently sabotaged her dinner plans. I think that’s a pretty good start.”

  Marian shook her head as she paced back and forth, tapping her finger against her chin. “That Dr. Duffy seemed very nice. He looked about the right age for her and he’s not married.”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “I ran a check on him. In fact, Chloe, you remember her, is his aunt. She said he’s always been a quiet, well-mannered boy. He needs a bit of a shake-up in his life and who better than a whirlwind like Alex? He can settle her down and she can give him a good kick in the pants.”

  Patrick didn’t look convinced. “Something tells me you’ve come up with an idea.”

  She smiled. “Oh, yes, I have.”

  He considered it. “Is this an idea that could get us in a lot of trouble with Alex when she finds out?”

  “Most definitely.”

  His rakish grin still melted his wife’s knees. “Then I’m all for it.”

  “My, my, Dr. Duffy has an admirer.”

  “My husband didn’t send me such an elaborate bouquet when I had our first baby.”

  “What do you think it takes to receive flowers like those?”

  “Michael, my boy, you sure did something right!”

  “That must have been one hot night!”

  By now Michael Duffy sported a bright red face and fervently wished he was anywhere but walking toward the nurses’ station where, he was told, something special was waiting for him. When he reached the station he discovered the reason for all the teasing remarks. A large crystal vase with an intricate display of colorful flowers dominated the counter.

  “For you, Doctor.” One of the nurses, with a sly grin, handed him a white envelope with his name scrawled across the front.

  Cursing the flush heating his cheeks, he accepted the envelope between his fingertips.

  “What does it say?” One of the doctors leaned over his shoulder.

  “None of your business,” he growled, twisting his body to one side. He slipped the envelope into his pocket and walked away.

  “What about the flowers?” Cathy, one of the nurses, asked.

  “I’ll get them later.” For now, he merely wanted a little privacy so he could read the card and discover who had sent them. And around here there was little chance of him finding any. Even his office was shared with another doctor because space was so precious in the small hospital. He ducked behind a swinging door and opened the envelope, pulling out a white card.

  Many thanks for your medical expertise. Perhaps next

  time we can meet without a stethoscope swinging between us.

  Alex Cassidy

  “Hey, Duffy, what does it say?” A banging on the metal door startled him.

  “Damn it, Dennis, can’t a guy have any privacy? Even in the men’s room?” Michael groused, hurriedly pushing the card into his shirt pocket.

  “Not if it might have something to do with that sexy brunette who was in here a few nights ago sporting a concussion and the name of Alex Cassidy.”

  Aware his colleague wasn’t about to leave, Michael walked out to find Dr. Dennis Conway leaning against one of the sinks, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Tall with black hair, green eyes and a smile that melted the hardest of hearts, he was well-known for cutting a wide swath through the nurses. His love life was legendary in the hospital, next to that of Dr. Craig Sommers.

  “You treated a bona fide celebrity, old buddy. Alex Cassidy is the creator of the ‘Chuck-it-All’ comic strip, not to mention being Craig Sommers’s ex-wife,” Dennis offered, the glitter in his eyes indicating he hoped he’d dropped a bombshell. He always enjoyed stirring up trouble. And if he could ruffle the feathers of the unflappable Michael Duffy, so much the better.

  Michael smiled. “Yes, I’ve heard.” Although the disclosure about the comic strip was a surprise. So she was the creative force behind the first thing he read every Sunday morning. In fact, some of Fritzi’s madcap adventures resembled a few of his own less happy trips. He could have laughed at the crestfallen expression on Dennis’s face. “I’ve got patients to check on.”

  “Doesn’t anything faze you, Michael?” Dennis followed him out into the hall. “You’re cool as a cucumber, whether this place is a madhouse or so quiet it’s spooky. Nothing gets to you.”

  Ice blue eyes get to me. A mouth that some might call lush gets to me. Exotic beauty gets to me. A brash, outspoken manner gets to me. But these weren’t words he would dare speak out loud to anyone.

  “No, I guess not,” he said quietly, walking away. As he walked he was very much aware of the card burning a hole in his pocket.

  “Well, then, old buddy, I can’t wait to see the woman who finally topples the mighty Duffy,” Dennis called after him.

  “One topple off the mountain is more than enough, thank you,” he muttered under his breath, already wondering how he was going to make it out of the hospital with those flowers without all the questions he knew would be forthcoming.

  “Are you still not talking to us, or are you willing to come out for some dinner?” Marian stuck her head around the door.

  Still lost in another world, Alex looked up with a distracted expression. “Huh? Oh, dinner? What happened to lunch?” She looked around surprised to find it dark outside and with food mentioned, her stomach was now angrily rumbling. Where had the time gone?

  “When I asked about lunch you told me a concussion was enough to recover from, without compounding it with food poisoning.”

  Alex couldn’t help but see the hurt look on her mother’s face. Marian knew only too well her culinary skills were nonexistent, but it never stopped her from trying.

  “Jason didn’t return your call, did he?”

  “He probably will this evening. I only wish you and Dad could apologize for starting this fiasco.” She climbed off her high stool and placed her hands against the small of her back, arching up to relieve the ache. “What’s on the agenda?”

  “Pizza.”

  Images of smoke curling out of her oven assaulted her imagination. Then sanity intruded. “I don’t have the ingredients for pizza.”

  “No, but you do have the phone number for a pizza place that delivers.”

  Alex frowned. “I thought you told me no one could hear or see you. Wait a minute.” She held up her hand. “Trade secret, right?” She began cleaning off her drafting table, capping her bottles of ink and laying her finished pages on a nea
rby table. She hadn’t accomplished as much as she would have liked today, but she couldn’t fault the work she finished. The frizzy-haired character with her oversized glasses, eternal grin and uniform of black skirt, white blouse and brightly colored running shoes had turned out to be popular with her readers.

  “You know something, Fritzi, I think your life is a great deal less complicated than mine,” she muttered to the character. She looked up at the sound of the phone ringing. Nerves tightened as she picked up the receiver and heard the caller identify himself.

  “Jason, I’m glad you called,” she said warmly.

  “Alexis, I’m very disappointed in you,” he began without preamble. “If you weren’t able to come, couldn’t you have at least contacted me? You knew I considered that dinner very important. I had no idea what to say to the Bishops when you didn’t appear or call.”

  “Yes, I know, Jason,” she replied, effectively cutting into his tirade. “And believe me I have an excellent reason for not making it. I ended up spending the evening in the hospital emergency room. I fell, hit my head and was knocked unconscious.”

  “Alexis, I counted on you to help me make this dinner special for the Bishops,” he went on, not bothering to listen to her explanation. “Couldn’t you at least have had someone from the hospital call me?”

  She gritted her teeth. “Jason, listen to me. I fell, hit my head and was knocked out. I was unconscious for a while and by the time I came to I had a roaring headache and all I cared about was coming home and going to bed. As it was I had to argue with the doctor who insisted I remain overnight.” She didn’t care if her agitation zinged across the telephone lines.

  “I’ve been incredibly rude, haven’t I, darling? Here you were lying ill in the hospital and I was angry because you didn’t call. That was unfair of me. I can only hope you’ll allow me to make it up to you by suggesting a dinner at Antoine’s tomorrow evening.” He lowered his voice to an intimate tone.

  She was slightly mollified. “I think it can be arranged.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven, then. Good night, darling.”

  “He didn’t exactly apologize for his rude behavior, did he?” Patrick stood in the doorway. “He sounded more worried about his precious clients than your health.”

  She spun around. “Eavesdropping? Is that another trade secret, Dad?”

  “I just wanted to tell you that the pizza delivery boy is at the door. I could open the door, but I don’t think he would understand how it opened itself or why the money was floating in the air.”

  She nodded and quickly left the room, calling out she’d be right there. After paying the boy, she accepted the cardboard box and carried it into the kitchen.

  “I forgot how good hot pizza smelled,” Patrick sighed,

  standing over the box and inhaling the rich fragrance of tomatoes, spices and cheese.

  “Sausage and extra cheese. Perfect,” she murmured, her taste buds already salivating as she picked up a slice and bit into it. She closed her eyes, savoring the spicy flavor exploding inside her mouth. She had barely finished the first piece before she started in on the second. By the time she finished devouring half the pizza she felt more like her old self.

  “Why don’t we have an old-fashioned gabfest?” Alex suggested, as she searched for her pack of cigarettes and lighter. When she discovered the half-full carton missing she looked at her mother accusingly. “All right, what have you done with them?”

  “I threw them away. They’re not good for you, dear.”

  “Mom, when I’m ready to quit, I will. Just please don’t force me into it.” She rummaged through the trash bin until she found the carton and breathed a sigh of relief to find the packs intact. She looked up. “I’m not a chain-smoker. Just remember you only got on my case about smoking when you quit five years ago, and you never were able to persuade Dad to give up his cigars.”

  “I have no choice now,” Patrick said ruefully. “Something else I miss, along with pizza and golf.”

  “Why would you come back to a place where you see all the things you miss?” Alex asked curiously.

  “Because we had the chance to be with you again,” Marian explained. “That was something we wouldn’t give up for anything.”

  Alex reached out, almost afraid to touch her for fear she’d disappear before her very eyes. “I’ve missed you so much these months,” she said softly. “There were days something would happen I’d want to talk to you about and you weren’t there. You two were more than my parents. You were my best friends.”

  Her mother’s eyes misted. “As we’ve missed you. That’s why we had to come back, Alex. You’re our only daughter and we love you dearly. We wanted to know you’d have a happy life and share the same kind of love your father and I’ve had all these years. We love you, Alex. We only want the best for you, and we’d do anything in our power to see you have that kind of love and happiness.”

  Alex blinked rapidly. “It’s still hard to understand, but how can I argue with two parents who love their daughter so much they actually come back from the dead to see her again?” she sniffed. “The thing is, what you two have is so special I doubt it could be duplicated, even for me.”

  Marian smiled. “Of course it can. With the right man, that is. That’s all we want for you, dear.”

  Alex looked at her parents, still unable to comprehend the kind of love that would enable them to do this wondrous thing for her. She opened her mouth to ask something else when the phone rang. She reached for the receiver.

  “Hello?” A faint hint of something indefinable flashed across her face that her parents, knowing her so well, easily read. “Yes, Dr. Duffy. I remember you.” She tucked the receiver under her chin and half turned away from the two avid eavesdroppers. “Oh, you did? Really?” She turned to face her parents with an accusing glare. Patrick whistled under his breath and studied the vase sitting on the lamp table.

  “Well, yes, I can understand that is something that doesn’t happen to a doctor too often. Well, I’m glad you enjoyed them.” Her smile froze on her lips as she turned away from the offenders. “Dinner? I’m sorry I have an engagement tomorrow evening.” She ignored her mother tapping her shoulder a bit too hard. “No, I’m sorry, I’m busy then. Another time. Good night.” She hung up the receiver with great care before turning to face the guilty pair. “Tell me how you did it. And don’t use that nonsense about trade secrets, okay? Tell me exactly how you ordered flowers for Dr. Michael Duffy in my name.”

  “It was very easy.” Marian was the one to reply with pride ringing in her voice at the idea their scheme worked so well. “We charged them on your Visa card.”

  Chapter Four

  “Did he like them?” Marian asked brightly.

  Alex threw her head back and uttered something between a soft scream and a curse. “Why did you do this?”

  “Because he did something nice by coming by to check on you and the least you could do is thank him.”

  “A note would have been sufficient. Why flowers? I’m afraid to ask how much they cost,” she muttered.

  “Your father chose them. He wanted something that wouldn’t appear too ostentatious or feminine.”

  Alex felt the horror wash over her. She remembered the flowers Patrick sent Marian for special occasions. He never considered the cost. “How much?” she uttered between cold lips.

  “It was worth it. In fact, perhaps it’s something you could write off your income tax,” Patrick suggested.

  “I sincerely doubt it. How much?” She stressed the last two words.

  “Seventy-five dollars.”

  Alex felt the air leave her lungs in a hard whoosh. “Seventy-five dollars! What country did they come from?” She held up her hand. “Never mind. I don’t think I could handle any more.” She snatched up her pack of cigarettes and lighter and quickly lit up, giving her mother a telling look that warned of retribution if she dared say one word. She puffed several times before speaking.

 
“We need to discuss something,” she began. “I know you think that this Dr. Duffy is the answer to your prayers, but you have to understand my feelings. You two share an incredible love, the kind of love that doesn’t happen to just anyone. I thought I had it with Craig and I learned very quickly that I wasn’t even close. Then I looked around at my friends who were married. Some were on their second, a few even on their third marriages. Most of them were happy if they were just compatible. No one has what you have. So I decided I would look for a man who could offer me a stable life, a nice home and wasn’t threatened by my work.”

  “You mean you’ll settle for second-best,” Patrick said flatly.

  “Jason is not even close to second-best,” she argued.

  “Oh, Alexis.” Marian’s dark eyes were full of what suspiciously looked like pity. “Just because what you thought was love turned out to be lust and betrayal doesn’t mean the right man isn’t out there for you. If you enter into a commitment with Jason feeling this way, you’ll soon feel dissatisfied with what you have and you’ll only grow bitter as time passes.”

  Alex sank down on the couch, reaching for the ashtray. She tapped the ashes into the ceramic center. “I’m trying to be honest with you and you’re talking emotions again.”

  Patrick sat down next to her. “Baby, you have a very strong sense of emotion. You did all the time. I was constantly surprised you never became an actress, because you always knew what to do to keep us on your side.”

  She closed her eyes, wishing they would listen to her. “Then be on my side now when I need you the most. You keep saying you came back because you wanted to see me married to the right man. Please, accept my choice.”

  “Even if he’s wrong for you?” Marian asked quietly.

  “How do you know that? You’ve never given Jason a chance. He’ll be here this evening to take me out to dinner. I’ll suggest he have a drink first and we talk. You’ll see how charming he really is,” she told them. “Is that so much to ask?”

  The two exchanged a silent communiqué.

  “You’re right. We aren’t being fair to him,” Patrick was the one to reply. “I just wish I could ask him some questions.