An Unsinkable Love(38)
If he does one more thing to treat me like a child, I will scream! Bree pulled her fingers from under his and clasped her hands in her lap. She attempted to get herself under control by taking a deep breath. "What were your mother and Eldon doing tonight?"
"Louise Vanderbilt invited them to dinner. Mother was going to refuse, but for once, I agreed with Eldon. She needed a night away from here. She's been flitting between 130
An Unsinkable Love
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your room and mine since we got here. If Dr. Tumey hadn't made her stop and eat now and then, she'd probably be a patient as well." Malcolm sat back in his chair, a frown creasing his forehead above the bridge of his nose.
"Dr. Tumey seems very competent."
"He's actually quite well known. We were lucky to be brought here, especially when he was on duty. I think," he leaned in toward her, one expressive eyebrow raised, "he might be sweet on Mother."
Bree smiled. "I thought so too. Of course, she did absolutely nothing to encourage him," she added, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.
"Hmm. I wish she would. At least he might acknowledge her devotion, unlike Eldon. Although he's been a bit more attentive since the sinking. The bas—Urm, my stepfather, apologized profusely to Mother. He claimed he drank too much, lost a large sum of money at cards, and had a grave lapse of judgment. And he gave her a magnificent set of jewelry to replace some of what she lost. As if that would make up for what he did," Malcolm gritted out. Sadness crept over his face. "I don't think she believed it, but after he left she told me in no uncertain terms never to bring it up again."
He brightened a little as he added, "But there's something a bit different about her. She doesn't look to him every time she makes a decision now. Maybe it's a start."
"I hope so. She's such a wonderful woman. She doesn't deserve to be treated that way." Bree said.
He gave her a grateful smile and nodded. "Now you've had dinner, how about a trip around the block?"
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"I'm not sure. I mean, I can't go outside in my nightclothes."
"Maybe not, but we can at least take a tour around the inside of the building. There are miles of hallway here." He pushed her out of the dining room and they spent a couple peaceful hours while he gave her a guided tour of the different floors. They found an unattended elevator and rode it up and down after Malcolm took to closing his eyes and pushing a button, taking her out on whatever floor they ended up on. That came to a halt when they mistakenly stepped out onto the surgical floor and were chased off by an irate nurse.
Bree felt exhausted by the time he wheeled her back to her room. She climbed out of the chair and slipped under the bedclothes.
He must have noticed her tired eyes because he said, "I shouldn't have kept you out so late, Miss Barry. It won't be Dr. Tumey I have to worry about if Mother finds out I caused you to relapse."
She smiled. "It was lovely, Mr. Du ... um ... Malcolm. I enjoyed getting out. I can't believe how big this place is, and you know so much about it. You don't seem sick. I would have expected they'd let you go sooner than this."
He smiled. "I'm glad you've finally decided to call me by my given name. And since we're going to be spending so much time in each other's company in the coming weeks, will you finally consider me a friend?" He watched her intently, and she could have sworn he held his breath.
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She smiled sheepishly. "I suppose. And as I said before, my friends call me Bree."
He let out his breath in a whoosh. "Excellent! You need to get some sleep now. It's late and you're probably tuckered out. I'm going to park your chariot here in the corner. If they don't let us leave tomorrow, I'll come in and steal you away."
He smiled charmingly and went out, closing the door gently behind him.
Bree stared at the door. I'm afraid he's already stolen my heart, and doesn't even know it.
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133
An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
Chapter 19
Malcolm meandered through the halls late into the night.
He couldn't get those emerald eyes out of his head. The memory of her soft lips brushing his caused an uncomfortable pressure in his loins. Knowing she was there, only a thin layer of flannel separating them as they sat at the table, had been torture. He hoped her disconcerted attitude stemmed from the same source as his own—being so close to her, talking to her about anything that popped into his head, hearing her laugh at his silly attempts at amusement. It had been a wonderful evening. For him at least.