Page 50 of Waiting in Wyoming
Dylan texted that she was going to be okay. But, well, Meyra would call Marin soon. Marin would tell her the truth. Marin was just as overprotective over Dylan as Meyra was.
There was a crowd in the waiting area of the lobby again. She recognized several people—including Charlotte and her friends.
Charlotte came right over to Rhea and Meyra’s dad. “What are you two doing down here? Is everything okay at home?” She had her new stepmother Rory with her. Rory was good friends with Charlotte—they’d been close even before Charlotte’s biological father had gotten Rory pregnant. Rory had a baby in her arms. Charlotte held another. The little girl was so tiny, not even three months old, and looked so much like Charlotte. Her twin brother looked like Charlotte’s father, though. Meyra wished she could hold them.
“Hello, Rory. How are you?” Meyra had met her a lot of times before. Rory had even stayed in the family wing at the inn sometimes. She’d stayed at the inn for weeks and had given birth to the twins Charis and Chaz in Masterson County. She was part of Charlotte’s family.
They made small talk for a few minutes. Meyra had never really been good at small talk—but she had learned to at least look like she could do it okay. Mostly, she remembered how to listen to what the guest was saying and respond to that quickly, rather than analyzing it too much. It was part of being an innkeeper—she’d been roleplaying with Dahlia some, so her baby cousin could learn it, too.
Now that she was an adult, and more confident in herself, she’d told her family she didn’t like the front desk. And she just wanted to work the dining room and the diner, unless she absolutely had to work the desk to help out. They were good with that. Especially with Dylan, Devaney, Dahlia, and Dorie to help now. Meyra had made it her job to help Dahlia gain that confidence, too.
Still, Meyra didn’t like small talk very much at all. Especially when she was worried about someone she cared about. Like she was now.
Then Brandt’s mother was there.
She still looked exhausted and upset. She went right to Brandt and hugged him. She was very small, no taller than Charlotte. She had the same rich chocolate brown hair as Brandt, but she had a single gray streak at her temple. Her eyes were dark, dark brown—she looked a lot like his sister. And she looked worried. Really worried.
Something else had happened, Meyra was certain of it.
“Mom? What’s wrong? Is Gunnar…Daniel?” Brandt had told her—he had known Daniel McKellen since he was a little boy. “What’s happened?”
“Heather spiked a fever early this morning,” his mother answered, quietly. “They’ve moved her into ICU. They say it’s a bacterial infection. No one is allowed in, except her sister, the one who is a doctor.”
Brandt let out a curse. Meyra just clung to his hand.
His mother’s voice was full of tears. Meyra’s heart hurt for the kind of pain she had had to go through.
Why did people do such terrible things to each other? Miranda said some people just had something broken in them and it made them do abhorrent things.
Her grandmother had called it pure evil.
Meyra felt it was probably some sort of blend of the two. She shivered and pulled her zippered hoodie tighter around her.
Brandt held his mother while she cried. Meyra hated it when people cried. It made her feel almost useless. She really didn’t do anything to help, just stood there, rubbing her hands together for a long moment.
Meyra’s stepmother touched her on the arm. Meyra stepped toward her. Rhea had been speaking with a handsome older man Meyra had seen at the inn before. Rhea wrapped her hand around Meyra’s. Meyra really tried not to cling like a kid, but…Brandt’s mother was still crying.
Ithurtto see. Meyra looked at the man who was speaking to Rhea now. It took her a moment, but she finally recognized him. He had been a guest at the inn several times now. Him, and his son and grandson.
His son was a really beautiful man, too.
He was Dr. Carrington, Rhea’s close friend from medical school. Dr. Carrington owned one of the biggest medical groups in the country now. He was investing in the hospital Meyra’s stepmother had built. He was very nice, very distinguished. He owned two of the three hospitals in Finley Creek now, Rhea had told her that on the drive. She was intending to meet with him and his board of directors while they were in Texas this time, too.
Her gaze settled on Charlotte, who was speaking with a man who was vaguely familiar. He wore a TSP polo shirt and had blond shaggy hair. He was very good looking, but she didn’t remember his name. He’d been at the inn, she thought. There were a lot of people in Finley Creek who had been at her inn.
Meyra just sort of stayed back, near Brandt, but also close to Rhea and her dad. She didn’t want to be in the way.
So she stayed back and just watched.
41
Wayne neededto hear what people were saying about Timothy Grundenman, a physician out of Finley Creek. Dr. Grundenman had information no one wanted getting out there. He was there to fact-find after some sort of shit had really hit the fan. Judge Fisher was beyond panicking now.
Names had gotten out. Lots of them. And that was going to mean more problems than the judge had anticipated.
Wayne suspected his next assignment was to see to it that Dr. Grundenman didn’t live long enough to spill what he knew. Grundenman was living on borrowed time. Wayne would find what he could about the man now, so that he didn’t have to waste time when the inevitable happened. Part of being efficient was being informed, after all.
For now…he had been given information that two of Grundenman’s daughters worked at this very hospital. One in CICU and another was a trauma physician in the ER. He had their names and where to find them. It was simple; the two young women lived together in a gated community somewhere in the city.