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I crossed my legs in front of me. “Tell me, what else is different aboutyou, Tuck Anderson?”
He leaned back a little further and another side smirk developed on his face. “Oh, not much. I’m just the same Tuck I’ve always been.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”
FIFTY-FOUR
TUCK
I don’t knowwhat it was about sitting there with Lettie and her ginormous dog Gilbert that made me feel like my heart was breaking all over again. It had been twelve years since I’d left Aveline, and yet, seeing her again made that summer we’d spent together feel like yesterday.
We talked for a while, mundane conversation. I asked about her clinic and she asked about the Army. We refrained from any topics including past relationships, and I assumed by the lack of a ring on her finger that she wasn’t attached to anyone else. We stayed with safe topics, which surprisingly happened to include her family and college.
“So, did you go to UPENN?” I asked, wondering where her life had gone after we’d separated. I’d gotten little snippets from Lenora at times when we’d spoken through the years, but she’d never told me details, explaining that Lettie had requested that she respect her privacy.
I couldn’t blame her.
Not after what had happened.
She nodded, sipping the coffee. “Yep, graduated with honors. I had scholarships too, so I barely had any student loans. Which was good since my parents were not going to foot the bill after I left and moved in with Teddy and Lenora. Then when I told my parents that I had decided on veterinary school, they didn’t really want much to do with me at all.”
I’d known she had moved in with Teddy and Lenora, but I hadn’t known the details as to how they’d come to that arrangement.
“Do you still talk to your parents at all?” I asked, wondering if they had lightened up or cut her off more than financially.
“Sometimes. Not much…” Her voice trailed off and she looked away. “I took over the clinic when Teddy retired. Darcy works with me, and Flo is still there.”
“Isn’t Flo, like, a hundred years old?” I couldn’t believe that Flo would still be working.
Lettie giggled. “Pretty much, but I’m in trouble when she finally retires. I’ll never find anyone who can do what she does.”
I nodded, understanding how it would be hard to replace a woman who had worked at the clinic since its inception. “So, after my meeting with Darcy and the fact that you work with her, I’m guessing the two of you are still close?”
“Yeah, she’s my best friend. Pretty much my only friend my age.”
She didn’t seem sad about that, and I knew why. Lettie didn’t have many friends her own age, but she had a slew of them in Aveline who were older or younger. “What about… What was her name? The girl from the prep school?”
Lettie swallowed a drink and shook her head. “Avery. God, no. We haven’t talked since I left.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I said it, but I didn’t really think I was. From everything Lettie had told me, Avery hadn’t been a very good friend.
“I’m not. Avery wasn’t ever really my friend. She was fulfilling a role just the same as I was.” Lettie crossed her legs and pulled a throw blanket from the back of the chair to drape it over her lap.
“What about Julia? Did you keep in touch with her?”
Her face beamed at the sound of Julia’s name. “Oh, yes. She got married a couple years ago. She and Carrie—that’s her wife—adopted a little boy too. He’s the cutest thing ever. I usually see them once a month for lunch.” She paused. “Anyway, enough about me. You stayed in the Army all these years?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it seemed like a good idea to make a career out of it.” I wasn’t going to tell her I hadn’t been sure what else I could do with my life. That I hadn’t felt like I could come back to Aveline and face her after what I had done. “Ironic, though. Now I’m basically screwed because I have nothing to fall back on.”
“Because you’ve been discharged?”
I nodded. “I’ve never really done anything else.”
“Well, I’m sure anyone here would hire you in a heartbeat. They are all so happy to have you back.”
“Oh, yeah? And what about you?” I asked, knowing I shouldn’t have said it the minute the words tumbled out of my mouth.
Her eyes grew wider, and I watched her spine stiffen slightly. “Well, I can keep you in the running for Flo’s position whenever she retires, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be qualified.”
