My Kind of Christmas (Virgin River #20)(74)

Mike V came outside. “You left me alone with all those women!” He accepted the cigar that Bob had declined.

“Yeah, this is my idea of a Christmas party,” Jack said, puffing. “Forest ranger might get a little excited, but that’s okay. So,” he continued, turning to Patrick, “rumor is, you’re still leaving day after tomorrow.” He shook his head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I made a commitment. Not something I take lightly. And before anyone asks—Angie has been completely aware of this since the very first day we met. She understands. She approves. And she has plans of her own—she’s headed back to med school. She’s very motivated. More now than when she got here. So you see? We both have our plans. I’m not saying it’s all that easy, but it’s decided and accepted.”

It was quiet for a long stretched-out moment.

“I have ten bucks that says he never gets out of town,” Walt Booth said.

“I go with Walt,” Sean said. “For twenty.”

“Twenty says he gets as far as the airport,” said Jack. “Trust me, I’ve watched this place over the years—men hardly ever get away. They try, though.”

“Put me down for a hundred that takes him all the way to Charleston before he figures it out,” Luke said. “My little brother is book smart, but that’s where his smarts end.”

“Gentlemen, as much as I enjoy your humor, I’m out of here,” Patrick said, then he stalked back into the house.

Chapter Sixteen

Patrick didn’t have the heart to tell Angie they were wagering on whether he’d actually leave town, leave her, as planned. If it weren’t for the fact that his brothers didn’t actually start it, he’d be feeling pretty unforgiving toward them. In fact, if not for his mother, he might not even offer them a goodbye. But there was his mother. And though she was a tough old broad, when her boys were unhappy with one another, it tore a little at her heart.

Patrick wanted to make his departure as easy on Angie as possible. Though she put on the strong, resilient act, he knew it was going to be hard for her to say goodbye. He knew because it was killing him. So he went through the details of how his last day would be spent. He was just about packed up—a bachelor never completely unpacks and tends to travel light—and he was going to make a run over to Luke’s to tell his mother goodbye and not to worry. It was an important ritual—mothers liked to worry. He’d favor Luke with a handshake if they crossed paths.

After bidding his family farewell, Angie could have anything she wanted from him until he had to leave. As it turned out, all she asked for was his chili, a beer and a quiet night in, which suited him just fine. They opted for her cabin. He would leave first thing in the morning, run by his own cabin to get his things and then head for Oklahoma.

The first order of business was visiting his mother. She’d sent all her sons to war at one time or another; she’d tried to pull each one of them through a laundry list of crises. “Just remember that I love you, Paddy,” she said. “Take care of yourself.”

He had to give his brothers credit—the joking was over. “If there’s ever anything you need, you know how to reach me,” Luke said. “Don’t hesitate.”

“Thanks.”

“Keep the greasy side down, man.”

“Aw, that’s not the fun flying,” Paddy said.

At the Victorian, as predicted, he found the rest of them. “No partying or playing tonight, gentlemen. I’m making Angie a pot of chili and we’re going to play a little Scrabble. Then I’m out of here. Aiden, thanks for the cabin. It almost feels like home.”

“My pleasure. And listen, if you need more time, let the Navy know. They’d really rather have you washing battleships than messing up one of their pretty F-18s if you’re not ready for that duty.”

Patrick laughed.

“If you need something, call me first,” Colin said, putting out his hand. “I think I owe you big. I owe all of you big, but if I remember…”

“I remember,” Patrick said, taking his hand in a firm shake. “I came to your rescue when you were strung out on Oxy and you threw me out. Threw my clothes on the lawn.”

“Did I apologize for that?” Colin asked with a grin.

“Not that I can recall.”

“Good. It’s better to just return the favor.”

And then there was Sean. “Listen, Paddy—I know we butt heads sometimes. Okay, Riordans butt heads regularly. But you know we’ve got your back. Right?”

“Right,” he said, shaking Sean’s hand.

“You lost a good friend—I can’t say anything that will make that better. But your brothers are always there for you. Sometimes even when you’d rather we’d just go away.”

“Considering the number of times you losers have had me on the other side of this equation, I’m just going to say thank you. And move on.”

Then it was time for the really hard part. His last night with Angie.

Patrick was ready to call on every ounce of courage and compassion he could muster to get her through the night and his early-morning departure. But he’d been woefully unprepared for the fact that Angie would prove to be the really strong one.

“You know how there are people in your life that change everything?” she asked. “The kind of friend without whom you can’t make a paradigm leap into a new realm, into unchartered territory and new possibilities? The kind of friend who you’re always your very best self with? Was Jake that kind of friend?”