Florida Fling with the Single Dad
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Deanne Anders
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15
CHAPTER ONE
KATIE MCGEE STARED at the sign reading Flight Crew as she knocked on the door of the small modular building located beside a large helipad that contained a blue-and-gold medevac helicopter. Was she ready for this? Absolutely not. Did she have a choice? The answer to that was exactly the same. But she’d promised Alex that she would help him out and she always kept her promises.
Oh, she could have turned him down, and at first she had started to because she’d assumed it was just another of his ploys to get her to come to Key West, but he had sounded so stressed when he’d called that she had known immediately something was up and he really did need her.
So after four days of driving she was finally on the island her friend now called home. And after everything that had happened in the last six months, she was lucky she’d been given this opportunity to help her friend out. She could still be in the hospital recuperating from her injury. Or she could even be dead.
But she’d survived. And now, even though there were a lot of her coworkers who had insinuated she might not be ready to get back out on the job of flight nurse, she’d proven to both them and her family that she was just as capable now as she had been before the shooting.
So why did she feel so nervous? Maybe because it was the first time in her life that she was all alone this far away from home?
Giving up on someone coming to the door, she opened it. The smell of burnt popcorn filled her nose. It seemed at least one person was awake and moving around in the quiet building.
Stepping through the door, she noticed the oversize gray couch and the big screen TV hanging on the back wall of the large open room. It was the same in all of Heli-Care operations: the bigger the TV, the happier the crew.
She wasn’t surprised to see that the room was empty. Most flight crew shifts were twenty-four hours long, so it wouldn’t be unusual for the crew to be catching a nap in their rooms. If she was lucky, the assistant manager would be available to set up the required new location orientation this morning and she could be on her way. After the drive from New York, she just wanted to get moved into the rental Alex had procured for the next two months, unpack her bags and take a long, cool shower.
Letting her offended nose lead her, she walked through an open doorway and entered a small galley kitchen. A tall man stood at a trash can, emptying out a burnt paper bag that was obviously the source of the smell now overwhelming the small room. Seeing a window over the sink, she hurried over to open it. It didn’t budge. Two strong hands joined hers and together they pushed up the heavy window. Light green eyes with flecks of gold met hers. Unable to look away, she stood frozen in place within the circle of this man’s arms.
“Hello,” the man said, “you must be Katie.”
His face close to hers, she studied the chiseled cheekbones and square jaw with just enough growth that there was no doubt it was intentional. His light brown curly hair framed a face that was meant for the magazines. But it was the eyes that mesmerized her. They seemed to look deep inside her.
And then it happened. The heat of his body behind her. The knowledge that she didn’t know this man. A sense of danger that she couldn’t control. A shiver ran up her body and breathing became more difficult.
When would this feeling of fear stop? She was safe now. This man clearly wasn’t a threat.
Or was he? Those mesmerizing green eyes seemed to see deep inside her and she couldn’t help but fear what he might find if he looked too close. And that flutter of attraction that had run through her right before her survival instincts kicked in and took control.
Yeah, this man could most definitely be a threat to the peace she hoped to find here on this tiny island.
As if realizing that they were standing too close, he moved back allowing her to take a deep breath. Squaring her shoulders, she forced her breathing to slow. This was not the first impression she wanted to make on someone who would be one of her new coworkers. Never show your weaknesses, her father had always said.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Yes, I’m Katie McGee. I’m here to set up my orientation.” She tried to smile as she turned toward the man, but it was all she could do to keep herself upright. She just needed a couple more minutes for her body to realize it was safe. She’d been through this so often now that she could almost time how long it took for her heart rate to return to normal and her stomach to settle. The fact that she was recovering from these little spells of hers faster than she was only a month ago had to mean that her total recovery was getting closer. Hopefully, a couple of months in more laid-back surroundings than New York City would help her get over this anxiety that came whenever she was in a situation that she didn’t feel she could control.
“Oh, sorry,” the man said as he grabbed a dish towel, wiped his hands and then held one out. “Dylan. Dylan Maddox. Flight paramedic, assistant manager and, as of four days ago, acting supervisor of the Key West flight crew. Sorry about the smell. I keep forgetting to set the timer.”
Katie backed away from the window and looked around the room. She wished Alex had told her more about the man he had left in charge and who would be her boss until he returned. He’d been so rushed the day he’d called and asked for her help that she’d only had time to ask just the most elementary of questions concerning the operation of the local Key West office.
Realizing he still held his hand out to her, she extended her own hand. Warm fingers grasped hers in a firm grip then released.
“It’s nice to meet you, Dylan. I still can’t believe Alex left the way he did. Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I don’t really know. He seemed pretty shook up.”
“It’s not like him to leave like this. He’s always been so dependable.” A trait they had in common. But it had been over a year since she had seen him. Maybe the slower pace of the island life had changed him.
“Let’s go to the office. He left your paperwork with me.” He led her down a short hall off the kitchen, giving her a tour of the building as they walked.
“We have four bedrooms. They’re small, but no one has to share,” he said as they passed several closed doors, “There are two Jack-and-Jill bathrooms between the rooms. And of course you’ve already seen the kitchen and our lounge.”
He opened the door at the end of the hall where a small desk sat with a tall bookcase behind it. “Alex wanted me to tell you how much he appreciated you coming to help. With me taking over some of the office responsibilities and other members of the crews taking summer vacations we need the extra help.”
“He’s always been a good friend to me. Besides, I’m getting eight weeks in sunny Florida. My New York flight crew was jealous that I was offered the assignment.” And it couldn’t have come at a better time. With her family pressuring her to get back to living her life, this job gave her the distance she needed right now. “I just wish I knew he was okay.”
Alex’s only family as far as she knew was his mother, a well-known Broadway actress, but that wasn’t something that he shared with many people. She felt sure she would have heard something if his mother was ill. With her popularity as an actress on the Broadway circuit, the media would quickly have a story out if something had happened to her.
“He didn’t really share what the emergency was, but he did say he’d call when he could. And he left all the information you would need with me,” Dylan said as he started going through a file on his desk. “It looks like all the paperwork for your Florida nursing license is here along with all your education requirements. I see you’ve got quite a collection of certifications here too.”
“I take my job and my qualifications very seriously,” she said. She’d go head-to-head with any of the crew here as far as skills were concerned.
“I can see that,” he said as he leaned back in the chair across from her.
She felt like a small ant under a microscope while he studied her. She started to make a comment, but decided she wasn’t in the position to get on the wrong side of the man who would be in charge of her till Alex returned. What was it about this man that rattled her so?
She took a moment to study the man herself. He was of average height, but his muscular built was anything but average. His light brown hair was interwoven with blond highlights that no doubt came from time spent in the Florida sun. The man could have made a million bucks as a model in New York. Not that she’d tell him that. Men with looks like his got more attention than was good for them already. She knew that from her own experience. She’d grown up with four very handsome brothers.
She straightened in the chair when he got up and closed the door behind her.
“Look, Katie,” he said, sitting back down in his chair, “I’m going to be honest with you. When Alex spoke to me about bringing someone new down here, I had my misgivings. Our flight team is very tight. We work well together because we’ve been doing it so long. I know each one of the crew’s strengths and weaknesses, and they know mine. We have each other’s backs every time we go out on a flight together. Not knowing how someone is going to handle themselves out there can put us all at risk.”
Was this supposed to be the welcoming speech? Because so far, she was feeling everything but welcomed. Instead, she was thinking that maybe she needed to load back into her brother’s old Jeep that she’d borrowed for the trip and head back up north. But she wouldn’t. She needed this time alone to get herself together. Just a little bit of time to deal with what she’d been through in the last few months. Her jaw tightened and her chin tipped up. McGees didn’t run home when things got tough. McGees stayed till the job was done.
“But looking at this folder, I understand why Alex wanted you here. And it shows how much your friends mean to you that you’d leave your home to come all the way down here to help Alex out. I think that’s something we can work with,” Dylan said as he leaned back in the chair again.
“Alex told you about the shooting?” she asked. It wasn’t as if the incident in New York hadn’t made the national news. There had to be cable news stations even this far into the swamps.
“He did. He was very happy that you recovered so quickly. Something like what happened to you can change a person for life,” he said.
“And the rest of the team? Do they know?” she asked. She knew as the new kid on the crew there’d be a lot of curiosity about her even if they didn’t know about the shooting.
“If they do, they didn’t hear it from me. I do know that they’ll be happy to have some extra help. We help cover our second local office in Marathon and their staff covers ours when needed.”
“I’m happy to be of use wherever you need me. I can start tomorrow,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as anxious as she felt. Work had become her security blanket. It was something she was good at. It felt normal, right, when everything else felt off.
An alarm, long and shrill, sounded on a phone. Standing, he pulled his phone from his belt. She heard the doors open down the hall before he opened the door.
“Be safe,” Dylan called as she watched the back of three dark blue flight suits rush down the hall.
“Always,” one of the crew shouted back at him.
“What’s the flight?” she asked as she joined Dylan in the doorway, her heart beating wildly with the adrenaline from the sound of the dispatcher she could hear over the crew’s radios as they headed off.
“Pedestrian versus scooter in the historical district. It’s too tight an area to land in, but the EMTs called it out as a head injury so we’ll meet them at the airport and fly the patient into Miami where there’s a neurosurgeon available.”
She’d done some studying of the area’s available health care before she’d started the trip down and had learned that some specialties weren’t provided by the local hospital, which was why it was so important for a helicopter crew to be available in the Keys.
“Like I was saying, I can start tomorrow,” she said.
The phone rang on the desk and he walked back over to answer it then put the caller on hold before handing her a large envelope on the table. “Let’s discuss when you start after you get settled. The code to the keypad of your rental and a map to its location are in here. I’ll get in contact with you later today and we’ll set up your orientation then.”
He picked up his phone and punched something into it. Her phone immediately dinged and she pulled it out of her pocket.
“My number in case you need to get lost or need anything,” Dylan said.
“Thanks.” She stood.
She took the envelope, then left the office and found her way back to the front entrance. The humidity that had greeted her the moment she’d driven into Miami enveloped her as she stepped outside and she remembered the promise she’d made to herself of a long shower the minute she got settled into her new place. She took out the map and studied it, surprised to find that it had been hand drawn in bright colored crayons with illustrations that appeared to be fancy stick people and squares that represented buildings. Fortunately, someone had written over the roads in ink with street names and numbers and had also labeled some of the buildings. But it was the words written in bright red crayons that made her smile. Welcome to Key West was printed in large letters across the top of the paper. Not wanting to take any chances, though, she entered the address into her phone. She’d have to ask Alex when he returned for the name of the artist responsible for such a unique map. She just hoped he didn’t say it was him.
“Is she nice?” Violet asked as they climbed the steps to the little cottage that was rented out to Katie.
“She seems very nice, but that doesn’t mean you can ask her a bunch of questions. She’s had a long trip to get here from New York, so she’s probably too tired to feel like talking right now. How about we give her a few days to settle in before you give her the Violet inquisition?” Dylan said as he adjusted the basket of fruit and cheese in his arms so that he could hug his daughter to his side.
It amazed him to think of this perfect little eight-year-old as his. Not having known about her until a year ago, he was still new to fatherhood. Some days were harder than others, but they were making it work. His only fear was that her mother would show up one day and undo everything he’d done to make Violet feel like she had a stable home here with him. The idea of her mother taking her back out on the road with her, never knowing exactly where his daughter was...that was something that he couldn’t let himself dwell on.
“How many are a few? Two?” she asked.
“Honey, if you make it to two days without driving this poor woman crazy with your questions, it will be a miracle.” The door opened and the woman they’d been discussing stood in front of him. Her dark blond hair was down now and it fell past her shoulders and she was wearing an old Mets T-shirt and a pair of torn shorts. She looked much different from the every-hair-perfectly-in-place woman he had met earlier that day. Now she was a woman he could picture himself spending time with.
And where had that thought come from? He didn’t have time or any interest in spending time with anyone besides his daughter.
“Ah, hello,” Katie said as she blinked her eyes against the sunlight.
Her hair was a bit mussed up and her feet were bare. Did they wake her up from a nap? He should have taken his own advice and let her settle in before he came over, but he was worried he’d been rude this morning. He wanted to make sure she felt welcome in the community. Even if she was only here temporarily.
What Alex had somehow forgotten to mention was that the big-city girl from New York was also a looker. And right then it was taking all his concentration and the fact that his daughter stood beside him to keep his eyes from a pair of long legs that brought out a very unwanted reaction from him.
“Sorry, we should have waited until tomorrow, but Violet wanted to meet you.” He smiled down at the little girl, who was studying the newcomer seriously. “We won’t disturb you. I’ll just give you this—” he pushed the basket he’d bought at the grocery store into her arms “—and now we’ll let you get back to it. I mean get back to resting or whatever.”
As he tripped over the words coming out of his mouth, he tried to understand what was happening to him. Yes, this woman with her sleepy emerald bedroom eyes was damn sexy right then, but he didn’t even know her. She was a temporary coworker. That was all she could be.
Setting down the basket, she bent down to his daughter and held out her hand. “Hello, Violet. My name is Katie. I’m so glad to meet you.”
“I’m glad to meet you too, but I’m not allowed to ask you any questions for at least two days,” his daughter said with a smile that could charm even the most hardened heart.
“Really? And why is that?” Katie asked.
“My daddy says you’ve had a long trip and are too tired. Are you too tired?” Violet asked, the determined glint in her eyes telling him that there would be no stopping his daughter now.
Katie looked up at him and smiled before turning back to Violet. “I think I could handle a few questions. Would you like to come in?”
“Can we, Daddy?” Violet asked, her eyes begging him to let her have her way. If she ever realized just how hard it was for him to say no to her he’d be in big trouble.
“Are you sure?” he asked. They did need to discuss a few things before the next day.
“Of course. I’ve still got a few bags to unpack, but most everything is out of the way.” She bent to pick the basket up, but he beat her to it.
“I’ve got this. Do you like the place?” he asked. It would be a little awkward if she started complaining about the cottage.
“I love it! When Alex said he had the perfect place for me to stay, I didn’t expect anything like this,” she said as they headed inside. For someone who had been half-asleep just seconds before, her face was now animated with a pleasure that for some inexplicable reason pleased him to no end. “You need to see the view in the back. And there’s a path that leads down to the water. It’s amazing.”
Violet giggled from behind the two of them as Katie led them to the large sliding doors at the back of the cottage.
“We think it’s the perfect view too,” he said. Turning back to his daughter, he winked.
“You do?” Katie asked as she faced them. “You’ve been here before?”
“My friend Janna lived here for a few weeks, but she had to go home with her parents,” Violet said, her tone leaving no room for doubt that she was not happy with her friend’s parents.
“Oh, is that how Alex heard about the property?” Katie asked Dylan.
“Sort of. He asked me about a rental and I told him this place was open. I’ve only had it on the rental market for a couple months.”
“You’ve only had it on the rental market for a couple months?” Katie said, repeating his words. “You own the cottage? You’re my landlord?”
“Yes. I assumed Alex would have mentioned my name and the fact that I owned the rental.” But there seemed to be a lot that Alex had forgotten to mention. Like how long it would be before he would return and let Dylan get back to his own responsibilities.
“And we’re neighbors too,” Violet said as she pushed past her father. “Come see.”
Violet walked over to the sliding doors and slid one open. “That’s our place next door. Isn’t it pretty?”
They walked out to the small deck that he had built onto the back of the cottage, so that Katie could see the slightly larger cottage only a few yards away.
“It is very pretty. I love that color of green,” Katie said before looking over at him. “You didn’t think you should tell me this morning that we would be living next door or that you were my new landlord?”
“I really did think that Alex had told you. It’s not like him to forget something like that.” Which had him wondering even more what exactly was going on in Alex’s life?
“Dylan... I mean Daddy...let me help with all the colors,” Violet said. “And he bought me my own tool belt just like his...but it’s pink. Do you like pink?”
“I do like pink,” Katie told his daughter before turning back to him. “Did you build this yourself?”
“We both did,” Violet answered before he could speak. “It’s our investment property. Daddy says we need it so that we can pay for our house before he’s gray and wrinkled.”
“Violet, why don’t you run down to the water and see if there are any shells for Katie? I bet she’d like to collect a few to take back to New York,” Dylan said. He waited until his daughter was out of earshot before continuing their conversation. “Sorry, she gets a little excited when she meets new people.”
“She’s adorable. I just wish I had some of her energy,” Katie said. She pushed her hair away from her face, but the soft gulf breeze blew it right back. “Would you like some water? I’m afraid that’s all I have right now. I should have stopped at the store on the way here, but I was so tired of driving. I don’t think I, or the Jeep, could have gone any further.”
“No, we’re good,” he said. “I was surprised when Alex said you were driving down. That’s a trip not too many people would be willing to make.”
“It seemed like a good time for a road trip. You know, get some fresh air. Clear the mind. I am glad, though, that I don’t have to think about that return trip for a few weeks. I was surprised with how tired you can get just sitting in a seat for twelve hours.”
“I’m sorry we got interrupted this morning. And I admit even though I thought Alex had mentioned my owning the cottage, I should have discussed it with you this morning.” He’d known the minute he’d gotten off the phone call from the regional office that he should have made some comment about being her landlord instead of just throwing a map and key code at her as she walked out the door.
He had a lot to learn about being a landlord.
“It was a little crazy this morning. How did the flight go?” she asked, taking a seat on one of the wicker chairs he’d purchased for the deck. It was strange seeing this big-city woman in an old ratty shirt and shorts appearing so at home on the deck of his little cottage. He’d only known her for a day, even less, but something about her intrigued him.
Or was it just his need to take care of everyone? He’d learned from Alex and her employee file that Katie had been through some difficult times and he knew they weren’t over yet. No one went through what she had without coming out scarred.
And he couldn’t help but think that the last time a woman had interested him this much, it hadn’t ended well. Except for Violet. Violet made all the heartache her mother had caused him worth it.
“He had an open-head injury, but the prognosis was good when the crew dropped him off at the Miami trauma unit. We’ll check back with the hospital tomorrow and see how he’s doing,” he said as he took a matching chair across from her.
“Do you get many of those? Pedestrian versus vehicles injuries? Most everyone I saw on my way to the cottage was on a bike or walking in this area.”
“There are more than a few tourists that decide getting on a bicycle after drinking or driving a scooter when they haven’t been on one for years is a good idea. Fortunately, most only end up with skinned knees or broken arms that can be treated in the local hospital. But there are enough of the serious injuries to keep us busy flying back and forth to the mainland. Of course, we have our share of boating accidents and drownings too.”
“It sounds much different from what I’m use to in New York,” Katie said. She was looking into the thin line of trees that separated the cottage from the water, but he could tell her mind was somewhere else. Was it back to the night of the shooting? Alex had told him enough about the incident that he knew she’d required several weeks in the hospital.
“About what I said this morning, about me having doubts about you coming here at first, I don’t want you to think we aren’t glad to have you. You will find that our small crew works well together and I have no doubts that they’ll be happy you are here to help. And with Alex speaking so highly of you, I do think this is a good place for you.” Hearing his daughter coming up the path, he stood to go.
“I understand. The New York office was concerned about me coming back after the shooting, but I proved myself to them.”
“I know. Alex told me they were impressed.” He didn’t tell her that Alex himself had mentioned some concerns after talking to her, though his boss hadn’t been able to pinpoint what was wrong. “How about we start with your orientation tomorrow morning?”
“Look what I found for you, Katie,” Violet said as she climbed the step up to the deck as she held out two shells for Katie to examine.
“They’re very pretty. I’ll have to get something to keep them in so I can take them back to New York with me.” Katie took the shells from his daughter.
“We have a bunch at our house if you want to come see them,” his daughter offered.
“Why don’t we let her get settled first,” Dylan said as they walked back through the cottage to the front door.
“But...” Violet started to protest.
“What have I told you about our neighbors?” Dylan asked his daughter, brushing his hand over her curls. It was the only thing she’d gotten from him. Her slim build and baby blue eyes were a replica of her mother.
“They’re not here for our entertainment. We have to respect their privacy.” Violet repeated to him in a sad singsong voice.
“What time do you want me at the office?” Katie asked as they reached the door.
“Shift change is seven. If there isn’t a call we’ll take a ride over the islands so you can get your bearings. Then we’ll get your schedule set up.”
“Sounds great. I’ll see you then. And, Violet,” she said, calling out to his daughter who was skipping up and down the sidewalk, “maybe you can come back to help me gather some shells another day?”
His daughter jumped with joy and he listened all the way home to the description of all the shells that she hoped to collect for her new friend, Katie.
