Keely’s jaw dropped and then a brilliant smile appeared. She hugged him.
“I suppose Scarlett doesn’t know about this.”
He grinned. “Nope. I don’t want to scare her off. She’s going to have to figure out on her own that I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to her.” He paused. “That came out pretty arrogant.”
“No. Not at all. You’re a man who knows what he wants.”
“I do,” he agreed. “I don’t care how long Operation Wynn Her Over takes. Scarlett’s worth the wait.”
Breck O’Dell rushed into the waiting room. “What’s going on?” he demanded, as a woman appeared behind him.
Wynn immediately recognized Jo O’Dell. He’d watched all of her comedy cable specials and laughed until his sides ached. The comedian was quick-witted and found nothing off-limits as she gave everyone from the president to soccer moms a swift tongue-lashing laced with humor.
“Rhett’s out of surgery,” Sydney said. “The doctors say it went well, though it sounds as if rehab is going to be extremely tough. Cassie, Scarlett, and Carreen are with him now.”
Breck looked at Dash. “Tell me everything.”
Wynn listened as Dash walked Breck through the incident. As he spoke, Jo dropped a good number of F-bombs.
When Dash finished, Jo asked, “Where is this stalker chick?”
“They brought her here,” Sydney said, anger obvious in her voice. “We don’t know what’s happened to her.”
“I hope she’s dead and burning in hell,” Jo said, falling into the seat next to Wynn. She glanced over. “Wynn Gallagher? What are you doing here?”
“He’s here for Scarlett,” Keely said. “She asked him to stay.”
Jo studied him a moment. “Then she must really think a lot of you, Wynn. Our Scarlett is notorious for reeling men in and then cutting bait before things get too serious or she can get hurt. If Scarlett asked you to be here during this monumental crisis, I’d say you better start picking out rings because she’s in it for the long haul.”
A stunned silence was quickly followed by hearty laughter. Jo O’Dell was known for saying whatever she thought without sugarcoating it. He glanced at Keely, who nodded encouragingly at him.
“What Scarlett and I have is pretty new but I’ve waited a lifetime for her. I didn’t know I was waiting, much less have an inkling she’d be the one, but you’re right, Jo. When the time is right, I’ll be placing that ring on her finger and hope I’ll have her family and friends’ support.”
Jo threw her arms around Wynn and squeezed so tight he worried a moment about breathing. Then she kissed him hard on the mouth. “Oh, I like you, Wynn Gallagher. Almost as much as I do that one over there.” She blew Breck a kiss. “I’ve already read the pages he’s completed for the Mark Brockwell screenplay. You’re going to make a perfect Mark and Breck and Cassie will make you even more famous than you are now.”
“Fame is nice, Jo, but all I want is to do roles I believe in. I’m excited about what Breck and Cassie will write for me, both as Brockwell and finishing up Carbon Man.”
He wondered with Rhett’s injuries how long it would take for the Carbon Man script to be written. With the thorough treatment he’d already read, Wynn hoped once Rhett was on the road to recovery that Cassie would find time to go back to it.
Bob stood. “Carreen just texted me. She’s in the chapel. I’m going to join her.”
After he left, Mac asked, “How did you manage to get here, Jo? I know you’ve been doing two shows a night in Vegas.”
Jo sniffed. “They weren’t happy about me not performing. Three hotel execs and their stuffy lawyer thought they could play the stare down game with me and I’d crumble. The lawyer said my contract only had a clause for not going on if I were sick.” She paused. “I told them it would make me sick to go on stage when the man I love as a brother and helped me get going in this crazy business might be dying in a hospital bed. And if I did go on, I would skewer their hotel and management until it was burned to a crisp.”
“They folded?” Dash asked, a grin spreading across his face.
“They did,” Jo said. “I promised another day at the end of my run as a makeup show and included a second night where they could claim all of the profits. Expensive, I know, but being here for Rhett is worth every penny. Plus, I told them I would seriously consider them for my residency, over three other hotels.”
“You didn’t tell me there were others in the running,” Sydney said.
Jo batted her lashes playfully. “Maybe there are and maybe there aren’t.”
Sydney laughed. “When you get tired of show business, you should get your law degree and set up shop with Scarlett. The two of you would be unstoppable together.”
Scarlett entered the waiting room. Wynn’s heart did that beat-skipping thing that he now associated with her.
“I’ve got the update,” she said, moving to Breck and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Thank you for coming.” She moved over to Jo and hugged her. “Rhett will be so pleased you’re here. In fact, you two will be his first two visitors tomorrow since I’m sure you’ll need to get back to Vegas.”
“No fair,” Dash said good-naturedly. “I’ve been in line all day, Brother. Take a number.”
Breck shrugged. “I’ve been besties with Rhett longer than you, DeLauria. Get over it.”
“Enough!” Scarlett cried. “Let me give you the lowdown.”
Wynn listened as she described Rhett’s appearance and how the doctors wanted a rotating schedule of visitors so that he wouldn’t be worn out. Everyone agreed the O’Dells should be able to see Rhett first thing in the morning so Jo could get back to Vegas. As Keely helped Scarlett coordinate the times to visit, he watched Sydney pull out her iPad and FaceTime with her children and the Corrigans’ two.
“Your dad is
