“Damn,” Mellie whispered. “I’m so sorry, Annie.”
“I know…everyone is sorry, but sorry doesn’t make up for the fact that my entire family is gone. The reason I came to Oceanside in the first place is because of all the good memories I had from my family vacations here.”
“So that’s why it was so important for you to rent the cottage.”
Annie nodded her head. “Our family stayed there a week every summer for several years.”
“A lot of families used the cottage. I’m sorry that I don’t remember yours, Annie.” Mellie was full of sympathy.
“I didn’t want people to pity me. Moving here was a fresh start for me…a way to look toward the future, because I was drowning in the past. I had to do something. I was depressed and sinking deeper into despair every day. I was afraid if anyone knew what had happened, that’s all anyone would want to talk about, and I couldn’t…I just couldn’t let that tragedy continue to define me.”
Nodding, Mellie reached across the table and gripped hold of her hand. “I understand.”
“Thank you,” Annie whispered.
“Did you tell Keaton about the disaster, about losing your entire family?”
Annie shook her head. “The only thing he knows is that I lost both my parents.”
Mellie reached for her mug and took another sip. “Keaton is a complicated person.”
Annie snorted. “You’re telling me?”
Mellie smiled. “Yeah, I guess you know that as much or better than me. He’s opened up to you in ways he never has with me. He’s afraid of losing you, Annie, that’s all.”
“He made it sound like he didn’t care one way or another what I decided.”
“And you believe that? Think again, Annie. He’s dying inside. So what are you going to do about fixing this?”
Annie hung her head. She couldn’t do a single thing if he refused to talk to her. “I don’t know,” she whispered miserably.
It pained her to hurt Keaton. “He refuses to talk to me, to listen. He knows practically nothing about this offer. All he said was that I should take it, and then he walked away.”
Her friend mulled this over. “Give him a chance. He’s like one of those injured dogs he brings to me. He’s lashing out at you, but once he understands the full situation, he’ll come around.”
The thought of comparing Keaton to a hurt dog made Annie smile for the first time that day. “I can only hope that you’re right.”
“I don’t want to sound like I’m an expert when it comes to relationships, because I’m not. I grew up around Keaton. Far as I can remember, Preston was his only friend. He could have made other friends, but Keaton wasn’t interested.”
“Probably because that would mean he had to talk.”
Mellie nodded. “You’re right, most likely. He was always self-conscious about how big he is, although that could have worked to his advantage if he’d let it. He never did, preferring to stay in the background. Wrestling coach finally talked him into coming out for the team, and he did great. One on one, Keaton could handle anyone, but he didn’t enjoy the attention. He could have been a state champion but chose not to compete. Coach never forgave him. The school didn’t either.”
Annie could well picture how painfully shy Keaton must have been as a teenager.
“All the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him as happy as he has been with you, Annie. I might like to read romances, but I don’t believe much in love and all that rot. I like the fantasy of it all, and who doesn’t? But you and Keaton have given me hope that finding love is possible.”
“I want the same thing.”
“That seems to be something we’re all looking for,” Mellie said.
Annie could only agree.
CHAPTER 31
It came as no surprise to Annie that Keaton returned the medallion a second time. She wasn’t willing to fight him on the issue. If he was determined to cut her out of his life without knowing the details, then there wasn’t a thing she could say. He basically had made the decision for her. After carefully considering her options and giving it a lot of thought and prayer, Annie decided to pursue the opportunity. She told Mellie she would be leaving at the end of the summer, and offered to pay off her lease. Mellie refused. Annie was certain Mellie told Keaton that she would be moving come September.
When Annie told Dr. Bainbridge that she would gratefully accept the health organization’s offer, he was delighted. Annie was, too, although she missed Keaton every minute of every day. Whether he wanted it or not, he still owned her heart. She bought a shorter silver chain and wore the medallion herself.
Britt McDuffee and her boyfriend, Jimmy Lane, graduated from high school in the middle of June. Annie was honored that Britt sent her an invitation and personally asked her to attend the graduation ceremony.
On Britt’s big day, Annie sat next to Teresa, who dabbed at her eyes with a tissue throughout the ceremony. Logan was restless on the other side of her, swinging his feet, anxious to get home to his puppy. While they chatted before the graduation, Teresa didn’t mention her daughter’s pregnancy, and that was fine. Only those who were close to Britt knew about the baby. Although the teenager was more than six months along, she barely showed.
Annie didn’t know what the couple had decided when it came to their future or that of their child. She had her own opinion, but Annie didn’t feel it was her place to share it. She would support Britt and Jimmy with whatever choice they made.
When the school principal awarded Britt a scholarship, one chosen by the faculty, Teresa, in her joy, grabbed hold of Annie’s hand, squeezing hard.
Teresa leaned toward Annie and whispered, “I never had the chance to attend college. I so wanted Britt to have the opportunity. I was willing to take on more houses, anything I could do. This scholarship is really going to help.”
After the graduation exercises, Teresa invited Annie and several of Britt’s friends to her home for a small party. With Carl out of the picture, she was free to live the way she wanted to. No one had heard from Carl, who apparently had left the state.
The graduation party was a big success. Teresa was a wonderful hostess. She must have cooked for days. Annie had never seen Britt happier, and she knew Teresa felt good to be able to do this for her daughter. She knew Keaton had been invited and had to assume he’d stayed away because of her. It hurt Annie that he went to such lengths to avoid her.
Keaton had scarcely been to visit Mellie, too, she noticed. If he did stop by, he apparently made certain it was at times he knew she wouldn’t be at the cottage. She mentioned as much to Mellie.
“Haven’t seen Keaton in two weeks,” her friend complained. “He asked Preston to bring me my groceries and mail. His father is in hospice care now, so he’s using that as an excuse to keep away, but you and I know the real reason.”
The news about Keaton and his father upset Annie, and although she tried to hide it, Mellie knew. The other woman patted Annie’s hand to comfort her. “Don’t worry. Keaton won’t stay away forever.”
She wanted to believe that was true, but she had her doubts.
“He’s a man,” Mellie explained. “It simply takes them longer to come to their senses. He wants what’s best for you but feels the need to protect his heart even if that means behaving like a damn fool.”
“He has all summer. I don’t understand why we can’t enjoy the time we do have together.”
Mellie grumbled under her breath, “I’m the last person you should ask about understanding men. Every relationship I’ve ever had has gone down in flames. Keaton doesn’t want my advice. All I can suggest is that you give him time.”
* * *
—
The rest of the summer was busy at the clinic with the crush of cases from the heavy tourist season. Annie treated everything from sunburns to the
more serious case of a young man who’d had a serious surfing accident. She’d held his hand and comforted him before he was airlifted to a Seattle hospital with a serious spinal injury.
Working the hours that she did, Annie often arrived home exhausted. The blueberries and raspberries were responding well to the fertilizer and sunshine. Combined with the wild berries she found, she was able to make several batches of jam, sharing with Mellie and the clinic staff. She couldn’t look at those thriving bushes and not think of Keaton and all the work he put into clearing the area enough for them to flourish. On a regular basis Annie stopped to look in on Keaton’s father while he was in hospice care. She didn’t do it out of obligation, but as a means of expressing appreciation to Keaton for all he’d done for her. It was a small thing, and while Keaton might never know, it made her feel good.
Teresa was gradually making progress in cleaning out Mellie’s house. Not without a lot of complaining and whining from Mellie, of course. Thankfully, Preston was there to encourage and comfort her.
One afternoon in late July, Annie heard Mellie shouting at Teresa as the housekeeper opened the door and stepped onto the porch.
“That yarn belonged to my grandmother,” Mellie cried, as if Teresa had walked away with a priceless artifact.
Refusing to listen, Teresa hauled the large bag stuffed with skeins of yarn out the kitchen door and onto the porch.
“I refuse to let you steal my grandmother’s yarn,” the homeowner screeched. “I was going to use that.”
Teresa shouted back, “Do you knit or crochet?”
Mellie paused and childishly stamped her foot. “No, but I might someday.”
“If you haven’t by now, you probably won’t.”
“You don’t know that,” Mellie insisted, standing in the open doorway, swaying back and forth, almost tempted to leave the security of the house to retrieve the long-ignored yarn.
“If you feel that strongly, then come and get it,” Teresa challenged.
Frowning, Mellie hesitated. She was tempted, just not enough.
“That’s what I thought,” Teresa said, and then added in a gentle tone, “Besides, it was in the newspaper recently that the women at the senior center are looking for yarn so they can knit hats, mittens, and scarves for the children in refugee camps overseas. Some of those women were probably friends of your grandmother’s. She would have wanted them to have it.”
Giving in, Mellie tossed her hands in the air. “Okay, fine, you can take the yarn.”
This wasn’t easy for her friend, and Annie was proud of her.
Mellie added, “Next thing I know, you’ll be wanting to get rid of the family silverware.”
“No worries,” Teresa assured her. “The silver is safely tucked away in a drawer in the dining room.”
“Well…thank God for that,” Mellie muttered sarcastically.
“I do every single day,” Teresa called back, smiling, as Mellie turned away from the screen door.
Annie couldn’t be happier with her landlord’s progress. When she had first moved into the cottage, Mellie wouldn’t even open her door. Looking at the yard was more than she could bear. She frequently did so now. Recently, Annie saw her stand in the doorway, eagerly awaiting Preston’s arrival.
With most of her evenings free these days, Annie had continued working in the yard, clearing the flowerbed, planting, and trimming back the bushes. She did volunteer work at the food bank and the hospice center, too.
Mellie and Annie saw each other often these days. Mellie was grateful—well, as grateful as she was willing to voice—for the work Annie had put into the yard. More than once, Mellie commented on the garden.
According to Preston, Mellie was excited to see the changes taking place on the property. It was almost back to the way it’d been when her grandparents were alive. Preston and Annie chatted a few times when he came to see Mellie. She wanted to ask him about Keaton, and he seemed to sense that and quickly made an exit to avoid the conversation.
All summer, Preston was a regular visitor at Mellie’s house. Rarely a day went by when he didn’t have one excuse or another to stop by. He often stayed late, too, she noticed. Annie was convinced it was his devotion to Mellie that had taken the sharp edge off her brusque personality.
In the first week of August, Annie learned Mellie was nursing a badly malnourished set of three puppies. She knew Keaton had most likely been the one to bring them to her. Because the mother had died, the puppies needed to be bottle-fed. When she was off work in the evenings, Annie helped Mellie with the feedings.
The third day after the puppies arrived, Annie sat on the floor, holding one in her lap, feeding him with the bottle. He was adorable, tempting her with the idea of adopting him herself. She would if she wasn’t returning to Seattle and starting medical school. She spoke softly to the puppy as he greedily sucked away at the miniature bottle. The other two puppies had been fed and were napping.
Annie heard the door off the kitchen open and assumed it was Preston, until she heard a familiar voice.
Keaton.
“Need help?” he asked Mellie, referring to the puppies. He remained a man of few words.
“No thanks, Annie’s been lending me a hand,” she heard Mellie tell him.
She listened intently, wondering if Keaton would ask about her, anything to show she remained in his thoughts.
He didn’t.
“Meant to come sooner.”
Annie frowned; he sounded troubled.
“What’s going on?” Mellie seemed to have sensed it, too.
“Not much.”
“Keaton,” Mellie chastised gently, “we’ve been friends too long for you to give me that. This has to do with your father, doesn’t it? Don’t know what your problem is. You haven’t been the same since Annie—”
“Told you,” he barked, “don’t say her name. Ever.”
Annie flinched and lowered her head, releasing a slow breath. When she looked up, to her surprise, she found Keaton standing in the doorway to the room. Her breath caught in her lungs. He looked shocked, too, as though seeing her threw him off balance.
Despite whatever was troubling him now, Keaton looked good to Annie. She was reminded of how big and muscular he was, especially when she was on the floor, looking up at him. His hair was longer than she remembered and his eyes a bit duller, like he hadn’t slept in a while.
“Keaton,” she managed to say, although her voice came out in more of a whisper.
He didn’t return her greeting. Instead, he turned around and walked away. A few seconds later she heard the kitchen door open and close.
Clearly he was averse to even making polite conversation with her.
Mellie joined Annie a few minutes later. “Keaton’s got a lot on his mind, so don’t take his behavior personally,” she told her, going out of her way to make excuses for Keaton. “His father only has a short time left to live.”
From her time volunteering at the hospice center, Annie was aware of his father’s condition. Knowing the rocky relationship Keaton had with his father, this couldn’t have been easy for him. That explained the fatigue on his face.
Hospice was the best place for the older man. Annie decided to stop by the next day. She’d do what she could, for no other reason than the fact that he had fathered Keaton. There was no need for Keaton to know.
“Keaton looked tired,” she said.
“He did,” Mellie agreed. “Still crazy about you.”
Annie shook her head. “You don’t need to lie. I heard what he said. He can’t bear to hear the sound of my name.”
Her friend shook her head. “Think he’d give a horse’s butt if he didn’t care? He can’t get you out of his mind, although heaven knows he’s giving it his best shot. Don’t be discouraged. He’s angry with himself for lowering his guard and for fal
ling in love, and then frustrated that his feelings aren’t strong enough to keep you here.”
Annie knew Mellie was right, although she wished he’d given her the chance to discuss her options with him and to get his feedback. Instead, he’d behaved like a wounded bear, cutting her completely out of his life.
* * *
—
The next afternoon, Annie stopped by the hospice center, a home that had been donated to the community. She checked in with the volunteer currently on shift.
The woman, Linda McKoen, was someone Annie knew. Linda was a gentle soul, and a retired nurse. When Annie asked about Keaton’s father, Linda shook her head and muttered, “That man’s a piece of work.”
After what Keaton had told her, this came as no surprise.
Being as quiet as possible, she checked on Seth and found him sleeping. Even from a prone position she could tell the older man probably used to be as tall as Keaton, though much thinner, almost skin and bones. The cancer had ravaged his body. From previous visits, she could see no resemblance between father and son except his height, and she guessed that Keaton must have taken after his mother more than his father. For several minutes, she stood and watched him sleep.
Not wanting to disturb him, Annie walked away. Besides, she didn’t know what she’d say if he was awake. Even though she’d been by a few other times, they’d never spoken; he didn’t know her, and Annie was certain Keaton wouldn’t have mentioned her, either.
“Do you want me to let him know you stopped by?” Linda asked when Annie returned.
“No.”
“You know Keaton?” Linda asked gently. “He’s such a pleasant young man.”
Annie could only agree. “He’s a really good person.”
“He is,” Linda concurred. “Checks on his dad frequently. Won’t go in and see him, but stops by and asks about him.”
“If Seth needs anything, please let me know.”
“I will.”
Annie left shortly afterward and continued home. When she arrived at the cottage, she found Britt sitting on her front porch, waiting for her.