The next day, Sunday, she rose early despite her late night and took Max for a run along the beach. He didn’t have Fiona’s loping grade but toddled along beside her so cheerfully, it warmed her heart.
The day had turned cooler from the rain of the night before, with more precipitation predicted for later that evening. April could be fickle on the coast, with the rare warm, pleasant day often giving way to a spring snowstorm.
Things weren’t supposed to be that drastic, but it was definitely cold enough first thing in the morning that she was grateful for her jacket.
They didn’t bump into Eli, as she had half hoped and half feared. All in all, it was the most uneventful run she’d had on the beach in what felt like forever.
As if to remind her of previous fun times, her wrist ached more than it had in days as she and Max returned to the house. She ignored it and spent the rest of the morning trying not to watch the clock as she finished some of her coursework for her online nurse practitioner classes.
She had just hit Send on another assignment when Max suddenly scampered to the front door just moments before it opened.
“Mommy! Hi! Where are you, Mommy?”
She hurried out to the entryway to find Skye and Cody standing just inside the door. Skye must have used her key to come in.
“You’re back! Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mommy.” Skye hugged her but didn’t stop frowning. “Hey, why do you have Dr. Sanderson’s dog? Hi, Max!”
“He’s babysitting me,” she said. Skye giggled while Cody looked on, confused.
She didn’t bother to explain to him. “How did things go?” she asked instead.
She didn’t necessarily want Skye to rant about how miserable she’d been overnight. Melissa didn’t want to think she was that small-minded.
Still, when her daughter beamed, Melissa had to smile through clenched teeth.
“So fun,” Skye said. “We went to a baseball game last night and they had fireworks and everything. Then we had pizza and this morning we went to the store. We were going to go to another baseball game but decided not to. I got to see Grandma and Grandpa Fielding, too. Did you know they have a swimming pool at their new house?”
Her in-laws had only recently moved to Portland from Manzanita and she hadn’t been to their house yet.
“I didn’t know that. How fun.”
Skye made a face. “Dad said it was too cold to go swimming, plus I didn’t take my suit.”
“Next time, though,” Cody promised.
“Do we want to set up the next visit?” she asked her ex.
Cody looked a little distracted, as if he hadn’t thought past this one. “I don’t know what my schedule’s going to look like next week. We might be heading down to Cali. What about two weeks from now?”
She forced a smile. “That could work. Just let me know.”
“Thanks, Missy. Hey, Skye-ster. Thanks for hanging with me. I’ve got to run.”
“Okay. Bye, Dad.”
“Sorry to leave so fast. Amalia didn’t do well on the drive here. She’s a bit carsick so I’d better get her back to the city.”
“No problem. Next time I could meet you halfway.”
“That would be great. You’re the best, Miss. Thanks!”
She waved him off, proud of herself for taking the high road this time. It made things go so much more smoothly when she tried to be the adult in their interactions.
After he hurried down the steps, she smiled at her daughter, who was busy petting Max.
“Why is he really here?”
“I wanted some company last night. The house was pretty empty since everyone but me was gone for the night.”
“Even Fiona?”
“She went with Rosa on a hiking trip out of town. So, yes, it was just me.”
“We should get our own dog.”
It was not a new request. Skye had been pushing for their own dog since they had moved from Hawaii.
“Maybe when we get into our own house. I’m so glad you had a great time with your father and Amalia. Is she nice?”
“Really nice. She doesn’t say much, but she’s trying to learn English. She taught me a little Portuguese. That’s what they speak in Brazil, not Brazilian, did you know that?”
“That I did know.”
“I don’t know why. It’s weird, if you ask me. But she taught me how to say hello—olá, which kind of sounds like hola. And goodbye is adeus, which also sounds like adios. Thank you is obrigada. Dad would say obrigado but I’m not sure why. It was fun, except I missed you a ton. Maybe you could come next time.”
Wouldn’t that be delightful? She swallowed a groan and chose her words carefully. “That’s sweet of you, honey, but it’s important for you to enjoy your special time with your dad and new stepmom. And soon you’ll have a new baby brother to love. You get plenty of time with me.”
“I guess. I still missed you.”
“I missed you, too. So much, I had to borrow Max here to keep me company.”
“I wish we didn’t have to give him back.”
“I know, honey. But you like sleeping in your own bed and I’m sure Max does, too.”
“I guess.”
Melissa didn’t want to fall into the trap of trying to compete with her ex for most fun parent, but she’d been without her daughter for an entire day and wanted to have a little fun with her while she could. “Why don’t you go get your kite and we can take Max home, then fly your kite on that good stretch of beach by Dr. Sanderson’s house.”
Skye had been begging her to take the kite out for several weeks and she latched onto the idea with enthusiasm. “Yay! I’ll go get it.”
She skipped to her room, leaving Melissa to gather up the dog’s things and try not to be nervous at the idea of seeing Eli again.
* * *
As he finished putting together the lift recliner he had purchased that morning, Eli wasn’t sure whether his father would be happy about the gift or would accuse him of trying to turn Wendell into an old man before his time.
His father was recovering from a double knee replacement. Nobody would think less of him for using anything that might make his life a little more comfortable. And after all his father did for his patients around town, didn’t he deserve a comfortable chair at the end of the day that he could get into and out of without pain?
It was a good argument, if Eli did say so himself. Whether his father would buy into it was another story entirely.
He pulled the chair into the corner where his father’s beat-up old recliner held pride of place. He would never dare to get rid of the thing, but he could at least offer this one as an alternative. If nothing else, Max would probably like it.
He looked around automatically for the dog, then remembered. Max had spent the night with Melissa.
Lucky dog.
He pushed the dangerous thought away as he settled into the recliner to check it out. He couldn’t think about her like that.
How had she made it through the night? It had taken all his strength that morning not to walk up to Brambleberry House to check on her.
That hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her all day. Their hot, intense kiss had haunted him, kept him awake most of the night.
What was he going to do about this attraction to her?
Absolutely nothing.
What could come of it? She deserved better than a long-distance relationship, and that was all he could offer her right now. He was leaving town as soon as his father was back on his legs. Eli had had an email just that morning from his commanding officer, asking when he would be back and whether he was ready to take off again to return to his job overseas.
For one crazy moment, Eli had been tempted to tell Dr. Flores that he was done, he wasn’t going to re-up but would continue serving the National Guard, available when his country needed him.
He knew the woman would be disappointed but wouldn’t think less of him. Many—in fact, most—army doctors didn’t stay in as long as he had, at least not on active duty. His initial commitment had only been two years, but the work had been so fulfilling he hadn’t been able to walk away then.
Could he walk away now? That was the million-dollar question. Before Justine and Miri died, he had been thinking about going into private practice while retaining his military benefits by serving in the Guard. That was the course most in the Army Medical Corps eventually took.
Since that horrible day in that dusty market town, he had felt driven to do more, try harder, dedicate himself more fully.
He owed both of them. Didn’t he? He hadn’t been able to save Justine, but he could help those she had cared about.
That left little place in his world for someone like Melissa, who had finally found her own place to belong here in Cannon Beach.
While he might accept that intellectually, it hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her all day, remembering their kiss and feeling comforted all over again when he remembered the sweet way she had wrapped her arms around him in her kitchen, offering solace and concern.
He had it bad for Melissa Fielding. That was the plain truth. He was all tangled up over her and didn’t know how to unravel the silken cords around his heart.
The doorbell startled him out of his thoughts, and it took him a minute to figure out how to work the control of the chair enough to put the footrest down so he could get out.
When he opened the door, he was greeted first by a familiar woof, and then by a grin and wave from a young curly-haired girl.
“Hi, the other Dr. Sanderson.”
He was as charmed by Skye as he was by her mother, even though her bright smile reminded him so painfully of Miri. “Hi there, the other Ms. Fielding.”
She grinned. “Mom said we had to take Max back to you today, even though I really, really, really wanted to keep him.”
He glanced at Skye’s mother and felt that peculiar tug in his gut that had also become familiar since he’d come back to town, the one he felt only around Melissa. He wanted to tell the girl she could keep the dog for another night, but he had a feeling Melissa would not appreciate his offer.
“Thank you. Both of you.”
“Thanks for loaning him,” Melissa said. “He was wonderful company, weren’t you, Max?”
The dog yipped as if agreeing with her.
“Here’s his stuff.” Skye handed over the bowls and blanket he had taken to Brambleberry House the night before.
“Thanks.” He took them and set them inside his father’s house, then gestured to the colorful fabric kite in Melissa’s hand. “I guess I can tell where you guys are going after this.”
“Yep,” Skye answered. “I’ve been begging and begging to fly our kite and today Mom said yes. We’re going down to the beach by your house because the wind is always just right.”
“Looks like a great kite.”
It was shaped like a jellyfish, purple with rainbow-colored tentacles. “You should see how high it goes. Sometimes it goes up and up until I can barely even see it.”
“Sounds amazing.”
He and his mom used to fly kites on the beach often after school. It had been one of their favorite pastimes. After the cancer made her too weak, she used to sit at the window here and watch him down on the beach below their house. Some nights he would fly a kite past dusk, hesitant to come in when he knew she enjoyed the sight of it flying and dipping so much.
“You can come with us,” Skye suggested. “We always have a hard time getting it up in the air. I can never run fast enough to have the wind take it. Maybe you could help us.”
He darted a look at Melissa but couldn’t tell by her veiled expression what she thought about her daughter’s spontaneous invitation.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve flown a kite. I’m not sure I remember how.”
“We can show you,” Skye said.
“I’m sure Dr. Sanderson has other things to do right now,” Melissa said.
“Like what?” Skye asked.
“Skye. It’s rude to expect him to drop everything and come with us.”
He ought to let the girl down gently and tell her he had other plans. But suddenly he wanted to fly a kite more than he had wanted to do anything else in a long time...except, perhaps, to kiss her mother.
“Thank you for inviting me,” he said instead. “I would very much enjoy helping you fly this beautiful kite.”
It definitely wasn’t a good idea to spend more time with Melissa or with her daughter, not when he was having a hard time resisting both of them, but he told himself he could handle it. He only had to keep things in perspective, remind himself he was leaving in a few weeks.
He couldn’t tell how Melissa felt about the prospect of him coming along, but her daughter made her delight clear. She beamed at him, the gap in her front teeth more pronounced. “Yay! Can Max come with us?”
“Sure. I don’t see why not.”
“I’ll hold his leash, if you want.”
“Thanks,” he said, trying to keep the dryness out of his tone. “That’s very nice of you.”
He picked up his sunglasses from the hall table where he’d left them and walked outside into a lovely Oregon afternoon. The rain of the evening before was nowhere in evidence, though he knew the forecast called for possible heavy waves and wind later in the week.
“Let me take that,” he said to Melissa, reaching for the colorful kite she carried.
“It’s a kite. It’s not exactly heavy.”
“If it were heavy, it wouldn’t fly,” Skye pointed out with irrefutable logic.
“It’s big and bulky, though. I don’t mind.”
She held it out for him. “Here you go. Knock yourself out.”
He reached for it and though he didn’t plan to and, in fact, actively tried to avoid it, his hands brushed hers.
Heat seemed to race along his nerve endings and his stomach muscles clenched.
So much for keeping control around her. If he could have that kind of reaction from a little accidental slide of skin on skin, he was in big trouble.
As they took the closest beach access, a narrow trail between two houses, Skye hurried ahead of them with Max, leaving Eli to walk alone with Melissa.
“You really didn’t have to come with us,” she said after a moment. “Skye is right, we’re not the greatest at getting the kite up in the air, but trying is half the fun.”
Her cheeks were pink, but he couldn’t tell if that was from embarrassment or from the breeze.
“I meant what I said. I’m looking forward to it. What better way to spend a windy April afternoon?”
When they reached the beach, she gave him a sidelong look.
“All morning, I’ve been thinking about how awkward it would be to face you again,” she admitted, confirming his suspicion about the source of that rosy glow. “I’m kind of glad we got that out of the way now, instead of tomorrow morning in the office when you’re seeing a patient.”
Her words were a blunt reminder that she worked for his father. He had a strong suspicion that wasn’t accidental, as if she needed both of them to remember their respective roles.
“You have nothing to feel awkward or embarrassed about,” he assured her.
She snorted. “Sure. I only drank too much, which I never do, fell asleep in your car and then practically dragged you into my house and insisted on feeding you.” She glanced at her daughter and then back at him. “And it’s my fault we kissed again, when we both made it clear the first time that it shouldn’t happen again.”
Was she sorry it had happened? He couldn’t tell from her response. He wasn’t sure he regretted it. He should, he knew, but her kiss had been as warm and nurturing as the rest of her.
He wanted to kiss her again. Right now, right here. Instead, he gripped the kite more tightly and continued walking beside her while the April breeze that smelled of sand and sea danced around them. “It was a strange night. We’re going to chalk it all up to that, right?”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, but her daughter interrupted before she could.
“What about here?” Skye asked. “Is this a good place to fly a kite?”
He managed to drag his gaze away from Melissa’s mouth to focus on their surroundings, the beach a short distance from his father’s house. “This looks like an excellent spot. No trees, no wires, no skyscrapers.”
“I agree. It’s a great place,” Melissa said. She set her backpack on the sand and reached inside, pulling out a rolled sand mat. After spreading it out, she plopped down, then calmly pulled a book out of the backpack.
“I do believe this is a great spot for me to sit back and relax with a book while you guys run around and get all sweaty trying to get that big kite up in the air. I’ll watch our stuff.”
Eli snorted. “You’re going to read a book while I help your daughter fly her kite. Why do I get the feeling I’ve just been played?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Nobody is playing anybody. If you remember correctly, I had no idea you would be here. We were only supposed to be dropping Max off at your place before coming down to fly the kite. I didn’t plan things this way, but since you’re here, I would be crazy to waste a chance to sit on the sand and enjoy this warm afternoon.”
He laughed, completely delighted with her. Every time he was with her, he fell harder.
She stared at him, her features still and watchful, with an expression he couldn’t read behind her sunglasses.
I wish you would do that more often. I like it so much.
He remembered her slightly tipsy words the night before in his dad’s SUV after he had laughed then, and his insides felt achy with need. That encounter seemed a hundred miles away right now on this sunny beach with the waves washing against the sand and the seagulls crying out overhead.
After a moment, he turned to Skye. “Your mom wants to read her book and I can’t argue it’s a good plan. I guess it’s up to us to fly this kite, then.”
“We can do it,” Skye said again. She jutted her chin into the air, looking like a mini pugilist version of her mother. “I know we can.”
“You got it. Let’s do this.”
* * *
The afternoon turned into one of the most enjoyable he had spent in a long time.
He tried to steel his heart against Skye, using as a shield an image of a little dark-eyed orphan with a shy smile, but he quickly realized it was pointless.
He couldn’t resist her any more than he’d been able to resist her mother.
Skye was completely adorable. She chattered endlessly about everything under the sun. She told him about the haystacks, how they had been formed by wind and water eons ago. She waved energetically at the people on recumbent bicycles who rode past them with some frequency on the hard-packed sand close to the water, telling him about the time she and her mother had rented them once when they first moved back to town and it had been really fun. She talked about her father and his new wife and the baby on the way and how it was a boy and she couldn’t wait to hold him.
She was smart and funny and as openhearted as her mother.
Max ran around in excitement as they worked to get the kite up. Once it was soaring and dipping above them on the currents, the dog seemed to lose interest and plopped down beside Melissa, who reached absently to pet him while turning the page of her book with her other hand.
Whenever he looked over at her, his chest seemed to ache all over again. The sunlight gleamed in her hair and she looked fresh and sweet and beautiful.
It was a perfect moment here, beside the water he loved. A girl laughing with glee, her mother soft and relaxed on the sand, the wind catching the colorful kite and tugging it ever higher.
The restlessness inside him seemed to settle for now, and he wanted the moment to go on and on.
He and Skye flew the kite for over an hour, taking turns holding it and letting it dip and dance on the currents.
He thought Melissa might have fallen asleep, but he couldn’t tell for sure with her sunglasses.
Sometime later, she finally rose with her elegant grace and came over to where he and Skye were holding the kite. “You guys have done a great job.”
“It’s higher than we’ve ever got it!” Skye exclaimed. “Eli is the best at flying a kite. He said he used to do it with his mom when he was a kid and flying a kite always makes him think of her.”
Melissa sent him a swift look, and Eli pointedly busied himself with the kite.
“We should probably go, kiddo. We still have to fix dinner and get you to bed.”
“I’m afraid so. You had a big weekend with your dad. You don’t want to be too tired for school tomorrow, right? It’s your big field trip.”
“Oh, yeah!” To Eli, she said, “We’re going to the lighthouse in Astoria and my teacher said we could maybe even fly paper airplanes off the top of it. We’re going to write our names on them and see whose goes the farthest. I bet it will be mine.”
He remembered flying paper airplanes off that lighthouse when he was in elementary school and still remembered the triumph of his particular design beating everyone else in his class. “Sounds like fun. You’ll have to let me know if you’re the winner.”
“I will.”
Together, they started the process of winding the string from the kite back onto the reel. The kite fought them on the currents until he was able to pull it back down to earth.
“What do you say to Eli?” her mother prompted once they had the colorful kite back on the sand.
“Thanks a ton for helping me, Eli.”
Skye beamed at him. Before he realized what she intended, she threw her arms around his waist and gave him a tight hug.
Emotions came out of nowhere and clogged his throat, much to his embarrassment, his mind on another girl who would never have the chance to fly kites on a beautiful April afternoon.
“It was my pleasure. Truly.”
“I hope we can do it again sometime.”
He didn’t know how to answer. He would be gone again soon. Even if his father wasn’t yet up to full strength, Eli would have to go and let a substitute doctor take his place. “Maybe.”
“And you said I could play pool at your dad’s house. Can we do that tonight?”
“No,” Melissa said firmly. “Maybe another time.”
He regretted that he likely wouldn’t have the chance to follow through on his offer to let her come over and practice before he left town. Maybe his father could take on billiards lessons while he was recovering from his knee surgery. He would suggest it to Wendell the next day when he went to his father’s rehabilitation center.
“I’ll walk you back,” he said after Melissa had gathered up her things.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Somebody needs to haul this guy back for you.”
She didn’t argue, but he could tell she didn’t need or want his help.
He couldn’t tell her he would find any excuse to spend more time with her, already dreading the moment he would have to say goodbye.
* * *
As she walked along beside him, with Skye again racing ahead of them holding tight to Max’s leash, Melissa came to the grave realization that she didn’t need to worry any more that she might do something stupid like fall in love with Eli.
She already had.
Watching him fly a kite with Skye, seeing his patience and his kindness and the sheer fun he seemed to have with her daughter, had made that truth abundantly clear.
How could any woman hope to resist him? He was sexy and sweet and wonderful.
What a complete disaster. He was going to leave again. What was she supposed to do then?
When they reached Brambleberry House, he opened the sea gate for her. She was relieved when she spotted Fiona, who immediately rushed across the lawn to greet Max, tail wagging.
“Looks like your neighbor is back.”
She waved to Rosa, who was sitting on the swing looking out at the water.
Rosa waved back, and Melissa didn’t need to see her expression to guess she was wearing a speculative look seeing her with Eli again.
Rosa could speculate all she wanted. They were only together temporarily. He would be leaving soon and she would be alone again.
“Thanks for letting me fly the kite with you,” he said to Skye. “I had a great time.”
“Thanks again for helping me. Me and my mom never would’ve been able to get it up that high.”
“I don’t know. You seem like a pro.”
“Thanks.” She beamed at him. “Now that you showed me what to do, I bet the next time I can get it as high as you did this time.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute.”
“You can come watch and tell me if I’m doing it right,” she declared.
“Maybe.”
He wouldn’t be here. He would be off saving the world, leaving them here to figure out how to fly kites and play billiards without him. Melissa frowned but didn’t want to ruin her daughter’s happiness by pointing out that depressing truth.
“I guess I’ll see you at the office tomorrow,” she said instead.
“Right. I guess so.”
With other friends, she might have hugged them or even given a kiss on the cheek before sending them on their way. With all these emotions churning through her, she didn’t dare do anything but give Eli an awkward little wave.
He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he finally nodded and waved, gripped Max’s leash and headed back down the beach.
She did her best not to watch after him, though it took every ounce of self-control she had.
* * *
“I am so ready to have this baby, if only to be done with stirrups and paper gowns.”
Melissa smiled at Julia Garrett, currently settled onto the exam table in said paper gown. “It looks so lovely on you. Are you sure you don’t want a few more children?”
Julia made a face. “No. This is it. Our house is bursting at the seams and Will says he can’t build on again and I can’t bear to move. So we have to be done.”
“At least until Maddie and Simon go off to college next year. Then you’ll have plenty of room for more babies.”
She gave a rough laugh. “I hope you hear how ridiculous that sounds. We’ll never be empty nesters at this rate.”
This was Julia’s fifth child. She and her husband, Will, had her teenage twin boy and girl from her previous marriage as well as an eight-year-old and a four-year-old. Melissa could only imagine the chaos at their house, but Julia always seemed calm and composed. Oh, how she envied her and wished some of that serenity would rub off on her.
Julia had once lived in Brambleberry House with her twins, when she was a single widow with twins, before she married Will. She had a soft spot for the house and the gardens and the stunning beauty of the place.
When Melissa came back to town, the two of them had bonded over that right after they met, a bond that had deepened and strengthened into real friendship in the months since.
“This is the last one, for sure.”
She touched her abdomen protectively and Melissa felt a sharp little ache in her own womb.
She had wanted more children but hadn’t been willing to bring more children into the uncertainty of a shaky marriage.
The little twinge of regret annoyed her. She had an amazing daughter. She refused to waste the wonderful life she had, wishing she had made different choices.
“Dr. Sanderson should be here soon.”
“When you say that, I keep picturing sweet Dr. Sanderson, then remember you’re talking about someone else entirely. How is it, working for Wendell’s son? He’s quite gorgeous, isn’t he?”
Oh, yes. Entirely too gorgeous. She had to brace herself against her instinctive reaction to him every time she came into the office. It had been three weeks since he came back to town, two since the day he had come with her and Skye to fly kites, and she was more tangled up than ever.
“Just like his father, Eli is an excellent doctor,” she said. “I promise you’ll be in great hands.”
“Oh, I know. He was great when I came in for my checkup last week and the week before. Wendell has nothing but praise for him. Will remembers him, though Eli is a few years younger. Will said he was freaky smart in school.”
Julia hadn’t grown up in Cannon Beach but had spent summers here during her childhood. Will had been her first love, which Melissa found utterly charming.
“He was,” she answered, wondering how they’d gotten on the subject of Eli. She had been doing her best not to think about him...which was particularly tough when they worked together each day. The only way she had survived the last few weeks was by staying busy with her classes and Skye and trying not to think about him leaving.
“How soon before his dad is back?”
“We’re still not sure. His own doctors want him to take it easy, but you know Wendell. He is determined to come in next week for at least a few hours a day. Who knows, he might be back before you have the baby. When are you due again?”
“Three more weeks.”
“Your chances are good, then.”
She was aware with every passing day that Eli’s time in Cannon Beach was drawing to a close. The prospect of him leaving filled her with a curious mix of dread and relief. She dreaded knowing he would be gone and she would be left to worry about him possibly being in harm’s way. But she couldn’t deny there would be a certain relief that she wouldn’t have to pretend any more that she wasn’t crazy in love with the man.
She had done her best to keep things polite and professional between them. She helped him in exams, she did triage assessment, she answered phone calls and forwarded prescriptions to him. And every time she was with him, she was aware of her feelings growing stronger by the moment.
He was an excellent doctor, compassionate and kind, as well as a devoted, loving son. She was head over heels and already aching at the idea that he wouldn’t be in her life every day.
She pushed away the worry to focus on their patient. “Do you want Eli to wait a few minutes before doing your checkup, until Will can get here?”
“Better not. He wasn’t sure if he would make it back to town in time. He’s on a job up in Seaside, doing a bathroom remodel for a lady.”
Her husband was a master carpenter who had done some amazing work at Brambleberry House and other places around town.
“I’ll let Eli know you’re ready, then.”
When she opened the door, she found him pulling the chart out of the polished wood holder beside the door, which, she remembered now, Will Garrett had built right around the time she started working for Wendell Sanderson.
“Julia is ready when you are.”
“Thanks.” He gave her the same kind of careful smile they had both become experts at over the last few weeks. She had a feeling he felt as awkward and uncertain around her as she did around him.
He entered the exam room and she followed behind as he shook Julia’s hand with a warm, comforting smile that made Melissa’s ovaries tingle. Darn them.
“How are you feeling? Things are probably getting tight in there.”
“Any tighter and I’m afraid I’m going to bust through the seams.”
“Let’s just take a look at things.”
He listened to the baby’s heartbeat first, then did a quick exam with brisk professionalism.
“Looks like you’re only dilated to a one, so I think it’s safe to say we still have a few weeks to go.”
Melissa adjusted the sheet over her and then helped her sit up.
“The twins were a week early,” Julia said, “but Tess was born the day before her due date and her brother was born the day after his.”
Eli said. “You’re the expert after five of these. I’m sure you can tell me a thousand ways every pregnancy is different, but it’s good to know the pattern.”
“No offense, Dr. Sanderson, but I was telling Melissa I would love it if your dad was back in action by the time I deliver. You’ve been great, but he delivered Will as well as my younger two kids and he’s become kind of part of the family.”
“None taken,” Eli assured her. “I wish I had an answer for you. He’s coming in for a few hours a day next week, though his surgeon and physical therapist want him to take it easy. Maybe he’ll be back just in time to deliver your little girl.”
“I hope so. He’s home, right?”
“Yes. He came home a few weeks ago.”
The day after they had flown kites and walked with Max along the beach, in fact, after rebounding quickly from the temporary setback of his tumble. Melissa had been by to see him twice on her lunch hour and once with Skye after school. All three times she had managed to miss Eli.
“How is he doing?” Julia asked.
“Bored out of his mind,” Eli said with a smile. “My dad is the kind of guy who likes to be on the go. I knew the toughest part of his recovery would be the monotony of being sidelined. But his knees are already stronger than they’ve been in years, so the surgery was a good thing, for him and for his patients here in Cannon Beach.”
He wrapped up the appointment a few moments later with another handshake and a warm smile.
After he left, Julia shook her head at Melissa. “I love Dr. Sanderson Sr., I’m not going to lie, but that son of his. Yum. Honestly, even though I’m extremely pregnant and extremely happily married, I don’t know how you keep from constantly melting into a pile of hormones with that slow smile of his.”
Melissa couldn’t tell her friend she did exactly that. “He’s my boss,” she reminded Julia. “I have to keep my hormones—and everything else—to myself where he’s concerned.”
“Good luck with that,” Julia said with a laugh.
Melissa forced a smile. She needed far more than luck where Eli was concerned.
* * *
Eli wasn’t sure what had happened, but somehow over the last few weeks, since the Sunday afternoon when he had gone with her and Skye to fly the girl’s kite, Melissa had withdrawn from him, treating him with a polite reserve that was far different from the friendship that had been growing between them.
She wasn’t rude. In fact, she was respectful and professional, but as distant as if he were just some scrub who had stepped in to help out at his dad’s practice in Wendell’s absence.
He was glad, he told himself. He had crossed too many lines he shouldn’t have with her.
Still, he missed her easy smiles and her funny sense of humor and the warmth that seemed to envelop him around her.
“You all know my dad wants to come in next week,” he said to her, Carmen and Tiffany as the three women prepared to leave for the day on Friday.
“I hope he doesn’t overdo,” Carmen said with her characteristic frown. “My sister had knee replacement surgery and had to have the whole thing done all over again six months later.”
“We’ll all have to make sure he takes it easy. It’s going to have to be a team effort. But the truth is, he’s going crazy at home after three weeks away and thinks his patients need him. He won’t be up for much patient care, but he should be fine handling consultations or refilling prescriptions, if he could do that from his desk. We’ll all have to watch out for him.”
“We can make sure he behaves,” Tiffany said. “I’m glad he’s coming in. I was hoping he’d be back before I leave.”
The CNA had put in her notice the week before and had been talking nonstop about her plans to move to Los Angeles, where they already had a manager and a few gigs lined up.
“It will be good to have him back,” Melissa said. “I’ve missed him.”
“I’ll add a few appointments into his schedule,” Carmen said. “Nothing too drastic. Just consultations, like you said.”
“He wants to jump back into things with both of his artificial knees, but I worry about him overdoing.”
“Sounds good, especially since you’re going to be leaving us soon,” Carmen said.
Against his will, he glanced at Melissa. Had she stiffened at that?
“Yes. I’ll be here until the end of next week, and then I have to report to duty again. I’ve already talked to the medical temp agency in Portland about sending a replacement until my dad is back up to speed.”
“We’ll miss you,” Carmen said gruffly.
“Especially the female patients,” Tiffany said with a teasing grin.
Eli could feel his face flush and he forced himself not to look at Melissa, who hadn’t said a word.
“If that’s everything, can I go?” Tiffany asked. “We’re playing down in Manzanita tonight, at least until the power goes out from the big storm on the way.”
“They’re not canceling your gig?” Melissa finally asked.
Tiffany shook her head. “Not that I’ve heard. The storm’s not supposed to be here until nine or so. We’ll play until we can’t play anymore.”
“That’s the spirit,” Carmen said.
“Could be nobody else will show up, then we can all go home. So can I take off?”
“Yes. That’s all,” Eli said. “I just wanted to talk for a moment about the plan next week for my dad’s return. Good luck with your show.”
She flashed him a grin as she grabbed her backpack and hurried out the door, humming some of the lyrics he recognized from the night he and Melissa had gone to see her.
“I’m off, too,” Carmen said. “I have to head to the grocery store. Every time the wind blows around here, the grocery stores run out of milk.”
She hurried off after Tiffany. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he and Melissa were alone.
She jumped up from her desk and grabbed her sweater and her purse. “I need to go, too,” Melissa said.
No, he wasn’t imagining things. She was doing her utmost to avoid his company. He knew it was for the best so they didn’t cross any more lines, but he missed her with a fierce ache.
“Big weekend plans?”
She made a face. “Cody’s coming to pick Skye up again tonight. He wants to have her the whole weekend until Sunday this time, so I need to help her pack. He wants to get out of town before the storm hits. I tried to convince him it wasn’t a good weekend for his visitation, but he insisted since he’s going to be busy next weekend. Also, his sister is in town and she hasn’t seen Skye in about a year.”
“Go take care of what you need to at home. Don’t worry about things here. I’ll lock up.”
“Thank you.”
She gave him a stiff nod, gathered her purse from under her desk and hurried for the door.
That was the most personal conversation they had shared in days. He felt an ache, missing the warm, funny woman he had come to know since returning to Cannon Beach.
It was better this way, that she had put up these walls between them, but he felt an ache.
How had she reacted when he’d said he would only be there another week? He hadn’t been able to read her. Had she been relieved? Or would she miss him as deeply as he knew he would miss her?
He rubbed at that ache in his chest. Somehow Melissa had worked her way inside his own careful walls. She was there, lodged against his heart, and he didn’t know how he was going to push her out again.