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Chapter Four
Aiden
The night had already draped its velvet cloak over Dove Key when Luke asked for permission to board, a growler of beer from Conch Republic Brewpub cradled in his arm. The clink of glass hinted at the promise of easing the day’s tension and I rose to my feet, more than ready for some distraction.
“Granted,” I called out. “You’re the one with the beer.”
Tall and rangy with a handsome, amenable face, Luke Stallings and I had been friends since we were kids growing up together. We’d kept in touch over the years and renewed our in-person friendship as soon as I’d come back.
“Hope you’re ready for a taste of the best brew on the island.” With a satisfying clunk, he set the growler down on a rough-hewn table next to the two pint glasses I’d already gathered from the galley.
I smiled somewhat grimly. “I’m more than ready.”
Our camping chairs creaked as we settled into them, the canvas seats embracing us. The glow from the lights along the marina’s boardwalk cast a warm, inviting ambience that contrasted with the chill in my bones—a coldness that had little to do with the lilting breeze wafting in from the sea.
“Quiet night,” I murmured. The marina was a busy hive of charters and fishermen during the day, but at night, the voices gave way to creaking lines and lapping water.
A bartender at Conch Republic for years, Luke popped open the growler like the pro he was. The yeasty scent of hops and malt rose up to meet us. “Yeah. Quiet’s good, though. Lets a guy think.” He poured golden liquid into the two glasses.
Or overthink.
“Cheers. To small-town living and big-time dreams,” Luke toasted, raising his glass toward the stars as he drifted a hand through his loose brown locks. “And nights off, unlike some slackers like you who only work the day shift.”
“Cheers,” I echoed, the beer leaving a bittersweet trail down my throat as I stared into the distance, unseeing.
“Something’s eating at you. Dish, man.” Luke’s voice broke through the silence that had settled between us. He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
“Stella came into the clinic today.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
“Stella Markham?” His eyebrows shot up, a glint of recognition sparking in his eyes. “As in that Stella?”
“Yeah, that Stella.” I swirled the contents of my glass, watching the liquid spin. “It’s been… a lot, seeing her again.”
“Did she come in for a check-up or something?”
“Or something,” I muttered, not about to discuss particulars about a patient.
Or even a not-patient.
Standing outside the exam room, I’d clicked open the appointment to see who was on the other side of the door, just like with any other patient. Then I saw that name and stumbled to a complete halt, a wave of freezing, shocked numbness sweeping over me. I’d stared at the closed door, intensely curious to see her. But I never imagined she wasn’t expecting to see me.
“Aiden?” Luke pulled me back to the present, and I glanced up to see both brows halfway up his head. “Are you thinking about trying again? With her, I mean?”
“Trying implies there might be success at the end of the effort.” My words felt slow and heavy. “I don’t know if she’d even entertain the idea. She wasn’t excited to see me. She didn’t even realize I was the doctor who took over the practice.”
“Ouch. So it wasn’t a happy reunion.”
A bitter laugh tumbled out of my mouth. After Stella slammed the exam-room door in my face, I’d stood there like a statue. A statue with a raging pulse. Fortunately, she’d been in the room at the end of the hall, so no one was near to see me hurry across the carpet to an open exam room and close the door as silently as I could. Then I leaned back against it, resting my head against the wooden surface as my mind whirled and spun in tight little circles. I’d passed the rest of the day in a haze, welcoming the distractions of my patients simply because they kept me from thinking about that shocked, horrified look when she’d recognized me.
I rubbed my gritty eyes. “Not exactly. Seeing her again—It was like a punch to the stomach.” The image of Stella as she sat on that exam table flashed vividly in my mind. The tightness in my chest constricted further. “After all this time, thinking of what she might look like now. And she’s…” I trailed off, words failing to encapsulate the rush of emotions.
“Aiden. You’re not exactly chopped liver, you know. She’s what?”
“More beautiful than I ever imagined. And seeing her so… stunned.” And embarrassed. Mortified. “It caught me off guard.”
“Sounds like she still affects you pretty strongly.”
“Yeah.” I looked away. “I left my senior year and never looked back. She’s probably never even thought about me in years. I can patch up any wound, set any bone, but facing her after this? That’s a different kind of fear.”
