Page 2 of Hometown Girl

“I think it’s sad,” the other nurse said. “If the homecoming king and queen don’t stay together after high school, what chance do the rest of us have?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?”

“You voted them Cutest Couple, didn’t you?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Why are we still talking about high school, Tandy? The rest of us have moved on, including Beth Whitaker.”

“Yeah, she moved straight out of her college dorm and into her parents’ house. Guess the black hole of Willow Grove sucked her back in with the rest of us.”

The nurses laughed. Hometown girls, no doubt—the kind who’d always wanted out of Willow Grove but never left.

Who was she kidding? She’d just described herself. She wasn’t supposed to still be here. That was never the plan.

“Just a temporary gig,” her father had told her when he’d hired her at his company. “You’re different, Beth. You can get out of here and do so much more with your life.”

The job at Whitaker Mowers turned out not to be a temporary gig. And she’d turned out to be a major disappointment. When she thought of how much she had cost him, her stomach tied itself into a thick knot.

“Beth?”

One of the nurses—Jillian, her name tag said—had turned the corner and now stood in front of her, and Beth felt weak and helpless all over again. It was getting old. She wasn’t the kind of person who should feel this way.

“What are you doing out here?”

Beth could tell by the look on her face—the nurse knew she’d heard the conversation. She should tell Jillian and her friend exactly what they could do with their high-and-mighty attitudes. She should—but she wouldn’t. She didn’t have the courage or the energy, so she chose to ignore it. Never mind that its sting had already done its damage.

“Sorry, I was just looking for Dr.Berry.”

“He’s back with your mom.”

Beth straightened. “Thanks.”

“We’re all pulling for her,” Jillian said. “We’re hoping for good results.”

Beth started back down the hall, trying not to think of the day her perfectly planned-out life had taken a turn for the worse. The very worst.

Some days she wished she was still blissfully unaware of the truth about the man she’d devoted so many years to. Her first—and only—love had broken her heart.

She wondered if she’d ever find all of the pieces.

She could practically smell the tulips he’d sent in an effort to win her back. Cards attached to bouquets had gone unread and were thrown away until finally, one day, the flowers stopped coming.

He’d gotten the hint.

And it was on that day Beth realized she’d wasted years of her life building a relationship with a man who could never really love her. The only person Michael really loved was himself.

When she reached the closed door of her mother’s exam room, Beth barged in on Dr.Berry talking in hushed tones the way doctors always seemed to do.

“What’s wrong?” she said as soon as she opened the door.

The doctor turned to her, a puzzled look on his face. “Hi, Beth.” He smiled. He had a fatherly way about him with his gray hair and glasses. He wore a blue dress shirt rolled at the sleeves and a nice gray-and-blue tie. He was handsome with caring eyes, the kind that danced a little.

“Sorry,” Beth said. “I just assumed ...”

“She assumes a lot, Dr.Berry. It’s not her best quality.” Her mom tossed a smile over her shoulder toward Beth—a smile that faded in a reprimand as soon as their eyes met.

Beth sat, shaking off the effects of the conversation she’d overheard in the hallway.

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