The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(74)

“Really? What brought that on? I thought you were a business kind of guy.”

“I just wanted to make a lot of money and I thought that was the fastest way. But when you had surgery... I was watching all those doctors—those surgeons and ER doctors—and I’m sorry, but they’re such studs. Even Maggie is a stud.”

Maia laughed at him. “Finn, she’s the biggest stud. She has her hands in brains for a living. And she’s so cool about it like she might as well be pulling out a splinter.”

“I know,” he said. “Don’t get excited, I’m sure I’m too stupid to be a doctor...”

“No, you’re not. It’s way better to try it than to avoid it because it looks hard. You don’t want to be forty and ask yourself for the rest of your life if you could’ve done it if only you’d tried.”

“That’s what I think,” he said. “My dad is going to shit a brick. Like he doesn’t have enough to think about without hearing that I’d like to be in college for about sixteen years... Especially when he’s got that baby.”

“Baby?” she said.

“Didn’t I tell you that I’m going to be a big brother again?”

“What?” she choked. “But your dad isn’t married!”

“That’s right,” he said. “My dad, the moral pillar of the community, knocked up the town doctor!”

“No way!” she screamed. She socked him in the arm. “You’re lying!”

“I am not. He’s trying to get her to marry him or at least live with us. College looks better every day. I mean, I like Dr. Culver—she’s cool. But babies are loud. And they puke like mad.”

Maia groaned and slumped down on her lounge. “Oh God. What if that was us?”

“I can’t even think about that. If I think about it, I might never have sex again.”







Whoever lives true life, will love true love.

—Elizabeth Barrett Browning



15


MAGGIE WAS IN the garden behind Sully’s house, filling a basket with lettuce, tomatoes, scallions and zucchini. While she was in there, she pulled a few weeds here and there. Her dad wandered over as he was prone to do. He leaned on the fence.

“We had a good year,” he said. “Good crop.”

“Yes, you did,” she said.

“Elizabeth napping?”

“She gave up morning naps, doggone it. She’s at home playing with Sam. Connie and Cal are in charge of this playdate. I go to Denver Wednesday very early, but I’m home Friday night.”

“You work hard,” Sully said.

“I work part-time,” she answered with a laugh. “But there are cases I get that take some serious commitment, with surgeries that can last for hours.”

“I know,” he said. “You amaze me and everyone around me.”

“Thank you, Dad,” she said. “Helen coming out today?”

“She comes almost every day. Sometimes she has what she calls phone business. She usually stays in town for that—working with her editor or agent or publicist. Or accountant,” he added with a laugh. “I think our Helen is pretty well fixed. She says she had to scrape by while she was teaching and raising Leigh and it turned her into a tightwad.”

“Good for her,” Maggie said. “Maybe she can relax and enjoy her senior years.”

“I doubt much will change for her as she gets older. She says campground owners and writers just keep going till they drop.”

“Do you ever think about retirement?”

“Nah. I pretty much only work about half the year, anyway.”

“How are your new hours working out?” Maggie asked, sitting back on her heels in the garden.

“I should’a done that years ago. When Helen cooks or helps me cook, she sets the table. For thirty-five years I been getting by with a plate and eating on the counter in the store. Helen puts a candle or two on the table, even if the sun’s still up. She bought some placemats and cloth napkins. I never bothered with that stuff. It’s like going to the restaurant.”

“You and Helen are getting pretty close,” she said.

“Pretty close. I wanted to talk to you about something. I haven’t said anything to anyone so don’t you. I asked Helen if she wanted to get married.”

“Dad! That’s wonderful!”

“She said no, of course,” he said. “Well, what she said was why bother to get married? Makes no difference to me. I just like it when she’s around. I like the idea of her living here. I told her if that old house isn’t in good enough shape, she could have it fixed up any way she likes. It prolly needs it by now.”

“It needs a lot, Dad,” Maggie said. “I think that’s a very good idea.”

“I have one worry I want to talk about. I’m getting kind of old. Helen is ten years younger.”

“You’re in very good health,” Maggie said.

“That’s another thing about Helen. She makes me want to be in decent health.”

“God bless her,” Maggie said, standing and picking up her basket. “Since you never seemed to give a rat’s ass before.”