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Eleven
Emery
I shut down the computer for the night. I was the last nurse left. Dr. Klevin was in his office with the door shut, catching up on his dictation. Dr. Abdallah had left at noon, but I’d stayed and fielded phone calls and helped the other nurses.
The nurses’ desk faced out. We could see all the exam rooms and the patients as they walked by. Lyric breezed down the hall, her white lab coat softly rustling. She’d secured her hair in a bouncy loop on top of her head, and her purple scrubs matched mine.
“Anyone left?” She stopped and leaned her elbows on the higher ledge of the desk where Dr. Abdallah often stood with her laptop or tablet to jot down notes or give me instructions.
“No, sorry. Krystal was supposed to tell you when the last patient left.” One of the other med techs swept by at the end of the day to make sure it was safe to close down the lab and leave. I had hoped to save them a trip.
Lyric rolled her eyes. “She probably wanted to go hunt down Stetson as soon as possible.”
I almost mentioned that I didn’t see Krystal last week when I met Holden and Stetson at the bar. But that’d encourage questions I didn’t want to answer. “Sounds like she burned that bridge.”
Lyric shook her head. “She thought she wasthe onebut she doesn’t know him or she’d know better. Honestly, as much as I dislike her, I feel bad. She’s only going to get hurt again. She needs to move on.” She waved her hand like she was shooing the topic away. “Anyway. Any plans for the weekend?”
I wasn’t sure what to say. I opened my mouth and closed it again. I did have plans—ones I didn’t want to think too hard about. I’d get too excited, too nervous, and if Henry bailed, I’d be too disappointed.
Lyric chuckled. “That good? Or that bad?”
“No.” I smiled. I’d grown to trust Lyric. She didn’t say anything behind anyone’s back she wouldn’t say to their face, and she also didn’t lash out for her own benefit. She was pragmatic. “I’m going to Holden’s. He’s grilling and having some cousins over.”
Lyric stared at me and her eyes widened. “Ohmigod. You’re the one Laney was talking about.”
The name was familiar. Wasn’t she the wife of one of the cousins Holden had said would be there tonight? And people were talking about me? I had thought I might be fuel for the talk around town, but experiencing it was another thing. “I don’t know.”
“Holden, like, chased you out of Rattler’s.” She leaned over the counter and hissed. “Holly was so pissed.”
“I don’t know—”
She waved her hand again, and it was like a magic spell to shut me up. “Holly moved on, don’t worry. I think she was more surprised and that’s what upset her—she doesn’t want to be attached to anyone either. So don’t worry. It won’t be another Krystal scenario.”
“Okay?” This was how it was in Coal Haven. People already knew my business before I told them. That was my trade-off for a slower-paced life.
“You and Holden, huh?”
Nerves fluttered in my belly. “I’m not sure. Maybe? I’m not really looking for a relationship. Before I go to his place, I have to make sure my kids are packed for a weekend at their dad’s. Then we’re all going to sit and wait and wonder if Henry will actually show.”
She grimaced. “That sucks. I never thought of Holden as relationship material, but he’s a good guy.” She pushed off the desk. “I’m gonna go shut down. Have a good weekend.”
Holden would be excellent relationship material.
I mentally shook that thought out of my head. He’d confided in me, but that didn’t mean he was a decent boyfriend. He might be out of practice. I was out of practice, and I wasn’t looking to get into the game.
But he was magnetic. I couldn’t quit wanting to be around him, and I liked the way he made me feel. Henry had acted like I was special when he’d wanted his way. Holden enjoyed treating me right, and I wasn’t scared there were strings attached.
I gathered my things and let Dr. Klevin know I was leaving.
My tension rose with each block closer to home. Mom’s car was in front of the house. She’d offered to pick up Riley and meet the kids at home to help them all pack. I’d asked her to get them a snack too. Henry might be an intelligent surgeon, but he was clueless about what to feed hungry kids.
I parked in the driveway and trotted inside. I went through the rounds of greetings and kisses before popping into my room to change into jeans and a hoodie. This wasn’t what I was wearing tonight. Or maybe it was, if Henry didn’t show.
Overnight bags and the diaper bag were stacked by the front door, and the kids were at the table eating apple slices and caramel.
“Nana thinks of the best desserts,” I said as I dipped an apple slice into the caramel and loaded it with as much as would fit.
I had just shoved it into my mouth when the doorbell rang.
