Loneliness was a good feeling for Adriana right now. Or so she was trying to convince herself.
After the past six months she had, she wanted to steer clear of any drama she could and in order to do that it meant not being around too many people.
“Let me help you set the table,” she said once she had her beer poured in a glass. A Fierce one she’d noticed and wondered if that was a relation to Wyatt and Sam.
“I’ve got it,” her father said. “You sit and enjoy your beer. Both of you. You work hard and need to get off your feet.”
Maggie sat down. “It is nice to get off my feet. I’m not sure how you do it all day, Adriana,” she said. “I’m just pacing back and forth in front of the classroom but get to sit now and again. You probably don’t sit much at all.” Maggie taught junior high history.
“I sit on my lunch break. That’s fine with me. Dad will tell you I’ve never been one for sitting still.”
“No, she hasn’t. Some kids like to color or read books when they are younger, playing with dolls. Not Adriana. She had to be running in the yard, chasing and kicking balls, playing sports, being with her friends. She never sat still much in her life.”
“Have you made many friends here?” Maggie asked.
“Not really,” she said. “But I’m not trying. I’m taking it slow and just doing my job and minding my own business. It’s better that way.” She wondered if she should bring up the fact that her stepmother asked Wyatt’s mom to ask him to show her around. Yeah, she was going to. “I met Wyatt Fierce today.”
“Oh, you did,” Maggie said. “What a sweet man. That whole family is wonderful. Diane Fierce is a teacher too, but in the elementary school. That’s Sam’s mom. Have you met him yet?”
“Actually I was in surgery with both of them today. I’d met Sam before a few weeks ago. Well, I didn’t meet him like you think. I just work in the OR with him. Speaking of Fierce,” she said, holding up her beer. “Any relation here?”
Sometimes Maggie thought everyone talked and got along like they did in school. It didn’t happen that way in the hospital. Doctors stayed to their corners, nurses to theirs. For the most part.
That’s how it was going to be going forward for her at least.
“Sam’s nice too, isn’t he?” Maggie said. “And yes. That is their cousins in Charlotte, that own the brewery.”
“Sam seems it. Today was the first Wyatt and Sam were together. They had somewhat of a funny banter going back and forth. I hadn’t realized they were related, as I didn’t know who Wyatt was. I mean Sam referred to him by his first name. It was obvious they knew each other though.”
She’d wanted to laugh a time or two when they were talking. Like two brothers in her eyes. Or two bros. Then she remembered how many times she’d overheard some of the doctors at her last job talking like that. Making comments like, “bros before hoes.” Completely sexist and childish.
And though Sam and Wyatt’s conversation didn’t really get to that level, it was enough to send her back to a time she’d rather forget, wiping away the grin she’d almost let loose.
“That family has always been thick as thieves. Carolyn is an absolute sweetheart. She has four kids. Drake and Noah are the oldest and twins. Both just recently got engaged. Wyatt and Jade are twins. Both are single. I kind of feel bad for Jade from the stories I’ve heard.”
“It sounded like Sam has brothers too. So Jade is the only girl?” she asked. Her father brought the dinner over to the table and they all started to dig in.
“She is. She holds her own though or so Carolyn has always said. Wyatt is the wild one.”
“Really? He didn’t seem that wild to me when we were talking.”
“You talked to him during the surgery?” her father asked. “I figured you’d be busy while an operation was going on.”
Too late Adriana realized she’d put her foot in her mouth. “Not in the OR. I met him in the cafeteria. We didn’t know the connection between you and Carolyn, Maggie. I was looking for a table to sit at and they were all taken. He was by himself and asked me to join him.”
“I knew you’d catch a man’s eye fast,” her father said, smirking at her.
“I’m not out to catch any man’s eye,” she said firmly. “Least of all a doctor’s.”
“Your father is just joking. He knows how hurt you were with everything that happened. But you’re a lovely young lady and have so much to offer people. Please don’t hole yourself up for a mistake that you weren’t even aware of. We all have relationship mistakes in our pasts but that didn’t stop your father or me from finding love again.”
“I’m not looking for love either,” she said. “But I was nice to him when I wanted to walk away. Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t be mean.”
“I would hope not,” her father said. “Don’t get bitter. I rarely say a negative word about your mother because she put you in the middle too many times, but I’m going to say it now. She’s a bitter woman when she doesn’t get her way or things don’t go the way she wants. You’re nothing like her and I hope you never are.”
“I won’t be. Trust me.”
5
Answer For It
Wyatt let himself into his condo, walked straight to his bedroom and started to strip, his clothes falling to the floor before he made it to the bathroom.
He turned the shower on and climbed in, the hot spray beating on his hair while he ran his hands through it.
After work he’d come home and changed into his workout clothes, then hit the gym on the first floor of his building. He didn’t have
