Page 34

CHAPTER 34

O live stepped out into the warm, sunny day.

She glanced left, then right.

Finally, she spotted Mitzi standing to the side, her cell phone in hand as if she were making a call.

Olive quickly stepped into the shadows, behind a thick brick column, where she wouldn’t be seen with Mitzi.

“What’s going on?” Olive started, not daring to look at her in case anyone was watching.

Mitzi continued to act as if she spoke into the phone instead of to Olive. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Rebecca’s being admitted.”

Olive’s eyebrows shot up. “She is? So she really is sick?”

“Maybe not with cancer. But something is wrong if she’s coughing up blood.”

“True.” Olive leaned back against the post, her thoughts racing.

Mitzi shifted her weight, phone still to her ear. “It could be unrelated.”

“Also true.”

“One other thing—Anne, that nurse I’ve been trying to track down . . . she’s MIA.”

Olive’s eyebrows flew up. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t find her. She’s not answering her phone. I asked a few people, and they haven’t heard from her either.”

“How strange,” Olive muttered.

“Very. But I’ll keep looking.”

She glanced at Mitzi. “How did your talk go with the doctor yesterday after I left the coffeehouse?”

“He’s very charming. We’re going to dinner tonight. I’ll let you know what he says.” Mitzi nodded toward the door. “Listen, I don’t have much time. I’ve got to go back inside.”

“Wait . . .” Olive started.

Mitzi paused.

“Could you ask Rebecca and Matt if I could see them?” Olive asked.

Mitzi thought about it before shrugging. “I’ll send back the request and see what they say.”

“Thank you.”

Mitzi strode back inside first. Olive waited a few minutes before slipping from the shadows and going back to her seat.

She glanced at Mitzi and saw she already had the desk phone to her ear.

Going back to see Rebecca and Matt now seemed insincere—and made her feel like a horrible person, truthfully. But this needed to be done.

Olive wanted to see Rebecca for herself.

Mitzi lowered the phone and called out, “Is there an Olive Robinson here?”

“That’s me.” Olive picked up her backpack and made her way to the desk. “Yes?”

“Rebecca said she’ll see you. She’s in Room 122. Go through the doors, head to the left, and you’ll see the room just ahead. You probably won’t want to stay long, however. She’s very tired.”

“Of course.” Olive gave Mitzi a polite nod. “Thank you.”

The door buzzed, and Olive stepped through. She wished she could wait until Nova got back, but she had to strike while the iron was hot, as the saying went.

She found Room 122 and paused.

At once, she told herself to think like her dad. What would he do in this situation?

He’d be charming. Make people feel special. Show no signs of doubt.

That was how Olive needed to act now also.

But she hated herself for trying to reflect any part of her dad’s character.

Olive stepped into Rebecca’s room and paused.

Rebecca lay in a hospital bed. An IV was hooked to her arm, and machines beeped behind her. Matt sat in a chair on the other side of the bed, that same worried expression on his face.

The sight of Rebecca looking like this took Olive back.

She could totally see where someone who 100 percent believed Rebecca would have their heartstrings tugged on.

Bright, exuberant Rebecca now looked pale-faced and tired. She wore a hospital gown, and her hair wasn’t as shiny and stylish as usual. Even her eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle.

However . . . the woman had lowered her phone as soon as Olive walked into the room. Based on the angle she’d been holding it, Olive had to wonder if Rebecca had been making a TikTok video for her followers.

Olive swallowed hard. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Rebecca offered a weak smile. “You didn’t have to wait around.”

Olive stepped closer. “I wanted to know how you were doing.”

“As well as can be expected,” Rebecca said. “They’re going to do some tests and see if they can figure out exactly what’s going on. Hopefully, there aren’t any new tumors. It could be something as simple as an ulcer. With all the stress we’ve been under, it’s a possibility. That’s what we’re hoping, at least.”

“So you don’t know how long you’ll be here?”

“No.” She paused, her eyes crinkling at the sides. “I hope this doesn’t throw off your documentary. I know you can only stay in town for a limited amount of time.”

“The documentary is the least of my concerns right now,” Olive told her. “I’m just sorry you’re not feeling well.”

“Me too.” Rebecca glanced at Matt and squeezed his hand.

The look they exchanged nearly broke Olive’s heart.

She hated feeling so conflicted. But she did. Part of her wanted to believe this was all true and Rebecca was a victim instead of someone who preyed on people’s good intentions.

Olive drew in a breath, trying to set her emotions aside. “What can I do for you?”

“Nothing really. We sent a friend to the house to pick up my medications . . . I try to have them all written down, but a couple of them changed recently. I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”

Olive wished she could see those medications—if she could see if they were real and if Rebecca’s name was really on the bottles.

“What about Willow?” Olive asked. “Should I pick her up for you?”

“I called a friend, and she’s going to bring her home from preschool. But thank you. That’s very sweet of you.”

Olive had to wonder if that friend was Sabrina. Maybe Olive could somehow find out.

When Rebecca’s eyes drooped, Olive scooted away from the bed. “I should go and let you rest. But if you need anything . . .”

“We’ll let you know.” Matt gave a firm nod.

Olive stepped from the room and began to slowly walk down the hallway. But as she passed the nurse’s station, a conversation there caught Olive’s ear.

“The situation is dire,” a man—a doctor, Olive assumed, said. “We should do more tests.”

“Yes, sir,” the nurse answered.

“Call Dr. Peters. He’s the one overseeing our patient. He needs to be included in this.”

Wait . . . Dr. Peters? He was the man who’d talked to Mitzi last night at the coffeeshop.

Was he the doctor treating Rebecca?

Suddenly, things felt a lot more interesting again.