Page 34 of Meant to Be
Mitch pushed the button and then stood back to let the doors close. Next to him, Sydney stood, stoic and strong. The only hints of distress were the tremble in her chin, the tears welling in her eyes. Mitch wanted to comfort her. He’d tried before when he squeezed her shoulder, but it felt too small for such an emotional situation, especially for a woman he’d once loved.
The urge to hold her, protect her, was strong, as strong as the fear that if he did he wouldn’t be able to keep up his guard. The last thing he wanted was to let Sydney get past the wall around his heart he’d spent ten years building. But what the hell kind of man was he if he didn’t offer support when she was clearly in distress?
He took a breath to bolster his own strength. “Hey, Syd.” He reached out, took her arm, and pulled her to him.
Surprise shone in her wide eyes. He didn’t know what to say, but fortunately, whatever she saw in his face, allowed her to accept his comfort.
“Oh, Mitch.” Her fingers clutched at his shirt as she buried her face in his chest and wept.
He could have told her it would be all right, but he knew they were just words. So he rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.
The elevator stopped, and she pulled away.
“I’m okay.” She wiped her tears with his handkerchief.
When the doors opened, he followed her out into the hall.
“I’ll go change and be right out.”
“I’ll wait here.” Mitch stood by the elevators. He watched her make her way up the hall, wishing he could do more to wipe away her pain.
“Mitch.” Carla Dreyer, a nurse at the hospital, appeared from behind, startling him.
“Hey, Carla.”
“Can I help you?”
The redness in her eyes suggested she’d heard about Jenny. “I’m waiting for Doctor Preston.”
“Oh really.” There was judgment in her harsh tone, which surprised him. Normally, they were friendly. She’d been one of the first women he’d dated when he’d returned from Iraq and had helped him through the difficult transition from military to civilian life. Even after they’d stopped dating, they’d been friends, or so he thought.
“You have heard about Jenny Taggard, haven’t you?” Accusation laced her tone.
Now he understood:Did people really think he was an insensitive heel and a Lothario?“Yes. I’m working the case. Doctor Preston is a witness.”
“Oh.”
He saw regret in her eyes, but he pressed on before she could apologize. “Did you happen to see anything?”
She shook her head. “I just got on a few minutes ago.”
“If you hear anything, let me know.”
“Yes. Of course.”
Mitch stayed by the elevators as Carla continued up the hall toward the nurse’s station. Sydney appeared and stopped to talk to Carla. They hugged, suggesting that despite her short employment at the hospital, Sydney had made strong connections with the people she worked with. It wasn’t surprising. Sydney was unexpectedly adaptable and personable for a woman from a rich, sheltered background.
She walked toward him, her honey-colored hair still in a ponytail that should have looked out of place with her dark skirt and crisp shirt, but somehow didn’t. Her eyes were red, but she’d washed the streaks of tears from her cheeks.
“I’ll take you to your car and then you can follow me.”
She stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. “I don’t have my keys. I gave them to Jenny to get some journals out of my car. She’s studying to become a midwife, so I’ve been—”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Syd. Breathe.”
She inhaled. Or at least tried. The breath was shallow and shaky.
“It would be insensitive of me to go find them now. I know you don’t like me, but maybe you can give me a ride.”
