Susan Mallery - Three Sisters

Misty nodded. “She and Zeke have been together since they were kids. True love. It’s nice to see.” Her eyes darkened. “It’s too bad, what happened.”

Everyone went quiet. Laura looked up at Andi. “She and Zeke had a baby about a year ago. He died when he was six months old. It was a heart condition. She was holding him and he just went. I couldn’t believe it when I heard. They didn’t deserve to lose their little boy.”

“I didn’t know,” Andi murmured. While she’d never lost a child of her own, she’d been with parents who had. Their pain had stayed with her.

“We don’t usually gossip this much,” Nina said into the silence that followed.

“Yes, we do,” Laura told her. “And more. We’re being good because Andi doesn’t know us very well and we want her to like us. You should see us after a glass or two of wine. We’ll straighten that curly hair of yours.”

Andi reached up and pulled one of her curls. “I wouldn’t mind straight hair. When I was little, I read a book about a girl who got scarlet fever. They had to shave her head and her hair grew back curly. I used to ask my mom to take me to the hospital so I could find someone with scarlet fever and get their germs. I was hoping my hair would grow in straight.”

Laura slowly shook her head. “I can’t decide if that’s the sweetest story I’ve ever heard or the saddest. Either way, it’s good to know you’re just as crazy as the rest of us.”

“Why would I be spared crazy?” Andi asked with a grin.

“Excellent point, honey. Excellent point.”

* * *

Andi arrived home at exactly five-fifteen in the afternoon. She might still be adjusting to island life, but she had to admit she was loving the work hours. She’d been home before five-thirty both days. She knew eventually there would be emergencies that kept her out later every now and then, but the pace of life was sure slower than in Seattle.

She parked in her driveway, next to a battered pickup truck. She recognized it from her meeting on Saturday morning and quickly checked her appearance in her rearview mirror. Not that there was much to do. It wasn’t as if she was going to suddenly start wearing more makeup.

She smoothed her hair and made sure none of the mascara had migrated to under her eyes, then grabbed her purse and stepped out of her SUV. At least she’d showered and was dressed decently. The last time Wade had seen her, she’d been exhausted, scruffy and fleeing dive-bombing bats.

She walked up the stairs to her porch and went into the house. She needed to come up with a casual but charming greeting, she thought. Something funny that Wade would—

Andi came to a stop in the center of what had been the entryway and stared. She was pretty sure her mouth had dropped open, but she couldn’t confirm the reaction. The shock was too great.

She didn’t have a house anymore. There were outside walls and a staircase going to the second floor, yet little else remained.

All the interior walls were gone. There were still a few studs in place, probably to keep the second and third floor from collapsing. There were a few windows, she noted, wondering if she should be grateful. She could see clear back through what had been the kitchen. The flooring was gone, as well.

“Don’t panic.”

She heard Wade before she saw him. He came around from behind the stairs and grinned.

“I swear, it’s going to be fine.”

“I think I’m more likely to faint than panic,” Andi admitted. “I can’t believe how much you got done in a day.”

“Isn’t it great? All our other jobs got delayed for one reason or another. Our entire team was here doing demo.”

“Lucky me.”

She was too shocked to do much more than take in his long legs and broad shoulders. The man looked good in jeans, she thought absently, telling herself she would appreciate his easy good looks later. When her heart had started beating again.

“I feel violated,” she admitted. That morning, she’d had a house. Now there was little more than a frame. Where did it go?

He put his hand on her arm. “Think of it as a good thing. The sooner everything is gone, the sooner we can get it put back together. Isn’t there a medical way for you to relate?”

“Only if we want to talk about my house in terms of it being an infection that has to be cut out.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to make me feel much better.” Andi dropped her purse on the bottom stair. “Is there more ripping apart to be done?”

“Just the part of the hardwood floor that has to come up. We’ll refinish it later.”

Andi knew they’d talked about saving the floor and reusing it in the attic. “I’m glad I wasn’t here to see the deconstruction.”

“It was loud.”

He sounded cheerful. It was probably easier when the home being destroyed wasn’t your own, she thought.

“Come on,” he said, motioning to the rear of the house. “Let me show you what we’re thinking about for the employee break room. If you’re still interested in the mini-kitchen.”

She followed him, her gaze dropping to his heretofore-mentioned butt. Laura was right, Andi thought, her gaze lingering. Wade’s was pretty darned nice. Must be all the physical labor he did in a day.

“We were thinking cabinets here, with a counter. Single sink, but a deep one, a refrigerator.”

He indicated where each item would go.

“Lockers on this wall and more storage under the window. That would give you a second, long counter if you have buffet-style work parties.”

“How do you know about work parties?” she asked, smiling at him. “Is there a lot of that in construction?”

“Sure. We like theme parties. You know, tropical getaway or a costume party at Halloween.” He winked at her. “My foreman likes to dress up like Marilyn Monroe.”

“Does he?”

Wade grinned. “We’ve done business remodelings before. It’s always a good idea to keep the employees happy, and the mini-kitchens are usually well received.”

“I like it.”

“Good.” He studied her for a second. “How are you settling in with Dr. Harrington? He driving you crazy talking about his son?”

“Does everyone know about that?”

“Pretty much. You should have seen the college graduation pictures from a few years back.”

“I’m doing well,” she said. “Everyone has been very friendly. I have lots of patients. There seems to be demand for a pediatrician around here.”

“Lucky for you. Did you always want to be a doctor?”

She thought about her family and how there hadn’t been much of a choice. “Pretty much.”

“Your parents must be proud.”

They were more disappointed than anything, she thought. But that was difficult to explain to people who didn’t know how she’d grown up. Those who weren’t acquainted with her family assumed that they thought she was smart and successful. She wasn’t going to admit to hunky Wade that when compared with what her parents and siblings had accomplished, she was something of a slacker.

“My mother would have liked me to be a surgeon,” she said, knowing that wasn’t exactly the truth. Her mother would have liked her to specialize even more than that.

“Someone needs to talk to her about her standards,” Wade said. “I have a daughter. She’s twelve. Right now she has a different career idea every week, but not once has she mentioned being a doctor. I’d sure be thrilled if she did.”

“She doesn’t have to decide for a while.”

“That’s true. She’s growing up too fast as it is.” His dark gaze settled on her face. “What’s it like to be the smartest person in the room?”

“I’m hardly that.”