“You bet I do and it might be me,” she said, hiking up the steps to the back door. “If Alex thinks I’m going to let him tell me what to do, he’d better think again.” She wiped her feet on a mat and walked inside. “I’m not letting anyone put a leash on me. Especially not my husband,” she said hotly, working herself up to an argument.
Together they hurried up the stairs to the sitting room where Alex and a tall, thin man with a short clipped beard were talking.
“There you are!” Alex said as he sat on the edge of a wingback chair, his hands clasped between his knees, his attention on the other guy. “Christ, Marla, where were you? I checked your room and called for you and I was just about to have the place searched.”
“I was in the backyard.”
“In this weather?”
She didn’t answer. The wet shoulders of her jacket and raindrops on her face and the flush from the cold air should have been testament enough to her whereabouts.
“I thought you were in a meeting,” Nick said to Alex as he positioned himself near the fireplace. Flames crackled in the grate and the smell of burning wood wafted through the room.
“It was canceled so I thought I’d show Tom around. Marla, Nick, this is Tom Zayer. He’s Marla’s nurse.”
“Do I know you?” Nick asked, his eyes trained on the nurse. “Have we met?”
“Could be,” Tom said. “I see a lot of people. I worked Emergency at Bayside and I had a job with Cahill House.”
Nick’s eyebrows became one. “You look familiar.”
Tom snorted and lifted a shoulder. “It’s a small world.”
“It was at the hospital. I’m sure I saw you there.”
“Could have been.”
Marla managed a smile she didn’t feel. Though her fists strained to clench she stretched her fingers and tried to keep a tight rein on her temper. “It’s good to meet you,” she said to the nurse. She offered her hand and shook his. “Unfortunately my husband’s made a big mistake. Despite my appearance, I really don’t need someone to look after me. I’m sure that Alex will be more than glad to pay you for your trouble, but I really won’t be needing your services.”
“Of course you will,” Alex cut in, and Tom, dropping Marla’s hand, stepped back, held up his hands as if surrendering, and looked from Marla to Alex.
“Hey, I’m not stepping into this.”
“It’s not a problem.” Alex shot Marla a look that was meant to drop the argument in its tracks. It didn’t.
“I’m fine. I don’t need a nurse. It would be a waste of Tom’s time, my patience and your money.”
“This was Phil’s idea,” Alex said, his jaw clenched, a vein beginning to throb over his eye. Marla guessed it wasn’t often anyone stood up to him . . . especially not his wife. “He’s the doctor.”
“Then I’ll talk to Phil,” she said, the reins of her temper slipping through her fingers.
“Hey, if this is a problem,” Tom interjected, “maybe you two should work it out.”
Alex pointed a finger at Tom. “It’s not a problem. I obviously just should have discussed it with my wife in more detail.”
“A lot more detail,” Marla said, just as Eugenia’s footsteps and Coco’s nails could be heard in the hall. Great, just what she needed.
The older woman was stripping off her gloves as she rounded the corner and Coco shot into the room, barking like mad, making a pest of herself. “Hush!” Eugenia snapped as the dog yapped at Tom. “Now! Or you’ll go to your kennel. Sit!” For once the animal obeyed. “Alex, Nick . . . Marla,” she greeted. “I see you’ve met Tom.”
“You know him?” Marla asked.
“Oh, yes, at Cahill House when he volunteered for us. How are you?” she asked the nurse.
“Fine, fine,” he said nervously as Coco started barking again. “Maybe I should just go.”
“Marla doesn’t want a nurse,” Alex explained.
“But why not?” Eugenia was crestfallen. “You do want to get better, don’t you, dear? As fast as you can.”