Free The Wedding Hoax by Heather Thurmeier Page B

letting her old feelings for him affect a decision for her business. But she couldn’t ignore the knowledge that she was not only signing up for money, but for a heartbreak that left her shattered last time.
    She didn’t want to tell him the truth about why she needed out of the deal. Telling him she would get hurt again would only succeed in letting him know how much he’d affected her before. And it would only give him the power to do it again. She had to be strong, keep her resolve, and commit to her decision. She was getting out of this deal before it was too late.
    Her cell phone rang loudly in her pocket, saving her from having to say anymore. “Hello,” she said without bothering to check the caller display. She’d talk to anyone right now. Anyone except the man standing in front of her.
    “Daisy? It’s Samantha.”
    Her heart sank. Samantha only called when something was wrong with her mom. “What is it?”
    “I took Helen into the hospital.”
    She didn’t ask for details. It didn’t matter what had happened or why. “I’ll be right there.”
    “Is everything okay?” Cole asked when she hung up the phone.
    “Mom’s in the hospital. I have to go.”
    “I’ll come with you.” He took her hand and squeezed it. The warmth of his touch was comforting, and she wanted more than anything to have someone by her side right now…every time her mom had a setback. But that person would never be Cole.
    She pulled her hand back and started for the door. “If you really want to help, take care of the booth for me.” She didn’t miss the look of hurt on his face at her rejection.
    She couldn’t linger on his feelings right now. She’d deal with Cole and Mason later after she knew her mom was okay. Until then, her only goal was getting to her mom and finding out what happened.
    …
    Helen smiled as she walked into the hospital room. Daisy scanned the area quickly, assessing the amount of machinery needed during this visit. She saw only the most basic equipment by the bed and instantly felt her shoulders relax. Whatever had happened to put her mom in the hospital again, it couldn’t have been too bad.
    “Are you okay?” she asked, coming to the bedside and kissing her mom on the cheek. “What happened?”
    “Just a little leg pain. No big deal.” Her mom patted her cheek in an attempt to comfort her. It didn’t work.
    Daisy eyed Samantha, knowing if anyone would give her the full story, it would be the nurse.
    “It was more than leg pain,” Samantha said, not waiting for Daisy to ask the question. “She had pain and some swelling in her good leg. I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t a blood clot, so we came in. They’ve run some tests, and it looks like we overdid it with her exercises this week.”
    “So there’s no clot?” Daisy pressed. A blood clot was always a concern with her mother’s limited mobility. And one wouldn’t be considered a simple setback. Blood clots could be fatal if untreated. Samantha had done the right thing bringing her mom in for testing.
    “No, there doesn’t appear to be. But they want her to stay overnight to be safe.”
    She collapsed into the chair beside the bed and held her mom’s hand, massaging it as she always did to help with circulation. Every stroke of her thumbs eased the stress in her shoulders more. Her mom was fine. A night of observation was nothing compared to what they’d been through before.
    Her phone rang. She quickly pulled it from her pocket and sent the call to voice mail, but not quickly enough to miss seeing Cole’s name flash across the screen.
    What the hell was she going to do about him?
    An hour ago she’d been set on leaving him and Mason behind and breaking their deal. But that was before her mom had ended up in the hospital. A new round of medical bills would show up in her mail, and she’d have to find a way to pay them. How many more times would her mom end up in the hospital? How would Daisy pay for her care without the