Page 26 of Paging Dr. Breakup
“I can imagine.”
A bitter taste coated her tongue. Calvin hadn’t been around from the time he left for college until now. Except for a few quick visits with his parents and the time when he visited Elijah in hospice, which she figured had been an obligation. He certainly hadn’t reached out to her over the years. But she wouldn’t judge. People had their own lives and their own way of dealing with grief.
“He was a great guy.” Calvin’s gaze slid off toward the window. “You two were the perfect couple.”
An invisible knife twisted in her chest. “The three of us were such good friends, back in the day.”
“I miss those times.”
“Me too.”
She swallowed a hard lump, needing to redirect the conversation before a wave of grief embarrassed her. “Hey, my brother might be a stinker at times, but Mav’s been helpful over the years.”
A gentle smile crinkled lines around his thoughtful gray eyes. “Maverick’s good people. Most folks around here are.” His gaze turned serious as he leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Listen, I wanted to let you know that I’m sorry. I should have been here more. During Elijah’s illness and afterward. It was… time and work and all.”
“You don’t have to explain your obligations to me, Calvin.”
“I don’t have to explain avoidance to you, either.”
“Ouch.”
A wry twist lifted one side of his mouth. “Hey, I was talking about me.” He spread his hands and arms wide. “Exhibit A. This dinner. A monument to Avoidance101. Hey, cheers to our teamwork.” He lifted the amber beer, and she clinked her water glass against his.
“That’s funny.” She took a sip. It would have been wonderful to have an IPA, but she wanted to be totally clearheaded this evening. “Have you thought about for-real seeing anyone?” She paused. “Oh, that’s presumptuous of me. You might already be doing that in Seattle.”
“First of all, I wouldn’t have agreed to our deal if I was in a current relationship.” He lifted one finger then two. “Second of all, I could ask you the same question. Why aren’t you dating? It’s been five years since Elijah passed.”
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. “It’s a small town. Work and the lodge keep me busy.”
“That’s not an answer.” He rested his fingertips on the back of her hand.
The truth was too close to speak the words. “It’s the answer I am able to give.” She rotated her hand, so his fingers nestled in her palm. Tingles coursed up her arm. She swallowed and slid her hand away and into her lap.
He studied her for several long seconds—enough to make her heart flop beneath her ribs. “I noticed you changed your last name back.”
A nod. “Last year. Finally. Felt like I was ready for that step.”
“Good for you.”
Time to bail out of this topic and fast. She dropped her voice, ensuring no one could overhear. “Hey, great job with Tuli yesterday. That was some neat work you did.”
He paused. “Hmmph.Good conversation dodge. Fine, I’ll play along.” Drawing a hand over his face, he shook his head. “That was hairier than I had wanted to manage. Glad he’s doing better today. I don’t think I mentioned it, but Fairbanks was running a CT angiogram as well this evening.”
“At least they know what to watch for and can fix any issues right away.”
He nodded. “The part Tuli won’t like will be the light duty for at least eight weeks. No lifting or exertion.” He paused, brows drawn together. “If he has lingering issues related to the femoral nerve damage as well? His job may need to change.”
“That’s going to be a tough road, what with his work as a firefighter.”
“Knowing Tuli, he’s the Fire Chief. He can easily shift into a fully admin role where he gets to show up and direct everyone around him.”
Deirdre laughed. “Organizing and assigning tasks? That’s on brand.”
“He’s still making eyes at Louise?”
“See, now there’s a worthy matchmaking project the town and the hospital staff should get behind.”
“It’s an obvious pair. Not sure why they haven’t gotten together yet.” He shrugged. “At the end of the day, it’s not my business. I know what it’s like to be under the social microscope. Those two have to figure things out for themselves.” He glanced up as an older couple got up to leave, and he nodded at them. “I do vaguely remember Tuli and Louise being friends in school. He always looked out for her.”
