“Oh.”
“But that was a long time ago,” I said. “I haven’t talked to him since before he married your aunt Ivy.”
“I love Aunt Ivy,” Eric said.
He was a solemn boy with medium brown hair that curled a little on the ends. Jordan’s dark hair was cut short. They both had the big, brown Lockhart eyes and good looks. These boys were miniatures of their father.
“Have you guys had a snack?” I asked. “I brought some cookies I made last night.”
“Cookies?” Eric arched his brows with interest.
“What kind?” Jordan asked.
“They’re called monster cookies. They have M&M’s and peanut butter in them.”
Jordan shrugged. “I’ll take one.”
“Great.” I patted the canvas bag I carried over my shoulder. “They’re in here. Let’s go into the dining room, and while you guys get out your homework, I’ll set up milk and cookies.”
Eric ran toward the kitchen. Jordan gave me a skeptical look but followed me.
“How tall are you?” Jordan asked as I opened kitchen cabinets to find a plate for the cookies.
“I’m five ten.”
“That’s tall for a girl.”
“Yes, it is.” I found a plate and set it on the counter.
“You play basketball?”
“I played basketball and volleyball in high school.”
“Cool. How old are you?”
I arranged the cookies on a plate and searched for cups for the milk. “How old do I look?”
“I don’t know. Twenty?”
“I’m glad I brought you cookies. I’m twenty-nine.” I smiled. “So what are you learning about in school?”
He shrugged. “Pyramids. And how to add fractions.”
“What’s your favorite subject?”
“Gym.”
I poured two cups of milk, picked up the plate and inclined my head toward the dining room.
Eric already had his homework out. I scanned over the assignment sheet from his teacher, smiling when I saw Kyle’s illegible, doctor-ish signature in every box for parents to sign off on.
“Let’s start with your math,” I said to Eric. “I rock at grade school math.”
“Let’s start with the cookies,” he said, lowering his brows so seriously I almost laughed.
“Good idea,” I said, sliding the plate toward them. “Cookies first.”
Kyle
I was on the way home from work, about to turn from Main Street onto the road my house was at the end of, when I saw Ray Turner and slowed down.
Ray was a sixty-something man who spent his days driving around Lovely on his riding lawn mower. He had a cart attached to the back of the mower that he used to transport groceries and metal he scrapped for money. The temperature was in the mid eighties today, and Ray had sweat rolling down his face.
I slowed the car and pushed the button to roll down my passenger side window.
“Hey, Ray,” I said.
“Doc.”
“How you doin’?”
“Can’t complain.” He gave me a toothless smile.
“You want to stop by and get some water?”
“Nah. I’m meeting the boys for a beer.”
“All right. Take it easy, man.”
He waved and I rolled up my window, waiting for him to cross my street on his mower before I turned onto it.
Stephanie’s white Honda was in the driveway of my house, and there was a red Jeep Wrangler parked on the street out front. Must be Meredith’s, I thought as I pulled into my garage.
When I walked in through the kitchen, I heard voices in the dining room. I tossed my car keys on the counter and went in there to find Eric reading to Meredith.
He was sounding out a word as she waited patiently, leaning her elbows on the table.
“Won . . . drouse,” Eric said, his brow furrowed with concentration.
“Almost,” Meredith said. “It’s won-drous. But that’s a really hard word, and you did great.”
“Hey, Dad,” Eric said.
“Hi. How you guys doing?” I leaned a shoulder against the doorframe.
“My homework is all done,” Eric said. “I was just reading a book Meredith brought.”
“He did fantastic,” Meredith said, standing up. “So did Jordan.”
“Can we keep the cookies?” Eric asked her.
“Sure. Save some for our snack after school tomorrow, though, okay?”
“You’re coming back over?”
“Of course. I want to hear more of that story you’re reading me.”
She grabbed her bag and smiled at Eric. I’d forgotten how tall and lean Meredith was. She had the lines of a model—long, graceful arms and legs. Her straight black hair fell just past her shoulders, and her skin was fair. She’d always been Reed’s girlfriend, fiancée, or ex-fiancée to me, and the last time I’d seen her, she’d been a patient.
I was seeing her for the first time as just Meredith, and she was pretty. More than pretty, actually.
“See you guys later,” she said, slinging the bag over her shoulder and heading for the door.
“I’ll get that for you,” I said, jogging to the front door and opening it for her.
She waved as she walked out, putting on her dark sunglasses.
Stephanie had packed up her books, and she left right behind Meredith.
“Hagrid peed in the kitchen,” Eric said as soon as I closed the door.
“I’m not surprised. Why don’t you guys take him for a walk while I make dinner?”
“But I want to watch TV.”
I gave him a serious look. “After dinner. And your homework’s all done so we’ve got the whole evening for fun stuff.”
“Will you swim with us?”
“Yeah.”
I went to the fridge and rummaged through it for ingredients. Looked like I was grilling burgers again. But the boys liked them, and I did, too.
As I shaped the meat into patties, I thought about Meredith again. It had been nice to see a woman in my house for once. There hadn’t been a woman here other than my mom and sisters-in-law since Kim left.
Not that anything would ever come of my finding Meredith attractive. She wasn’t someone I could ever date, given that she’d been engaged to my brother. My mom, who got along with most everyone, still had hard feelings toward Meredith.
Just the thought of walking into my parents’ house with Meredith made me chuckle to myself. Reed would shit his pants. It would be beyond awkward for all of us.
Ah, well. I wasn’t interested in dating anyway. My plate was already full.
I’d made four hamburgers—one for each of the boys and two for myself—when I grabbed some more ground beef and made a small one for Hagrid, too.
He was one of the boys, after all. I didn’t want him feeling left out.
Gene’s Diner had a full lunchtime crowd. I waved at the co-owner Margie on my way to meet Mason at the booth he was sitting in.
“Hey,” I said as I slid in.
He shook his head. “Those scrubs could get you so much ass, man.”
I looked down at my green surgical scrubs and then back at him. “Women aren’t thinking about sex when they see me, dumbass. They’re either sick or worried about someone who is.”
“Right.” Mason’s eyes widened like the answer was obvious and I was still missing it. “Someone could turn to you for comfort after seeing their cousin in the hospital—”
I rolled my eyes with disgust.
“—hear me out, man,” he continued. “For something completely non-life threatening. Like maybe her cousin had an ingrown toenail removed.”
“Which would definitely not require hospitalization.”
He shrugged. “Maybe the whole toe, then. Anyway, her cousin’s gonna be fine. And she’s single and eager to sneak off to an empty room with the hot doctor who saved him.”
“There are so many things wrong with that scenario.”
“But one thing that’s very right.” He nodded knowingly.
“For a guy in a committed relationship, you’re still kind of a douchebag about women.”
That got a dramatic eye roll from him. “There’s nothing wrong with casual sex, Kyle. Nothing. As long as both people are single, legal, and they both know the deal.”
“A woman is the last thing I need. The last one gave me enough grief to last a lifetime.”
“Kim was a psycho bitch. Find someone normal.”
Margie cleared her throat next to us. “What can I get you boys?”
We ordered burgers and fries, and she rushed off to the next table.
“Let’s not talk about Kim,” I said to Mason.
“Okay, I’m almost done. You shouldn’t have married the first woman you slept with.”
I arched my brows. “You guys have mentioned that four or five hundred times already.”
“I’m not saying you should get married again. Not this soon. But you could use a friend with benefits, you know?”
An image of Meredith flashed before my eyes.
“You’ve got one already,” Mason said, grinning. “I can see it all over your face. Why didn’t you tell me, you bastard?”
I shook my head. “I don’t. I’m too busy with the boys and work to think about that stuff much . . . but . . .”
“But?” Mason’s brown eyes, the same shade as mine, were wide and eager.
“I . . . looked at a woman the other day and thought about it a little. I mean, not about having sex with her, but about how attractive she was. I haven’t looked at another woman like that since Kim.”
Mason nodded slowly. “Okay, that’s progress. I think you need to get another look. Who is she?”
I rubbed the stubble on my cheeks and sat back in the booth, smiling sheepishly. “Uh . . .”
“Fuck, man, you’re killing me. Who is it? Is she married or something?”
“No. It’s just, uh . . . kind of weird.”
His gaze darkened. “It better fucking not be April.”
I glared at him. “You really think I’d look at your girlfriend like that, you prick?”
“I guess not.”
Margie returned and set down two glasses of iced tea before darting off again.
“Who is it, Kyle?” Mason said. “I’m your brother, we tell each other everything. I told you about Cassidy Solomon farting in my face while I was eating her pussy that one time in high school. You can tell me this.”
I busted out laughing at the memory. “Oh hell, I’d forgotten about that.”
“It wasn’t funny, man.”
“It was awesome.”
“You know what else is awesome?” Mason said in a low tone. “Getting your dick sucked. And I have, and I do . . . a lot. You know what that’s like? Oh, that’s right, you don’t, because you’ve only been with a psycho bitch who wouldn’t do it. I’m trying to help you out here.”
“I don’t need your help. And I don’t want to talk about this here.”
He shook his head. “You’re gonna feel like shit when I tell you why I asked you to have lunch with me today.”
“I doubt that.”
“I want you to be my best man.”
His words sank in, and I smiled. “You and April are getting married?”
He nodded. “In five weeks.”
“Holy shit, that fast?”
“We’ve been together a year and a half. I always knew we would, but . . . a few days ago I was having a shitty day at work, and she came into my office and rubbed my neck and sat on my lap and told me she’d make chicken potpie for dinner that night. I love her chicken potpie. I just proposed right there, with her straddling me on my lap.” He smiled. “I knew I could never be with anyone else.”
“I think that’s great. I’m so happy for you guys.”
“Thanks. I’ve got a pretty amazing girl.”
“She’s close to thirty, bro. May be time to consider her a woman.”
He shook his head, still grinning foolishly. “She’ll still be my girl when she’s eighty years old.”
“A month, huh?”
“Yep. We’re having the wedding in Mom and Dad’s backyard and then going to Tahiti for two weeks.”
“Nice.”
“So, on the best man thing?”
“Of course, man. Of course. I’m not throwing you a wild bachelor party, though. We’ll go on a hunting trip or something.”
Mason’s expression was loaded with disbelief. “It’s like you want to stay celibate. A bachelor party in Vegas would be prime time to get you laid. I can’t do anything but look, but you . . .”
“Not my thing, man.”
“Sex isn’t your thing?”
I looked behind me to see who was in the next booth and then glared at Mason. “Would you keep it down?”
“Tell me who she is.”
I sighed heavily. “Meredith.”
Mason’s mouth dropped open with surprise. “Meredith? Meredith Hobbs?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, shit.” Mason’s laughter reminded me how off-limits Meredith was.
“Look,” I whispered. “I just said I find her attractive. I’m not doing anything about it.”
“Might as well. She’s single, right?”
“I don’t know. She’s helping the boys with their homework after school.”
He nodded. “Maybe in an effort to get closer to you?”
“No. It’s just to help the boys.”
“Tell her you need some sex education.”
Margie was approaching with our food, so we both went quiet.
“You guys need anything else?” she asked as she set down the plates.
“No thanks, we’re good, Margie,” Mason said.
Once she was out of earshot, Mason started back in. “Do you, uh . . . need some advice on how to close the deal?”
I furrowed my brow with disgust. “You mean Meredith? No, you dumbass.”
He put his hands up in feigned innocence. “It’s been like twenty years since you’ve hit on a woman, I’m just trying to help.”
“If I wanted to hit on her, I’d figure it out. But I can’t go there. Not with my brother’s ex-fiancée.”
“Have you asked Reed if he minds?”
“No, because I’m not going there.”
“You need—”
I cut him off. “Let me worry about what I need, okay? Right now, I just need you to stop blabbering so I can eat my lunch. I have to get back to work.”
He shrugged. “You seem tense. Cranky, even. I feel relaxed and happy. You know why?”
“Enough,” I said with a serious glare. “I’m sure you got laid this morning, congratulations.”
“I just want to see you happy.”
“I am happy. I’m fine. Now let’s talk about this hunting trip for your bachelor party.”
Finally, he conceded. “Maybe some hunting and fly fishing in Montana?”
“Sounds fun. The boys can come. I’ll rent us a lodge for a few days.”
We talked about the trip and the wedding until the end of our lunch. But on the drive back to my office, I was thinking about Meredith’s wide, pretty smile. It lit up her whole face. She was a woman with many beautiful features, but her smile was her best one.
I shouldn’t have been thinking those thoughts about my brother’s former fiancée. It had probably been a one-time thing, just a fleeting moment of attraction. And it wasn’t like she felt it back, so there was nothing even to think about.
I had patients to focus on, and I needed to decide what to make for dinner tonight. I forced my thoughts from Meredith to those things.
Meredith
My workday so far had been nothing but numbers. I’d started working on monthly and quarterly sales reports first thing this morning and had taken a quick break to eat a sandwich for lunch. Now it was almost three p.m., and my eyes were feeling the strain from all the hours of staring at a computer screen.
I
turned my desk chair so I faced the wall. Unlike the offices of my coworkers, my wall was empty. Some of the salesmen had posters of cars or drawings their children had made hanging up and framed family photos on their desks.
My wall had nothing. It was a metaphor for my life—empty. Helping the Lockhart boys with their homework for the past week was the most fun I’d had in a long time. When I left their house every evening, usually to go home to my empty house, I was even more aware of how alone I was. I was happy for the opportunity my sister had gotten for a new job in California nearly a year ago, but I missed her.
A knock sounded on my door, and I turned my chair as someone opened it and looked in.
“Hey,” a man said, smiling sheepishly.
“Hi. Can I help you?”
“Uh . . .” He opened the door a little wider and stepped in. “Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”
“Sure, just walk through the showroom, and you’ll see it on the left.”
“Thanks.” He opened his mouth and closed it again, still standing in the doorway.
After a few seconds of silence, I was about to ask if he needed anything else when he laughed nervously.
“Actually, uh . . . I don’t need to find the bathroom.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I . . . Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
He walked into my office and looked around, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m here buying a car. The guys in your detail shop are finishing it up for me now. When I was talking to a salesman about the car earlier, you walked across the showroom and I forgot all about the car.” He grinned. “I asked the salesman about you, and he said you’re single, so . . . would you want to go out sometime?”
His nervousness flattered me. He was about my height, with curly blond hair and a receding hairline. He had to be at least ten years older than me, but his bright blue eyes had a youthful gleam.
“I’m John. Guess I should have said that before.”
“I’m Meredith. Nice to meet you.”
He nodded and held my gaze, his expression hopeful.
“You’re not from Lovely, are you?” I asked.
“No, I’m from Fairbury.”
I wondered if I should tell him I hadn’t been asked out in years. In other towns, I would have been Meredith Hobbs, single woman, but in Lovely, I was the Hobbs girl who left Reed Lockhart at the altar.
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