Too Close to the Sun by Diana Dempsey

ragged breathing, tried to slow the rampaging of her
heart. Their eyes met.
    "I'm sorry, Gabby." He gave her a sheepish
smile. "I got a little carried away there."
    "You weren't the only one."
    They smiled at each other for a moment
longer. Then, "Shall we have our coffee?" he asked.
    "We should probably take it upstairs."
    "You're right," he said, and led her—after a
pause for dress and hair smoothing—to a table for two where her
pashmina and their order sat waiting.
    They picked everything up and started back
toward the elevator. "My turn to apologize," she said. "I'm sorry
for yelling at you before."
    "Don't worry about it." He smiled at her
again.
    She sipped her cappuccino while they waited
for an elevator. It was true—she did feel better. And, oddly, not
at all awkward. She felt no need to bring up their kiss in the
stairwell, and no worry about it, either. An unending stream of
people moved past them to get into the Starbucks line, get served,
move on, and be replaced by still more. "Where are they all coming
from?"
    "What amazes me is that there are always
people in hospitals, at all hours, worried about somebody. When
you're working or sleeping or doing whatever. It's like a whole
other world that you just don't think about." He tipped back his
head and drank from his cardboard coffee cup.
    She watched his throat work as he swallowed.
"At least until you're there yourself."
    He met her eyes. "Then what's going on in the
hospital is the most important thing in the world."
    "It sounds like you've been through this
yourself."
    The elevator doors opened and they went
inside. Will nodded as if casting his mind back in time. "Three
years ago, my mom had an emergency triple bypass."
    Gabby took that in. "Is she okay?"
    "Better than ever."
    "Where does she live?"
    "Denver. Where everybody in my family
lives."
    "But you're in California."
    "Have you lived anywhere else?"
    "One other place. Castelnuovo."
    His brows flew up. "Italy?"
    "Tuscany. The Chianti region, to be
precise."
    "To study winemaking, I bet."
    But that's not all I learned. In fact, that's
not the half of it.
    He narrowed his eyes at her. "I'd also bet
there's a story there."
    "An epic."
    He smiled. "Then perhaps we should leave it
for another night."
    I hope there is such a night . A normal
night, when her father was fine and tucked into his bed at home.
When the biggest thing she had to worry about was how to look
pretty for a man she found attractive. Such simple things, yet at
this moment they sounded like nirvana.
    They had just emerged from the elevator when
Camella came flying toward them down the corridor. Gabby's heart
picked up a staccato rhythm. Then she saw that her sister was
smiling. Tears were drying on her cheeks, but she was smiling.
    She grabbed Gabby's arms. "Daddy's okay.
They're taking him to ICU. The doctor said his EKG is better."
    Thank God. Thank God . "So the drug is
working?"
    "The doctor thinks so. Daddy squeezed his
hand. That's a really good sign," Cam started to say—then she
choked on her words and couldn't say more.
    Neither could Gabby. They clutched each
other, both sobbing, and through the relief that coursed through
her body, Gabby was conscious of Will stepping away, giving them
space. "Can we see him?"
    "Yes, on the way to ICU."
    "You go on," Will said from where he stood,
"I'll wait for you here, and I'll also call Ava to let her know
what's going on."
    "Thank you," Gabby began, but already Cam was
pulling her away, toward her father. Before she disappeared around
the corner, she saw him in the hallway, his jacket on his arm,
standing and watching her, as if he had nothing more important in
the world to do.
    *
    "I am truly sorry for missing the party," Max
told his mother, turning her Mercedes sedan into the parking lot
that fronted St. Helena Hospital. "I know it meant a lot to you and
I really dropped the ball by showing up so late. Believe me, I'll
make it up to you. I promise."
    Massive silence yawned from the