“Take it one day at a time. Things will work out just how they’re meant to.” He waved at the painters as they left for the day. “Let’s go home and have dinner. Gigi has some fancy roast in the oven and she hates it if we’re late when it’s her turn to cook.”
Chapter 7
“Nancy, I’m popping out for lunch. Liam is here and if there’s an emergency you can call on my cell.”
“Sure, Drew. Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. Weather is forecasting rain by tonight.” Nancy turned back to answer the phone as Drew walked down the corridor to April’s room. He tapped on the door before he opened it.
“Come in.”
“Hi. I’m going out for a quick bite to eat. I hoped you might like to join me.”
April stood up, smoothed down her dark pants. Her gaze flickered away from his face. “Um, I’m not sure if I should. A patient may need me.”
“Nancy can call on my cell if that’s the case. Liam is more than capable of dealing with whatever comes up.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, a habit that obviously hadn’t died since they were last together.
“You did say we would be friends, April. Friends eat lunch or share a coffee. Besides, it’s a beautiful day out and we should make the most of it. Recharge the batteries and catch up on what’s been happening. You never know what the afternoon will throw at us.”
“I don’t think so, but thanks anyway.”
“Sure, no problem.” He turned and made to walk out, content to wait until she felt more at ease around him. The timid way in which she reacted to him especially had him worried there was something more to her return to the island than he knew.
“Wait, Drew. I could use a coffee if nothing else.” She opened her desk drawer and took out her purse, and it made him glad he hadn’t made a big deal of her refusal. “Let’s go.”
Drew held open the door and led her out the front of the building, mindful that Nancy watched them leaving together. “There’s a little café down the road that has the best coffee and sandwiches. I tend to go there a lot for a quick snack more often than not.”
“Roberto’s?”
“Yes, he’s still there and doing well. His son has taken over now and Roberto has retired, but he still comes in and makes the gelato a couple of times a week. Says it keeps him young.” Drew put his hand on her back and guided her across the road between traffic. “Would you like to sit outside since it’s so warm?”
“Ha. Not compared to the mainland it’s not. I’d forgotten how cold it gets here, even in the summer.”
“You’ll adapt again. Islanders always do.”
“Okay then, I’d like that.” She pulled her jacket closer and followed him. They chose a seat in the outdoor garden and sat down. “This is nice. I’m glad it hasn’t changed.” April picked up a menu and cast her gaze down it.
“Not a lot has, really.”
A waitress came out. “What can I get you folks?” She ran over the daily specials and waited, pen tapping the notebook while they made up their minds. She took the menus from the table when they decided and walked inside. “Won’t be too long.”
“Why did you come back, Drew? You’d always planned on working in a big city.”
It was true, he had. How could he explain the loneliness after she left, the need to be closer to all he knew and loved? “I had second thoughts nearer the end of my training. Doing an internship in a large hospital brought home to me how much I missed family and friends. You can be surrounded by people and lonely at the same time. Funny how all we wanted was to get away from the island, and then we both end up coming back.”
“Are you happy here?” She shaded her eyes with her hand.
“Yes. My life is here and the clinic is doing well.” How was he going to win her back? If only he knew why she’d left him in the first place, perhaps he could work on gaining her trust and love again. “And you? Why did you come back, April? Your parents are gone now and you don’t have any ties here. What brought you home?” All he wanted to hear was that she was ready to take up where they’d left off.
“The happiest times of my life were here. Growing up with the freedom that kids don’t get in the city was something I wanted to give my children. I had no reason not to come back.”
The waitress came out with their lunch, and placed it before them along with cutlery.
“Mmmm, smells great. Thank you.” Drew sipped the coffee and grinned. “Nothing like real Italian coffee. No matter how I try, I can’t convince Gigi to buy the same machine as Roberto uses.”
“She has her ways.” April smiled. “She was one of the things I really missed—her and your father. They made my childhood so much better than it could have been. I owe them more than I can say.”
“What about me, April? Did I have anything to do with why you came back?”
* * *
Heat raced up her cheeks. She had no right to expect anything from him after all this time. “You were my best friend, Drew, and your family always made me feel loved unlike my own. And admit it, life treated us pretty good growing up. Tell me,” she sipped her coffee. “What happened to the rest of the class of ’98?”
He stared at her for so long she wondered if he’d heard her.
“Let me see. Remember James Roberts? He’s the local vet. He mainly does large animals, but is valiantly trying to handle everything while advertising for a domestic vet. He’s not having much success though.”
“Of course he’s a vet. I should have expected that. He always had lizards and small rodents tucked in
