Guarded Heart, a by Jennifer Fulton

Author:Jennifer Fulton [Fulton, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ! No
ISBN: 9781932300376
Publisher: Publisher
Published: 2005-01-15T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

THE AROHA GIFT and Flower Shoppe was one of a sea of eclectic stores that lined Avarua’s main street. Crammed with everything from shell necklaces and postcards to funeral monuments and real estate listings, it was a just a few doors from the hospital. Chris had dragged herself out of the Blue Note Cafe in time to meet Cody and Annabel there. Now they were choosing gifts for the woman they were about to visit.

“It sounds like she’s doing better,” Annabel remarked, hanging up the in-store pay phone. “She was lucky. It was a perforated appendix.”

“I can’t believe those guys from the boat aren’t planning to visit her,” Chris said.

Annabel made a small, disgusted noise. “That’s why I wanted us to make an appearance.”

“Did you say there were some guests we have to pick up later?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, an actress and her hired muscle,” Cody chipped in. Not her favorite people, Chris surmised from the grimace that accompanied this statement. “They stayed over yesterday for the, er … night life.”

Annabel selected a cheery bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates and handed these to her companions. Already weighed down with parcels and pushing Briar in a baby buggy, Cody shied away from the additional burden, leaving Chris to juggle the bouquet and candy with her own shopping selections.

“Have you found a card?” Annabel asked.

Hands full, Chris nodded toward the counter. “I put a couple of contenders over there.”

While Annabel studied the get-well cards, Cody sidled over to Chris. In her hands was a booklet called The Blooming Bride: Signature Flowers For Your Big Day. Acting like she was reading this, Cody said in an undertone, “I was thinking. It’ll be kind of crowded with three of us at the hospital. There’s this game I

want to take in, so here’s the story. I’ll tell Annabel I need some parts for the outboard. Briar will stay with you guys, and I’ll meet you back at the airport later on. Okay?”

“Why don’t you just tell her?” Chris protested. She could not imagine Annabel insisting that her beloved miss a sports match just so she could tag along to stand at a stranger’s bedside for a few minutes.

“She thinks I sneak off to rugby every time I’m over here with her.” Cody’s air was that of a woman misjudged.

Chris could hardly keep her face straight. “Hey, this is between you and her. Leave me out of it.”

Annabel turned, and with a quizzical glance at Cody’s reading material, said, “Is there something you need to tell me, honey?”

Cody’s face was the picture of guilt. “Uh, you won’t need me at the hospital, will you? Because there’s a couple of errands I need to run.”

With an expression of bland forbearance, Annabel checked her watch. “If you go now, you can catch the entire second half.”

Cody feigned innocence. “Oh, you mean the Samoa game? I forgot about that. Well, if you think it’s okay, and you don’t mind if Briar stays with you — “

“Hey, Cody,” Chris cut her off before she dug herself into a bigger hole.

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