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23. Tori

Justin had been weird lately. Preoccupied and tense and…weird. There was just no other way to see it. Yes, he'd been consumed by the "Val situation," as she'd come to think of his involvement with the tumor study that took place about two weeks earlier. He did seem enormously involved in work right now, with multiple critical patients.

The only day he'd taken off lately was when he went to St. Augustine with Kenzie to tour Flagler College, and after that? He seemed even more…not distant, exactly, but…weird.

And then, out of the blue, for no special reason on a Wednesday night, he asked that she come to his sailboat to talk about something.

With a heavy heart and a genuine fear that she was about to find out he was on his way to Rochester with a woman he literally talked to every day—at least it seemed that way—Tori dressed in a flattering maxi and took care doing her makeup. No reason to look bad when getting dumped.

She said goodbye to the kids, who were both deeply involved in homework and didn't seem a bit fazed by her evening rendezvous. Would they be as broken as she if Justin announced he was taking a job across the country? Would they want to go? Would she?

No. It wasn't an option, and he knew it.

The minute she got in the car, her phone rang with a call from Susannah.

"Oh, honey, we need a favor," her mother said without preamble.

"I'm on my way to…" The end of my happiness, she thought glumly. "Meet Justin. He wants to talk to me about something."

"Oh?" She murmured to Dad, sounding like she was pressing the phone to her chest. Then, "I'm sorry, honey, but everyone's busy. Is there any chance you can stop and pick up Dad's prescription at Walgreens? We're already in PJs and he's out of his statin and I meant to get it today and totally forgot."

Tori made a face, knowing the detour down to the pharmacy would cost some time and delay the inevitable. However, the neurologist who might be about to end their relationship would want Dad to take his meds.

"Okay," she said, making a turn toward the strip center and the pharmacy. Once she had the prescription, she zipped over to the beach road and pulled into her parents' drive, hoping Susannah wasn't chatty—or curious.

But it was Dad who met her at the door, wearing striped PJs and a big smile.

"Thanks, Tori," he said, taking the Walgreens bag. "Your doctor wouldn't like it if I missed this."

"He's not my doctor, Dad. He's yours."

Rex drew back, making a face at the comment. "Excuse me? Is there trouble in paradise?"

She huffed out a breath. Dad was truly the last person she wanted to talk to about this. He was great for inspiration, motivation, and general family business. Romance? Not so much.

"It's nothing, Dad. I just…" She glanced over her shoulder. "I have to go meet him."

"That doesn't sound like you're very excited about it."

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm kind of…" Then she shook her head. "It's not a good time, Dad. I have to go."

"Okay, but when you see him, tell him I talked to the guy at the Mayo Clinic and gave him a rave review and reference."

She froze in the act of stepping backwards to leave, so stunned by his words she nearly stumbled. "Excuse me? Why would someone at Mayo need a reference?"

Unless, a voice deep in her soul said, he was…taking a job there.

"Oh, I have no idea. He said they were calling some of his former and current patients to get some remarks about his bedside manner, his approach, general qualifications."

She felt her cheeks go bloodless. "Did…they say why?"

"No, but he told me they might be calling."

"Did he say why?"

He shook his head. "I didn't give it that much thought, honey. I was pleased with him as a doctor, so I thought it was a chance to do something nice for him."

"Oh, there you are, Tori!" Susannah came down the stairs and around the corner, tugging at the belt of her robe. "Did you wish Dad a happy anniversary?"

She frowned. "Your anniversary was in November."

"A strokeversary," Dad said with a dry laugh. "One year ago yesterday since I knocked at the pearly gates and got sent back."

A year since that happened? Tori shook her head, forgetting her troubles to think of his victories. "Wow. Well, you look good, Dad." He was tanned, strong, and as sharp as ever.

"Cold plunge every morning in the ocean," he said, throwing a look at Susannah. "She even joins me now and again. And I've been golfing, walking the beach, and if I have anything to say about it, these little suckers"—he waved the prescription bag—"will be a thing of the past."

"When the doctor says they are a thing of the past," Susannah said with a warning look, but then she wrapped her arm around him and dropped her head on his shoulder. "We have so much more life to live and things to look forward to."

"Like weddings and more grandchildren," he said.

Tori stifled a grunt. "Don't hold your breath for me to help you out there."

"You've given me fantastic grandchildren," he said. "But as far as—"

"Stop, Rex," Susannah said, tugging him closer. "Don't tread where you don't belong."

Tori gave her mother a grateful smile, her heart well and truly in her gut now. So many people would be broken by the Minnesota move. Did Justin know that?

"I have to go," she added, anxious to get the breakup over with.

With a quick air kiss and a halfhearted, "Happy strokeversary," she took off and drove rather slowly to her date with doom.

Her throat was thick as she parked, with evening taking in the sunset making the entire Amelia River glow like it was dipped in rose gold. She walked toward the wharf, barely glancing at her restaurant as she passed, deep into her thoughts and self-pity.

As she reached the end of the small bridge, something made her turn. She'd lowered the shades and couldn't see into the dining room, but was there a light on in the back kitchen? No one should be in there now. Had she left—

"Hey."

She spun around at the sound of a man's voice, sucking in a soft breath at the sight of Justin. In a suit, no less, looking like a dream, which was only going to make this harder.

Would he always have that effect on her? Even long after…he was gone?

"I was on my way to your boat, but…" She looked at the café again. "I thought I saw a light on in there."

"Want to go look?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Yes, I do." She reached into her bag to fish out her keys, then eyed him warily. "Why are you dressed up?"

"From work," he said.

She felt her brow flick up. "Big final interview?" she asked under her breath as she finally found her restaurant keys.

"Excuse me?" he asked, putting a hand on her back as he ushered her toward the front door.

"We can go in through the kitchen," she said, hoping he'd let the comment go.

"No, the front."

She slowed her step. "Why?"

"Because…" He shrugged, almost as if he needed time to come up with a reason. "If you're being robbed, you don't want to walk in on them and get shot."

She snorted softly. "And on that happy note, let's go drop the ax."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

They reached the front door, but the shade was drawn and she couldn't see anything, except…was something flickering inside. Was there a fire?

Suddenly forgetting him, she tried to stick the key into the lock, but her fingers were trembling.

"Tori." He put his hand over hers. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"Me? You're the one who's been weird. Also, my restaurant's burning down."

"It is not." He sounded oddly…certain.

"Then my relationship is," she added in a strained voice.

"It is not," he repeated, equally certain.

She took a breath, forgetting the fire and the robber—both of which seemed unlikely—to look at the man she was losing. Now that didn't seem so unlikely.

"Are you moving to Minnesota to take a job as a researcher for Dr. Z? I just need to know, Justin. I need to know and deal with the pain and help my kids and heal and—"

He cut her off with a kiss that took her breath away, pressing her against the door until it…opened from the inside.

What the—

When she twirled around with a gasp, all she could see was white clouds and flickering flames and…a huge banner that read…

Happy Anniversary from Hottypants!

It tookTori a good five minutes to come back down to Earth. It didn't help that her kids were skittering around and bouncing off the walls with excitement. Finn looked fit to bust his dress shirt—why was he dressed up?—and Kenzie had gone back to her old ways—recording every moment on her phone, no doubt ready to drop a video on social media in the next hour.

"You did this?" She pointed from Finn to Kenzie and back to Finn, who looked so pleased with himself, Tori almost cried. Again.

Because the tears started flowing from the moment she read the banner and saw the dining room completely rearranged with tulle-draped chairs and about twenty votive candles on a table in the middle of the room. There were so many flowers, Coming Up Roses must have been emptied out.

"Aunt Rose and Aunt Madeline helped with the décor," Finn said. "And Grannie Suze and Grandpa Rex bought us some time."

"Aunt Grace made the banner and Aunt Chloe and Travis hung it," Kenzie added. "Also, Aunt Raina was standing by with a fake baby emergency in case you got the prescriptions too fast and… Who am I forgetting?" Kenzie screwed up her face. "Oh! Of course. Aunt Sadie cooked dinner, which is warming in the oven."

"Why am I not surprised every Wingate on Amelia Island had a hand in this?"

"Kenzie is too modest to tell you it was her idea," Justin said, coming closer. "She dreamed this whole thing up when we went to Flagler College together."

She waved off any fawning. "Justin asked for my ideas for a romantic dinner for your anniversary and I thought it would be fun. Did you forget it was one year?"

Tori laughed, shaking her head, a little ashamed of how incredibly wrong she'd been about why Justin had been acting strange recently.

"Suze and Dad just told me it was a year for him yesterday, so…" She slid her arm around Justin and pulled him closer. "Today would be one year since our famous hallway meeting."

"More on that later. Now, we dine. And they serve." He pulled out a chair at the white cloth-covered center table. "My lady?"

She laughed and took a seat, happily accepting a flute of bubbly when he popped the bottle.

He sat kitty-corner at the square table, holding up his glass for a toast. "To the best year of my life and, I hope, many, many more."

Tears sprang as she let their glasses clink. "I…I don't know what to say."

"I guess the obvious."

She laughed. "I love you." It was simple, clean, and so obvious.

"I love you, too." He leaned closer and kissed her after taking a sip. "And I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, that." She cringed. "I jumped to dumb conclusions that made no sense. But why did the Mayo Clinic want a patient reference from my dad?"

"For a brochure they're doing about Dr. Z's study. She's trying to raise money and get grants, and since I'm an ad hoc member of the research team—which is crazy, since I did nothing but find a subject—she wants patient quotes. It's not a reference—more like a review."

Tori exhaled, shaking her head. "I lost my faith in you."

"You don't have to do that, Tori. Not now, not ever." He held her hand while the kids came out with appetizers, ice water, and hovered while making jokes.

"You can join us," Tori said, pointing to the other chairs.

"No way," Finn said. "We're working in the kitchen."

"And by working, he means eating everything in the back bar, pantry, and fridge," Kenzie said, giving her brother a nudge toward the back. "Come on. Let's get the entrees."

They ate and talked, while Tori sank deeper into love with this man and the family vibe he helped her create. She tried to eat Sadie's spectacular chicken cordon bleu—wonderfully warmed by Kenzie—but all she wanted to do was take in the moment, joke around with Justin and the kids, and let go of everything that she'd worried about.

It was all so good.

For dessert, the kids served heart-shaped candies from Charmed by Chocolate and disappeared into the back. While they were enjoying those, the lights dimmed to true darkness with nothing but candles flickering.

"Brace yourself," Justin whispered, leaning closer with a glint in his eyes. "We get dinner and a show."

All of a sudden, Finn walked out of the kitchen dressed in blue hospital scrubs, complete with a surgeon's cap and a stethoscope around his neck. He carried a tablet computer, which he pretended to read as he walked slowly toward their table.

Kenzie came rushing out, holding a mug, sailing across the restaurant—smack into Finn.

Tori threw her head back and howled at the reenactment of her first memorable meeting with Justin.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Kenzie exclaimed in a slightly high-pitched fake voice. "I didn't mean to spill coffee all over your scrubs."

Finn kept a straight face—which was more than Tori and Justin could do—and wiped at a pretend spill on his chest. "That's no problem, Miss. In fact, I like it when my patients' daughters cover me in hot coffee."

Justin dropped his head forward, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Oh, good," Kenzie cooed. "Because I'll pretend I don't, but I really like you."

With a noisy moan of shame and laughter, Tori covered her face and cringed.

"Then I'll be seeing you around." Finn gave a very bad impression of a cool guy, pointing at her and winking.

As he walked away, Kenzie called out, "Oh, doctor! What's your name?"

Finn turned and gave a James Bond smirk. "They call me…" He tapped his hip. "Dr. Hottypants."

He walked back to the kitchen, leaving them in tears of laughter as Kenzie came closer to the table, still holding the cup. Her whole face was bright, her eyes glistening from fighting laughter.

And maybe something else. A secret, Tori decided. She had something—

"This is for you." She put the cup in front of Justin—an empty cup, it looked like.

Kenzie and Justin shared a look, rich with silent communication that Tori couldn't decipher, but then Finn came out of the kitchen. He pulled off the surgeon's cap and still wore a huge smile as he loped over, giving Kenzie a knuckle tap on their performance.

Justin lifted the white mug like a toast and looked at Tori. "My cup runneth over."

"Well, mine does, too, with the realization that I am the laughingstock of this family, but—"

"But you aren't," he said, pushing his chair back. "You're the heart of our little foursome."

Our little foursome. The words hugged her heart. "Aww, thanks."

"And you're the woman we all love the most. Right, kids?"

They both smiled and nodded, standing a few feet away as though they were expecting something.

Justin reached for Tori's hand and helped her to her feet, his whole expression so serious and warm, she didn't know…and then she did. She knew exactly what was in that cup and what he was doing and why they were here and…

She bit her lip as more tears came. Tears of happiness and certainty, not laughter. Not fear. Not loneliness. Not anything but joy.

He reached into the cup and pulled out a small black box and very slowly lowered himself to one knee.

"Victoria Lucille Wingate, what can I say that hasn't been said? You are my world, my life, and my future. I want to be next to you—and these two really bad actors—for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, Tori?"

She covered her face with her hands, feeling the sob bubble up. For a moment, she simply couldn't speak.

"Mom?" Kenzie whispered, a little terror in her voice.

Tori lifted her face and reached out her hand to Justin. "A thousand million times, yes!"

He put the ring on her finger, kissed her until she couldn't breathe, and wrapped them all in a family hug.

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