Evening Stars (13 page)

“Lucky us,” Nina murmured.

There was a muffled noise, then Bertie was on the phone again. “We should be there in less than a week, my loves. Be good until we get there. Oh, Nina. How’s the new girl working out at the store?”

“Cindy’s great,” Averil said. “I met her. I really like her. Don’t believe anything Nina says about her.”

Bertie sighed. “I wish you girls wouldn’t fight. Family matters.”

Nina glared at Averil and mouthed the words, “Stop it.” Averil glared right back.

“We’re not fighting,” Nina assured her. “Drive safely. We’ll see you Saturday or Sunday.”

“Yes, you will. Night all.”

There was a click and the call disconnected.

Nina replaced the receiver. “Seriously? You have to act like that? What are you, twelve?”

She half expected Averil to flounce out of the room. Instead her sister leaned back in her chair and nodded slowly.

“You’re right. Sorry. It’s really easy to fall back into bickering when I’m here.”

Nina studied her sister, taking in the long blond curls and big eyes. “Okay,” she said slowly, not sure she could believe her sister to be that rational. “Maybe I jumped to conclusions about Penny. I should have asked what your plans were for her.”

Averil cleared her throat. “Me sleeping for three days made it hard to talk.”

This was good, Nina thought cautiously. “So, why are you here?”

Averil stared at her. “So, the thirty seconds of détente was too much for you?”

“I just asked a question. You showed up with no warning. It’s a little strange. I’m concerned. Is everything okay back home?”

Averil pushed her broccoli around on her plate. “I needed to get away. I have to think.”

“About Kevin? Is everything okay with him? He’s such a great guy.”

Averil shook her head. “Right. It has to be my fault. He can’t have done anything wrong. Poor, perfect Kevin, stuck with a wife like me.”

Nina felt the beginnings of a headache. It was always like this with her sister. No matter how she tried, Averil misread everything she said. Averil had no idea how lucky she was. She kept risking everything she had, and for what?

She forced herself to take a breath and speak in a slow, nonthreatening voice. “I’m sorry you felt things were so difficult that you had to leave home to work through the issues. Want to tell me what’s going on with you and Kevin?”

Averil studied her, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe the conciliatory tone. “He wants to start a family,” she admitted.

Nina found herself pressing her hand to her belly. A baby, she thought longingly. She’d always wanted a family. A couple of kids. Maybe three. A rambling house, a few pets. Nothing crazy. It wasn’t as if she aspired to be on the cover of the
Sports Illustrated
swimsuit edition. She’d always assumed her dreams were achievable. But she’d taken the more affordable path of being a nurse rather than trying to get into medical school. She’d never fallen in love after she broke up with Dylan. Here she was, thirty, living at home with, as Elizabeth Bennett would say, no prospects.

Except for Kyle, she thought wistfully. Although he wasn’t looking for anything permanent.

She was supposed to have left the island. Every now and then she thought about starting over. Sometimes she even made progress. Like taking her MCATs a couple of years ago. But, so what? She’d done great on the medical school entrance exams. It wasn’t as if she was really going to start medical school now. She was settled. Or maybe the correct phrasing was she
had
settled.

“What do you want?” she asked her sister.

“I don’t know.” Averil shook her head. “I want kids. I really do. Just not right now. I’m lost. I know he’s upset because I’m still not sure. We’ve been married nearly five years. He doesn’t know what I’m waiting for.”

Nina was pretty sure that Averil wasn’t ready to have someone else be the center of attention. Her little sister was good at getting people to take care of her. A baby would make that whole dynamic shift. But she also knew better than to mention that.

“Do you know what’s wrong?” she asked instead.

“No. That’s why I’m here. I want to figure it out. I like my job, but I don’t love it. I love Kevin, but there’s something missing in our marriage. I feel like I’m always waiting for something to happen. I just don’t know what it is.”

Nina tried to be sympathetic, but all she could think about was how much she’d sacrificed so Averil could follow her dreams. And here she was, saying she’d picked the wrong dreams.

“Are you sure you still love Kevin?”

Averil grimaced. “Yes. He’s wonderful and adores me. I don’t want to be with someone else. I just want to feel...” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I’m not leaving Kevin.”

“You kind of already have,” Nina pointed out.

Averil jumped to her feet. Penny jumped up as well, obviously startled. She looked between the two women.

“Why do you have to do that?” Averil demanded. “Why do you have to turn everything into the worst possible scenario?”

She stalked off toward her room. Penny trailed after her.

Nina stood and began to clear the table. She remembered when she and Averil had been more like real sisters. Back when it had been the two of them against the world. But since college, everything was different. Averil was always coming to Nina for advice and direction, but then got mad at her when she gave it. Nina wasn’t sure who was at fault, nor did she think it mattered. The bigger problem was they were caught in a cycle of blame and misunderstanding and she didn’t know how to change that.

She knew she loved her sister, but sometimes loving someone wasn’t fun.

* * *

“Hi,” Dylan said with a smile.

Nina smiled back, wondering why she’d agreed to a date she didn’t actually want. She’d spent most of the day dreading her evening plans and had nearly called him a couple of times to cancel. But she figured she was just putting off the inevitable. She would go out with Dylan, they would talk about the past, come to terms with the fact that they were both living on a very small island and then be done with it.

If only he were Kyle.

He looked good, she admitted grudgingly. Tall, with dark hair and deep green eyes. He wore jeans and a button-down shirt, and his clothes emphasized the strength in his body. He was older than Kyle and looked more mature. Solid, she thought. Kyle was a low-slung convertible. Dylan was more like all-wheel drive. Not sexy, but reliable in bad weather.

“My sister’s back in town,” she said to fill the silence. “She’s out walking her dog, but she said to say hi.”

“How is Averil?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. She showed up with her dog and hasn’t said much about what’s going on with her. I hope she’s not going to do something foolish and leave her husband. Kevin is a good guy.” She winced. “Wow, that was an emotional dump you didn’t need.”

“I can handle it.” He motioned to his car. “Shall we?”

They walked toward his BMW. Dressing for this date had been a lot simpler than her dinner with Kyle, she thought. She, too, wore jeans, with a silky blouse. She’d put on a little makeup and earrings.

She slipped into the passenger seat, remembering the last time she’d been in his car.

“Any permanent damage to the leather?” she asked when he settled next to her.

“None at all.”

“Good. So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“A good surprise or a bad surprise?”

He grinned. “A good one, I hope.”

“Now I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be.” He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

Because he would take care of her, she thought. That was Dylan’s style. Comfortable and dependable. When they’d first started dating, she’d been mature enough to appreciate those qualities. While other girls had craved the bad boys, she’d wanted to feel safe.

She remembered the first time he’d taken her sailing. The ocean had been so big, the swells had made her uncomfortable. But he’d been careful and had obviously known what he was doing.

He’d never driven drunk or partied too hard. He’d gotten her home on time, he called when he said he was going to. With Dylan, she’d been able to relax, to be a teenager. That had been nice, she thought wistfully.

And then he’d left her.

Best not to go there, she told herself, returning her attention to the road. She watched as he drove through town, then started to laugh when he pulled into a small, gravel parking lot. “No way.”

“We’re not eating here, if that’s what you’re asking. I know a great place with a view. But I thought we’d pick up sandwiches, first.”

They were at Arnie’s—a low-rent kind of food place with the best pulled-pork sandwiches in three counties. People drove all the way from Seattle to eat here. The food was messy and delicious.

They walked up and placed their orders. When everything had been packed into paper bags, they returned to the car. Dylan headed for the marina.

For a minute she thought they were going to go out on a boat. Maybe his dad’s. But instead, he headed for the new luxury condos and pulled into the underground parking structure.

“Your place,” she said.

“I figured we could watch the sunset and talk without being interrupted. I do have to warn you I don’t have much in the way of furniture right now. But I did dig up a blanket to put on the floor.”

“You know how to show a girl a good time.”

As they walked to the elevator, she wondered if he had anything else in mind. But as the thought formed, she dismissed it. This was Dylan. He would never presume that sex was on the table. Besides, they hadn’t seen each other in years and years. They were barely friends. They’d been in love once, but that had been so long ago.

For a second she allowed herself to wonder what it would have been like if things had been different. If they’d stayed together. They would now be Dr. and Dr. Harrington. Maybe with a couple of kids. The concept was so at odds with her life, it was like envisioning living on Mars.

They walked out of the elevator and toward a large wooden door. Dylan opened it, then motioned for her to go first.

A short hallway forced a left turn, then she stepped out into an open-concept condo with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

In the early evening, there were just enough clouds to block the sun. Patches of blue sky showed through. She could see the peninsula and boats. The water was smooth, reflecting light that seemed to shimmer.

“Amazing,” she murmured. “That doctor thing is working out for you.”

He chuckled. “It has its advantages.”

He set their dinner on the granite countertop, then collected a comforter from the corner. As he’d warned, there wasn’t much in the way of furniture. There were a couple of folding chairs, a coffee table and a massive TV mounted above the fireplace.

“You made sure you have a TV but you don’t have a sofa?” she asked as she helped him smooth out the blanket.

“I have priorities. Actually the TV came with the unit. I’ve ordered furniture. It’s supposed to be here in the next few days.”

He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of beers. She took the food to the comforter and sat down. Her second picnic meal in a week, she thought, knowing that it wouldn’t be polite to compare the two men or dates.

“How are you adjusting to being back?” she asked as she passed out food.

He opened the beers and joined her. “It’s going to take a while. The practice is pretty typical for the suburbs. Any trauma cases go to the hospital on the mainland.”

Dylan had graduated from medical school several years ago and done the usual residency, but then he’d taken a fellowship. Two years working with poor families in Appalachia.

“Not used to having a hospital to fall back on?” she asked.

“For a while, I was all there was.” He unwrapped his sandwich. “Poverty makes it difficult to stay healthy. A lot of homes lacked the basics, like clean running water and sanitation. Not like here.”

“Are you questioning your decision to come back?”

“It’s done now,” he said, picking up his beer. “I told my dad I’d return, so I did.”

“But if you hadn’t?”

He gave her a wry smile. “I wouldn’t mind trying something different. Maybe becoming a trauma specialist.”

“You’re right, that’s different.”

“What about you? Happy with your work?”

“Most days. It’s satisfying. I like working with kids. Andi’s great. You met her, right?”

He nodded. “My parents had her and her husband Wade over for dinner. I remember Wade and his brother. Zeke was a senior when I was a freshman. He was a football god.”

She laughed. “That made an impression on you?”

“Sure. I was scrawny and picked-on. I wanted to be a football god.”

“Your parents would never have allowed it. What if your precious brain had been damaged?” She smiled. “My son, the doctor. They’re your dad’s favorite words.”

Dylan’s green gaze settled on her face. “I hope he didn’t talk about me too much.”

“It was fine. By the time I went to work for him, I was long over you.” She picked up her sandwich. “You weren’t all that.”

Actually he had been, and he’d broken her heart, but why go there?

“I handled our breakup badly,” he admitted. “I’m sorry about that.”

She was saved from answering by having to chew. When she swallowed, she said, “It was years ago, Dylan. Don’t sweat it.”

“I want to apologize. We’d been together a long time. We’d talked about getting married, and then it was over.”

All true, she thought, preparing to be magnanimous about the whole thing when he added, “Just because you changed the rules doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have behaved better.”

She put down her sandwich. “Excuse me? How did I change the rules?”

He frowned. “We were going to be together, Nina. You said you’d come to Seattle for college.”

“I couldn’t. Not for four years. There wasn’t enough money.” Not to mention the responsibilities she had at home. “We don’t all have rich parents able to foot the bills.”

“It was more than that. We had plans, and then you changed your mind.”