“I’m sorry, Candy, we can catch up later maybe if you’re still in town, but right now I have something more important to do,” Scott said and pulled on his jacket. After tossing some money on the bar to cover both his and Candy’s drinks, he turned back to look questioningly at Mark.

“She’s probably gone home,” Mark replied to Scott’s unasked inquiry. “Knowing her, she’s most likely cleaning a bathroom or something. She cleans when she’s upset or confused.”

“I’ll head over there now and find her, then,” Scott replied.

“Take flowers,” interjected Candy.

Both men turned to look at her in surprise.

“What?” she asked them, batting her long lashes as she looked from one to the other. “Women like flowers. It’s a good idea.”

Scott nodded at her suggestion and headed out of the bar. As he left, he heard Candy ask Mark if he played any sports.

And Scott couldn’t help but chuckle.

Chapter Sixteen

Kara looked up from the paper she’d been handed and shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said.

“The treatment of diabetes in children focuses on keeping blood sugar levels within a set range. Children as young as Maeve need higher blood sugar levels than an adult because they’re still growing,” the doctor responded.

“No, I mean you’re telling me Maeve might have diabetes?” Kara asked, her tone incredulous as she forced the words around a tongue that suddenly seemed thicker than usual.

The doctor nodded sympathetically at her. “Yes, it looks like it from the two sets of blood tests we’ve run, but I’m going to send you over to the hospital to meet with some specialists, and they’ll do more testing to confirm it.”

“I don’t know what to say or even what to ask,” responded Kara, staring at the pediatrician while slowly crushing the paper she’d been given between both hands.

“I know. The diagnosis at first may seem overwhelming, and the truth is, Maeve will need constant care from you until she can manage the disease on her own. But honestly, everything will be fine. Managing this will help Maeve feel much better—no more constant trips to the bathroom, and she should stop feeling hungry all the time too.”

Kara’s eyes widened.

The doctor glanced down at the paper Kara was crumpling before lowering her voice. “She’ll be okay, Kara. You’re going to have to learn how to give Maeve insulin injections, count carbohydrates, and monitor her blood sugar levels from now on. But recent advances in blood sugar monitoring and insulin delivery have improved the daily management of diabetes for children dramatically.”

“But how did this happen?” asked Kara, her voice breaking slightly.

The pediatrician sighed. “Unfortunately, we don’t know what causes it. Maeve’s body is mistakenly destroying the insulin-producing cells in her pancreas. But medication can keep her blood sugar levels close to normal.”

Kara took a deep breath and folded her arms in front of her to stop her trembling.

How can Maeve be diabetic, and I didn’t know?

The doctor gave Kara a half smile as she tapped a pen on her desk. “Now, what I’d like you to do is go home and pack a bag for both you and Maeve and take her back to Pineland County Memorial Hospital. I’ve arranged for you to meet with Dr. Casey there tomorrow morning. She’s an excellent pediatric endocrinologist who has agreed to add Maeve to her patient load. She'll help you get Maeve's blood sugar levels stabilized and her staff will teach you everything you need to know to keep them that way.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If you follow their instructions, Maeve will be fine, I promise.”

Kara looked at her silently for a long moment. Finally, with shaking hands, she smoothed the paper she was holding and slid it into an envelope along with the other literature the doctor had placed in front of her.

“Thank you for your help,” Kara said automatically. Turning away, she went over to the corner of the office where Maeve had been working on a puzzle.

“Come on, lovey. It’s time to leave,” she told her daughter. Maeve pushed the last piece of the wooden puzzle into place and got to her feet. After giving the doctor a sunny smile, the little girl reached up to take her mother’s hand and skipped out the door beside her.

Scott stopped outside Kara’s garden center and admired the displays. Now that the spring weather had warmed, the many planters out front had been filled with colorful geraniums, petunias, lobelia, and a variety of other flowers. Scott couldn’t identify everything but made a mental note to google a few online when he had time. The smell from the trees beside the doors, lilac, he thought, was heavy and the heady perfume had him smiling as he walked through the door. The store wasn’t very busy, and Scott quickly found Kara filling tall planters with colorful foliage at the potting counter.

“Hi,” he said, coming to a halt before her.

She looked up and blinked in surprise before setting down her small planting spade and smiling at him. “Well, hello. This is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?”

He couldn’t help but notice the smile she gave him didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I was just in the neighborhood and saw everything looking so lovely out front, so I thought I’d stop in and have a look around.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you like the way it looks too. We’ve been busy getting everything planted,” Kara replied, stripping off her gardening gloves and setting them on the counter. As she came around to stand in front of him, he saw a smudge of dirt on her cheek and raised a hand to brush it away.

His hand hovered in the air between them for a fraction of a second as he considered whether this was too intimate a gesture, his brow furrowing further as he remembered seeing her with Jamie.

“Oh, do I have something on my face?” asked Kara, blushing slightly as she reached up and brushed the speck away. “Hazard of the trade, I’m afraid. I always seem to be wearing my work.”

Scott’s mouth opened and then snapped shut again. She had moved closer to him and had one hand pressed against her cheek. Her golden-brown eyes were wide with laughter as she blinked up at him.

She’s close enough to kiss.

Scott quickly took a step back and stuffed both hands in his front pockets. He cleared his throat. “It must be nice to have that, though, a reminder of all this life and color with you wherever you go.”

Kara nodded. “It is. Especially at this time of the year, when everything is just blooming and bright. I love spring and Christmas too, when we put lights up everywhere and everything is all sparkly. It’s magical.”

Scott nodded. “I can’t wait to see it.”

A shadow seemed to pass over her expression, but Kara immediately brightened again as she glanced back at the pot on the counter beside her. “I look forward to showing it to you,” she replied. “But it’s a little too early for thinking about that now. What can I help you find today?”

“Ah.” Scott felt himself color slightly as he considered how to reply. “I’m not sure exactly. I’m looking for a gift.” He felt his blush deepen at the lie. “Why don’t you show me around so I can decide?”

Kara nodded. “I can do that.” She glanced around. “We’re not that busy, but everyone is hard at work restocking.” She frowned. “Hopefully things will pick up for the weekend.”

A short time later, she had shown him the greenhouses, as well as the large stacks of fertilizers, garden soil, and gravels outside. After he’d admired the piles of grass seed and mulch, she took him over to see the long tables of shady flowers in the greenhouses. Finally, she toured him through the tables of sun-loving flowers basking on the outdoor tables in the midmorning sunshine. When they returned to the main building, she waved a hand at the gift section and indoor plant displays. “There. I think you’ve seen it all now,” she exclaimed. “Do you see anything you think you’d like? Who are you looking for a gift for, anyway?” Her brow wrinkled as she tried to remember if he had told her.

“Oh, just a thank-you gift for a client,” he replied, rubbing a hand over his chin. “I think maybe a gift card might be the best answer though, then they can choose what they’d like.”

“I can do that,” Kara said and led him over to the front cash register. A few minutes later, she’d sold him a generous certificate. “Thank you for thinking of buying your gift here,” Kara said as she followed him to the front of the shop.

“Happy to do so,” Scott replied with a smile. “Now, can you save me some time googling and tell me what the tall purple flowers in your front gardens are called?”

Kara laughed and followed him outside. “Oh, those are Alliums,” she told him. “They are really pretty—different looking too—and they grow well out front here in the bright sunshine.”

“They are unusual,” he said as he watched Kara reach over and tweak a few fading blossoms off a planter before reaching down to scoop up some soil from the pot and let it fall between her fingers.