Farewell to Cedar Key (5 page)

8

I
wasn't due into the yarn shop until noon, so I had called Mallory at seven in the morning and asked if she could join me for breakfast downtown at Ken's Diner in an hour.

When I walked upstairs, she was already seated at a booth near the window.

“Hey,” I said, sliding in across from her. I waved my hand in the air at the waitress passing with the coffeepot. “Thanks,” I told her as she filled my mug. We gave our order and then I launched into an account of Ben's call the night before.

Mallory rested her elbows on the table and leaned toward me. “What. A. Shit. I can hardly believe this! So he goes back to New York, meets this woman, gets her pregnant . . . and all without formally telling you whatever you had together is finished?”

I nodded. “Yup, that pretty much covers it.”

“Thank God you never slept with him,” Mallory said, and when I remained silent, she asked, “You didn't,
did
you?”

I shook my head. “No, I did not. There was just never that attraction there for me. Not to mention the difficulties of maintaining a long-distance relationship.”

“You seem a little down though. Are you sad it's officially ended?”

“No. Not really. But it does sting a little to be rejected.”

Mallory let out a snort, causing me to smile. “Rejected? In my opinion, he did you a favor.” She took a sip of coffee. “Will you still go to Mr. Al's memorial with him there?”

“Of course I will. I'm sure as hell not going for Ben. I'll be going for Mr. Al.”

She reached across the table and patted my hand. “Good girl.”

“You're right,” I said. “He is a shit. Didn't even have the nerve to tell me in person. Which is actually probably for the better. I have to admit, though, I sure didn't see that coming. I guess I thought . . . oh, hell, I have no idea what I thought. Maybe you're right. We were definitely going nowhere. I'd rather be alone than hooked up in such an iffy relationship.”

“Exactly, and from what I hear, you just might be working for a mighty good-looking doctor.”

My head snapped up to stare at her. “What do you mean? How do you even know what he looks like?”

“Well,” she said, dragging out the word and waiting till the waitress put our breakfast plates in front of us. “Seems that Marin saw him yesterday afternoon sitting on the steps of the building that's being remodeled. She had just come out of the chocolate shop, so she went over and introduced herself. She said he was very nice and
very
good-looking.”

I shook my head and let out a chuckle. “And as we know, Marin has very good taste in men.”

Mallory laughed. “Right. She said that Worth is a keeper but that a lot of the younger women in town will enjoy the eye candy with the new doc.” She paused for a moment. “Just sayin'.”

I saw the grin on her face and took a bite of my eggs before saying, “Yeah, well, I don't think I'm in the market for a new relationship right about now.”

 

I walked into the yarn shop at noon and heard baby sounds coming from the needlepoint shop. After putting down my handbag, I went through the archway and found Marin sitting beside the portacrib working on a piece of canvas that was coming alive with various colored threads to form a teddy bear.

Peeking into the crib, I smiled at Marin's granddaughter, Andrea. “I swear she gets bigger every time I see her. Hi there, sweetie,” I said, reaching out my hand to touch her foot and receiving a beautiful smile.

“I know. Hard to believe she turns five months old in a couple weeks. I love having her here with me at the shop on Thursdays. Gives us more time to bond, and she's such a good baby.”

“She's certainly beautiful, and it's obvious she loves her Nana. How's the day care going on the other days?”

“Wonderful. Leigh is just great with all the kids there, but it's nice to have Andrea to myself one day a week.”

I nodded. “And Fiona's classes? Everything going okay?”

“Great. She loves the university, and she's anxious to graduate as a registered nurse in three more years.”

During the past year Marin had experienced a life-changing event. After her husband passed away, she'd discovered that he had a grown daughter in the Boston area whom she knew nothing about. It had been a devastating ordeal for Marin to go through, but one that had changed her life in ways she'd never thought possible. After much soul searching, she met Fiona, her husband's pregnant, nineteen-year-old daughter, introduced her sons to their half sister, and discovered that not only did her two boys accept Fiona but that she had also developed a connection with her. Marin had encouraged Fiona to contact Greg, the father of the child. It was easy to see the love that the couple shared, both for each other and their newborn daughter.

“Oh,” Marin said, getting up to put the needlepoint on the counter. “Fiona is so excited. It seems that Greg got the word yesterday that a position is being offered to him at the university in January.”

“That's wonderful news! I can only imagine how happy they both are.”

The couple had decided that Fiona would finish her nursing education in Gainesville while she continued to live with the baby at Marin's house. Greg would continue to teach in the Boston area while they both hoped that his connections in Gainesville would pay off, enabling him to relocate.

“Does that mean that Fiona will be moving?” I asked, knowing how attached Marin had become to both her stepdaughter and her new granddaughter.

She nodded and looked down at Andrea, happily kicking her legs while watching the mobile that turned above her head. “Yeah, I think it will. But . . . I'm okay with it. They're going to wait until Fiona graduates to get married, but they should be together—raising their daughter as a couple. I knew that day would eventually come, and it's fine. Besides, Fiona has already said not too much will change. It's only a one-hour drive to Gainesville, and she said that I can keep Andrea every Wednesday evening overnight, so I'll still have the baby one day a week.”

“Oh, that
is
good news. I'm very happy for you, Marin, and I'm sure it'll be nice to have more private time with Worth. Gosh, Fiona and the baby have been with you ever since Worth moved in.”

“I know, and you're right. We're both thrilled to have them with us, but . . . yes, it's time for us to be alone. Oh, hey, I met the new doctor who's coming to town. He is very nice, not to mention quite good-looking. Is your interview tomorrow?”

“Yeah, it is. Fingers crossed that it goes well. I really need this job. As much as I love working in the yarn shop, it would be nice to get back to nursing.” I heard the chimes on the yarn shop door and turned to leave.

“Well, good luck tomorrow. See you at the knitting group this evening.”

 

I had closed the shop at five, raced home to have dinner with Orli, and was back just before seven. Dora had already arrived and was preparing the coffeemaker.

“How'd it go today? Were you very busy?”

“Yeah, it was a good afternoon, and oh, Doyle Summers stopped by to sign up for the knitting class. So that's three confirmed.”

“Wonderful. I'm sure it'll be a fun class for the men.”

We both turned toward the door as knitters began arriving, and I was quite surprised to see Mallory's mom walk in with my mother.

“Jane,” I said, going to give her a hug. “I didn't know you were coming to the island.”

“Yeah, your mom invited me for a few days and I had some vacation time, so I thought I'd come for a long weekend.”

I couldn't help but wonder if part of the reason was to calm my mother down about CC.

“Well, that's great,” I said, giving my mother a hug. “Glad you could join us tonight. Is Mallory coming?”

“Just spoke to her on the phone, and yes, she's on her way.”

Within a half hour, the aroma of coffee filled the air while ten of us sat around gabbing with needles clicking.

“Oh, meant to tell you, Josie,” Berkley said. “Saxton is going to stop by to sign up for your knitting class.”

“That's great. Then we'll have four.”

I looked up from the vest that I was working on for Orli as I heard Raylene sniff. “Something wrong?” I asked.

“I just can't get over men wanting to learn to knit. Silliest thing I've ever heard of. You'd never see my Carl getting into knitting.”

“It's not silly at all,” Dora said. “Chloe was telling us about this British fellow who was quite prominent in the area of knitting. He had a strong influence on knitting after the war as a teacher and designer. So I don't think it's as uncommon as you might think.”

“Well . . . I just hope they don't decide to join our knitting group,” Raylene said.

“I'm sorry you feel that way.” I heard the edge in Dora's tone. “But this group is open to anybody who would like to join us.”

So there,
I thought, and bent my head to continue knitting so Raylene wouldn't see the smile on my face.

“Speaking of silly things,” my mother said. I knew where she was headed, and my smile vanished. “You know my friend, CC? You've all met her when she's visited here. Well . . . it seems she's taken up with a fellow young enough to be her son.”

“No,” I heard Raylene say, clearly relishing the fodder this provided for gossip. “You can't be serious. Why on earth would she do such a thing?”

My mother shrugged. “I have no idea. I think she's going through a postmenopause or something. She's planning a trip to Tuscany with him . . . and . . . she's footing the bill.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Raylene leaned forward, caught up in the drama. “That sounds like he could be one of those . . . what are they called? Jigglers?”

This did bring forth a round of laughter, but I'd heard enough.

“I think you mean
gigolo,
Raylene. And Mom, give CC a break. You should be glad that she's happy.”

“Well, I just don't understand how she could be happy being taken advantage of.”

“Bottom line, it's not up to
you
to decide.”

“Josie's right,” Jane said. “We need to let go of it. CC's a big girl and she's not stupid. She's always been very responsible. The person she chooses to travel with is her choice.”

“Well, she'd better be careful,” Raylene said. “Or she'll get herself labeled as one of those panthers.”

Flora choked on her coffee and shook her head while trying to control her laughter. “Good Lord, Raylene. I think you mean a
cougar.
”

“Right. Whatever.”

I looked over at Mallory and was certain the grin on her face matched mine.

9

I
glanced over at my bed and realized that it looked the way it had when I was dating in high school. Slacks, dresses, and blouses were flung every which way across the bedspread. Shoes were scattered over the floor. I let out a deep sigh.

“Cripe, get a grip, Josie,” I said to myself in the full-length mirror. “It's an interview, not a
date.
”

I decided the white cropped pants, aqua hand-knit cotton sweater, and gold sandals would have to do. Casual, dressy, and appropriate.

I glanced at the bedside clock and saw that it was 11:45. Time to head downtown and meet Dr. Simon Mancini.

 

When I arrived on the outside deck of the Pickled Pelican, I saw a man who appeared to be in his early to midforties sitting alone at a table in the back. That had to be him. I let out a deep breath, hoping to control my nerves.
Geez,
I thought,
Chloe was right
.
He does look like Dr. McDreamy.

I let out a sigh and walked toward his table. “Dr. . . .” I had to catch myself from saying
McDreamy.
“Mancini? I'm Josie Sullivan.”

“Josie,” he said, a huge smile covering his face as he stood and extended his hand. “Yes, but please, call me Simon. Have a seat. It's very nice to meet you.”

It only took a nanosecond to take in his height, which was a good five inches above my five seven; his dark hair, which was on the longish side, shot through with flecks of gray; and his incredible good looks. Oh, yes, this doc was going to create quite a stir on the island.

“Thanks,” I said, sitting opposite him.

“I feel fortunate that Jonathan contacted me about you. It's not always easy finding competent RNs, especially in such a small town.”

“And I feel fortunate to be considered. I loved working with Dr. Clark in the clinic and hated losing my position there.”

“Hey, Josie, you guys ready to order?”

I looked up to see our waitress. “Hey, Brandy. Yes, I'll have a burger, fries, and sweet tea, please,” I said, realizing it probably wasn't the healthiest meal to have with a doctor.

But I smiled when I heard Simon say, “Sounds great. I'll have the same.”

Shifting his focus back to me, he said, “Well, I'm sorry about the loss of your job, but hopefully Jonathan's loss will be my gain. So let's discuss hours and salary.”

By the time our food arrived, I knew the pay was more than generous and the schedule of eight till five, with an hour for lunch, was fair. I prayed that I'd get the position.

“Now, there is one other thing,” he said. “I plan to be open every other Saturday morning, to accommodate patients who work during the week. However, on the Saturday that I'll need you to work, you can have the previous Wednesday off. Would that work for you?”

“Oh, definitely. That would be great.”

He nodded and took a sip of his tea. “Good. Now on to when I would need you to begin work. I hope that won't be a problem.”

He took a bite of his burger, chewed, swallowed, and wiped his mouth with a napkin. I suppressed a smile as I realized that despite being a doctor, he had a healthy appetite for burgers.

“As you might know, I'm having the entire building restored. I bought the house over on D Street.”

I nodded and continued to eat.

“I plan to live upstairs and my office will be downstairs, so it'll be ideal. I have contractors working in there now, but they tell me it will be early to mid-January before it's entirely finished.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Would that be a problem for you? It's only mid-September. Would you be able to wait until January to begin work?”

“Gosh, that would be perfect for me. At the moment, I'm working at the yarn shop in town. Helping out Miss Dora, because Chloe fell and broke her arm. She won't be able to return to work till December, and I'd like to be able to stay and help them out until that happens.”

“Wonderful.”

“Plus . . . my daughter's father lives in the Boston area. Orli is turning sixteen a few days after Christmas, so he's invited us up there to spend the holidays and celebrate her special birthday. I've kind of put that on hold waiting to see about this job.”

He nodded his head slowly, as if thinking. “I see,” he said, after a few moments. “So if I had asked you to begin work before the holidays, then you wouldn't have gone on the trip?”

I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to say. “Well, no. Orli knows that as a single mom, my work is important. She would have been disappointed and so would I, but . . . I've always worked to support us.”

“Well, then, Josie Sullivan . . . if you would like this position, I'd be very happy to hire you as my RN.”

I felt a giggle escape me and blurted, “Just like that? Don't you want to interview anybody else?”

He threw his head back, laughing. “Yup. Just like that. Jonathan gave you an excellent recommendation as a nurse, but I can see for myself that you're also a conscientious and motivated employee. So, yes, if you would like it, the position is yours.”

“Oh, gosh. Yes. Definitely. Yes, I'd love the position, and thank you. Thank you so much.” I knew I was babbling, but I couldn't help it.

He laughed again and reached his hand across the table to shake mine. “Well, welcome aboard, Josie. I think I'm going to enjoy working with you.”

Brandy cleared away our lunch plates and asked if there would be anything else.

“Coffee?” Simon asked.

“Sure,” I said, not knowing his schedule. “Sounds great.”

“So,” he said. “Tell me about yourself. You're originally from Cedar Key? Do you have siblings? Do they live here too?”

I nodded. “Yes, I'm originally from here. I'm an only child, but my parents live on the island. My mom's an author, and they live out near the airport.”

“No shit,” he said, causing me to smile. I liked this guy. He was a doctor, but he was down to earth and easy to talk to. I had a feeling he'd be a hit with the locals. “Your mom's an author? What does she write?”

“Romance novels,” I said, and heard him say
No shit
again, followed by laughter.

“Wow. I don't think I've ever met a romance writer before. Do you also write?”

I shook my head, and it was my turn to laugh. “Ah, no. Much to my mom's disappointment, I am not a writer. She had a degree in journalism and was working as a journalist when she met my dad. She was hoping I'd follow in her footsteps.”

“But you chose the noble profession of nursing. Good for you. Sounds like you're quite an independent woman. Raising a child alone, living on your own, doing what you enjoy for work rather than something you felt obligated to do.”

“Thanks,” I said to Brandy as she placed the coffee in front of us. “Hmm, I guess you could say that,” I told Simon. “Actually, my mom would probably say I'm much
too
independent. How about you? Are you originally from St. Augustine? Dr. Clark said that's where your practice was located.”

Simon took a sip of coffee and shook his head. “No, I'm originally from Gainesville. Born and raised there, went to the university, and that's why I wanted to set up a practice here. I come from a pretty large Italian family—two brothers and two sisters. My dad's Italian, but my mom is British. They met when she did a transfer year at UF, where he was also a student. We used to come to Cedar Key for long weekends when I was a kid. Boating, fishing, that kind of thing. I always loved it here, and it brings back happy family memories, so when the opportunity arose, I thought, why not? Just do it, Simon. Live on the island and open up a practice there.”

I nodded. “Well, good for you. Sounds like you also do what will make you happy. Gosh, I can't even imagine having four siblings. Are you close? Do you still see each other?”

Simon laughed again. “Oh, yes. My parents insist on it. They're very big on family. So at least once a month we gather at their house in Gainesville for dinner and to catch up on things. My brothers live in the Tampa area, and both sisters live near Jacksonville. So getting to the folks' house for dinner is easy logistically.”

The more Simon talked, the more I liked him. “And so,” I said, remembering Chloe's words to Gabe, “how do you think Mrs. Mancini will like living here on the island?”

Without hesitating, he said, “Oh, there isn't a Mrs. Mancini. Not anymore. I've been divorced for over ten years. She remarried—a lawyer this time. So she's Stephanie Pope and lives on Amelia Island.”

I knew Amelia Island was on the east coast and close to St. Augustine, where Simon's previous practice had been located. I thought it odd that he would stay in the same area for ten years after divorcing his wife.

As if reading my thoughts, he said, “We have a daughter. Lily. I needed . . . wanted . . . to be close to her, so that I could see her often.”

“That's understandable. I've always felt bad that Grant is in the Boston area, but it's worked okay all the way around for both Grant and Orli. He visits here occasionally, and Orli spends some holidays and summers up there with him and his mother. So I think he's always felt very included in her life. That's why this birthday celebration is so important to both of them, and they feel that I should also be there.”

“Oh, I agree,” Simon said. “Yes, family is very important no matter the miles that separate you or the circumstances that make you a family.”

“How old is your daughter?” I asked.

“Lily just turned 18.”

Before I could ask any more questions, he called Brandy over for the check, passed her his credit card, and said, “Well, I'm very glad we had this lunch, Josie, and that you've accepted the position. Would it be all right if I called you should I have any questions concerning the office or if I'm looking for ideas and suggestions? I'm traveling back and forth to St. Augustine until the apartment here is finished, so maybe we could get together again when I'm on the island.”

I got the feeling that the subject of his daughter was closed, but I also felt that there might be more to his story.

“Sure,” I said, standing up to leave. “And again, thank you so much for offering me the position. You have both my home and cell numbers, so just give me a call anytime.”

He bent his head to sign the receipt and said, “Great. I'll be in touch.”

As I walked toward the stairs, I could feel his eyes on my back following me as I left.