7. More Guarded
7
MORE GUARDED
T ime to do something that she hadn’t done in a long time.
It’d always been a phobia of hers and she knew it was a simple one to overcome. She’d done it before.
Years ago.
Jordan did it all the time and entertained herself on her laptop or phone, even reading a book.
But Justine just felt silly.
Silly no more.
No one knew her on the island.
Or very few did.
When she’d driven by, there weren’t a lot of cars in the parking lot and it seemed perfect. It was why she chose a Thursday over a Friday.
She pulled the door open to a pub called McKay’s and looked around. The tables seemed pretty empty, just a few people scattered about. The bar the same.
“How many?” the hostess asked her.
“Just one,” she said. Eating alone in a restaurant was the first step for her to get out of this little hole she dug into again.
She’d done it enough as an adult and her father always nudged her to try things that made her uncomfortable but weren’t harmful.
Eating in a restaurant wasn’t harmful.
Uncomfortable when you’re alone for sure. And she’d just have to hope she was left alone, which had always been her fear.
It was like men saw the light blonde hair and either thought she was a ditzy blonde or an innocent angel.
Both seemed like it was a flashing sign for them to come hit on her.
She wasn’t sure she was either of those things.
Just more guarded.
“Good for you,” the hostess said. “Would you like a booth off to the side and back?”
The hostess nodded her head to the far side and she couldn’t tell if people were even in the booths, so that would be awesome.
“Perfect. Thank you so much.”
She followed the hostess to the booth and sat down, was handed a menu and told her server would be by in a minute.
She scanned the specials first and then opened the menu.
“Hi, I’m Kimber, what can I get you to drink?”
“How about an unsweetened iced tea?”
“You got it,” Kimber said. “Do you want a few more minutes to look at the menu?”
“Please,” she said and dropped her gaze to the laminated piece of paper in front of her.
She was scanning it for choices, of which there were plenty, then trying to decide on a few when she had this feeling of being watched.
She lifted her head sharply and looked toward the bar.
There was Garrett Mills sitting there by himself, his eyes on hers, a smile on his face.
Really? What were the chances of this happening on an island she’d been on for not even two weeks and knew very few people with lots of restaurants to choose from?
This was close to her apartment and had great ratings. It was the only reason she’d picked it when she was looking online.
She returned his smile. He seemed to hesitate and then picked up his beer to walk over.
This at least would kill some of the time she’d be here by herself so she was glad to have a bit of company.
Only glad because it was the friendly face of a person she knew and not some stranger making her want to crawl into the wall to be invisible.
“Playing hooky from cooking tonight?” Garrett asked. “Or waiting for someone?”
“Yes to the first, no to the second. You?”
“The same answers as you,” he said.
“Sit,” she said. “If you want. Or did you eat already?”
“Nope,” he said. “Just got here a minute ago and was looking at the menu too. Not sure what I want.”
She waited a second and decided she was going to ruin what she came in here to do. Maybe another time.
“Do you want to eat here with me? That way we aren’t both losers on our own?”
He laughed at her. Truly laughed and she wondered if she insulted him.
“I don’t think guys think that when they come to the bar for a drink.”
“You’re probably right,” she said. “And since I know you’ve got family ties to this island, you’ve most likely been in here before.”
“Lots of times,” he said. “Kind of a hangout for my family. At least for most of the guys who wanted a drink. The thing is, the bulk of them are all married or in relationships now, so I feel as if I’m on my own. Not that someone wouldn’t meet me if I reached out.”
“Those first cousins of yours have very young kids,” she said.
“They do. They’d be the last ones I’d reach out to. They could be working or worked a long day, so no, I wouldn’t do that to them.”
“You’re in the same profession. I’m sure you had a long day too.”
She’d left work at six and just came straight here. If she went home she would have changed her mind. Garrett was in jeans and a T-shirt so she was guessing he left before her and went home to change.
“Today was a light day,” he said. “I’m sure you know by now treatment days are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.”
“And you only had three patients getting treatment,” she said quietly. She’d filled their prescriptions this morning. She was paying attention to those things now to get them done and out of the way quickly.
“Yep,” he said. “Had two come in and their blood work wasn’t that great. I hate those days for them. No one likes to prolong their treatments. They will come back for blood work on Monday, and if it’s good, we will get them in Tuesday or Thursday again. Can’t pack one day more than another.”
“And you’re glad you’re not the one scheduling that,” she said, grinning.
“Very,” he said. “But again, there is nothing worse than someone counting down their days to end treatment and being told it’s not going on schedule.”
“I can’t imagine,” she said. “But you see it daily.”
“I do,” he said. He looked up as Kimber came back.
“Guess you’ve got company. Both ordering?”
“Yes,” he said.
They placed their orders and then they were left alone again.
“It’s not an easy job,” she said. “I think it takes a strong person to do it. I don’t know if I thought a lot about it until I started my job in the hospital.”
“You said you moved here from Indiana,” he said. “Where did you work before? In a retail location?”
“Yes,” she said. “It’s different. Could be fast-paced or on the phone a lot checking with what was sent over. You normally have some time. In the hospital, not so much, as you are getting it out for those there.”
“Yep,” he said. “It’s a dynamic environment, but you seem to handle it well.”
“I’m pretty adaptable,” she said. Which was a joke, all things considered, since she always ran and hid. “In my job.”
He smiled. “That’s a good trait to have.”
“I think so,” she said.
“Can I ask why you moved to Boston?” he asked. “Or is it too personal and we are just going to sit here and eat dinner and can talk about what interesting things there are to do on the island? And I’ve got to admit you’ve got the perfect six months to be here.”
Justine grinned. She knew by letting him sit down that this would come up.
She could say she wanted no part of the conversation about her life and just talk about the island.
Or since she blew the one thing she was going to do moving out of her comfort zone, she could substitute it for another.
Her father would be proud, so she decided to open up.
“I said my father passed not that long ago. It was a week before Christmas.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s horrible to lose someone close to you and worse around the holidays.”
“I’m sure you see death more than most,” she said. “I’m not going to say something stupid like you’re immune to it or become that way. I think anytime someone becomes immune to death they just stop feeling. That’s not healthy.”
His eyes softened and got a darker shade of blue to the point they were almost brown. “You’re right. I’m not immune, but you can say I might not always handle it as well as I should.”
She nodded. She’d touch on it some more if she felt that window was cracking open.
“My stepmother murdered my father,” she blurted out. “I told you he was a doctor. A well-known one. It was difficult to be there with this going on. The trial hasn’t started. She is claiming self-defense.”
He reached his hand over and laid it on hers. “And you’re not buying it,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“Not for a minute. I know you always hear these things that you don’t know a person, but I knew my father. Elise, my stepmother, is a drunk. She was four times over the limit that night. My father had defense wounds on him .”
Her eyes filled and she had to end this before she bawled like a baby.
“Hey,” he said. “Let’s talk about the weather. It’s awesome, isn’t it? Bright and sunny.”
“Thank you,” she said, picking up a napkin and blotting her eyes. “It is nice.”
He laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, I came here a few months ago and volunteered for a one-year stint.”
“I did hear that,” she said. “But since you’ve got ties here to the island, it might not have been such a hardship.”
“Not a hardship. I’ve got a weekend home here,” he said. “A place to stay. If I didn’t, I would have stayed at my parents’ house; they aren’t here often. But the truth is, this goes back to not handling things well. I needed a change of pace and environment to reevaluate my life.”
He’d released her hand a moment ago, but she reached out and laid hers on his. “I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel that I’m not alone.”
“Never think that,” he said.