3. Stars In Her Eyes
3
STARS IN HER EYES
W ould this all backfire on her now?
The last thing Angel wanted was Coy to be thinking about going out and meeting other women.
She got in her SUV after Coy locked the office. He pulled out first and then she did the same and drove back to her new apartment.
“Wow,” she said. “You guys have gone through a lot of stuff.”
They were putting kitchen things away. She didn’t care where they went.
“We didn’t touch your clothing,” her father said. “You can do that yourself.”
“I planned on it. You didn’t have to even do this. You could have relaxed like me. I can get this all done in time and it’s not as if there is a lot.”
She had to order a bunch of things still, but her mother had bought her everything she thought she’d need to be on her own.
The movers unloaded her bed and her father put it together. They’d bought a second one for her spare room, just a simple frame and a mattress in a box. For her to have guests.
She was positive that bed was together too, as her parents would be sleeping on it tonight.
Her only other furniture was a dresser for her room, a couch and chair and her TV which her father was putting on the wall where the previous tenant must have had theirs.
“Nonsense,” her mother said. “You’ll feel better having your home in good shape.”
“If you say so,” she said.
In her mind, she couldn’t feel much better than she was.
The man she’d been secretly in love with was breathing the same air as her. Kind of.
She was going to see him daily.
She was going to talk and interact with him too. Not just watching him from afar.
It wasn’t as if she was stalking him. Never that.
“Todd, Angel and I are going to go walk the grounds. We’ll be back.”
She lifted her eyebrow up. Guess she didn’t have much of a choice there.
“There isn’t much to see,” she said. “I know there is a gym here. I’ll check that out.”
“We can do that while we talk,” her mother said.
And this was where she’d get the lecture to be careful. To keep her eyes open at all costs. That if she was homesick or lonely, she could always come home.
It was like they forgot she’d spent the past four years away at dental school. Before that, she’d done her undergraduate just an hour away from home and she had come back a lot on the weekends because they wanted her to.
They were concerned and she hated that she worried them.
By her senior year though, she’d gone home less and less.
“What is it you want to say that you don’t want to do in front of Dad?” she asked as they were walking down the stairs. She was on the second floor. There were two floors above her. Her parents would probably throw a fit if she was on ground level, as they felt that was too dangerous.
She was just happy to have a nice place with security and amenities.
It was one of the newer apartment complexes and she knew for a fact it was crazy hard to get housing but that Coy had pulled strings.
If she wasn’t getting a housing stipend, it might be difficult for her to make it work with her student loans. Mainly because she wanted to pay them down as fast as she could and was going to try to double up on them.
She’d figure it out because there was no way she wasn’t moving here and being by Coy.
“I want you to have fun,” her mother said. “I want you to experience life and enjoy yourself.”
Angel turned and smiled at her mother. When push came to shove, her mother had been in her corner more than anyone else.
“Thank you. I plan on it.”
They walked to the main building, which was just across the parking lot, and then looked into the window of the gym.
“It’s not too busy in there,” her mother said.
“No. But it’s a beautiful Saturday, mid-morning. Labor Day weekend. People are probably trying to enjoy the nice weather still. I bet it’s busier earlier in the mornings or at night.”
“When you’d be using it,” her mother said. “Maybe you’ll meet people. Get some friends. Find a nice guy.”
She turned to look at her mother. “I’ll be too busy learning my new job to go out and party.”
“Do you want to walk to the beach?” her mother asked. “It’s just two blocks away, right?”
“I’d love to,” she said. “This is going to be the best part of living on the island. If I was on the top floor I’d be able to see the water, but I’d be paying a lot more too.”
“Are you sure you can afford this?” her mother asked.
She didn’t tell them her salary, it wasn’t their concern. They knew she’d be making good money. But the cost of living on the island was significantly more.
“My salary is higher than if I was in another city due to the cost of living here,” she said. “Plus I’ve got a housing stipend.”
“That is nice of Coy. I wonder if he does that for all his employees?”
“I doubt it,” she said. “I hate to think he only did it because of who I am, but he said he’s been trying to get a dentist to the island for a few years and it’s been almost impossible. He’s offered all sorts of things. I don’t think I’m getting anything special otherwise.”
Her mother laughed and they turned the corner to make their way to the beach.
“You sound put out over that.”
“What?” she asked and looked at her mother.
“You sound put out that you aren’t getting anything special.”
“I’m not,” she said, frowning. “Why would you say that?”
“Angel,” her mother said softly. “I know my daughter. You’ve been half in love with Coy since the first day you met him.”
Her jaw dropped. The panic set in. “What? Why do you think that?”
“Because a woman knows when her daughter idolizes someone. When she has stars in her eyes.”
She realized there was no way she could argue this. “Does Dad or Spencer know?”
Her mother laughed. “Please. If Spencer knew, he’d never let you come here.”
Her lips twisted in frustration. “He has no right to tell me what to do,” she argued.
“He thinks he does. He’s always been protective of you and you know why.”
“But I’m not that sick kid anymore,” she said.
“He will always see it,” her mother said. “The same with your father. I choose to see the strong woman you became, and though I’m not sure this is the right decision you’re making, it’s also your decision.”
She turned and hugged her mother. “Thank you for that. I appreciate it.”
“I hope you aren’t making a mistake. I don’t think Coy has any clue. Do you?”
“No,” she said. “He doesn’t. Not that I can see.”
Her mother snorted. “Men. They are so blind. You’re risking a lot.”
“I know,” she said. “But it’s worth it. It’s the only way to find out, don’t you think?”
“It is,” her mother said. “I’m not sure I would have done this, but you’ve always been a stubborn one.”
“I have been,” she said, nodding her head.
“Would you have taken this job if Coy was in a relationship with someone?” her mother asked.
“I don’t know,” she said.
It would have depended on how serious that relationship was. The last thing she wanted to do was subject herself to seeing him with another woman starting right out.
She knew he’d dated over the years. Even had some serious girlfriends. But they never lasted.
She’d also heard Spencer say a lot of women didn’t like or want to live on the island and tried to talk Coy into moving to Boston.
She figured it would help her case if she was already living here.
She was adaptable, but she’d done a crazy amount of research on the island over the years too and it almost felt like home to her already.
“How are you going to feel if he starts to date someone?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” she said and prayed it didn’t happen. “You’re not going to say anything to Dad, are you?”
“I haven’t yet, I won’t now,” her mother said. “I thought you’d outgrow it. You’ve dated and had boyfriends. I think that might have thrown your father and Spencer off the scent. Maybe I thought one of them would stick.”
She wasn’t stupid enough to put her life on hold for a man seven years older than her living in another state who saw her as nothing more than his best friend’s baby sister.
So she lived her life like a normal person her age.
Did she think she’d find someone to have a life with? She didn’t know, but she did try.
Nothing and no one stuck.
When it came time to look for jobs, Spencer had said Coy was still looking. She mentioned that she’d love to give it a try if Coy was willing, considering their relationship.
She thought for sure Spencer would throw a fit that it might upset his bro dynamic, but he actually loved the idea.
She’d been stunned until her brother said, “He’ll watch out for you just like I would. It’s the next best thing. I think it’s perfect. I’ll see what Coy thinks.”
That was annoying, but she’d take any advantage she could and work around it.
“They didn’t stick,” she said, thinking of her past boyfriends.
“And now you get to see how this goes?” her mother asked.
“It’s not like I’m going to tell him, Mom,” she said, laughing. “I’m here for a job and that is what my next step is. I’ve got no grand plan other than seeing how it goes being closer to each other.”
Her mother shook her head. “You always have a grand plan, but I won’t pester you about it. Just know that you can talk to me about it. I’m serious. If you need a shoulder to lean on, I’m here.”
Angel stopped and hugged her mother. “Thank you for that.”
“Any time. I want to wish you luck, but I’m not sure as your mother I should.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because you’re my baby and maybe I’m not ready for you to grow up yet, even though you’re twenty-six.”
“I’m an adult,” she said. “But I’ll always be your baby. Just don’t tell Dad or Spencer I said that.”
“I won’t,” her mother said, then let go. “Let’s go let the waves wash over our toes. I have to say I’m kind of jealous you’re here.”
“Come visit whenever you want.”
“We will, but we’ll give you time to figure out this grand plan too.”
She laughed. She might need the time, considering how slow her new boss seemed to be.