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Tyler smiled to himself as Rachel picked up her phone and started scrolling. "Are you already looking for medical facilities that Jack might have gone to?" He had to admit he was impressed by her diligence.

"No, I'm actually looking for restaurants that we might want to stop at."

"That's even better," he said, his stomach rumbling at the thought of food.

"What do you feel like eating?"

"How about a big steak?"

"That sounds good. I'll see what I can find."

While she looked for a place to eat, his thoughts returned to the barbecue. If it had just been him, he might have stayed, but he'd seen how uncomfortable Rachel was, and with Evan tied up and TJ leaving so quickly, it hadn't seemed worth it to stay. While he didn't believe TJ had anything to do with Jack's current situation, TJ had definitely gotten edgy when he'd heard Jack's name. Maybe he did blame Jack for the loss of his leg, for his struggle now. Or maybe TJ was just in a bad space, having trouble finding a job and being his own man, not needing family support.

He was beginning to realize that he should have kept in better touch with his former team members. They'd once been closer than family, men he'd sometimes spent weeks or months with, in godforsaken parts of the world. He'd depended on them for their loyalty, their courage, their fierce desire to be the best. And for a while they had been the best.

But not everyone was at their best now. Jack and TJ both needed help. And once he figured out what was going on with Jack, he would get back to TJ.

"I found something," Rachel said, interrupting his thoughts. "It's still about thirty minutes away, but it has great reviews."

"That sounds good. I wouldn't mind getting closer to the city before we stop." He glanced over at her. "Sorry if you felt uncomfortable back there."

"I knew what I was walking into. Evan wasn't bad. And TJ wasn't annoyed with me. It was Jack's name that bothered him." She paused. "To be honest, I always feel awkward in big groups where I don't know anyone. It's never been easy for me to make conversation. I'm better one-on-one. I always feel like I'm on the outside of a group looking in."

"Why do you feel that way?"

"I don't know. Are you trying to analyze me now?"

"Just curious. I've never thought of you as someone who is shy or insecure. You've always been very direct and forceful with me."

"That's good. I'm glad I don't come off that way. I want my patients to have confidence in me."

"So why the party anxiety?"

She let out a sigh. "I grew up never really fitting in anywhere. That feeling has stuck with me."

"Because you were going back and forth to houses?"

"Partly. None of my friends had divorced parents. Nobody else had to pack a bag every Monday and go somewhere else or worry about their parents getting into a fight in the school parking lot, which happened a few times. I never got that close to people, because I didn't want anyone to know too much about my life. I was kind of a loner, except for a few close friends."

"That's honest."

"Well, I don't see any reason to lie to you. I doubt you could have a much lower opinion of me," she said dryly.

"I don't have a low opinion of you, Rachel. I didn't agree with a choice you made professionally. That wasn't personal."

"It was personal, and you know that."

"Okay, you're right. I made it personal. But I did like you, Rachel. You might not believe that, but it is the truth. That first night, I genuinely liked you."

She glanced over at him. "I liked you, too."

"How come you were in the bar by yourself that night? For a woman who doesn't like to go places where she doesn't know anyone, that now seems out of character."

"I was supposed to meet a friend, but she got tied up. I had just gotten her text right when I was about to open the door. And then you were there, and you wanted to buy me a drink for almost knocking me over, and my usual instinct to flee somehow deserted me. There was something about your smile."

Her words made him smile now, and as they shared another glance, he couldn't help feeling like they were getting back to the people they'd been that first night.

"Anyway," she said, looking back at her phone. "Let me put the address of the restaurant into the navigation system. It shouldn't be too far now."