Better With You

by Ellen Joy

  Adam’s heart skipped a beat as he swung around, and immediately their eyes locked. Hers glowed, highlighted by the color of her dress, and completely captivated him. He stared as she walked closer to them, and for a moment he felt as though they were the only two people in the room. Then he heard Lucy talking to Frank and David, saying, “See, I told you he likes her.”

  He whipped his head to her and gave her the double wink before Elizabeth approached them, but he could tell by the way Frank’s eyebrows lifted, that he didn’t need Lucy to tell him how Adam felt.

  Frank greeted Elizabeth, and offered her a glass of wine, but she held up her hand. “No thanks, I’m on call.”

  “I guess it’s for me,” he said, then handed Lucy a small plate. “Let’s grab you a big plate of desserts!”

  Lucy gave a little squeal of delight and ran off with Frank to the dining room table, overflowing with platters of food.

  “I’m going to grab Judge Davis to introduce you two.” David patted Adam on the back as he walked away. “Make yourself at home.”

  And then there were two, he thought to himself.

  “How’s everyone doing at the farm?” she asked, after what felt like a very long silence.

  “Mildred’s fitting right in.” He rubbed his thumb against the condensation on the wine glass, trying to think of something clever to say. “She wasn’t sure of the goats but doesn’t seem to mind Anastasia.” He rolled his eyes at himself. Good one. Then he added, “Hopefully that’s all the animals for now.”

  “Oh.” Elizabeth looked confused. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she frowned. “Lucy told me about a set of llamas online...”

  Adam’s stomach sunk. “Seriously?”

  Her lips slowly curled up into a smile. She shook her head. “Sorry, I just had to mess with you. The look on your face was worth it.”

  “Well played,” he laughed, relieved, but he also liked the fact that Elizabeth had messed with him. The ice had been broken, and he felt a bit more at ease. The conversation naturally carried on, and it was like talking to a long-lost friend.

  The conversation moved from going to school in Boston to his parents and his sister, Emerson. She told him about moving back to Camden Cove and working as a vet. He noticed she hadn’t mentioned the ex-boyfriend once.

  “What made you buy the farm?” she asked him.

  He could tell it was more than just a farm to Elizabeth. The way she looked longingly at the house each time she stepped out of her truck had given away her feelings long ago.

  “Lucy,” he said honestly.

  “You really can’t say no to her, can you?”

  “Not to that little girl, no.” He looked at Lucy, who ran around with one of the couple’s daughters in Frank and David’s back yard. He might be weak when it came to Lucy, spoiling her and giving in to her crazy wants, but he’d never make up for the first years of her life. How did he explain this to Elizabeth?

  “Well, I guess I can’t blame you,” she said. “Her heart is certainly in the right place.”

  He almost began to tell her, but stopped himself. No need to bring Elizabeth into the messes of his life. Instead, he’d enjoy the fact that she was standing close enough where he could smell her perfume, talking to him. He didn’t want to ruin the perfect moment to explain he was doing all of this for a child who wasn’t even his.

  ELIZABETH HADN’T EVEN noticed her phone ringing until Adam asked if it was hers. Fascinated by his stories of growing up in Cambridge, she begrudgingly pulled it out of her purse and didn’t recognize the number. “Dr. Williams.”

  “Good evening, Elizabeth. It’s Alex Martinez,” the officer said. “Marine Patrol just found a seal pup tangled in some fish netting up at Perkin’s Beach. We’re hoping you could come over and check it out.”

  “What about the Marine Mammal Rescue over in Portland?” she asked. She usually didn’t handle this kind of thing.

  “They’re on their way, but it got pretty tangled up,” Officer Martinez explained, “and now I’m worried it’s having a hard time breathing.”

  “Make sure no one tries to touch it or put any water on it. It’ll stress out the animal.” Elizabeth’s heart dropped as she looked at Adam watching her. She didn’t want the night to end, but she also didn’t want a distressed seal to hurt itself. “I’ll be right there.”

  As she hung up, she saw Lucy laughing in the back yard, and suddenly she had a thought. “Do you think Lucy would like to help save a seal?”

  “Are you serious?” his eyebrows lifted. “She’d love that.”

  And he was right. Lucy jumped up and down enthusiastically as the three rushed out of her uncles’ house and headed down to Perkin’s Beach. She saw Officer Martinez’s truck out on the sand, and she pulled up next to him, grabbing her medical bag from the back seat.

  “You guys should stand by the truck,” she said. “We don’t want to cause more stress with too many people, but you’ll get a good enough view of what’s happening,”

  She jogged off to the seal, leaving Adam and Lucy standing back out of the way.

  Officer Martinez and Marine Patrol Officer Brewer knelt next to a seal pup unresponsive on the sand. Its neck had cuts around it. When she got close, she could hear its labored breathing.

  When she knelt down, she held a towel and put on a pair of gloves. The baby seal was no older than couple months. “Hello, buddy. You got yourself quite tangled up, didn’t you?”

  This was when fishing broke her heart. The netting wrapped around the seal’s body most likely would’ve killed it, if someone hadn’t found it. And the netting coming off wasn’t an accident. It was a lazy fisherman not checking his equipment. The seal breathed heavily and struggled to get air. They were right. It would be in trouble soon. As Elizabeth got closer to the animal, it didn’t fight or try to bite her as she checked its vitals.

  “We can bring this guy to my clinic if marine rescue doesn’t show.”

  The two men nodded in agreement as Elizabeth took control of the situation. She grabbed the towel from her bag and placed it on top of the seal to use as a restraint. The motion made the seal come alive, but it froze, staring at them.

  “He looks like he knows we’re helping him,” Officer Martinez said, kneeling next to her, holding onto the seal.

  Elizabeth looked up for a second to see Lucy and Adam looking on with wide eyes, about twenty feet away. Lucy’s hands covered her mouth as Adam held her shoulders. She returned her attention back to the seal.

  The seal squirmed as sje started to pick it up.

  “You’re going to be okay, buddy,” said Officer Brewer.

  Elizabeth looked at the seal’s the ribcage. The seal hadn’t been able to eat for at a couple of days.

  “Adam, can you grab the crate in the back of the truck?”

  Adam didn’t even say a thing. He just ran to the back of the truck and pulled out the crate, running toward her with it in his hands.

  “Hurry, Daddy,” Lucy ordered, not moving from her place.

  “I am,” he said back.

  Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile at the two. She rubbed the seal’s snout and shushed in its ear. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to make sure everything is all right.”

  She tightened the towel around the pup’s body and picked it up as soon as Adam opened the crate’s door.

  “Here you go.” She put the seal slowly into the crate. It moved around but didn’t struggle. Elizabeth motioned to them to come closer. They both tiptoed slowly up to the animal. Elizabeth put her finger on her lips to keep quiet.

  Lucy’s face melted as soon as she saw the gray and white seal up close. “She’s so cute.”

  “When Marine Mammal Rescue comes, they’ll bring it to their hospital and release her when she’s okay.”

  “That’s awesome.” Lucy’s eyes widened. “I want to be a Marine Mammal Rescuer.”

  Elizabeth suddenly had an urge to grab her and pull in her into a hug. And then she became
hyperaware of the situation. Was Adam the whole package, or was she once again falling for the parts—his daughter, the farm, his looks? Her mind swirled as he stood close to her. She moved aside, not wanting to be any closer and smell more of the scent of musk and salt.

  “Do you do this often? Save seals?” he asked.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “No, usually the rescue would be done by a mammal rescuer, but since it’s night and the seal was in distress, I was called out.”

  Officer Martinez walked over to the truck as Officer Brewer examined the tangled fishing net. “Nice job, Elizabeth.”

  “Thanks, Alex,” she said, shaking his hand. “You did the right thing, calling.”

  He looked behind him as a truck pulled onto the sand. It didn’t take long before they took “Wilmer”—thanks to Lucy—to the seacoast center, where they’d nurse it back to health. The sun had set, and Lucy yawned loudly.

  “I better get her home to bed.” Lucy grabbed his arm and leaned against him, holding his hand. He nudged her. “What do you say?”

  Lucy stumbled over and wrapped her arms around Elizabeth’s waist, squeezing her hard. “This was the best night of my life.”

  Elizabeth laughed and hugged her tighter. “When you grow up and become a vet, give me a call.”

  Eleven

  Adam realized he loved to punish himself that night on the beach. When she hugged Lucy goodbye, that’s when he knew he had fallen for her; fallen for a woman who clearly enjoyed his daughter more than him.

  Over the past few days, as he worked on renovations and Lucy went off to school, he lurked around his phone, trying to think of an excuse to call her. He even hoped Anastasia or Mildred would go into labor, just so he could see her again.

  Why did he do this to himself?

  Because he knew they had a connection. There may have been a recent boyfriend, but Adam was sure she felt something, too.

  He’d be able to see if there was really something there when Elizabeth came for a checkup with the animals, which according to Lucy, hadn’t shown any signs of imminent labor.

  He decided to work outside, rake out the garden beds and clean up the last bit of winter while he waited for her to come. He needed to channel his nervous energy into productivity. The south lawn had perennial gardens that had seen better days. Overgrown, under groomed, and overrun by weeds, he had his work cut out for him. The remnants of a grand farm could be seen, it just would take a lot of love to bring the place back to its original glory.

  Maybe he spent too much time watching “This Old House” with his father, but he loved working with his hands. Restoring the farm never felt laborious or was too much work, as everyone had warned him. He enjoyed seeing the progression of change, the slow process of it, seeing the vision of the original builders. Even when things didn’t exactly go to plan, which was most of the case, he didn’t give up. He never gave up. He was stubborn to a fault.

  He had already dumped three loads of dead leaves in the woods when he saw the vet’s truck bouncing up the drive. He dropped the wheelbarrow where it was and walked around front to meet Elizabeth.

  When he reached the truck, he stopped, surprised, as a man climbed out. “Dr. Johnson?”

  “Hello, Mr. Cahill,” Dr. Johnson greeted him, extending his hand. “Hope you don’t mind me instead of Dr. Williams.”

  “Of course not.” Adam shook his hand, but his stomach dropped. “Did Dr. Williams have an emergency?”

  “No, she had vaccinations out by the university and sent me instead, to check on the ladies.”

  Thoughts spun around in his head. Her assistant Margie, her uncles, Lucy’s need to blurt out every one of his feelings, the way he couldn’t stop staring at her whenever they encountered each other, and how he monopolized her time at the party. He thought back to every interaction, every word spoken. Was the reason for Dr. Johnson’s visit to the farm really because of vaccinations, or was he here because Elizabeth wanted to avoid him?

  ELIZABETH DROVE BACK to Camden Cove from the last farm on her schedule. The fourth that day, with over three hours of driving. Next, she’d have to head to her parents and help her mother with preparations for the Blessing of the Fleet. Of course, Sarah had everything under control, but tons of things still needed to be done before the big event.

  Elizabeth welcomed the distraction, but she couldn’t stop thinking about everything. Even though the whole night at her uncles’ place had been lovely, it was the rescue, and his eyes, that troubled her mind. There had been something between them. She recognized the look he gave her before he left the beach, the one everyone said they saw when he looked at her.

  And the feeling wasn’t like anything she felt before. She felt completely out of control and vulnerable, and she hated how she felt without him. Her heart told her to chase after him, but her rational, logical mind told her to avoid him. She knew this fast and furious kind of love, and it never worked out well. All she had to do was look at the people around her whose relationships followed that pattern, all of Ally’s relationships, Matt’s marriage, and probably Lauren, if she was being honest.

  In the meantime, she wanted to avoid the farm to get her head together. That’s why she had asked Dr. Johnson to go in her place. Lucy hadn’t reported any changes. When he came back to the clinic, he said nothing more than that the animals were doing fine. Made a couple of comments about how nice the farm was starting to look, but nothing about Adam.

  “Did Mr. Cahill seem upset that I didn’t go?” she asked, while in Dr. Johnson’s office, wondering if she was overreacting.

  “Nope.” Dr. Johnson fiddled with his stapler. “He seemed fine.”

  “Great.” She hid her disappointment as she left the room. Whatever she felt the night of the rescue had all been in her head. Lucy was the one who adored her, not him. He only went because of Lucy. Her meddling family was just getting inside her head.

  But she swore she felt something.

  It was better that she didn’t go to the farm. She’d just ogle him and make the situation even more uncomfortable. And there was Dan. She didn’t want to hurt Dan more than she already had. If he heard she had gone after Adam at the party, she’d feel terrible.

  When she was done with work, she headed to her parents’ and filled vases with sand for the Blessing. As she stood at the dining table, it was Lauren who brought Adam up.

  “I heard he went to help you rescue a seal,” she said, then winked. “I bet that’s not all McHottie could help you with.”

  “I love how nobody in this family wants to be told their business, but everyone still feels the need to get involved in mine.” Elizabeth stuffed a candle into the sand, a bit harder than necessary. She had already spoken to her mother and uncles about getting too involved in her private life, and how it could potentially ruin her career if Adam felt harassed.

  Lauren dropped seashells around the candle. “Are you okay?”

  Elizabeth shook her head, letting out a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I break up with Dan when the slightest doubt crosses my mind. Then I foolishly start listening to all of your banter about Adam, and he’s just a nice guy whose daughter likes me.”

  Lauren set the bag of shells on the kitchen table. “None of us thought you were good with Dan. It wasn’t just Matt.”

  “What?” Elizabeth looked up from the sand.

  “He’s a great guy, but he wasn’t going to make you happy.” Lauren sat down and pulled out a seat for her. “He’s not your type.”

  “Really?” Elizabeth snuffed, slumping into the chair. “What’s my type, then?”

  “Someone who has something in common with you,” Lauren said, as though it were obvious.

  “We had a lot in common.” Elizabeth thought of the list of things she had put together as reasons why she and Dan were good together. “We both grew up in Camden Cove. Our parents both owned businesses ...”

  “Someone who at least owns a pet, or who likes to go into the city, and watches s
omething other than sports ...” Lauren interrupted.

  “You make me sound like a snot.” Elizabeth didn’t want to sit there and be insulted when she already felt like garbage. “I enjoyed being with Dan.”

  “Yes, but you also enjoy having pets, going into the city and watching a play, or reading a good book.” Lauren put her hand on Elizabeth’s knee. “Dan’s a great guy, but not the right guy for you.”

  “And I bet you have your own opinion about the matter.” Elizabeth wondered what side she’d take.

  “I’m the last person who should give advice on love.” Lauren looked away and took a deep breath.

  “Is it me, you think?”

  “What?” Lauren gave her a look. “No, it’s not you.”

  “What if I’m too picky?” Elizabeth said, “And now I’ve lost my shot at having something special.”

  “Or you stay in a relationship that makes you miserable?”

  The sisters both sighed at the same time.

  Elizabeth looked at her younger sister. She didn’t want her to be plagued with relationship troubles like hers. “Are you and Kyle okay?”

  She shook her head. “It’s complicated, and a story for another time.”

  Elizabeth sometimes forgot her little sister had become an adult, with real adult complications.

  “I took the job.”

  “That’s great!” Elizabeth grabbed Lauren’s hands and squeezed. This was the kind of news she wanted to hear.

  “And now that everyone knows about Kyle,” she continued, “I thought things would get even better between us.”

  Elizabeth felt Lauren’s hands slipping away from hers as she looked away.

  “What happened?” Elizabeth asked.

  “His family doesn’t want him to have anything to do with me.” Her eyes moistened. She bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “Said that I came from a low-class family.”

  The insult infuriated Elizabeth. “Low-class? Says the family that’s corrupted and sleazy.” She squeezed her fists. “They have a lot of nerve.”