Page 29 of Heartbeat Harmony (Hearts in Hawthorne #2)

Chapter

Sixteen

A utumn went downstairs for breakfast, glad that both her parents were seated at the table. She poured herself a cup of coffee and got the creamer from the fridge, adding a splash of it and a dash of sugar. Taking her mug to the table, she placed it down and took a seat.

“We need to have a conversation,” she began.

“Uh-oh,” Dad said. “Sounds ominous.”

“Honey, don’t listen to your father. You know he’s teasing,” Mom said.

“I’ve already talked with Summer and West about this, but I wanted the two of you to be in the loop as well.

First of all, I can’t thank you enough for letting me come back to live with you.

Housing is at a premium right now in Hawthorne, and it would have been hard for me to find somewhere to live. ”

“This will always be your home, Autumn,” Dad assured her. “We love having you here.”

“And I love being here. Eventually, I will want to find my own place, but that’s not what I want to discuss now.”

She took a sip of her coffee, letting the jolt of caffeine flow through her.

“I want to let you know that I have started seeing Eli Carson. We’re in the early stages. We have built a firm friendship the last couple of months, and there’s an obvious attraction between the two of us. We want to see where it goes. West and Kelby had us over last night for dinner.”

Mom reached and took Autumn’s hand. “We will support you in whatever, Autumn. You know that. It must be hard, getting back on the horse which has thrown you. Divorce is never easy. You must think a great deal of Eli if you’re willing to open up and try to have a relationship with him.”

“I really like him, Mom. I don’t like comparing him to Flint, but he’s pretty much the exact opposite. We’re going to take it slowly. I just wanted to let you know.” She took a deep breath. “Because there may be times when I don’t come home for the night. I may be spending it with Eli.”

Autumn glanced to her father, who had a concerned look on his face.

“I think Eli is a good man and has done a fine job getting the hospital up and running. The only thing I’m anxious about, though, is you dating a man who is your boss, Autumn. Does Hogan Health have a policy in place regarding that?”

“Eli checked on it. There is no policy forbidding it. Since we’ve decided to move forward, he will report it to HR at the corporate office in Austin.

Evaluations for the level of my position won’t occur until next spring.

We aren’t going to rush things. We’ll see where we are by that time next year. ”

Dad smiled gently. “We’re just concerned about your welfare, baby. You have a professional reputation to maintain, as well as your personal one. There will be gossip at the hospital once people realize you’re seeing one another.”

“We’re prepared for that,” she replied. “Eli’s background is very different from mine.

He grew up in foster care and didn’t have the kind of love and support which was taken for granted in our family.

He has so much potential within him, however.

I’m eager to see what happens between us.

How we’ll both grow. I just wanted to give you two a heads up about the situation. ”

Mom squeezed Autumn’s hand and then released it. “I’m glad you talked this over with Summer and West. That was sweet that West and Kelby had the two of you over for dinner.”

“It was good for Eli, being around people other than those who work at Triple H. I think he and West might become friends. I’m so glad West has come back to Hawthorne. Kelby is perfect for him. Did you know that she’s doing some work for Triple H?”

Autumn explained how Kelby was involved in beta testing a program for Hogan Health, creating separate social media accounts for Triple H, apart from the general ones run by Hogan Health for all their facilities.

“I saw on Instagram about the baby you helped deliver,” Mom enthused. “You didn’t even tell us about that! The couple seemed so sweet and grateful to you and Eli.”

“Just don’t move too fast,” Dad cautioned. “You’re coming out of a marriage of several years. It’s going to take time to heal emotionally.”

“I understand that, but I’m a lot more emotionally stable than you think. My marriage was over years ago. I just never acknowledged that. I haven’t told you anything about why we divorced, but Flint was cheating on me. I caught him in the act, and I learned it wasn’t the first time he’d strayed.”

Dad let a few expletives fly, causing Autumn to chuckle.

“You don’t have to worry about killing him, Dad,” she teased.

“He’s not worth it. I came to the realization that Flint merely used me.

I put him through med school so he had no debt when he graduated.

I did his laundry. I was the good wife who stood by him at any social function held by the hospital.

But I don’t think he ever really loved me.

We had grown apart over the years and barely saw one another.

I thought once he finished his residency that things would finally change.

Now, I think he would’ve been the one to initiate a divorce once he had finished his medical training. ”

With confidence, she added, “I’m going to be open with Eli. Communication and transparency are my two catch words going forward in any relationship.”

“It’s hard working with someone on a daily basis when you’re in a relationship,” her dad warned. “It gets more difficult if there’s a breakup.”

“Summer encouraged me to stay optimistic and to not worry about what ifs, Dad. I’m going to take her advice to heart and not think of this relationship as doomed before it ever gets off the ground.

Eli and I are level-headed adults, dedicated to our jobs.

We will continue to behave with discretion, whether we are dating or simply decide to remain friends. ”

She took the last sip of her coffee. “Since it’s Saturday, I’m going to spend the entire day with Eli. He doesn’t know how to boil water, so one of the things we’re going to do is have a cooking lesson. Something easy.”

“How about spaghetti and meat sauce?” Mom suggested. “That’s hard to mess up.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll see you later.”

“Have a good time, sweetheart,” Mom said.

She knew her mother would be more onboard than her dad.

Mom was a romantic, while Dad was a pragmatist. Autumn was walking into this relationship with Eli with both eyes open.

If anything gave her pause or caused doubt to form, she would give him a chance to clear it up.

If she were satisfied with his answer, they could move forward.

If she weren’t, she would cut the line and step away.

Immediately.

Autumn texted Eli to let him know she was on her way. When she arrived, he and Atticus were sitting on his large front porch. The dog wore no leash, and she braced herself for him to run and greet her. Instead, he remained patiently by Eli’s side.

As she approached, she heard Eli softly saying, “Stay. Stay,” his hand held out.

She smiled, first at the man, and then turned her attention to the dog. “Good dog, Atticus.”

She knelt and ruffled the pup’s coat. He gave her a happy lick, causing her to laugh.

As she continued to stroke him, she said to Eli, “That’s incredible that he stayed. Most dogs would have bowled me over at his age.”

“I’ve been on YouTube,” he admitted. “Dr. Watterman from ER told me he found some pretty useful videos there to help train the dog he adopted a few years ago. Atticus and I are working on things.”

She lifted Atticus’ paw. “How is this doing?”

“He’s good. We had a follow-up at the vet’s an hour ago. Everything’s okay. Want to come inside? It’s getting a little warm out here.”

The three of them went into the house, and Atticus went immediately to his bowl, lapping water.

“I’m glad you agreed to spend today with me, Autumn. I haven’t planned anything, though.”

She chuckled. “That’s because you are used to flying by the seat of your pants, managing an ER. There is something to say for making plans and being organized, though. And yes, I have some ideas for us. First, we’re going to spend an obscene amount of money at Walmart.”

“Buying what?” he asked.

“One of the things we’re going to do today is have a cooking lesson. You’ve got to get some kitchen basics, Eli, else that’s going to be impossible.”

“Buy whatever you need. I’ll reimburse you. Atticus and I will work on our training while you’re gone.”

Her gaze met his. “I want you to come shopping with me.”

His lips parted in surprise. “Are you sure, Autumn? It’s a Saturday. Half of Hawthorne will be at Walmart.”

She took his hands in hers. “I want to be seen with you. Because we’re dating now. If you haven’t done it already, I want you to notify HR right now and let them know that we’re seeing one another. Exclusively. That is, if that’s what you want.”

He grinned. “I definitely want that.” He leaned in and kissed her lightly.

“Give me two minutes to fire off an email. I want it officially on the record before any gossip starts up. As much as I like the staff we’ve put together at Triple H, there are bound to be a few gossips.

I wouldn’t put it past someone to send an email to corporate once they find out about us. ”

“Do you think you should also put something out to the Triple H staff?” she asked. “Or would it be better to let people find out by word of mouth?”

“We’ve got the usual Monday morning team meeting. That includes department heads and administrators. I think I’ll mention something then. It’ll be up to them whether they wish to inform their staffs or not.”

“Okay. Go send your email.”

While Eli was doing that, Autumn texted Summer.

Eli & I had dinner w West & Kelby last night. Also told M&D we’re seeing each other. Spending all today together. Who knows what tonight will bring???