Page 35 of Heartbeat Harmony (Hearts in Hawthorne #2)

Chapter

Twenty

A utumn accepted Eli’s sweet kiss as she stood on her parents’ porch.

“I wish you were coming home with me,” he said, his voice low, his lips grazing her ear, causing a shiver to run through her.

“I know. But we spent all day together. And it was good.”

“It was,” he agreed. “You’re a lucky woman, Autumn Sutherland, and not just because you have me.” Eli grinned cheekily. “You have an amazing family.”

“I do. They already adore you. But not as much as I do.” She kissed him again, lingeringly, before pulling away. “You better go. I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow morning.”

“I hope I dream of you.”

“Ditto.”

She watched Eli move gracefully down the sidewalk, admiring his lean, fit, runner’s body. She knew every part of it now and hungered for it.

He reached his car and waved to her. She returned the wave and entered the house.

It was almost ten o’clock. Someone had left a light on in the foyer for her.

Turning it off, Autumn moved quietly up the stairs.

She entered her bedroom and closed the door, hoping that Summer might still be awake on the East Coast, where it was almost eleven.

This call deserved a FaceTime, and she tapped the icon. Summer answered immediately, wearing an oversized T-shirt and what looked like a mud masque.

“Two mih-uts,” Summer said, holding up two fingers, then ending the connection.

Autumn used the time to slip out of her own clothes and into a cotton gown that struck her mid-thigh. Then her phone rang.

“Hey, Twinnie,” she said. “I see your face is looking better.”

“It was time to wash off the mask. I’d put it on twenty minutes earlier, and it dried so hard. I couldn’t talk. And I was afraid if I didn’t wash it off when it said to, it would stick to my face and freeze my features. Thanks for showing patience.”

Showing patience had been their mother’s code word for the twins to calm down and take a deep breath when they were little. Autumn and Summer had continued to use it throughout the years, a little inside joke they still got a kick out of.

“I’m ready to report in about my weekend with Eli,” she told her twin.

“No detail is too small. Don’t leave anything out. And I already know you had him meet the fam for lunch today. I’ve been texting West like crazy, so I’d be in the loop.”

Autumn laughed. “Then you know more than I thought you did.”

“I want to know everything,” her twin declared.

She sighed. “The past two days have been the best of my life, Sum. Just being with Eli centers me. I feel a calmness when I’m with him, and yet my heart is beating madly, wanting him to kiss me.”

“Go on,” Summer encouraged.

Autumn told her sister about all she and Eli had done together. How they connected on every level. How they could talk about anything or nothing and feel natural around one another.

“And the sex?” her sister urged. “I know you had it. He’s too hot for you not to have. I’ve Googled him like crazy. I probably know more about him than he knows. Or you,” Summer teased.

“Off the charts.” She would keep to herself that Eli had been a virgin at the start of this past weekend. “And I’ve turned into a brazen hussy.”

“Oh, how very Austen of you,” Summer drawled. “What have you been up to, you vixen?”

She felt a blush rise in her cheeks. “I tell him what I like. I ask him what he likes. Honestly, Summer, I’ve never been so dang bold in my entire life.

I see now how my passive nature carried over to my sex life.

Not that I think it would’ve changed anything with Flint if I would have spoken up more.

But Eli and I communicate really well. I’ve found my professional voice, thanks to him placing me in a leadership role. Now, I’m finding my personal voice.”

“Do you talk dirty?”

“Summer! No!” She paused, thinking back to coupling with Eli. “But I’m not shy in letting him know when he’s doing something I like. The way he touches me or a certain kind of kiss.”

Her twin beamed at her. “I am so happy to hear this, Autumn. It sounds as if you can really be yourself around Eli. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“He’s dying to meet you, too. He knows how important you are to me.”

“Then you’ll have to come to New York. I’ve been trying to get you here forever. I want to show you so many things. Let you eat the best bagel in the world and stroll along the High Line. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and grab a slice of amazing pizza. See world-class museums.”

“It sounds like we’d need more than a weekend there. Maybe we could come for a week next summer when we’ll both get vacation time.”

“I can’t wait that long to meet him,” Summer said, frowning. “Maybe I should come to Hawthorne instead.”

Excitement filled her. “Would you? That would be so great. But wait. You were just here in the spring for West’s wedding.”

“I have some days coming. Let me see what I can work out with Dragon Lady’s assistant.”

“I’d still have to work,” she said quickly. “I wouldn’t be able to take any time off. We could do lunch, though. And if you were here over a weekend, we’d have lots of time together.”

“I’ll massage things from my end and see about what days I might be able to slip away. Technically, I could work at home on a day I was traveling. As early as you have to get to the airport, I could get a ton done while waiting on my flight, not to mention working the three hours on the plane.”

“Just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to work around your schedule.” She teared up. “Thank you for coming, Summer. I want you to meet Eli.” She paused. “Because I’m in love with him.”

“Get out! Have you told him?”

She nodded. “We’ve said it to each other. Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Maybe crazy in love, but never crazy. Autumn, you’re one of the most rational people I know. If you love this guy, then you love him. And the fact he loves you? It just proves to me how smart Dr. Eli Carson is.”

Summer hugged herself. “Oh, this is really good news.”

“You don’t think it’s too soon?”

“What if I said I did?” her twin countered.

And Autumn realized it didn’t matter.

“I would note your concern, but I don’t care. I love him. I love him, Summer. And he loves me. I’ve never felt more sure of something in my life.”

Her sister teared up. “I’m so happy for you, Autumn. You and Eli are lucky to have one another. I’ll also be getting another brother. This is terrific news.”

They said their goodbyes, and Autumn placed her cell phone on the charger. Summer had been right. Listening to her heart had led her to knock down the invisible walls she’d constructed around herself. She’d let Eli in—and look how happy she was now.

Autumn sat through the early Monday morning meeting for administrators and department heads.

She tamped down her nerves, knowing that Eli would be announcing at some point they were seeing one another.

He ran through the agenda items quickly.

She had learned he wasn’t much for lengthy meetings and preferred to talk to others one-on-one regarding their concerns.

He finished elaborating on the final item and then said, “Before we dismiss, I’d like to mention something on a personal note.”

All shuffling stopped. Eli had proved to be pretty tightlipped about anything personal, and hospital people were no different from anyone else. They were curious about their boss.

He cleared his throat. “I’ve made it a point to emphasize transparency, and that’s what I’m doing now.

I want everyone here to know that I am in a relationship with Autumn.

HR in Austin has already been notified, but I wanted our staff at Triple H to know, as well.

Feel free to share this with your departments.

” He paused. “Just know that Autumn will have to wait in line for budget items and signatures just like all the rest of you.”

“Then what’s the point of dating the boss if you can’t leap the line?” Barbara Bennett teased.

Everyone laughed, and Eli said, “Have a good day.” He quickly picked up his tablet and said, “Steven, if you have a moment, I’d like to see you in my office regarding the new Holter monitor contract.”

“Lead the way,” the head of cardiology replied.

Others gathered their belongings, but Barbara and Tilda took their time doing so, making certain they were the last to be ready to leave.

“When did this start?” Tilda asked Autumn. “Were you two together the night of the barbeque at Eli’s house?”

“No,” she said, feeling her cheeks fill with heat. “We were just friends then.”

Barbara said. “Friendship is the best way to start a relationship. Bill and I were in a study group in med school together. We went from being friendly competitors to red-hot lovers.”

She and Tilda laughed, with Tilda saying, “Paul and I were good friends and colleagues until it came time to name the chief resident. We both wanted it so badly we could taste it. And then neither of us were elevated to that position. It went to a guy who knew all the answers and had zero people skills. We bonded as we commiserated on losing out. One thing led to another, and here we are, happily married. At least, I tell him all the time we are, and he’s smart enough to say, ‘Yes, dear.’”

“Seriously, I’m happy for you and Eli,” Barbara said. “He seemed very lone-wolfish when I interviewed with him. Gradually, I’ve seen him coming out of his shell. I’m sure that’s got a lot to do with you, Autumn.”

“Maybe. Working in the ER for so many years, Eli was used to barking out orders,” she said. “He’s learning to build relationships in a different way as Triple H’s medical director.”

“Well, I think you two are great together. You’ll balance him, Autumn,” Tilda said.

“He’s been good for me, too,” she told the pair. “I was married before. To a doctor. I didn’t think I would ever date another doctor, much less be in a relationship with one, but Eli’s special.”

“I hope you’re ready for the deluge of gossip,” Tilda cautioned. “You know this news will spread like a Southern California wildfire.”

“I know. I encouraged Eli to get ahead of it and let others know before someone saw us together and started rumors,” she said.

“It was smart to notify HR,” Barbara added. “Cover your ass. Lunch today?”

“I’m meeting with my charge nurses at lunch,” Autumn told her. “Maybe tomorrow. Text me when, and I can work my schedule around it.”

“Will do,” Barbara said.

Autumn returned to her office, knowing the news about her and Eli would be the hot topic at the hospital today.

From the hospital, it would make its way through town.

Already, they had seen a few people at the inn yesterday who probably had noticed they were together and had already fired up the phone lines.

She wasn’t expecting any nasty feedback.

Then again, it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

Her day passed quickly, with her lunchtime meeting with the charge nurses on the day shift going smoothly. She would hang around and meet with the night shift half an hour before they came on duty tonight. Autumn also was busy with observations and paperwork, causing the day to pass quickly.

When her phone rang late in the afternoon, she picked it up. “Autumn Sutherland, Director of Nursing. How may I help you?”

“How the hell are you a director of anything, Autumn? And you’re seeing another doctor? Our divorce just happened, and you’ve already started fucking someone?”

Her gut lurched at the accusations from the familiar voice. “It’s none of your business, Flint. I’m none of your business. You have your life. I have mine. Please don’t call me again.”

Shaking, Autumn hung up the phone. She let the next call and the one after that go to her voicemail as she sat, trying to get herself under control.

Why on earth did Flint even care what she was doing for a living or who she was seeing? He was the one who had broken their marriage. And who at Triple H even knew she had been married to Flint, much less had the gall to let him know anything about what Autumn was doing now?

She waited, the phone silent. Finally, she listened to both messages.

The first was hospital business, and she relaxed, making a note of what she needed to take care of.

The second, however, was from her ex-husband.

The content was similar to what he’d said before, only a little more profanity-laced this time since she hadn’t picked up.

Though she was tempted to delete it, Autumn kept the voicemail, thinking if things escalated between them, she would want to document any contact Flint had made with her.

She had previously blocked him from her cell phone, but that wouldn’t be possible to do here at Triple H.

Her mood somber now, she tried to pull herself together, gathering the notes she would need for the meeting with her night shift in a few minutes.

She would not tell Eli about this call. He had enough on his plate as it was. Besides, Autumn doubted Flint would call again. He was merely blowing off steam, upset that she had decided to go on with her life and not be at his beck and call.

Casting aside her worries, Autumn left for her meeting.