Page 100 of Caught in the Axe
I shifted, nestling myself in closer again.
“Ooh,” I said. “I forgot to mention a cat. I really want a cat. I’m getting one as soon as I’ve got a home and a job. Maybe two cats. We’ll see.”
He was silent, like I’d stunned him speechless, so I gave him a shove.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I just didn’t figure you for a cat lady.”
I elbowed him. “Big time cat lady. When I die, I’m going to leave them everything. I’ll make sure they have a butler to wait on them and everything when I’m gone.”
We were both laughing now, but the air had grown heavy, and a weight had dropped into my stomach.
Likely sensing it too, he pulled his phone from his pocket, pressed a few buttons, and pulled me close.
I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a mental snapshot of this perfect night. Something I could look back on to give me hope when things were difficult. To remind myself of how two struggling people came together and built one another up while having a lot of fun in the process.
“You’ve set me up with high expectations. I hope this ’80s teen rom-com can deliver.”
“Oh, it can and it will. Just shut up and enjoy your vintage Cusack.”
“You know, he’s old enough to be your dad.”
“How dare you? His charm is timeless. Pay attention, Hebert. You could learn a thing or two from Lloyd Dobler.”
Chapter 34
Lila
Iwas bone tired. Working multiple jobs, sneaking around with Owen, and filling out financial aid forms had me running myself ragged these days. But Magnolia had flown in to check on Willa, so I had to rally for girls’ night.
Poor Willa had been in Portland with her parents for the last few days, making arrangements and talking to doctors. Her father would return home after he completed a stint in a rehab hospital down south, and she was taking it all so hard.
Willa was short and curvy, with honey-blond hair and dark brown eyes. She was one of the most motivated people I’d ever met. Since we were little kids, she’d worked harder and longer than everyone, always striving to be the best, but she’d done it all with a smile on her face.
Seeing her so pale, with shadows under her eyes, was killing me.
I put my arm around her and pulled her close. Magnolia had arrived early and convinced Jim to give us the hugebooth in the back so we could have a little privacy, away from the prying eyes and listening ears of Lovewell.
As much as I’d love to be at home curled up in my sweats with a Hallmark movie, Willa needed us.
Magnolia raised her wineglass. “First order of business. A congratulatory toast to our girl Lila. Accepted to every grad school she applied to.”
Warmth spread through me as I clinked my glass with theirs. It had been unexpected, to say the least. But the notifications had kept coming in. Five acceptances. I was still waiting on financial aid decisions, but there wasn’t much that could keep me from New York and our plan.
Willa teared up. “I’m so happy for you.” Sniffling, she accepted the cocktail napkin I held out to her. “You’ll have to have fun in New York without me.”
“Don’t say that,” Mags said, pulling her shoulders back resolutely. “We’re not doing this without you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I have to take over the clinic here while Dad recovers. This county desperately needs doctors, and I’m board certified now.”
“You don’t know what the future holds.” I set my drink down and clutched her hand. “You could be in New York doing your fellowship in six months.”
“Doubtful.” Her shoulders slumped. “Dad is looking at probably a year of concentrated rehab to get his quality of life back, and even then, he may never be able to practice medicine again.” She swallowed thickly, then gave us a sad smile. “This is where I belong. It’s the family legacy. The Gagnons and the Heberts have their timber, and the Savards take care of people.”
She had always been so proud of this history, but thatdidn’t mean she wasn’t struggling with the responsibility. Willa was a great doctor. She could do this, but my heart broke for her. Like me, she’d been dreaming about the freedom and excitement of New York for so long.
Her great-grandmother had been a midwife, and she’d delivered every baby in this town for more than thirty years. Her grandfather and her father had served our community as doctors. Her mother was a psychologist who operated a sliding-scale practice to support mental health access for low-income families.
