Page 21 of Together Is Where We Belong

“Good morning, Carolina. Are those pastries from Café Latte?” Leann said, her eyes beaming.

“Sure are. I thought it’d be nice to bring in a treat this morning. Where should I put these?” I asked.

“I’ll show you where the breakroom is. If you want one, you might want to grab yours first. These will go quickly. We all love anything Jemma makes at Café Latte, but the bear claw is my favorite,” she said with a wink as she stood and rounded the reception area and waved for me to follow.

The breakroom was small with a refrigerator, two small, four-seater tables, and a sink area with a small counter space that had a coffee pot with some flavored syrups off to the side.

Perfect for this small sized office space.

I sat the box down on one of the tables and opened it to find the variety of pastries she’d suggested inside, with one bear claw I knew Leann would snag.

After taking a sip of the perfect tasting cinnamon roll latte, I knew I’d be going back.

I snagged a croissant from the box and took a bite, withholding a moan. The center was filled with a sweet chocolate filling, and it was divine.

“I told you they were good,” Leann said, and I nodded in agreement.

“I heard you came here from South Carolina,” Leann questioned, immediately causing my guard to go up. I tried to hide the way my shoulders went rigid, hoping I succeeded.

“Yeah, a few days ago,” I replied not wanting to be rude, but remaining elusive. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone the reason for my return; let alone someone I’d just met.

“Well, I’m happy you’re here. It’s been rough with only one nurse for a while. We may be a small town, but it can get quite busy here on any given day,” she said before snagging that bear claw and leaving the breakroom.

I finished the last of my croissant and walked over to the sink to quickly wash the stickiness off my hands.

I took another sip of coffee to ward off the nervousness and reached in my purse to grab my phone to put it on silent for the day.

A text notification appeared at the top of the screen with Leo’s name. A warmth filled my chest again at his eagerness to get to know Luke.

Leo

He’s adorable.

Yes, he sure was, and he was also a spitting image of his father, which made it hard sometimes to look at him and not remember the man I’d left behind.

Pushing the button on the side of the screen, I dropped the phone back in my bag with a determination to get through my first shift here, excited for this new opportunity.

After checking with Leann, she told me where I could store my belongings and which station I would be.

Just as I closed the locker door and set a new code for the lock, Dr. Gregory appeared behind me letting me know I’d be shadowing the other nurse today to get used to the system they used and the procedures for the office. I couldn’t wait to get the day started.

The day passed by rather quickly. Leann wasn’t kidding when she said the office was busy for a small town, but it was nowhere near the fast-pace I was used to after working in a busy emergency room. The slower pace was welcomed. I felt energized as I said goodbye to the office staff and left for the day with my head held high.

I couldn’t wait to see Luke. I missed him after not seeing him last night or this morning. He was the brightness and best part of my life, and we hadn’t spent a night apart since he was born.

After the short drive, I pulled in my parents’ driveway and parked.

The house hadn’t changed much over the years. They lived in a farmhouse style rancher with a wraparound porch. The flower beds were neatly manicured; the shrubs trimmed neatly with a fresh layer of mulch beneath them. The front of the porch was still lined with rocking chairs. I used to love sitting on the porch while my mom knitted a blanket and enjoyed her evening cup of tea while I had my nose stuck in whatever I happened to be studying at the time. My dad would join us sometimes when there wasn’t any type of sports game playing. The time when life was simple and the days weren’t layered with the troubles of adulthood.

I got out of my SUV and raced up the stone walkway, taking the stairs two at a time once I reached the porch.

I barreled through the front door and yelled, “Where’s my handsome young man?” as I took off my shoes. There was one thing my mom insisted upon, and that was that no one wore shoes in her house.

The sounds of Luke’s footsteps echoed in the hallway, and he rounded the corner at a fast speed and plowed into me causing me to take a couple steps backward. He wrapped his small arms around my waist and squeezed me tight.

“I missed you,” I said to him as I returned the hug.

“You’ll never guess what we did today?” Luke all but shouted, and I had to remind him to use an inside voice.