Page 57 of His North Star
“You need to call your brother,” he said.
“Right.” I slid my phone out of my back pocket with shaky hands and dialed my brother. He didn’t answer the first three times. I called again.
“I’m on a date,” he growled in annoyance. “What do you need?”
“Mom’s on the way to the hospital,” I said around the lump in my throat.
A chair squeaked, and words were muffled. In a clear voice, he said, “I’m on my way.”
“Call me when you get there.”
“You’re not going?”
“Someone needs to stay at the B&B.” Working a family business had its perks. Tonight was definitely not one of them. We all couldn’t be at the hospital together. And family vacations? We hadn’t had one since Grandma had died. Mom didn’t trust outsiders to take care of the legacy her parents created.
He grunted. “Tell me what happened to Mom.”
“She fell down the stairs while carrying a heavy box. She’s unconscious and bleeding from her head,” I choked out through the emotion clogging my throat.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I don’t know,” I whimpered.Please let her be.
“I’ll call you soon with an update.”
“Thanks, Lan.” I pocketed my phone, turning to James. “Sorry our night ended early.”
“Don’t be. Your family comes first. I’ll pack up the telescope and put it in your apartment and call you later, okay?”
“K. Thank you.”
James gave me a quick squeeze before heading back down to the dock. I went into the lodge and sat behind the receptionist desk. Turning the computer on, I clicked on our reservation system to see if we were expecting any more check-ins for the night. While I waited for the data to load, my mind wandered back to Mom. She was the glue that held this place, and us, together. If she didn’t recover, I didn’t know what would happen.
My head spun. What if something was horribly wrong with Mom?
CHAPTER 16
Dream James, looking even more handsome than usual, lay on his side, facing me, in the cool grass by the lake. The lingering orange and pink from the sunset stained the cotton-candy clouds floating above us. The gentle whoosh of waves climbed ashore. Everything was perfect, exactly as it should be when subconsciously conjuring up your boyfriend. James’s face hovered centimeters from mine. Our breaths danced together in stops and starts, yet somehow in sync. Mint and salt tickled my nose. I kept my eyes open, as our previous interruptions happened when I’d closed them.
A loud thump startled me away from Dream James. I scowled and James laughed.
“Maybe we’re not meant to be,” he said, “and the universe is trying to get us to catch on to the message.” His body faded like he was becoming a ghost.
Before he completely drifted away, I shouted, “No! We’re great together.”
Banging, and a panicked shout of, “Maren!” were muffled in the distance.
Ty?
I picked my head up, my vision hazy. Where was I? A piece of paper stuck to my cheek. I swiped it off. Finally, items around the lobby came into focus. The leather couch tucked under the window to the right. The stone fireplace to the left. The potted fern tree next to the entrance.
“Maren Nicole Meyer.” Ty rushed as he entered the reception area. “Are you okay? Why in heaven’s name did I have to learn your mom went to the hospital fromLandon?”
My heart jumped to my throat, startling me. Landon called Ty?
I forced my tongue to move against the sandpaper in my mouth. “What time is it?”
“Eleven-thirty.”
