In the Doctor's Arms Page 17

  He laughed. “I like how positive you’re being.”

  They exchanged encouraging smiles and climbed out of the plane.

  Tag stood by the hangar, hands on hips, gaze narrowed on them. But Iris quickly noted that he wasn’t the only one there. Ally and Flynn were next to him. Flynn’s expression said that he was both impressed and surprised. Ally looked like her usual calm and cool self, with possibly a hint of pride in her expression.

  Iris and Cricket joined them and Iris said, “Hey, guys, what’s up?”

  “What’s up?” Tag repeated flatly. “You have been, apparently. What’s going on?”

  Iris chuckled. “That’s funny. Total unintentional pun. Um, I’ve been taking flying lessons.”

  “Cricket has been teaching you to fly?”

  “Yes.”

  Ally smiled and confirmed that pride Iris thought she saw. “It’s a very valuable skill, Iris. Good for you.”

  “Why didn’t you ask me to teach you?” Tag asked, and for once, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

  “Well, the answer’s obvious,” Cricket said. “When you’re smart and you want to learn something, you naturally seek the best instructor. Iris is brilliant, so the rest follows. I’m sure she would have asked you if I’d been too busy.”

  Flynn chuckled.

  Tag rolled his eyes.

  Iris watched her brother, trying to gauge his reaction. “Tag, I hope you’re not upset. I didn’t want... It didn’t have anything to do with you. I didn’t want anyone to know until I knew I could do it.”

  Ally said, “He’s not upset, Iris. He’s thrilled. Right, honey?”

  Tag shook his head like he couldn’t quite believe what had transpired. “Of course you could do it. I am so proud of you. But I am a little upset...”

  “Tag, I’m—”

  Tag pulled her in for a hug. “About having to give you one of my airplanes.”

  Iris laughed. “You won’t have to do that.”

  “You heard Kayleen, a deal’s a deal.”

  “Wait, what?” Cricket asked. “What plane? What deal?”

  Iris told the story of meeting Anne, Chloe, Summer and Kayleen.

  When she finished, she added, “I’ll admit Kayleen inspired me.”

  Cricket chuckled. “Well, now I’m inspired, Iris, for you to get your license even quicker.”

  They all laughed.

  Flynn hugged her next. With his mouth close to her ear, he whispered, “Way to go, Duck. I guess there was something going on with you and Cricket, huh?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “YOU KNOW HOW people always say they want to get a bridesmaid dress that they can wear again, but it never happens?” Iris said as she and Flynn stepped into the elevator of their Washington, DC, hotel. Sebastien’s assistant had secured them rooms only a few blocks from the museum where the gala was taking place. “It’s fun to actually get to do that.”

  Flynn pushed the button for the lobby. “It’s fun for me, too.”

  “Why’s that?”

  The doors closed. “Because it means I get to do this.” Flynn placed his hand on her bare back, spreading his fingers to achieve maximum surface area.

  “Ohh...” He watched her breath catch and it made him feel like a superhero. A teasing glint sparked in her hazel eyes as she then slew him with a dazzling smile.

  They’d flown in the day before and her skin had a sun-kissed glow from the time they’d spent sightseeing. They’d hit some of the key tourist attractions, like the White House, the Washington Monument, the National World War II Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials, as well as parts of the Smithsonian. Tomorrow’s agenda included the Tidal Basin and the Lincoln Memorial because, she’d informed him, she wanted him to see it at sunset.

  Some of his favorite moments had happened when she’d showed him the not-so-popular spots she loved, like her favorite town house in all of Georgetown, the best place to buy fresh-cut flowers and the bagel shop where they still made everything from scratch. She’d bought six different flavors and made him try every one.

  He drew her close for a kiss and Flynn quit thinking about where they were and where they’d been because he still couldn’t believe he could kiss Iris whenever he wanted. The bell dinged, indicating they’d arrived at the lobby. Flynn released her, enjoying the fact that she seemed as breathless and disoriented as he felt.

  “Elevator kissing,” she teased as she moved toward the door. “So cliché.”

  Flynn took her hand and pulled her back, pressed the button to close the doors and kissed her again.

  “Flynn,” she protested weakly and kissed him back until the doors opened once more.

  Laughing, they exited the elevator into the spacious lobby. Once outside, Iris tapped the app on her phone to call for a car. Less than three minutes later, their ride pulled up. They arrived at the venue, where men in tuxes and women in cocktail attire headed inside.

  Sebastien and another man met them out front. “Hey, how are my favorite Alaskans?” Iris gave him a hug. Flynn shook his hand.

  Sebastien gestured to the man beside him before taking his hand. “I’d like you to meet my partner, Drew Carter. Drew, Iris James and Flynn Ramsey.”

  Flynn barely had time to process just how unfounded his jealousy of Sebastien had been because the sight before him all but took his breath away.

  Inside the grand, marble-floored foyer, a young couple dressed in elegant formal wear checked them in. A chamber orchestra played to an empty room beyond. The woman gestured up the stairs, where the party appeared to be in full swing on the second floor.

  They ascended the elegant staircase and Flynn immediately appreciated the brilliance of the acoustic setup. The music drifting up from the first floor wasn’t too loud that conversation couldn’t easily flow. Black-and-white-attired waitstaff carried sparkling silver trays with offerings of wine, champagne and ice-cold water. A long seafood bar was laid out with prawns and oysters on the half-shell, and crab sat chilling on a thick layer of ice. Fancy appetizers filled tiered platters at one end. An artistic display of desserts stood on another table.

  Before long, Flynn had met so many people his eyes began to glaze over. Iris was deep in discussion with a philosophy professor she knew from graduate school, so he excused himself to get a drink. An hour and countless conversations later, he was getting ready to devour a double-chocolate cupcake when a beaming Iris found him again.

  “That looks delicious.”

  He offered her a bite and enjoyed watching her eyes light with joy as she took a taste. Moments like this stretched out before him.

  “Mmm,” she said, “I love it when a cupcake tastes as good as it looks.”

  Flynn took a bite and had to agree.

  “Are you having fun?” she asked, and there was no mistaking the hopefulness in her expression.

  “Yes, I am. Sebastien introduced me to...I think it was maybe the surgeon general.”

  “That’s awesome. Did you talk about important stuff like heart disease and diabetes?”

  “No, we discussed bow ties versus regular ties for formal wear, the necessary inconvenience of road construction and the Lincoln Memorial, which I’m looking forward to visiting tomorrow, by the way. Then I had a conversation with a guy who thinks these tiny soft-shell crabs are better than ours. Can you believe that?”

  “I hope you set him straight regarding the size and superiority of all things Alaskan.”

  “Absolutely not,” he joked. “Our state is getting crowded enough as it is. I generally let people wallow in their misconceptions with the hope they won’t discover how great it is and move there.”

  She laughed and linked her fingers in his. “Well,” she said, “I just met a Supreme Court judge. I think I managed to sound not as intimidated as I felt. I also talked
to Senator Marsh—you know, Bering’s friend?” At his nod, she went on, “He asked my opinion on Alaska’s most pertinent economic indicators. He’s a smart guy. I can see why Bering and Tag like him. And he told me he honestly believes Hannah is going to win the state senate race. She’s a natural, he said, and people gravitate toward her. I already knew that, but isn’t that great?”

  Lifting a hand, Iris waved at an attractive older woman in a floor-length sequin gown. “That’s Dr. Olivia Dormand,” she explained. “She’s completely brilliant, a specialist in macroeconomics, a consultant on a project I worked on. She’s written like six books on the subject.”

  And at that moment, Flynn truly understood—Iris belonged here. This was her “zone,” just like she’d talked about. She would never be as happy in Rankins as she would be here. The realization left him with one last important question—could he be as happy here as he was in Alaska?

  Maybe Doc was right; Flynn felt like he belonged in Rankins because his best memories resided there. A lot of them now featured Iris. Sure, it was also about the tiny close-knit community he loved, nestled in the vast wildness of Alaska, and the endless opportunities to do all the activities he enjoyed. But mostly, it was about the people. His life, he realized, was about Iris.

  This weekend together in the nation’s capital had been amazing. It had shown him that he and Iris could create memories anywhere. It was a beautiful city. So long as he was with her, it didn’t really matter what they were doing, whether it was quiet visits to the bagel shop or fancy parties like this one. It felt just like what his grandparents had. Different locale than he’d imagined, same kind of love. The notion was exhilarating.

  “Hey,” she said, squeezing his arm. “What are you smiling about?”

  “I was just thinking about something.”

  “Do you want to share?”

  “I do. I will. As soon as we get out of here.”

  “We can go now. Sebastien and Drew are leaving.”

  “Okay, then.” He took her hand and they headed for the door.

  “It feels so good out here,” Iris said when they stepped out into the cool night air. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to these East Coast summers. It’s like I’m either melting in the heat or freezing from the air-conditioning.”

  “One nice thing about them is that the kayaking season is longer here. The fishing isn’t as good, but I hear there are places in Maryland that are decent. We can go on charter boats all along the coast and explore the Atlantic Ocean. If you thought catching halibut was fun, wait until you land a bluefin tuna.”

  Iris stopped in her tracks and turned toward him. “Flynn, what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that when I finish my residency I’d like to move here and be with you. And until then we will make this long-distance thing work.”

  “But...what about Doc? What about your medical-school bills and buying his practice?”

  “My wise and extremely generous grandfather pointed out that his practice could be sold to anyone. And my medical-school bills can be paid off the same way other doctors pay them off, but at a much lower interest rate.”

  “You talked to him about this?”

  “He talked to me.”

  “But what about what you want? I know how much you love Alaska, how much you love Rankins.”

  “I do, but I also understand now how much you don’t. And what it all comes down to is...” He searched for the right words and finally decided to borrow some from his gram. Pulling her into his arms, he said, “Iris, I’d live in a garbage dump if it meant I got to be with you.”

  * * *

  “AUNT IRIS! IRIS!” Lucas and Violet ran to her. Iris picked up her nephew and her little cousin, one at a time, gave them hugs and set them down again.

  “Jeez, you guys are getting big. Pretty soon, you’ll be picking me up.”

  They giggled. Lucas said, “That’s funny.”

  Ally, along with all three of Iris’s sisters, their cousin Janie and Emily were congregated around a picnic table. Nearby, the play structure, monkey bars and brand-new swing set were all getting plenty use from assorted James kids.

  Janie’s twin boys, Gabe and Finn, swarmed around her next, hugging her legs in turn. “We’re playing sorcerer-sorceress,” Gabe informed her. “Do you want to play?”

  “I absolutely do.” She had no idea what it entailed but it didn’t matter. “Let me talk to your mom and the other big people for a bit and then I’ll be over.”

  Iris and Flynn had returned home from Washington, DC, the previous day. Iris had a ton of stuff to accomplish in the next few weeks, including hiring and training a new employee at Copper Crossing, but she was determined to soak up as much family time as she could before she left. When Janie had texted that morning to invite her to an impromptu gathering of James women in the park, she couldn’t refuse.

  “How is my little niece or nephew?” she asked Shay when she descended upon the group.

  “Fabulous. He’s kicking all the time.”

  “You keep calling it a ‘he.’ You know how weird that’s going to be if it’s a girl, right?” Shay wanted a boy that they could name after their paternal grandfather, Augustus “Gus” James. He’d founded the Faraway Inn and left it to Shay when he passed away.

  “I don’t know...” Shay pulled one shoulder up into a shrug. “I think Gus is cute for a girl.”

  “So do I!” Ally said.

  “Hmm. That is pretty cute,” Iris agreed. “What about Augusta?”

  Shay grinned. “We’re negotiating.”

  The women discussed baby names while Iris asked Hannah about her state-senate campaign. Hannah glanced at Emily, who was serving as her campaign manager. They exchanged smiles before Hannah answered, “Really well.”

  Emily added, “Your sister is being modest. She’s a rock star.”

  Iris told them about her meeting with Senator Marsh and his optimism regarding Hannah’s win. Everyone was smiling with satisfaction when she finished.

  “Okay, Iris,” Janie interrupted impatiently. “Enough of this chitchat, as sweet and important as it is. How was your trip to Washington, DC, the one you took with Flynn?”

  “It was great.”

  “How are things with you and Flynn?” Hannah asked.

  “We’re...” She shrugged. “It’s...good.” And it was. Except, she and Flynn hadn’t discussed the details of how they were going to manage a new relationship across so many miles. Turning over possible scenarios had kept her up the night before. She really wasn’t up for answering questions from her family that she had no answers for.

  “How good?” Janie asked.

  Violet, bless her, saved Iris from having to answer by bringing her the “wand” and the “robe” and informing her it was her turn to be sorceress.

  Iris gave her family the whadda-ya-gonna-do? shrug and jogged to the grassy expanse of lawn, where the kids were waiting. After a quick rundown on the important yet ambiguous rules that only kids could conceive, she was ready to roll.

  Blanket draped over her from head to toe, sorceress arms stretched wide, stick-wand firmly in hand, Iris cast her best “spell,” and then chased after the kids, which wasn’t easy considering the blanket kept flopping in front of her eyes. The excessive giggling and squealing spurred her on and made the element of danger worthwhile.

  Gabe tripped and fell, laughing all the way. Iris tagged him with her wand, then scooped him up and gave him a loud smooch on the cheek before lowering him again. She caught Violet next and gave her the same treatment. Holding her beneath her armpits so her little feet dangled just above the ground, she said, “Should I plant you here?” Then she spun her around. “Or here?”

  “Iris!” she screeched and then burst out laughing. Iris joined in because the kid had the cutest belly laugh she’d ever heard.

  “Well
, you’re a flower like me so I have to plant you somewhere, right?”

  “No! I want to run.”

  “Can flowers run, though?”

  “Yes!” More giggling ensued.

  “Well, okay,” Iris conceded. “But don’t stay in one place too long because you might sprout roots and get stuck.”

  Violet stilled, and in a too-serious tone, she asked, “Really?”

  “No, absolutely not.”

  She lowered the child down and Iris’s “robe” slipped off. Violet could be rather literal, so Iris reiterated, “That was just a joke. You will not actually grow roots.”

  “Iris?”

  She looked up to find Sonya standing nearby.

  “Sonya, hi! What are you doing?”

  “I have an appointment later. It’s such a gorgeous day I decided to take a walk.” Iris wondered if she meant a doctor’s appointment, although she waved an arm in the opposite direction of most of the town’s businesses. Concern warred with discretion. She decided it wasn’t her place to pry.

  “It is. You look great, by the way.”

  “Thank you. I’m feeling better.” A new OB-GYN had recently opened a practice in Rankins. Maybe she’d already seen a doctor.

  Violet took a step forward. “Hi, I’m Violet.” She loved how Emily’s daughter was so friendly, but in such a polite way.

  “Nice to meet you, Violet.” Sonya held out a hand, which Violet shook. “My goodness, your eyes are almost the same color as the flower, aren’t they?”

  Violet flashed the smile she’d inherited from her dad and nodded. “Lots of people say that. Tag says it all the time. He calls me wildflower. Because my name’s a flower, too, like Iris’s.”

  “It is! That’s so neat to have that in common with your...”

  “Violet and I are cousins, second cousins technically. Our families are very close, though. She’s like a niece.”

  Violet nodded vigorously. “Nice to meet you,” she said. “Goodbye.” She scampered off to join her cousins.

  Sonya watched Violet go and Iris knew she wasn’t imagining the affection she saw in the woman’s expression. Then Sonya looked at Iris and said, “She’s adorable. You’re really great with kids.”