Almost a Bride, page 15
“I’d make the time.” She sat back as the waiter put their dishes in front of them and asked if they needed anything else. “You may not want your photo on there, but a pic of Laddie on the beach would be gorgeous.”
“That is a good idea.”
“It’s hard to imagine that at some point, you actually let the person behind the counter at DMV take your photo for your driver’s license.”
“It was pure torture.” A lie. His photo IDs had been taken in private and put together by WITSEC. No standing in line at DMV. He took a drink of tea and they both started eating.
“So, seriously, still no luck in getting this place and others to shut down their lights during a hatch?” she asked.
“No luck. Even Nana tried to get through to them, but the hatches can be unpredictable and no business owner wants to turn off lights, night after night, with revenue loss. Can’t blame them, but at the same time, I wish they’d put the turtles first.”
“I wish there was some way I could help.”
“I honestly don’t think they’ll ever budge on it. The two who were willing to give it a few hours were Eve and Darla, but their shops aren’t along the beach like this restaurant, so it wouldn’t have the same impact.”
“Well, we can try to add that stipulation to the family who wants to buy the cottage. Not that we’d have a way to enforce it.”
“People don’t like to give up their comforts in life. But money and comforts aren’t everything. Lives are.”
Mandi nodded slowly and, though he didn’t press the matter, he hoped that she took that to heart.
* * *
MANDI HADN’T SLEPT so well in months. She lay there sprawled across her bed, muscles lax and mind rested. She turned onto her back and let the morning sun wash over her. She remembered the look on the waiter’s face last night and smiled. Gray had left him a fifty-dollar tip for a sixty-dollar meal and when the guy pointed it out, thinking he’d made a mistake, Gray told him it was the best meal and service he’d had in a long time. The look on the waiter’s face got her right in the heart. Gray told her afterward he had heard through the grapevine that the guy was a new father and had been working three jobs to make ends meet. That stole her heart. She then kissed Gray on the cheek and told him he was a good man. He brushed it off and said it was nothing. That wasn’t true. Small acts of kindness made a difference. He did them all the time with people and animals. It was one of the reasons she had fallen for him. But then why had she lost sight of that side of him and run away?
She touched her fingertips to her lips. She could still feel his warm, unshaven skin against them. There had been no kissing beyond her peck on his cheek, nor holding hands. Not even when they took a walk to burn off their meal before riding back to the house. There had been no goodbye kiss, yet she was feeling pretty amazing right now. Blissful and carefree.
Her cell phone text alert dinged, ruining her moment. She hurried to the dresser to check the message. She didn’t recognize the number it was coming from, but one look at the area code and first few words of the message and her temples tensed. It was from her future boss. She wanted to check in and make sure Mandi was on track to report to her first day as planned. She’d be there. She would be driving up the day before work started, which meant she only had five days left in Turtleback. Her stomach sank and she slumped on the edge of the bed. She looked around the room as if she’d never see it again. But this is what you wanted. Don’t lose your chance to make it big in the world. To prove yourself. She answered the text, assuring her boss that she’d be there on Monday as planned. She set her phone down and fell back against the bed. If there was one lesson she’d gleaned from coming down to Turtleback, it was that nothing good lasted forever.
She took a fortifying breath and got up to make coffee. There was still work to do around the house. She couldn’t leave it all on Gray’s shoulders. With his clinic to run, he’d never get it done on his own and they’d end up sitting on the house indefinitely, which come to think of it, would not only keep her from making money on the sale, it would actually cost her in tax and insurance payments. She couldn’t do that.
Money and comforts aren’t everything. Lives are.
She recalled Gray’s words, but the practical side of her brain couldn’t ignore the fact that she needed the money. But Gray was right about not selling to John. Being around her dad, face-to-face, was a firm reminder that he always had his own agenda. She couldn’t trust him. He was all about the money.
Hypocrite. Here she was worried about the money, too, but at least she had limits and boundaries. Her dad didn’t care about Nana’s house. All he did when she was alive was criticize it, pointing out the growing cost of repairs, the older-style floor plan and the waste of prime beachfront property. Nana had once told her during a phone conversation that John had been nagging her to sell the place. He had even shown her apartments and town houses in the state—likely searched for by Coral—that were a part of “fifty and older” all-inclusive, independent-living communities. They included workout facilities, a bank, doctor, craft classes and even a small library...all within close proximity of a hospital, “just in case” it was needed. Nana had been—in her own words—pissed. Her own son had been trying to slowly put her aside when, according to Nana, it was clear that his concern for her well-being was nothing more than a cover-up for his desire to have control. He’d even suggested more than once that she give him power of attorney and add his name as someone who could have access to her accounts in case of an emergency...like becoming mentally incapacitated or terminally ill. Nana had denied him, telling him she wasn’t stupid and had taken care of everything with her lawyer and that he need not worry about it. What no one knew was that Nana had given Mandi power of attorney...because she knew Mandi would never abuse it.
Which only reinforced the fact that Nana simply didn’t want John to have the house. This place was special in ways Mandi didn’t have words for. It was as if, even in Nana’s absence, it had a spirit that watched over the beach that lay before it and the turtles who would come to lay their nests there. It had history and Nana had filled its walls with love and good energy. It needed a family as much as it was meant to shelter one.
John would never comprehend that. And Mandi couldn’t fulfill that need. As much as she and Gray had mended their friendship since Nana’s passing, he hadn’t changed. He wasn’t being completely forthright and honest with her. He still didn’t fully trust her, no matter what he claimed. Actions spoke louder than words and he was still holding back and carrying a figurative shield wherever he went. How could she possibly marry and build a life with someone whose past was so clouded? What if they ever had kids as they’d once planned? What would he tell them? What would she say if they wondered why they didn’t have photos with Daddy? Or if he eventually came around and allowed for a private family album, what would he do if one of his kids used a photo from it for school or posted it online without asking? Kids did stuff like that, and most schoolwork and assignments were done online these days.
It would be impossible. He’d be keeping secrets from her and his children and eventually grandchildren, the same way Nana had kept her own secrets. Mandi remembered the missing journal.
The coffee maker gave a beep to signal it was done. She poured a cup and went to sit on the floor in the living room, within the kittens’ safety playpen, so that Windy and Storm could play with her toes and give her some love.
Nostalgia spread through her with the warmth of her first sip of coffee. Today, after cleaning the litter box, she would fix the garden beds around the house, then she was going to tackle the attic room and see if the journal was up there. Gray said he wouldn’t be able to come around until late afternoon. He was dropping off Laddie at Castaway Books because Eve was doing a dogs-in-books theme this week and thought having him around would draw a crowd, especially for reading time. If Mandi could get through all the boxes and separate memorabilia from things that could be tossed or donated, then Gray would be able to help her carry the boxes and piles downstairs. They’d almost be done and could carry out their plan to find someone other than Coral to list it. And if her father made an offer, she and Gray would have the prerogative to decline it, in favor of one from a family with kids and pets who would make the cottage a home again.
She prayed they’d get an offer like that. It was their only hope.
* * *
GRAY PINCHED UP the skin on the bulldog named Bison and inserted the subcutaneous injection. That made three shots for the old guy, whom he’d been seeing since he was a puppy.
“He’s all set,” Gray said, lifting the sixty-pounder off the exam table and setting him on the floor. Bison started licking his owner’s shoes. Mr. Krink also owned the hardware store, and Gray had warned him numerous times to be careful about what was on the floor or anywhere Bison could reach with his tongue. Hardware stores were full of items that were dangerous for pets, like nuts, bolts and poisonous substances. Bison had an indiscriminate, scary appetite. “Just follow what I said about his diet. He’s got to come down five to ten pounds or he’s going to end up with problems, and we don’t want that.” Gray stuck his head out in the hall. “Hey, Gavin, can you grab a couple samples of the weight-loss food that rep brought around?”
“I swear I measure what I put in his bowl,” Krink said.
“I don’t doubt it. But since he hangs around the shop, if I were you, I’d hide whatever trash bin you or your employees throw lunch leftovers in.”
Krink’s eyes widened and he shook his head at Bison.
“That’s gotta be it.”
Gavin brought the food samples and Krink was on his way.
“Dr. Z, we have an emergency.” Chanda hurried over and handed him a chart. “Nora is taking her back right now.”
Gray flipped the chart open and rushed to their emergency intake and surgical area. The name on the chart was Petra, a one-year-old Labradoodle here on vacation with her owners.
“Did you speak to her family?” he asked, putting a stethoscope to her chest, then palpating her abdomen. Petra whimpered and struggled to escape. “Whoa, there.” He held her in place with Gavin’s and Nora’s help.
“They think she might have swallowed a fishing lure. One with two hooks on it. All they know is that it was missing from their fishing box while they were out on the sound early this morning and she started acting sluggish and whimpering soon afterward,” Nora said.
Oh man. Not good.
“Okay, we need an X-ray and I want her on something for pain. Do we have permissions?”
“Yes, I had them sign. It’s all in the chart,” Nora said. Of course she did. She was always on top of things and had enough experience to know they were going to need X-rays and that Petra was in pain. Appeasing pain was a priority. They didn’t want any of their patients suffering.
It didn’t take long to get a good digital image up on screen. It confirmed the family’s suspicion. The fishing lure was lodged halfway down. Gray cursed.
“Start prepping her. I’ll go talk to her family.”
Signed papers for emergency care or not, he needed to check in with them to make sure they knew what was going on and that surgery was required. They’d have to sign for that and blood work. He hoped they would. There were some people in the world who would spend money for years on lottery tickets and cigarettes without a second thought, but in a lifesaving situation, would balk at the cost of medical care for their pet. He had a feeling, considering they’d gone out of their way to rush Petra in here, that she had a good family who would put her well-being above all. However they decided to proceed, it was going to be a tense few hours.
He stepped into the exam room Nora pointed him toward and froze in the doorway, but only for a second. He immediately recovered and tried to act as normal as possible, but his heart raced erratically. He’d seen this family before he entered witness protection. He didn’t recognize their last name on the chart, but he knew their faces. He scrambled to place them in his mind but he couldn’t. The look on their faces told him they’d recognized him, too. This wasn’t good. He cleared his throat.
“Hello. I’m Dr. Z. I just met Petra and wanted to let you know that we’re running X-rays on her.” He rattled off the intended procedure and lab work that might be necessary and they told him to do whatever needed to be done to save her.
“You look familiar,” the wife ventured.
Gray shrugged and shook his head as if he’d never seen them before.
“I don’t think we’ve ever met. Have you been in here before? Maybe with a different pet?”
“No, she’s our first dog. But my wife’s right. I think I’ve seen you before, too. Were you by any chance with the army? We used to live on a base. Maybe you were a vet there?”
“Not me. I’d remember if I had joined any military branch,” he said, laughing off the idea. “I have been told, however, that I have one of those faces. The kind that looks familiar.”
“That must be it, then,” the wife said. “Because I could have sworn I’d seen you somewhere, and Tyler’s ’s right, I think it was on base before we ever had kids.”
“Like I said, one of those faces. I’m going to check on Petra and scrub for surgery. You’ll be more comfortable waiting in the front room. Let Chanda know if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
He fled the room and pressed his back against his office wall. He needed to catch his breath and think straight. This was okay. He had things under control. They were a nice family with a sick dog—not hit men. He took a deep breath. He needed to save their dog. That was the most immediate life in danger. Then he’d reassess. He wasn’t turning his own life upside down on account of a nonthreatening family passing through. He’d let Carlos know to keep an extra eye out without notifying the marshal. The marshal would overreact. He had this. It was a close call, but everything was going to be okay. It had to be.
CHAPTER TEN
MANDI TIED HER hair into a high ponytail, scooped up Windy and Storm and took them up to the attic with her. She hated leaving them alone too long, even if they had a penned-off area, especially since Laddie wasn’t around today to babysit. Besides, she couldn’t resist them. There was nothing cuter than a kitten. She was really going to miss them. Taking them to New York with her and having them spend all day in her tiny apartment, alone, wouldn’t be fair to them. They would be happier and healthier here with Gray and Laddie.
You’d be happier here, too.
No. That wasn’t possible. She didn’t know where that voice in her head kept coming from but it had to stem from nerves and insecurity. New job. New life. She was doubting herself. Everyone went through that, didn’t they? Wondering if they were good enough and if they could make it in the world or at a new job? It was normal.
But you had cold feet and backed out of a commitment before.
She nibbled at the inside of her cheek. That was different. Marriage and career were different things. Weren’t they? She remembered Gray accusing her of trading her father’s control for a stranger’s and how she was settling for not building her own business and being her own boss. Did she want that? He didn’t understand that without a reputation getting a new business off the ground would be hard. It was a competitive market. By working for a reputable firm, she’d be building recognition. Clients would associate her with quality service. Didn’t he understand that names mattered? That hers wouldn’t carry as much clout without the firm standing behind her?
She reached the attic and placed the kittens in a wide, foot-high box she’d found earlier and filled with an old soft blanket and some cat toys. That would keep them out of trouble while she sorted through the place. Sunlight streamed through the one small window she’d opened earlier to air out the room. There were at least ten boxes and several bags Nana had stashed up here.
She was about to delve through the past and she was feeling almost as nervous as embarking on her future.
How do you know your future is meant to be in New York? Did Nana know when she was your age that she’d end up spending the rest of her life in Turtleback?
She carried the first box closer to the window where there was more light and sat on an old wooden, kid-sized chair she recognized as the one she used to use in elementary school, when she’d color in her coloring book at Nana’s coffee table. She opened the box and waved away the dust motes that escaped. If the first journal was in here, she’d have time to look through it before Gray arrived.
“Hey, Mandi. It’s me. Where are you?”
She nearly jumped out of her chair but pressed a hand to her chest when she registered Gray’s voice. He’d let himself in, which was absolutely fine, but she noticed how they’d gone from knocking to being more casual. Hey, honey, I’m home. She pressed her hands to her head. Yes, his calling out to her kind of reminded her of the clichéd husband calling out to his wife, but they weren’t married. She’d made that choice long ago. She needed to get back in control. She’d make a list if she had to, emphasizing her goals, her loans, her job and the fact that she should be focusing on her career right now. If she had it in notes on her phone, no one else would ever see it, but if Gray didn’t stop entering her mind, she’d make herself read through it until it knocked her upside the head and set her straight.
“I’m upstairs in the attic,” she called out, grabbing her phone to start the list before he reached the room. She could type fast. Just starting it would be enough. She typed in “Focus” as the list name and went to the next line. She could hear him taking the first steps. A breeze came in the window, fluttering a paper in the box, then, before she could type another word, her phone went dead.
“Seriously?” It had at least a 15 percent charge remaining only five minutes ago and she had just picked it up. Another breeze ruffled her hair. She frowned and looked around the room. Nana? Okay. Now she really was losing it. Yes, she was afraid of attics and dark spaces, but it was broad daylight, not midnight, and Nana’s ghost was not messing with her. There were no ghosts in the attic. The steps creaked again and she exhaled when Gray appeared.
