The Wanderer (17 page)

“I can’t stand to think of some nice girl like Lindsay crying over her secondhand dress! My kids have all worn secondhand clothes. Lou gets pretty excited about good hand-me-downs and, God knows, a sheriff’s deputy with three kids isn’t shopping at the high-end stores. How’d you know that was happening?”

She gave a shrug. “I’ve done my share of bathroom crying. Not for a very long time, however.”

“Eve and Ash aren’t putting up with crap like that, are they?” he asked. “If you knew, you’d tell me, right?”

She stopped walking and turned to look up at him. “Listen, Mac, the girls are pretty secure. They present a strong front. Ash has got Downy on alert and not only is he a big strong boy, but there’s still a little hero worship at the school. In spite of that, they occasionally have their dramas. But if I knew either of them were being persecuted by mean girls, I’d tell Lou.”

“Not me?”

“Lou would probably tell you, if she thought it was serious. But men tend to say things like,
Aw, don’t let ’em get to you.
Girls need sympathy. Vindication. A soft shoulder to cry on, encouragement. Men just want their girls to rise above it.”

“Is that true?” he asked.

She nodded.

He thought for a minute. “I think you might be right. I might say something like that. And I might think it was the right thing to say.”

“Yeah. It’s not about how much you love your daughters, Mac. It’s more what you’re programmed to say.”

He walked with her again and opened the door to her Jeep. “How do you know these things? You haven’t had a man around in forever. No dad, no husband, no steady boyfriend unless you keep him hidden. Yet you know how men work.”

She slipped into her Jeep and smiled at him. “Pure genius,” she said. “See you later.”

Twelve

T
he diner on Sunday mornings was a different kind of place than the rest of the week. It was a good place for families to stop on the way home from church or on the way to some outing. There were also weekend athletes and pleasure seekers—cyclists or, in warmer weather, sports fishermen, paddleboard enthusiasts, people taking their boats out for a nice day on the bay.

Gina didn’t work at the diner every Sunday, but she didn’t mind when she did. She liked the mornings and only worked the dinner hour if she was filling in for someone. From her place behind the counter, she saw the new town doctor pull his van up to his storefront clinic across the street. He got out, this time with two children—a little girl and little boy. He had one on each hand, but rather than going inside the clinic, he walked across the street to the diner. Gina had only seen him from a distance, going in or out of that space. And she had never seen the children.

They were so little, so young. She’d heard from Mac that he was a single father, but it was hard to imagine how he could put in doctor hours and parent full-time, even with a babysitter. He held the door for them, first the little girl, then the little boy. She could tell from across the street that he was a nice-looking man, but up close he was better than that—he was gorgeous. And the children? Delicious.

“Morning,” she said from behind the counter. “Sit anywhere you like.”

“How about right here? At the counter?”

“Be my guest.”

He lifted his daughter onto a stool first, then his son. The little girl had shiny hair pulled back with barrettes and wore a little green jumper over a long-sleeved T-shirt and white tights. The little boy, his hair cut in a short, adult style and neatly combed, had a couple of cowlicks. He wore jeans and little boots and a denim jacket. Both the kids had mahogany-colored hair and huge brown eyes, while the doctor had dark blond hair with blue eyes. Very kind blue eyes.

When the kids were settled on their stools, he put out his hand. “Scott Grant,” he said.

She took the hand. “Gina James. So nice to meet you. And who are your friends?”

“This is Jenny and this is Will. Age three and four.”

“They’re beautiful,” she said. “So? Coffee? Juice? Breakfast? Parenting advice for when they’re teenagers?”

“I appreciate it,” he said with a laugh. “I’d love a cup of coffee and the kids would like juice—maybe apple? And if you have it, cereal for them.”

“And for you?” she asked, filling his cup.

“Just coffee,” he said. “I woke up early and already had breakfast.”

She quickly set up the juice and cereal for the kids. Then she said, “It’s very exciting to have a clinic opening up. We haven’t had a doctor’s office in town for about five years now. We had a couple of doctors here when I was growing up, but one retired and one moved, joining a busy practice in Eugene. The nearest hospital or urgent care is Bandon. If you need a few stitches or some blood work, it’s a major time investment.”

“I know. I hope that will change, but we’re a long way from opening. I’m working in Bandon now, helping out a family practitioner and taking call at the hospital E.R. while I get this set up. Just buying and installing the equipment is a major undertaking—and the office still needs cleaning up and decorating. And I haven’t even thought about staff. I don’t suppose you know any R.N.s around here who are looking for a change?”

“I don’t. I’m sorry. But if you give me a list of what you’re looking for, this isn’t a bad place to spread the word.”

“Thanks, that’s a good idea.”

“And I understand you have an au pair for the kids? Small town, you know,” she added with a smile and shrug.

“Gabriella. I knew her parents in Vancouver. She’s a brilliant girl, if a little old-fashioned. She’s also beautiful. Smart and hardworking and dependable...” He stopped, looking a little startled by what he’d said. He leaned toward her as if he needed to say something very personal. “Hey,” he said. “Small town here. Are people around here going to be put off or suspicious of my relationship with a nineteen-year-old au pair? I’m a thirty-six-year-old man, a widower, and have absolutely no—”

She held up a hand and smiled at him. “Don’t borrow trouble,” she said. “We’re kind of a bunch of hicks on the water around here, but I know of a couple of girls from town who took au pair jobs to get to Europe. You’ll probably find that she’s referred to more often as your babysitter.”

“There aren’t many options,” he said. “I can’t afford a full-time housekeeper and nanny.”

“It’ll be okay, Scott. If I might ask, why Thunder Point?”

“Well, slower pace, so I don’t miss too much of the kids’ growing up. But it’s really an experiment. I’ve never lived in a small town. This town has a good reputation, you know. A lot of community involvement, good schools, low crime...”

“I know,” she said. “We’re not very cosmopolitan, but it’s a good place.”

“The cost of living is low,” he added.

“And speaking of living, where are you living?”

“Bandon, for the time being, keeping an eye open for something in town. I’ve looked at a couple of rentals, but they were in pretty bad shape.”

“One problem with a small town, property doesn’t turn over too often.” Gina smiled. “I’ll keep an eye open for that, too.”

Thirty minutes later Gina had introduced Dr. Grant to a few folks from town who had come in for breakfast, made a short list of what he was looking for in housing and staff, and shook his hand as they said goodbye. A few people came and went, leaving Gina plenty of time to refill napkin holders, salt-and-pepper shakers, sugar caddies. The little bell on the diner door tinkled just as Gina was filling her last ketchup bottle. She smiled to see Sarah come in. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey, yourself.” She sat up on a stool.

“You’re early today and no Hamlet,” Gina said, peering out the diner’s glass door. “Breakfast?” There was a family of five in a big booth in the corner, the youngest in a high chair, and an elderly couple in another booth. Both parties were finishing their meals. It was late for breakfast, early for lunch. Stu could be seen through the cook’s slat in the wall, moving around with his iPod earbuds in his ears.

“Not today, thanks. But I won’t turn down a cup of coffee. I’ll take Ham out later, or Landon will. How are you recuperating from all the hard work you and the others did for the dance last night?”

“Not much work on my part,” Gina said, filling a cup. “The kids and teachers did most of the work. I just showed up to keep an eye on things. And things seemed to go fairly smoothly.”

“I got home last night to find my brother, Eve McCain, your daughter and Downy at my house. I went out to dinner.”

“I noticed you were gone,” she said with a smile. “The kids usually pick my house to hang after a dance, if they’re not on the beach. My mother has no problem turning the volume up on the TV in her bedroom and falling asleep. They could be building bombs for all she knows.”

“They seemed to be sitting around the kitchen table at my house after devouring a pizza and a bunch of Cokes, laughing at whatever. I was home by ten-thirty,” Sarah told her. “It was such a relief to see Landon hanging out with friends.”

“I noticed a certain newcomer was also gone.”

“Cooper and I went to dinner at Cliffhanger’s.”

“I like him. Cooper. He seems like a good guy.”

“He does, doesn’t he? Landon likes him and I’ll admit, I’m getting kind of used to the idea of Cooper looking out for Landon. He’s probably doing that because there’s no man around the house. As long as Cooper doesn’t sell him to the circus, that could be helpful.”

“Have you raised him entirely alone?” Gina asked.

“Almost. I took custody when he was six, ten years ago, after our parents died. I lived with a guy for a year when Landon was thirteen, then was married to him for almost a year when we were separated. He was devoted to Landon...until we broke up.” She gave a shrug. “For a couple of years there, I had someone to pitch in. And I was married for almost a year. Derek, my ex, liked to watch Landon play ball. I’ve been divorced nine months now. Derek was the only guy I let in, and he was a big mistake. Apparently I’m not real good at picking ’em.”

Gina smiled and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Want help? I can spot a loser a mile away. Now, that is. I wasn’t so good at it when I was a teenager. I had a doozy then. I was fortunate enough not to marry him. Through no brilliance of my own, I might add. I sobbed every miserable night, hoping he’d come back and beg me to marry him. But I was a kid. Left with a kid.”

“And now you have Mac,” Sarah said.

The family of five were leaving. Dad stopped at the counter to give Gina the check and some money, telling her to keep the change.

“No,” Gina told Sarah with a laugh, shaking her head. “Mac and I are friends. We have been since our daughters hooked up as best friends. As friends go, he’s the best. I don’t think he’s dating anyone—he hasn’t ever brought a woman around to games or town things, but there might be someone somewhere. Why? Are you interested?”

“You get teased about him,” Sarah said. “People put you two together.”

“People must have very vivid imaginations. If I had a guy, hopefully you’d at least see some hand-holding. Mac and I have gone to a movie or two, but usually he’s dragging a kid or Lou along. We sit together at the games, but other than that...”

“I thought you were a couple. Maybe discreet, but a couple...”

Gina shook her head. “No. I guess a lot of people think that. I think they can’t imagine a friend of the opposite sex. Nah, I love Mac, but he’s a free agent. If you like him, go for it.”

“You’re not making this easy,” Sarah said.

Gina tilted her head and shot Sarah a nonplussed expression. “I could gift wrap him for you, I guess.”

“I don’t trust men,” Sarah said. “I don’t even trust many women and I don’t trust myself, either. I thought my ex was a prince, the catch of a lifetime. He was Mr. Romance, so it never occurred to me he could be that attentive and affectionate with me if he...” She cleared her throat. “It turned out he had a lot of romantic energy. And a very short attention span.”

“Ew. Hate those.”

“It would take a lot to tempt me now. I have zero interest in being dumped by a man again.”

“Now some people would say you should get back on that horse,” Gina said with a laugh.

“And did you? After you had Ashley?”

The elderly couple slowly made their way to the counter. Gina took their ticket, their money, rang them up with a smile, told them to have a nice Sunday.

Then she returned to Sarah. “It took me a while. Ashley was my life and I was all about protecting her from my potential mistakes.”

“I have a lot of that going on,” Sarah admitted. “When Derek left, he left Landon, too. And he left Landon with a sister who was an emotional cripple. I have to be careful. He’s a big kid, very mature for his age, but he’s still just a kid.”

“I know. They think they know everything, but they’re just kids. And they’re right at that age when the biggest mistakes seem to hit them. I’m living proof of that. I didn’t go out on a date till Ashley was five years old. And then I was cautious. So careful my few dates lost interest in me, not the other way around. I think I always felt safest if I wasn’t involved with a guy.”

“Me, too,” Sarah said. “Except...I kissed Cooper.”

Surprise registered on Gina’s face for a moment, then she said, “I take it that didn’t fit into your plans?”

Sarah took a sip of coffee. “I’ve been asked out a couple of times since the divorce. I even had one guy from a Coast Guard station not too far away get all excited that I was divorced and ask me out a number of times before he finally got the message, I am not dating. Not. Period. And I have not been tempted to even rethink it. I figured when I was about forty and Landon was all grown-up and on his own, I might consider it, but not anytime soon.”

“I guess kissing isn’t exactly dating,” Gina said carefully.

“It terrifies me to even think about a relationship with a man. It was like this with Derek—he was so attentive, and it took him two seconds to get close to Landon,” Sarah said. “Even though Landon might not realize it, he’s vulnerable. Besides, our lives work pretty well, the two of us. He’s such a great kid. We take good care of each other. I’m not risking Landon’s feelings by getting mixed up with some guy, especially some guy he likes.” She shook her head. “Red flags everywhere. Everywhere. You have no idea what Derek put us through.”

Gina gulped. “I don’t want to ask, but...”

“But I brought it up. Derek cheated.”

“I assumed that’s what you meant by a lot of romantic energy.”

Sarah sipped her coffee again. “A good friend of mine,” she said, and her cheeks brightened.

“What a dog!”

Sarah laughed suddenly. “It was a dog, as a matter of fact, that showed me his true colors. I called his cell and I heard a dog barking in the background. It sounded just like the dog next door to my ex-friend Susan’s house. That dog never shut up. He was there and he lied—and I let him convince me I was insane, that he could never do such a thing.”

Gina took a moment to refill her coffee cup. “No wonder you don’t trust women. How did you find out?”