The Promise (Thunder Point #5)(75)

“I talk to you at least twice a day, and you never ask me when I’m coming back.”

“I have no backbone,” he said. “I’m afraid of the answer.”

“You have no backbone?” she asked with a laugh. “You, who took two preschoolers on a hunt for a perfect small town in which to be the only doctor? You, who hired a young woman who had just escaped from a cult to manage your office? You, who will go out to a bus accident when they’re not your patients and you’re not on call just to see if you can help?”

“Me, who wants you to be sure this is what you want before you come back,” he said.

“I owe you a month,” she said. “I made a commitment.”

“That’s off the table. I’d rather have you in the best possible place than here for another month out of obligation. It’s so important you have no regrets, Peyton. But I do miss you and want you, enough to crawl through the phone. Seriously, I’d give up my life savings for one hour with you.”

“Oh, Scott, that’s so lovely....”

“My life savings will probably buy you a slice of Stu’s pie. You should stay away from the meat loaf. No one is sure what’s in it.”

She laughed at him. “I miss you so much. And there’s no one I’d rather have a slice of pie with than you. Do you have a lot of patients tomorrow?”

“A few in the morning, then I’m in Bandon in the afternoon, on call tomorrow night. The week looks busy. I’m glad of that—I want the time to pass quickly right now. When are you going to Seattle? To see that clinic?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I will.”

“You shouldn’t wonder if it was the right thing,” he said.

“Right now all I can handle is a sister and newborn. But you’re right—I should make a decision if I’m going to visit, talk to the surgeon there.... You know what, Scott? When I hold the baby, she curves right to me, and I have a hard time thinking about more practical things. I just pick up a book, and I can read for hours with her warm against me, and I don’t give her up until she wants food. I feel so guilty—I shouldn’t leave a spoiled baby when I go. I’ll never hear the end of it if I do. But Mama always said you can’t hold a new baby too much. She used to tie each new baby to her in a sling. So, it’s been hard to think about things like practices in Seattle—that’s so far away.”

“Don’t leave doubts about whether you’ve done the right thing, Peyton. Be sure. Maybe you want to check around San Francisco, close to Adele.”

“Yes, we agreed, didn’t we?” she said somewhat sadly. “My next move should be the right one for both our sakes....”

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be in limbo forever.”

“Of course you don’t. I bet you need to get the kids in bed.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I might just crawl back under the table again.”

“Those are the things they’re going to remember,” she said. “Camping on the beach, sleeping under the table...”

* * *

Gina had an evening completely to herself and decided to drop in on her mother. She laughed to herself as she pulled up to the little house where she’d lived her entire life and saw that Rawley’s cherry-red restored pickup truck was parked in front. And here she’d been so worried that Carrie would be lonely when she’d married and moved out six months ago.

Ordinarily she would have walked right in but no more. It was a surprise enough that Carrie was keeping company with Rawley. Who knew what else might be going on behind closed doors? She knocked.

“Well, Gina,” Carrie said, opening the front door. “You’re knocking?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt anything. I think in the future, I’ll call to make sure you’re receiving.”

“You’re such a goose. But what are you doing here? Alone? You seem to have more and more people trailing you every time I see you!”

“I know. I married a large family. They all went to Eugene to watch the Ducks play, just in case the coach puts Landon in. The van was full, Cooper and Sarah were following, and I’m more than happy to just hear about it later.”

“Tea? Coffee? Glass of wine?”

Rawley was sitting on Carrie’s sofa, apparently watching football, his cup of coffee beside him on the sofa table.

“Hi, Rawley,” Gina said. He lifted a hand in her direction and mumbled something back. “I’d love a beer if you have one. For old time’s sake. Remember all those times Mac used to come over with two beers, one for me and one for him, and we’d sit on the front porch in the dark?”

“I’m afraid it’ll have to be Merlot,” Carrie said. “Have you eaten?”

“I have, thank you. I nuked some leftovers, ate them by myself in an empty house, fed the dogs and took a long, leisurely bath. Then I thought, I hardly ever have an evening to myself, and decided to drop in on my lonely old mother.”

Carrie handed her a glass of wine and said, “I’m certainly not that old,” she said, ignoring the comment about being lonely.

“What are you doing here, Rawley?” Gina asked.

He looked over at her and said, “Helping your mother.”