It was a horrifying thought. Surely it wasn’t entirely true.
Not entirely. She’d loved Josh desperately. And in her way, she loved Tyler. And she certainly had some sort of feelings for Chase. She would kill anyone who hurt Winston. She could cry when upset.
A psychopath then. Able to feel, but always choosing to follow the wrong path.
Aubrey checked the clock. Nearly two in the morning. Daisy was sleeping and, if the pattern she’d fallen into held, would be out until the overnight nurse came to do her vitals at four. Aubrey yawned and decided to risk a trip down to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee.
She crept out of the room so as not to wake her mother-in-law, and closed the door quietly behind her. The hallway lights were bright; she rubbed her eyes against the sudden glare. A man she didn’t recognize walked by, toward the last bank of rooms, and she realized just how unsecure a hospital was. The thought set her heart to beating hard, a tiny rush of adrenaline. Anyone could be here. Anyone could claim familial ties and walk the hallways at all hours. It totally creeped her out.
She alerted the nurse where she was headed in case of emergency, then took the elevator to the first floor. The hospital itself was a labyrinth, one she’d never thought she’d know so well. Too bad they hadn’t taken Daisy to Vanderbilt, which Aubrey knew well from Josh’s time there.
Instead, the first few days in Midtown, she’d ended up in parking lots and cardiac care units and outpatient surgery centers before she started to get a feel for the veering hallways that led to the appropriate bank of elevators. A person could get lost too easily around here, and it was rare to find people who could direct you to the right place; three-quarters of them were lost as well, and the others were busy rushing to their assigned spots. It could be quite frustrating.
But she finally got the hang of it.
Aubrey exited the elevator, smelled the dim antiseptic air that indicated freshly mopped floors. She was chilly, clutched her arms together for warmth. Yes, a coffee would be good. Maybe even a quick granola bar or some chocolate. Fuel.
The cafeteria was open with modified service, self-service, and prepacked foods only. A sleepy clerk sat on a stool by the register, his head nodding.
Aubrey got a large cup of coffee and a Hershey bar. She paid the attendant and decided to sit and drink for a bit. She had time. Daisy wouldn’t wake up. She’d never know.
She took a hard plastic seat by the window, even though there was nothing to see in the dark. The trees had small, dim lights planted in the mulch shining up their thin trunks, but this was an interior courtyard, so there was nothing outside to distract from the quiet.
She sipped the coffee and wondered what was next. Chase had gone back to Chicago. He had to work, an article due. He’d be back Thursday night. She was looking forward to seeing him. To talking with him. To touching him and smelling his scent and feeling his hands caress her body.
But she didn’t know where she wanted things to go yet. It was a silly thing to worry about, but Aubrey had only ever been in love with one man, and was a monogamous creature at heart. She wanted to know what to expect, what to plan for. For the schedule to magically appear: You will date for three months; he’ll suggest moving in. Since you have the yard for the dog, he’ll want to live in Nashville. And on New Year’s Eve, he will propose, and you will be torn as to what to answer. You’ll want to say yes, but have you spent enough time getting to know him? And then there’s the question of children . . .
God, Aubrey. Cart before the horse much? You don’t even know if he’s trustworthy.
“Is this seat taken?”
Aubrey jumped. A man was standing at her elbow. Silvery hair, dark eyes. Jeans and a sweater. Oddly familiar. He made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to seem rude.
“Um, no?”
“Oh, good.” He sat down across from her, his own cup of coffee to hand. “It gets so lonely here at night. It’s nice to see another civilian. Mom sick?”
“Mother-in-law.”
“Ah. The toughest relationship. You’ve stolen her son away, he’s chosen you over her. Oedipal complex aside, it’s always fraught with danger.”
Aubrey couldn’t shake the eerie feeling she was getting from this guy.
“Your . . . wife is ill?” she guessed.
“Ah, no. Just a friend.” He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. Aubrey realized he was the strange man from the hallway upstairs—that’s where she’d seen him—but now, face-to-face, he seemed even more familiar.
“Have we met?”
“I don’t know. Have we?” He cocked his head to the side and smiled. Aubrey stared at him. She totally knew him, and not just from the hospital. But from where?
“May I?”