Page 119 of Tumbleweed Temptation
“No.”
“Poor Con.” Con didn’t always get along with his dad, but she knew the fear he had to be feeling.
“They pulled together to help, but it’s...a lot. I’m surprised he asked for help, but he apparently did, if Sofia knows.”
She pulled herself together. “You’ve been taking him to his treatments?”
“Well, I went the first day, just to make sure he didn’t have any issues on the way home, and I’ve just been doing it to kind of give Con and Mrs. McKay a break.”
Her heart softened. She knew how Austin felt about the family, knew the pain they’d caused him. And he set that aside to ease their burden. This was the man she loved, not the one who had shut her out.
The man she loved. Whoa. She hadn’t let herself think that before. The idea knocked her off balance.
“How is he—I mean, how does he act with you?”
He rubbed a hand over his hair, making it stand on end. “It’s been a process. I mean, he knew something was wrong so he came to me and we did some tests, and he resisted the diagnosis, and then he wasn’t going to go to the shoptalk. I don’t know how they made him change his mind. Honestly, I’d understand if he didn’t want to pursue the treatment. It’s going to buy hims some time, but no telling how much, and his quality of life—he’s going to have a rough time.”
“I’m sorry for that, for his sake, and for Con’s.”
“Yeah, Con’s kind of sucking it up now, but I think it’s going to hit him pretty bad. I’m glad he reached out for help. He’s going to need to talk it out.”
“And you? Are you talking it out?”
He lifted a shoulder, not meeting her gaze. “It’s my job.”
He was a new doctor. He’d never had a practice, never had patients of his own. Did he have a mentor, a former teacher he could talk to, get advice from, vent to?
No, she wasn’t in charge of solving his problems. He had to take that step on his own. But not long ago, she’d wanted to be his cushion, and she couldn’t help wanting that now.
“I think it’s good for now,” she said, ready to put distance between them. “I’m going to head over to the diner for a bit and get some work done before I come back over here to get everyone settled in before the competition.” She held up the keys Mr. Delgado had left with her.
“How is it going? Your transition over there?”
He walked out behind her, a little closer than she expected.
She let out a long sigh. She had missed talking to him, but talking about this felt weird. It seemed like weeks had passed since they’d talked about something besides the contests. “It’s harder than I thought it would be. I knew Janine worked hard, but knowing how much food to order, especially for the changes I want to make to the menu, is challenging. I was the English wiz, not the math wiz.”
“Bull. You could do anything better than most of the kids in school.”
“Not you.” She locked the front door with the key and turned toward the diner.
“Not me.” He flashed a cocky grin. “Iwas the math wiz. But you were always right behind me.”
“I’m figuring it out. I’m just rusty.”
“If you need any help, you can always ask me. I’m glad you’re adding new things to the menu. I think that’s a great follow up on these competitions.”
She stopped and turned to him. “Are you trying to be friends now? Because we don’t need to be friends.”
His expression froze. “I thought we were friends.”
She pushed her hair back from her face where the wind whipped it free from its ponytail. “You know, I did, too, but then you kind of disappeared, even though we were working together.”
“I told you why I had to do that.”
She lifted her hands. “You have to know why I’m upset.” She looked around, but no one was on the street. “I don’t—I don’t open myself up like that. And I did, for you, and I was happy and you just—shut down.”
He copied her stance, feet apart, hands stretched in front of him, palms up, and checked their surroundings. “That weekend was—amazing. You were amazing. And what you told me about your parents—I’m humbled and honored that you told me. I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.” He touched his hand to his chest. “I didn’t plan for something like that to happen. This place—I never wanted to be back here. I didn’t want the connections, and this is why. Now I’m connected all over the place.”
