Chapter 10 #3
Janey took her time walking home. The mild evening had brought out the crowds, and Main Street was busy and loud.
It was still early, so she decided to stop at the Beachcomber for a beer before going home.
No doubt she’d find someone she knew at her favorite bar.
Unlike her brothers, she’d never been confined by island life and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
But she missed David so much that she wondered how she’d ever survive another year apart.
They were so close to having everything they’d ever dreamed of.
All their plans were in place for a wedding next summer, after which he’d move home to Gansett to take over the practice of the retiring Doc Potter.
Janey had graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in animal science.
She’d had the grades for veterinary school, but David had convinced her that only one of them should go to medical school or they’d be repaying student loans for the rest of their lives.
She knew he was right. Island practices wouldn’t generate the kind of income they’d need to live and pay off massive loans, too.
Sometimes, however, she wished they both could’ve pursued their dreams.
Janey’s parents had offered to pay for her to go to veterinary school, but she and David had decided they didn’t want to be that deeply indebted to them.
Her parents had vehemently disagreed with that decision and hadn’t hesitated to tell her so.
But it was her life—and David’s—and they were going to do things their way.
Her parents had been a little chilly to David since then, and Janey hoped they’d get over it before the wedding.
She and David had been a team for so long—since their sophomore year of high school—that Janey couldn’t imagine her life without him.
She just wished they saw more of each other.
Once a month or so, she spent a weekend with him in Boston, and he came to the island whenever he could get at least forty-eight hours free.
Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened very often during his residency.
He was either working or sleeping. Often when they were together, he slept through much of it.
That was the main reason why they’d decided she should stay on the island with her family and friends rather than move to Boston to live with him.
He worked so much that she’d spend more time alone there than she did on Gansett.
This time next year, all the sacrifice would pay off.
Somehow, she just had to get by until then.
Seeing Mac and Maddie, so suddenly and stupidly in love, had made Janey wistful and lonely.
Taking the steps to the Beachcomber two at a time, she was glad she’d decided to stay out for a while.
Before she walked into the bar, she called Mac’s phone and let it ring once as requested, so he wouldn’t come hunt her down.
At the far side of the bar, Joe Cantrell nursed a beer and flirted with the bartender.
Thrilled to see him, Janey snuck up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands.
“Who goes there?” he said.
“Guess.”
“Hmmm, smells like Mac McCarthy’s bratty little sister to me.”
“I’ve never been able to fool you!” Janey planted a kiss on Joe’s cheek and smiled when he flushed with embarrassment. He was such a mush and one of her all-time favorite people. “What does Mac McCarthy’s little sister smell like anyway?”
“Sunshine and wildflowers,” he said, startling her.
Janey swallowed hard. “Is that so?”
Realizing she no longer had Joe’s attention, the bartender stalked off to wait on other customers without taking Janey’s order.
“Yep,” Joe said. “What’re you doing out running the streets so late? Isn’t it past your curfew?”
Janey rolled her eyes at him. “I just babysat for Mac’s girlfriend, Maddie, so they could go out.”
“That seems to be getting serious. I’ve seen him out with the baby every morning this week.”
“He’s crazy about them both.”
Joe chuckled. “Hard to believe.”
“No kidding, but he seems really happy. I love seeing him all befuddled by a woman. It’s high time.” Taking a handful of pretzels from the bowl on the bar, she popped one into her mouth. “What’re you doing here? This isn’t one of your usual island nights.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Got my schedule memorized?”
She took a drink from his bottle of beer. “It’s not exactly rocket science: Friday and Saturday nights from Memorial Day into October. Today is Thursday. It’s a reasonable question.”
“If you must know, busybody, the wife of one of my guys is in labor, so I’m taking the first run in the morning.”
“Ah, I see.” Janey noticed him fixating on her engagement ring.
Casually, she shifted on the barstool and dropped her left hand to her lap.
He’d never said or done anything inappropriate.
He’d never treated her as anything other than his best friend’s little sister.
But there was something—something Janey couldn’t allow herself to examine too closely.
Truth be told, she was afraid of what she might find just below the surface of her easy friendship with the handsome ferryboat captain.
He signaled the bartender and ordered a beer for her, pushing forward a ten from his stack of money on the bar.
Janey raised her bottle in a toast to Joe. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
“It’s good to see you.”
“Janey, it’s always good to see you.”