The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(62)

Sid laughed. She was a physicist. She’d always been on another planet. “I’m like that on the best of days.”

Rob texted Leigh in the morning.

I didn’t want to bother you last night, but I barely slept. Did you sleep?
A little bit. I’ll call the doctor this morning and let you know.
Thanks. If you need me, if there’s anything you want to talk about, call me.
Sure.
So now, he thought, they would gather the facts. Then they’d come up with a plan.

Johnny Holliday drove into Timberlake and looked around. This was not at all what he expected. When his mother told him Leigh was both an emergency room and family practice doctor in Chicago he envisioned something a little more exciting than a little town like this. This was not very upscale.

Oh, well, things were not necessarily permanent.

He parked and walked up one side of the street and down the other side, past the drugstore, the diner, the barbershop, the bar, the grocer. This place made Naperville look like Paris.

He reminded himself that she would not be welcoming at first. She’d need a chance to get it all off her chest. He deserved any anger she would throw at him. After all, he’d done her wrong. If their pattern held true, he would fuck up, she’d get furious, fight with him, then she’d cry and forgive him. After that last fight, right before the wedding, he ran away. And then married twice. He now had three children to support from two marriages. Because he was an idiot. For whatever reason, he’d thought he should experience a few more possibilities before tying himself down to the only girl he’d ever known. If he’d stayed with Leigh, he’d be married to a doctor now.

He went to the pub and ordered a hamburger and a beer. He struck up a conversation with the bartender, an attractive blonde with a beautiful smile. When she asked him if he was passing through, he said he was. He asked her about Timberlake and how long she’d lived there. She described the town as friendly and safe.

“We have a lot of tourists all year ’round, thanks to the beauty of the Rockies,” she said. “Spring for the wildflowers, summer for the vacationers and outdoorsy types like hikers, bikers, fishermen. Fall for the changing of the leaves and winter for the obvious reasons—the whole state skis.”

“You have any big resorts nearby?” he asked.

“Dozens an hour or less away,” she said. “Are you looking for skiing?”

“I might be. Right now I’m just looking around. I’ve never been to Colorado before. I bet there are some big houses around those resorts, huh?”

“Beautiful homes with a view around Telluride, Aspen, Vale, Breckenridge. Excuse me—I’m the only one here right now and I have to take care of the tables. I’ll be back.”

By the time she got back, he’d finished eating. He handed her a credit card while he drank the last of his beer.

“I’m sorry, sir. The card was denied.”

“Why does that happen?” he said, reaching for his wallet. He pulled out another card.

She brought it back, shaking her head. “Maxed out, maybe?” she suggested.

He shrugged. “I think it’s probably a security issue. I’ve been on the move, using it all over the state. I’ll have to call them both, get them up and running again. Pain in the neck, though.” He pulled out a twenty and a ten. “Keep the change,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said. “Have a good day.”

“You, too. That was a great burger.”

“I’ll tell the cook you said that,” she said.

He left the pub and walked down the street to the clinic.

The cards were maxed out, but he thought it would slip by in this little armpit of a town. Times had been hard. He had two bad marriage runs, three kids he rarely saw, sketchy employment and his parents cut him off. They’d been really supportive for a long time. Hell, it’s not as if they were without the means—his dad sold the home-goods store for a lot of money. His parents sold their house and it had been paid off. They bought a nice place in Scottsdale. He stayed there rent free, but then he had no place to bring a woman if he wanted a little privacy. His mom mentioned getting an email from Helen, updating her on where she and Leigh were now living. He threatened to hate his mother forever if she told Helen about his run of bad luck. He didn’t need Leigh finding out he’d lived with his parents the last three years, since his second divorce.

That’s when he got to thinking about Leigh. If he’d played his cards right in the first place he wouldn’t have alimony and child support times two. He’d have plenty of money. And he’d always loved Leigh. He’d had a few distractions here and there when they were together, little flings with girls that Leigh hadn’t known about, but it was just what made life interesting. They hadn’t been serious and hadn’t threatened his relationship with Leigh.

He entered the clinic, saw a few patients waiting and went up to the reception desk. He turned on his most charming expression, confident he had a twinkle in his blue eyes, and said, “Hi. I wanted to see Dr. Culver, if possible.”

“I’m sorry, she’s not here this afternoon. Dr. Dodd is seeing patients today. Would you like to sign in?”

He laughed. “I’m not a patient,” he said. “I’m an old friend. I was in the area and wanted to say hi. Will she be here tomorrow?”