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“I came to Alaska like she wanted,” I pointed out.
“You did, but running isn’t a geographical thing.”
I took a slow breath, my mind spinning back to last night with Alice. I knew what he meant. “You know I was just dating her. We weren’t serious.”
Herbeing Tina, the guidance counselor who died in the shooting, who was dead while I tried to save whoever I could. I had liked Tina. Maybe it would’ve become more, but I never got the chance to find out.
Dennis nodded. “Sure, I know. But you think it’s not worth it. That’s all I’m saying. It’s always worth it.”
“Even marrying Gram, knowing she’s going to die soon?”
“Hell yeah. About only one thing in life is guaranteed: we all die.”
ChapterTwenty-One
Jonah
That afternoon, I climbed out of Nate’s truck, glancing in before I closed the door. “Thanks for the ride, man.”
“Anytime. Glad you’re doing all right. When can you drive again?”
“Two weeks probably. I’m supposed to swing by and have Charlie clear me.” I leaned my weight on my knee, testing it. “It really feels okay.”
“Well, if you need another ride, just call me. Or walk down to Firehouse Café. You can find someone to give you a ride.”
I grinned. “Good point.”
I watched as Nate drove away, thinking it was nice to be in a place where I could walk down to the coffee shop, and somebody would likely offer me a ride.
I mulled that over later when I walked through the door to the vet clinic and looked around. The waiting room was full. Someone had a goat on a leash, an unhappy cat was in a carrier meowing rather dramatically, and someone else had a wiggly puppy in their lap. A woman I didn’t recognize was at the reception desk, checking someone else out. I approached the desk, waiting.
After the person in front of me paid, the receptionist looked up. “You must be Jonah,” she announced by way of greeting.
“Yeah,” I said slowly.
“I’m not a weirdo. You don’t have a pet, and Alice said to expect you. She’s giving you a ride. Everybody in the waiting area is done. I just have to check them out. I’m Tiffany Mills,” she explained, her dark hair swinging in its ponytail as she turned to set down some papers next to her.
I grinned. “Nice to meet you,” I returned. “I’d introduce myself, but you already know I’m Jonah. The place is busy.”
Her blue eyes brightened when she smiled up at me. “Exactly how we want it.”
The cat let out another operatic wail, and Tiffany met my eyes, laughing softly. “Alice is in the back.” She gestured to the door on the side of the reception desk. “Go on back.”
The cat’s wailing was muted as I walked into the hallway. I was about to call Alice’s name when she appeared from a doorway toward the end of the short hall. She smiled when she saw me. “Hey, I wasn’t sure if it was you or Tiffany.” She watched as I approached, commenting, “Not much of a limp.”
My lips tugged into a smile as I stopped in front of her. The urge to kiss her was almost overwhelming. “I see Charlie in two weeks, but I honestly think I’m okay to drive now.”
She rested a hand on her hip, her eyes giving me a once-over. That now familiar electricity shimmied to life in the air around us, snapping and crackling. “Well, you’re not driving on my watch. Come on in here.” She gestured with her hands as she turned and walked through a doorway. I followed her in, glancing around. Shelves lined the walls, and a small table in the center had a laptop sitting on it.
“Finishing up for the day?” I prompted.
“Yeah.” She tapped a few keys on the keyboard, waiting a moment before closing the laptop. “We’re busy,” she announced.
“I noticed the waiting area was full. Do you need to wait before we leave?”
She shook her head, slipping out of her white lab coat. “Nope. Tiffany’s checking everybody out, and she’ll lock up.”
I followed her into a break room across the hallway, where she hung her lab coat in a small locker and fetched her purse and keys. A few moments later, we were driving toward the hospital in her car. “So how was your day?” she asked.
