Chapter 9
The physical therapist was young and handsome, and I was grateful for it because it put my mom on her best behavior.
Everyone wanted to impress a young, handsome doctor, including her.
Right now, she was laughing at a joke he told that wasn’t all that funny.
Something about a two-legged dog. Was he comparing my mom to a dog?
“Sutton,” he said, pulling me out of my head.
“Yes?”
“I’ll have her for an hour. You can stay, of course, but you can also walk the grounds or run some errands, or I don’t know, read in your car.”
“Sutton’s not really a reader. She only does things she puts on her little list,” Mom said.
I lowered my brow but bit my tongue. “I’ll be back in an hour,” I said.
“I’ll take care of her.”
That sounded like a threat, which made me smile on my way out the door.
It was nearly lunchtime and I hadn’t eaten all morning. I headed for the cafeteria. Some people stuck their noses up at hospital food, but this particular hospital was actually known for its above-average offerings and its below-average prices.
The line to order wasn’t long, and as I was walking toward it, I saw Tara at one of the tables in her scrubs. I knew she was a nurse, of course. I hadn’t realized this was her hospital.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Sutton, what are you doing here?” The second she asked it, before I could even answer, she said, “Oh, your mom. How is she?”
I pointed up, indicating the floor above us. “She’s in physical therapy as we speak.”
“That’s a good sign.”
“Is it?”
“Means she’s on the mend, right?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Are you eating here?” she asked.
“Figured I’d grab something.”
“The soup today is amazing. Come sit with me when you’re through the line. I have forty-five minutes left on my lunch.”
I got a bowl of soup and half a turkey sandwich and then rejoined her at the table.
“Remember when we came here for a double date in high school?” she asked.
“Yes, actually, I do. I was just thinking about that. Were our taste buds less discerning then or is the food actually good?” I set my tray on the table and sat down across from her.
“It’s good,” she said. “Not as good as we thought it was in high school. But better than hospital food has any right to be. And cheap!”
I nodded at a wedding magazine open in front of her. “How is wedding planning going? How much longer do you have anyway?”
“Six months,” she said. “We get married in six months. It feels so close and yet so far away.”
“Are you the first one of our high school friends to get married?” I asked.
At twenty-eight, she could’ve been the last for all I knew.
I really hadn’t kept in contact with anyone aside from what I saw on social media, which didn’t always give me the up-to-date news of people’s lives, especially when I didn’t check it regularly.
Tara had moved away too, but I had a feeling she’d kept up with everyone better than I had.
Plus, she’d been back for over a year and worked in a hospital.
I was sure she’d heard tons of gossip disguised as genuine concern.
“No, Fiona married Mitchell right out of high school. I’m surprised you didn’t hear. I’m sure she sent you an invite.”
“My mom’s not big on forwarding my mail.
But she may have opened it and told me about it.
” I didn’t remember. I probably would’ve disregarded something that would’ve brought me back to town outside of my scheduled visiting times.
I had been in school and working. I didn’t have a lot of free time back then. I didn’t have a lot of free time now.
“They have three kids now,” she said.
“Three? Wow.”
“They have a ten-year head start on us,” she said. “It’s not even that shocking.”
I unwrapped my sandwich. “I guess you’re right.”
“I can’t wait to start having babies,” she said.
“Yeah? You still want six?” I asked. That’s what she used to say in high school. I was surprised I remembered it. Maybe because, as an only child, that number had always seemed shocking to me.
“I think I’m down to a reasonable four,” she said. “What about you? Have you come close to marriage in the last ten years?”
“No, I haven’t. Just got out of a two-year relationship.” I took a bite of my sandwich.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Tara was easy to be with. I had almost forgotten. She was light and fun and did a good job of getting my mind off things.
“It’s okay, we were incompatible,” I said.
“That leaves you free for Elijah.”
I laughed, but when I realized she was serious, I cleared my throat and said, “We are even more incompatible. Besides, we’re supposed to be strangers, right?”
“That’s true,” she said. “But good luck not falling for him. He’s very charming.”
I laughed again. “I think I’m safe.” Frat boys weren’t my type and I was sure type A, emotionless, lackluster women were far from his type as well.
“Do you want to check out a venue with me after I get off today? Michael can’t go.”
“You haven’t picked your venue?”
“We have, I just need to find the spot on the property for the ceremony.”
“What time?” I asked. “I’m here for another hour and then have to give my mom meds at three.”
“I get off at four,” she said.
“That could work.” I needed to visit more venues to see what they did to create atmosphere and personality. Maybe I could implement some things in my restaurant.
“This is a great coat closet,” Elijah called from where he stood by the main building, thirty feet away. “For coats. Nothing else but storing coats should take place in this closet.”
The lady, Rebecca, who was giving us the tour of the venue, gave him a confused look. “The wedding is in September. There will be no coats.”
“Oh, yes, you’re right. I guess it’s open for other things then.” He threw a smirk my way.
I didn’t humor him with a reaction. When Michael couldn’t come, he’d sent his brother as a replacement, probably not realizing Tara had found her own replacement.
Either Tara hadn’t known he was coming or she was a really good actress because, when we’d pulled into the parking lot and saw him standing there, she’d seemed genuinely surprised.
Had I not driven over with her, I would’ve found an excuse to leave by now.
We’d already been here twenty minutes, and this was not the first look at this place where adventurous people who aren’t uptight can have sex comment Elijah had made.
The venue was gorgeous: gazebos and man-made rock waterfalls and flower gardens and even a small lake.
There were so many good spots that Tara was having a hard time picking a place for the ceremony.
Both Elijah and I had given our opinions when asked.
I’d picked the dock by the lake, he’d picked the rock garden.
But those opinions didn’t seem to help her choose.
So now we were in the pavilion, where the reception would take place, going over details about food and décor. It had a large stone fireplace at one end and a walkway to the main building and kitchen at the other end. And apparently a coat closet.
We needed more plants in our restaurant, I decided, as I stood by one of the large pillars holding up the pavilion, and stared out at vast amounts of green.
Our restaurant had an outdoor patio and we had a large tree and some plants, but not nearly enough.
I wondered how hard it would be to drape greenery in the overhanging beams of our patio. It could use a water feature too.
“Tara,” Elijah said. “I’m stealing your friend for five minutes. We have some homework to do.” He took me by the hand and started leading me away.
“Not in the coat closet,” I said to Rebecca, who I could tell now, by the expression on her face, wasn’t oblivious to all the less-than-subtle comments Elijah had been making. “We’re not even together.”
“You needed to make that clear?” he asked.
“Very much,” I said.
When it was obvious that I was following him without coercion, he dropped my hand.
I wasn’t sure where he was leading us until he stopped at the waterfall spot we’d seen earlier.
The one we’d all decided was a little too distracting for a ceremony.
Water poured over a large slab of smooth rock, coating its face and landing in a narrow horizontal opening at the bottom, where it then traveled around a square sitting area.
It was very pretty but also a bit echoey and demanded attention.
No bride wanted to compete with that—well, Tara didn’t and I didn’t blame her.
Elijah swung his leg over one of the chairs, straddling the back, then nodded to the chair positioned behind his.
I sat.
“I didn’t think I’d see you today,” he said. “But rules are rules, and it’s convenient for me that you’re the rule-following type.”
He draped his arms over the back of the chair. I crossed my legs.
It was one of the first warm days since I’d arrived, and the birds were enjoying this fact. They chirped in the tree branches above.
“Did Dr. Franklin tell us we couldn’t talk during these staring sessions?” he asked.
“No, she told us we couldn’t touch,” I said.
“Right, she knows us so well.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I mean, she’s not far off on your side.”
“You think I’m having a hard time not touching you, button?”
I leaned forward, our eyes still connected, and said quietly, “Don’t worry, I don’t feel special. I think you have a hard time not touching everyone.” With those words, I reestablished the distance, pressing my back into the chair.
“Oh, but you are special,” he said with a smile full of sarcasm. “Coming back to your childhood home after some kind of setback. On a healing journey or something. Oh, wait, that’s not special, that’s pretty standard.”
I nearly laughed out loud at how wrong he was. But I didn’t. I wanted him to think all the wrong things. The more wrong things he thought, the easier it would be for the therapist to tell that he didn’t know me at all. “Healing is important,” I said.
“That’s why you promote therapy?”
“I mean, I’m not running its marketing campaign or anything, but yes, I think therapy is important,” I said.
“If you lose this bet, are you going to change your mind?”
“When you lose, are you changing yours?”
He smirked. “I’m not going to lose.”
“You’re not accustomed to losing, are you? Been handed everything you wanted your whole life but think you know something about struggle so decided to run a gym where you teach people how to punch because that’s the way you’ve always solved any minor inconvenience you’ve faced.”
“You know me,” he said.
I must’ve hit a nerve because, for the first time, his snarky smile was gone.
His jaw jumped as he clenched it. He was wearing scruff on his face again today, and once again, I noted how well it suited him.
It softened the sharp edges of his jaw, both darkened and lightened his face in a way.
It intensified the color and depth of his eyes.
His nose was strong, just crossing over into large, but again, suiting the shape and size of his face. Why was I studying his face so much?
The waterfall over his shoulder was going strong. I wondered if it ran all the time or if Rebecca turned it on for this appointment.
“If you look away, we have to start the timer over,” he said.
My eyes snapped back to his. “Wait, who’s timing this? Did you start a timer?”
“I forgot,” he said.
“Shit,” I responded. “I think it’s been five.” I stood.
“I think it’s been three,” he said.
“I guess we’ll never know.” I smiled over my shoulder as I walked away.
When I was almost back to Tara, I heard a loud, high-pitched scream.
I ran the rest of the way, only to learn that Michael had jumped out of a bush or something, scaring her.
Apparently, he didn’t need to miss today at all, he just thought it would be funny to surprise her.
I couldn’t decide by the look on her face if she found this surprise funny or annoying.
I’d ask her later.