The Two of Us

by Victoria Bylin

  Five minutes before ten o’clock, when a sergeant would call for lights-out, her phone played Sam’s ringtone.

  “Sam!”

  “Hey, Pudge. What’s the matter?”

  “Everything!” He already knew about the fire and how she’d left Claire alone for five minutes. “Claire can’t stop saying, ‘There was a fire,’ and a man from Love-A-Dog Rescue took all the dogs except Peggy McFuzz. The poor thing is terrified and won’t come out from behind the couch.”

  “It’s tough for everyone.”

  “I feel so guilty. I shouldn’t have left Claire alone.”

  “Look, it’s a big house. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

  “I know. It’s just—”

  “You’re human.” He lowered his voice. “And you’re pregnant. If this is too much for you, we’ll make a change.”

  “No. I’m fine.” Lucy laid a hand on the hard curve of her belly. The baby kicked often and was as long as a carrot now. “I’m just so sorry about what happened.”

  “Don’t be.” His voice came out sharp. “You needed to use the bathroom, right?”

  “Yes. And I saw some blood.” She’d been so scared that she’d stayed in there longer than usual, terrified the spotting would get worse and praying it wouldn’t.

  “Don’t you dare blame yourself.” Sam sounded more like a drill sergeant than her husband. “Did Jake or Frank say something to bring this on? I swear I’ll—”

  “No! Not at all. Frank told me not to worry about it, and Jake took Claire for a brownie when the rescue people picked up the dogs. He told me twice I’m doing a great job, and I should remember the birdhouses and not the fire.”

  “He’s right.”

  “I guess. I just wish it hadn’t happened.”

  “Well, it did.” His voice deepened, taking on a bluntness she didn’t like. “And now you have to move on. You can’t fix it, Luce. Give it to God. Bad things don’t make sense. But He knows about them, and He loves us.”

  Lucy wished she could believe the way Sam did, but how could God love her when she made mistakes like leaving Claire alone? Mia would never have made the same decision. Lucy was sure of it.

  Sam’s weary voice whispered in her ear. “I don’t know why bad things happen—things like a hard pregnancy or my mom dying. I don’t know why Claire plugged in the heater. I just know God sees it all. Good and bad. He knows.”

  “You’re talking to yourself, aren’t you?” LDAC was even harder for him than it was for her.

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” Fresh strength hardened his voice. “It’s tough, but I was born for this kind of stuff.”

  “I’m super proud of you. You know that.” Last week he’d received his third evaluation and was leading his entire platoon. “I just miss you so much.”

  “Same here.” His deep voice whispered over the phone. “It won’t be long now.”

  “Just five days. August twenty-first, to be precise. Oh!” Lucy slapped her hand to her forehead. “That’s Mia’s birthday! I almost forgot.” She usually gave her sister a funny card and a little gift, but a decade change called for something big. “I have an idea. What do you think about giving Mia a surprise party?”

  “Does she like surprises?”

  Lucy hummed into the phone. Personally, she loved surprises, except the kind that involved pregnancy tests. Mia was different. “She doesn’t like bad surprises, but good ones? I don’t think she’s had many of those.”

  “I’m fine with it,” Sam said. “But you don’t have much time to plan a party.”

  She also needed to be with Claire and couldn’t do a lot of running around. “Do you think Jake would help?”

  Sam snorted into the phone. “The way he looks at your sister? Oh yeah, he’ll help.”

  “You should have seen them after the fire. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. But you know what’s really crazy?”

  “What?”

  “Mia let him help her. She’s usually stubborn about things like that. She’s different with Jake.”

  “He’s different with her too.” The last words stretched like old elastic, a sign he was yawning. “I’m beat, Luce. You get some rest, okay?”

  “I love you.” She blew a lonely kiss.

  “I love you too. Tell Beanie Boy that Daddy says hi.”

  “Or Beanie Girl. Sam?”

  “Yeah?”

  She heard chimes in the background, the signal for lights out. The barracks would have plunged into darkness. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. I wish—”

  A voice bellowed, “Waters!”

  “Bye, Pudge.”

  “Bye—” she said to empty air.

  Tears welled as the phone died in her hand. She tossed it on the bed, sighed, then ambled to the open window and stared up at the inky sky. “God? Are you there?”

  The stars twinkled a reply, but they were millions of miles away.

  “It’s me, Lucy. I just want to say thank you for Sam. And for Mia. And for saving the dogs.” Her heart swelled all the way into her throat. How could the Creator of the Universe be listening to her?

  “I feel so small right now.” Like a single tiny star. To her eyes, the stars were mere pinpricks of light, but she knew from her freshman astronomy class that they were really huge balls of fire and gas, complex and a trillion miles away. Who but God could create such a thing? Who but God could knit a child in its mother’s womb?

  Lucy’s breath caught in her throat. “Help me, Lord, to know who you are. I don’t know what else to say, so I’ll sign off now. Amen.”

  She stood at the window a moment longer, letting her mind slide down from the sky and back to the lonely bedroom. Knowing she couldn’t sleep, she decided to talk to Jake about Mia’s party. He was a bit of a night owl, so she walked out to his office in the barn. Like she expected, she found him working on his laptop.

  She tapped on the doorframe. “Knock, knock.”

  “Who’s there?” He swiveled his desk chair, smiling at his own lame joke.

  “Lucy.”

  “Lucy who?”

  “Lucy who’s going to plan a surprise party for Mia. Will you help?”

  Mia didn’t strike Jake as the kind of person who liked surprises. In fact, he was fairly sure she wouldn’t care for a room full of people shouting Surprise! any more than he would, which was not at all. But what did he know? Lucy was her sister. Maybe Mia had a secret wish for that kind of attention.

  He shut down the letter to the editor he’d been writing, a response to the latest barrage from the Stop the Camp group, then indicated the extra chair. “I’m in. What do you have in mind?”

  Lucy sat, folded her hands in her disappearing lap, and hiccupped. “Oops. That happens a lot these days.”

  Pregnancy was a mystery to Jake—a glorious one but also mildly terrifying. Back in the police academy, he’d undergone first aid training, including a crash course in childbirth. His fellow officers mostly felt like he did—he’d rather face a 9mm Glock than a woman in labor.

  With Sam gone, Jake felt especially protective of Lucy. The party plans could wait a moment. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay.”

  “Just okay?” He lifted his brows. “If you need anything at all, tell me. I’m serious, Luce.”

  “I feel fine.” She hiccupped again. “I just miss Sam. I thought working on a party for Mia would be a good distraction.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “I want to go all out. Something big and fun. What do you think of an ‘over the hill’ theme?”

  “Uh—” No. Just no.

  “Never mind.” Lucy pursed her lips. “That’s for forty.” She thought a moment, then lit up from the inside. “I know!”

  “What?”

  “How about an old-fashioned birthday party? The kind with silly games and a piñata? We could have it here, or . . . wait! I have a better idea.”

  Jake’s head was spinning.

  “Maybe we could use the
back room at Castro’s Cocina.” The best Mexican restaurant in town. “She loves the food, and it’ll be an even bigger surprise. We can celebrate her birthday and the interview in Dallas.”

  Jake had been thinking about that interview too. “When will she know if she made the cut?”

  “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. Mia always comes out on top.”

  So did Jake—or at least he used to.

  “I’ll die of shock if she doesn’t get the job. I’m going to miss her when she leaves.” Lucy paused, watching him with a twinkle in her eyes.

  Jake recognized that Cupid look but ignored it. “Who do you plan to invite?”

  “Everyone.” Lucy picked up a pen and pad of Post-its. Jake offered her paper from the printer, but she shook her head. “This is fine.”

  They made a list of guests that included people from church, Kelsey and her mom, friends Mia had made in the business community, and the crew at the fire station. The firefighters, including Kevin Romano, were Lucy’s idea. Jake was less enthusiastic about them. She also insisted on organizing games, including pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs. “The sillier, the better. We want Mia to have fun.”

  Lucy filled a dozen squares with crooked notes. Jake couldn’t help but marvel at the differences between the sisters. Mia would have whipped out a legal pad and made a three-tier outline.

  When they finished, Lucy gathered the notes in a haphazard collage and stood. “This is going to be great. I’ll send emails and text messages tomorrow.”

  “Do you have all the contact info?”

  “Pretty much. I’ll use the church directory plus the Chamber website. If I need anything, I’ll ask you or Kelsey.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Just one more thing,” she said. “How are we going to get Mia to the restaurant? I don’t want her to catch on.”

  Jake thought a moment. “How about if I offer to drive her to the airport and pick her up? Then I’ll find a reason to stop at Castro’s.”

  “What if she says no? She usually leaves her car in the long-term lot.”

  “I’ll handle it.” If necessary, he’d make up a story about being in the Springs anyway, or maybe he’d warn her about car burglars. Break-ins didn’t happen often, but why take the chance?

  When Lucy left, Jake turned back to the computer and his letter to the editor. He read two lines before he closed the document and Googled Mission Medical instead. For the next half hour, he read every word about how the organization cared for people all over the world.

  Mia’s future was in God’s hands, not Jake’s. But all he could think about was how perfect she felt in his arms, how good it felt to be more than her friend, and how much he wanted her to stay in Echo Falls.

  Chapter

  16

  Calm and confident, Mia rode the elevator from her room on the nineteenth floor of the Preston Hotel in Dallas to the conference area reserved by Mission Medical. She was among two hundred applicants being interviewed by seven different panels.

  Most of the people were applying for temporary field assignments lasting six to nine months. Mia was part of a smaller group, about twenty or so, applying for a permanent position as a clinic coordinator. Tonight she’d attend a presentation about the organization’s different programs, and tomorrow she would fly home, pretend it wasn’t her birthday, and meet Jake at the airport.

  Don’t think about him, she told herself. Since that kiss in the barn, she’d felt like a pinball in one those old machines. Every time the ball bounced off a plastic post, the post lit up and went ding-ding-ding! You win! The problem was, she couldn’t have it all, and she no longer knew what she wanted or where God was leading her. She loved her work in Echo Falls, and she loved being close to Lucy and part of the Tanner circle. She couldn’t imagine leaving them. Or Jake. On the other hand, she was about to walk through a door she believed God had swung wide.

  As much as Mia wanted to do well today, she wanted one thing even more, and that was clarity.

  Pushing her worries aside, she rounded the corner to the interview area, marked by a row of poster-sized photographs of children helped by Mission Medical facilities. After five minutes, a check-in clerk led her to a conference room arranged with four overstuffed chairs around a low square table. Three of the chairs were occupied by two men and a woman, each wearing a conference badge.

  As Mia entered the heavily air-conditioned room, the men stood and smiled warmly. She immediately recognized Dr. Leonard Winkler, the founder of Mission Medical. White-haired and sporting a trim moustache, he bore the marks of time in a tropical environment, including a deep tan and patches of smooth skin indicative of skin cancer surgery.

  He offered Mia his hand. “Ms. Robinson. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for traveling to Dallas.”

  She returned his handshake with a firm grip of her own. “It’s a pleasure to be here, sir. Mission Medical does excellent work.”

  “Only because of people like yourself as well as my two colleagues here.” He turned to the other man. “This is Dr. John Benton. He specializes in the repair of cleft palate and facial abnormalities.”

  “Dr. Benton—” What a thrill! Mia avidly followed the blog he wrote about his work in West Africa. The photographs taken of children before and after their surgeries touched her deeply. His work truly saved the lives of children who would otherwise be outcasts.

  Because of the blog, she felt as if she knew him. He was taller than Dr. Winkler and leaner, with dark blond hair, and wore a Hawaiian shirt as blue as his eyes. Known for his sincerity and deep compassion, he was one of Mia’s inspirations for applying to Mission Medical.

  He gripped her hand with both of his. “May we call you Mia?”

  “Of course. Yes. Please do.” If she wasn’t careful, she’d start to gush. “I read your blog. It’s an honor to meet you.”

  He shrugged off the compliment. “I like kids.”

  Dr. Winkler indicated the woman who had remained seated. A redhead with beautiful skin, maybe in her fifties, sat with her legs crossed and a notepad in her lap. “This is Sally Richmond. She’s part of our HR department.”

  The women traded greetings, Mia sat, and Dr. Winkler relaxed back in his chair. “Tell us about yourself, Mia.”

  She gave a short list of her qualifications, how she raised Lucy while studying nursing, then summarized her strengths. “I’m organized, adaptable, and passionate about my work. Joining Mission Medical would allow me to use my skills to truly make a difference”—she made eye contact with Dr. Benton—“in countries with some of the greatest needs on the planet.”

  Dr. Winkler laced his fingers over his chest. “You can make a difference in America too.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “We see from your CV that you were a coordinator for the Sunday Hope Clinic in Denver.”

  “Yes. I supervised one of the weekly clinics.” She emphasized supervised. “My job involved scheduling staff, training volunteers, and referring patients for follow-up. It was more administrative than direct patient care, but I still loved it.”

  “We’re looking for those skills,” Dr. Winkler remarked. “Tell us about the biggest challenge you faced personally.”

  The question surprised her. She had prepared remarks about the problems the clinic faced, but the panel wanted more than a professional opinion. They wanted to see into her heart. “I couldn’t do enough.” That was all she said. Judging by their nods, that was all she needed to say.

  Dr. Winkler cleared his throat. “I think we all feel the same way. Let’s move on. You recently made a change from women’s health to primary care.”

  “And from Denver to Echo Falls.” She wanted to emphasize change on a personal level. “I moved from the city where I’ve lived my entire life to a small mountain town.”

  “What motivated you?” Dr. Winkler asked.

  “During the Skype interview for this position, I realized I needed to show I could be adaptable or you wouldn�
��t even consider me. When I learned the only physician in Echo Falls was about to close his practice, I saw a chance to help a community and broaden my experience at the same time.”

  Both Dr. Benton and Sally glanced down at copies of her CV. Sally spoke first. “You’ve been overseas just once.”

  “Yes. To Haiti for an internship.”

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “The clinic vaccinated children against a variety of diseases. As a student, I looked after the nonmedical supplies, helped calm the children, and generally made myself useful.” The memory warmed her from head to toe. “We made a difference that summer.”

  Dr. Benton stretched a long leg. “I like you, Mia.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I think you have what it takes.” He tossed his notepad on the table. “Do you like kids?”

  “I love kids.”

  Dr. Benton’s mouth curved into the half smile she recognized from photographs on his blog. “So do I. My group will be the first to include the new clinic model you’d be organizing if you take this job. I want you on my team.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Really? That would be—”

  Dr. Winkler broke in. “Now hold on, John. As usual, you’re ten steps ahead of the rest of us.”

  “Sorry, Leo.” But he didn’t look at all apologetic, especially when he smiled fully at Mia.

  Dr. Benton might not care about the hiring protocol, but Mia did. She focused on Dr. Winkler, who seemed more amused than annoyed by his colleague’s interruption.

  “John is jumping the gun,” Dr. Winkler said, “but I like what I’m hearing too. I’m especially pleased that you left a comfortable position in an established practice to meet a need in a small community.”

  “I’m the one who benefitted the most.” Mia meant it. “The past two months have opened my eyes to all sorts of things.”

  “Like what?” Sally asked.

  Falling in love again . . . A man named Jake Tanner . . . The seesaw of her emotions tipped, and she landed hard. If she joined Mission Medical, she would live in Dallas and travel the world. She’d be hundreds, if not thousands, of miles from Jake. Skype was great for keeping in touch, but you couldn’t kiss a man through a screen. You couldn’t rub the tension out of his shoulders, or trade a bite of a meal, or even gaze at the same stars in the night sky.