Page 28 of Heartbeat Harmony (Hearts in Hawthorne #2)

Chapter

Fifteen

O n her way to work the next morning, Autumn decided to call West, knowing he was an early bird.

He answered on the first ring. “What’s up, Fall?”

“Just wanted to touch base with you.”

“I’m glad you did so. Kelby and I were really impressed with the new hospital you’re working at. We talked about having you over to dinner soon, just to catch up.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

“I really like this Dr. Carson. Remember, I told you the other night I was going to talk to him about having a doctor from Triple H be at the football games this fall. Coach Markham told me it’s been hard to get physicians to cover the games in the past, and we have to have one on duty before game play starts.

Now, with the new facility in town, I thought it would be a little bit easier with so many doctors in the area.

The thing is, he volunteered to do all the games himself.

Said he was eager to become part of the community. ”

“He did? He didn’t mention that to me.”

West chuckled. “I assume your boss isn’t required to run every decision by you.” He paused. “Wait a minute. Is something going on between the two of you?”

“Yes. No. I mean, yes.”

Her brother laughed. “Sounds like you’re a bit confused, Autumn. Let me say one thing before you tell me anything else. I only was around Eli Carson for a few minutes the other night, but he is a vast improvement over Dr. Dickhead.”

She knew West had never liked Flint. He had made no bones about it. Her brother had been courteous around Flint when they were at family holidays, but she knew he hadn’t approved of her choice of husband.

“What did you like about Eli?” she asked, curious as to his opinion.

“In comparison to your ex? Or just in general?”

“Either. Both.”

“Eli isn’t cocky. He’s confident. There’s a difference.

I saw it when I played football. There were guys who were talented and went out and did their job on the field.

Then there were others who flapped and yapped to the press, stirring up a lot of trouble, letting people know how talented a player they were.

I don’t like cocky. I’m impressed by confident, however. Eli is confident.”

“He does have a quiet confidence about him,” she agreed.

“He’s smart. Likeable. Didn’t seem as if he tried to grab a lot of glory or credit the other night, even though he has to be the man who’s driving the machine in every aspect of Triple H.

Most of all, he was smart enough to hire you.

And not for a simple nursing position, Autumn.

He saw potential in you, and he’s never regret placing you in the position he did.

But enough of my opinion. I want to hear yours. ”

“This may sound odd, but from the first time we met, I felt a connection to him. I can’t really put it into words.

We just seemed to click. He surprised me by hiring me to be the Director of Nursing.

It wasn’t some slick move on his part. We’ve worked together the past few months, and everything has been aboveboard.

We have developed a friendship, though, and that seems to have changed in the last few days. ”

She pulled into the employee lot and into a parking space, cutting the engine.

“We finally admitted there’s an attraction between us. I’m a little reluctant to go public, however. I’m also worried that it’s too soon to become involved with someone. I haven’t been divorced very long.”

“Honey, Flint checked out of your marriage a long time ago,” West said quietly.

“From the little you’ve shared, you were like ships passing in the night.

Never seeing one another. Never doing anything together.

I noticed how cold he treated you when we were in New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

Anytime you spoke to him, it seemed as if he was inconvenienced.

So, I don’t want you to think about the fact that on paper, you’ve only been divorced a short while.

You were in a loveless marriage for a long time.

Big brother’s advice? Don’t hold back because of some random timeline in your head. ”

She sighed. “Summer said the same thing. She thinks I should just go for it.”

“I know the minute you’re seen together in Hawthorne, the news will be out that you’re seeing one another. Why don’t the two of you come for dinner tonight? Or tomorrow night. It would give Kelby and me a chance to check out the good doc and see if he’s worthy of my little sister.”

“Oh, West, that would be great. I’ve been to his house a few times. It’s not as if living with Mom and Dad means that I couldn’t have him over. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, but it would just be weird.”

“Talk with him and see if he’d like to come for dinner. Text Kelby and me when.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you, West.”

She hung up and headed inside the hospital, remembering how West used to check out any guy who asked Summer or her out.

It seemed almost comical all these years later for him to be doing the same thing.

Her family was important to her, though, and she did want to see how Eli interacted with West and Kelby.

Once she was in her office, she texted Eli, telling him that her brother had invited them for dinner and asking if tonight or tomorrow night would work for him.

He replied immediately.

Make it tonight. That way I get to see you again and not have to wait.

Her heart fluttered reading his response, and she answered him, saying she would send him the details once she knew the time they were supposed to arrive. She then texted West and Kelby that tonight would be good. West simply sent a thumbs up.

Then her phone rang, and she saw it was Kelby.

“Hi, Kelby. I’m sure my brother has already talked to you.”

“He called me right after the two of you got off the phone. I think Eli is a good fit for you, Autumn. We’d be happy to see you for dinner this evening. Would six o’clock be too early?”

She laughed. “The nights I’m home with Mom and Dad, we eat earlier than that. Six would be perfect. See you then.”

Autumn sent Eli another text, telling him that they could leave the hospital at a quarter to six and easily make dinner, then she got busy with her day.

Eli sent his last email of the day and then picked up the phone, dialing Autumn’s extension. She answered quickly.

“Hey. You about ready?”

“Yes. Should we meet in the parking lot and go together?”

“I don’t want to leave my car here. Why don’t you follow me?”

“See you in a few minutes.”

He knew Autumn was close to her family. It was only natural for her to seek her brother’s approval of their budding relationship.

Eli had liked the affable West Sutherland, who had asked him about lining up a physician for each home game the Hawthorne Hawks played this fall.

West had indicated there would be six games and said he wasn’t opposed to having a different doctor at each game.

Eli had spontaneously offered his own services, thinking it would be good to attend the high school games and be out and about in the community.

He reached his car and waited as he saw Autumn coming out the staff entrance. She came toward him.

“I’ll text you their address in case we get separated for some reason, but it’s not far from here.”

“Should we stop and get something for dinner? I know people invited to dinner do that kind of thing.”

“It’s not necessary.”

He looked at her longingly, wanting to kiss her. Doing so in a public place—especially the hospital employee’s parking lot—was not the place it should happen, though.

“I’ll see you there,” he said.

They drove to a nearby neighborhood in Hawthorne.

The house was unpretentious. He got out of his car and escorted Autumn to the front door, lacing his fingers through hers.

He had never demonstrated any kind of affection to another soul since there hadn’t been anyone, but every time he took Autumn’s hand, a calmness filled him.

He rang the doorbell, and West Sutherland opened the door.

“Hey, guys. Come on in.”

The house was small inside, and they stepped directly into the living room. He could see Kelby Sutherland in the kitchen, which adjoined the room.

She called out, “Be with you in a minute.”

Autumn set down her purse, and West invited them to take a seat. They sat on a sofa which had seen better days. West sat to their left.

Kelby joined them, and Eli shot to his feet again.

“Sit,” Kelby said. “We have a few minutes until dinner’s ready. Can I get either of you anything to drink?”

Eli didn’t know what custom dictated, and so he deferred to Autumn.

“I can wait until dinner,” she said.

“Same,” he added, thinking this was the first time he had been invited to dinner by someone who wasn’t a colleague. Even those times had been few and far between.

“We’re having King Ranch casserole. It’s a recipe Tilda passed down to me.

” Kelby looked to Eli. “My mom had a stroke giving birth to me. We lost her two days later. Tilda was her closest friend. She came to the ranch to help out with Chance and me and never left. Tilda became like a mom to us. The ranch’s housekeeper and cook.

We couldn’t have made it without Tilda in our lives.

She was the only one who could stand up to my dad and get him to listen. Tilda is gentle but firm.”

They chatted a few minutes about the opening of the hospital, and then a ding sounded from a timer.

“Time to eat,” Kelby declared.

Dinner was a relaxed affair. Eli opened up more than he usually did but he also learned things about the town of Hawthorne and Autumn. At one point, West called her Fall, and Eli must have looked puzzled.

“Fall is my nickname for my baby sister,” West said. “Summer was born a couple of minutes before midnight on the last day of summer, while Autumn made her appearance a few minutes after midnight. I like to tease her and call her Fall.”

Kelby asked if Eli had seen any of her social media posts for Triple H, and he admitted that he hadn’t.

“I don’t get on social media. I need to learn what to do so I can follow what you’re doing for Triple H.”

Kelby laughed. “You and my brother are exactly the same. Chance has an email, simply because he needs it for business. He doesn’t care about anything like TikTok or Instagram.

He only carries a cell phone so the ranch hands can text him if they need anything.

You should have an account, though, Eli.

Even just if you follow the hospital’s account.

The Instastory about the Andersons has gotten a lot of traction.

It’s also been reposted on Threads more than a hundred times. ”

“Let Autumn and me clean up, hon,” West said. “You go get Eli set up in the twenty-first century.”

Kelby walked Eli through a couple of platforms and created accounts for him on three of them. She asked if he had any recent pictures on his phone that she might use for his profile.

He shook his head. He couldn’t think of the last time he’d had someone take his picture.

“I don’t want to use the formal one of you that’s on the website. Let me take a few candids right now.” She pulled out her cell phone. “Give me a smile, Eli. Not a big cheesy one. A relaxed one.”

She took a few and asked which one he’d like to use.

“I’ll let you choose. It isn’t really something I know a lot about.”

“I’ll use a different one for your three accounts.”

By the time she finished teaching him how to log in and scroll through his feed, plus how to search and make an account a favorite so following would be easy, Autumn and West had rejoined them.

They talked easily for another half-hour.

It struck him that these were two people he would like to be friends with, beyond his new work relationship with Kelby.

Autumn said, “I think it’s time for us to head out. Hospital people are not night owls. Thanks for having us for dinner.”

She hugged her brother and Kelby, while he shook hands with West and added to Kelby,

“Dinner was great. I think King Ranch Casserole is my new favorite meal. I would return the favor and have you two over, but I don’t know how to cook.”

“That’s what takeout is for,” Kelby told him. “Nothing wrong with that.”

“I did host the top staff at Triple H last weekend. BBQ Bliss catered it. Maybe you’d like to come over sometime for barbeque.”

“We’d enjoy doing that, Eli,” West assured him.

The couple accompanied them out to their cars. Kelby walked with Autumn to hers, while West went with Eli. He sensed something was coming.

As they reached his car, West said, “Autumn told me that you’re involved. I like you, Eli. I think you’ll be good for Autumn. That she’ll be good for you.”

“She’s been a little reluctant to begin seeing me. Or having others see us together. I know it’s because of her recent divorce.”

“Her ex-husband was an ass. One of those doctors with a God complex. Flint never was a loving husband or good partner to her. Autumn is way better off without him.” West’s gaze connected with Eli’s. “Treat her right.”

“I intend to do that very thing,” he promised.