Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (37 page)

Mark Schaffer had been placed under arrest and was currently being held at the county jail. The
Cedar Cove Chronicle
had done a write-up on the incident. Needless to say, the entire Rosewood Lane neighborhood had heaved a collective sigh of relief.

She was on the last stretch of her seven-to-three shift. A car rounded the corner and, seeing her patrol vehicle, automatically slowed. Gloria didn't bother to check its speed. Whoever was driving hadn't gained enough momentum after clearing the corner to reach the legal limit. To her surprise, the car pulled in and parked behind hers.

She wondered if the driver was in some kind of trouble. She set the radar device aside and climbed out
of her patrol car. When she recognized Dr. Chad Timmons, she stopped abruptly.

“Do you have a problem, Dr. Timmons?” she asked in her most professional voice.

He'd lowered his window. “Can I talk to you?”

“About what?” she asked, although she was pretty sure the subject matter wouldn't be to her liking.

“I'd rather do it over a coffee.”

“I'm on duty.”

“Afterward, then.”

She shook her head.

Obviously frustrated, Chad sighed. “I'd like to clear the air between us.”

“No. Our…encounter was a long time ago and, from my point of view, highly embarrassing. I prefer to forget it.”

“Unfortunately, that isn't the case for me.”

“It's over.”

“Apparently it was over before it could even start,” he said. “If you don't want to have coffee with me, then—”

“I don't.”

“Okay, but give me a chance to settle this in my own mind. That's all I'm asking. Some closure, much as I hate the word.”

Gloria sighed, unsure what to do.

“Ten minutes, fifteen,” he said, no doubt sensing her indecision. “Is that too much to ask?”

“I don't see what purpose it would serve. From what I heard, you're dating Sarah Chesney now.”

That she was aware he was seeing another woman appeared to please him immensely, because he broke into a wide grin. “Sarah and I are friends, nothing more. What's this I hear about you and Zack Birch?”

“Are you keeping tabs on me?” she demanded angrily.

“No more than you are on me,” he countered.

She couldn't argue with that, so she said nothing.

“Ten minutes, Gloria. You name the time and place.”

She glanced at her watch. “All right, meet me in two hours. That's when I get off.”

He smiled in triumph and she wanted to wipe off his smug grin. “Where?”

She was going to suggest the Pancake Palace but changed her mind. Someone might overhear their conversation and she'd rather not risk that. “Meet me at the marina by the totem pole,” she said. “Ten minutes. That's it.”

“Fine. Do you want me to bring a stopwatch?”

Despite her irritation, she grinned. “That might not be a bad idea.”

Two hours later, Gloria had changed out of her uniform and parked in the lot next to the library. The foot ferry from Bremerton was just getting in, and the first wave of shipyard workers disembarked. Her hands clenched the steering wheel. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd regret this.

Waiting until the last possible moment, she left her vehicle and walked toward the marina. Chad was already there, waiting for her. She hadn't seen him in a couple of months and was struck, once again, by his classic good looks, which were precisely what had attracted her the first time they met. That night had been a disaster, one she had no intention of repeating.

Chad leaned against the railing, exuding confidence and poise. Where she'd once found that appealing, now it annoyed her.

As she approached, he handed her a coffee. Wordlessly she accepted it and looked at her watch. “Your ten minutes are ticking away.”

To her surprise, he turned toward the railing, resting his arms on it as he held his coffee and watched the gently bobbing boats in the marina. “I never thought I'd enjoy living in a small town,” he said. “You didn't either, did you?”

“Are you going to waste your ten minutes with chitchat?”

He went on as if she hadn't spoken. “I took this job at the clinic thinking I'd give it six months.”

“And move on.”

“Right.”

“You should have.” It would've been a relief to her if he had. Then she wouldn't risk seeing him—and remembering.

“I stayed because of you.”

“Oh, please.” She didn't hide her sarcasm. This was the last thing, the absolute last thing, she wanted to hear.

“I'm not making it up, Gloria.” He paused. “How long has it been?”

“I forget.” She hadn't, but she wasn't about to let him know that their night together still lingered in her mind.

“I can't stop thinking about you,” he said quietly.

“Try harder,” she advised.

“Do you suppose I haven't?”

“It was one night. I'd had too much to drink.”

“No, you hadn't. You knew exactly what you were doing and so did I.”

Gloria released her breath. He was right, and while she'd like an excuse for their brief interlude, there was no point in lying—to him or to herself. “Why can't you be like every other man? Notch your bedpost and go on to the next conquest?”

“Is that what you think of me?” He actually sounded hurt.

“I apologize. But apparently you read more into our…encounter than you should have.” She
didn't
want to hurt him. Hurting anyone went against her nature; nevertheless it was best, as far as she was concerned, to forget this and move on.

He continued to look out over the water. “At first I thought your reluctance had to do with Linnette.”

It had. Gloria had met Chad, and they'd spent that one night together. Then, through a fluke, she'd discovered that her sister had a crush on him.

Except that, at the time, Linnette hadn't known they were sisters. No one did.

After being adopted as an infant, Gloria had grown up in California, in a loving home with wonderful parents. Then, six years ago, she'd lost them in a plane crash. Her life had faltered until she managed to learn the names of her birth parents. It was a shock to discover that after they'd given her up for adoption, they'd gone on to marry and have two other children. These were Gloria's full siblings, her sister and brother. Hungry for the connection with family, she'd moved to Cedar Cove.

Then, as luck would have it, her sister had moved into the apartment next door. Her birth father, Roy, sometimes said that luck, good or bad, was all a matter of timing. In this case, the timing and the luck were both. Good
and
bad. Linnette, a physician assistant, had a huge crush on Dr. Chad Timmons, and Gloria had quickly bowed out of the relationship with Chad, preferring to step aside rather than risk destroying her chances with Linnette because they were both interested in the same man. She'd made so many mistakes, and sleeping with Chad was near the top of that list.

The night with Chad had been completely out of char
acter. She felt embarrassed thinking about it. Even after Linnette had started dating Cal Washburn, she'd decided not to see Chad again. She'd convinced herself it was just easier that way. Less awkward.

“Linnette is out of the picture,” he added gently.

“She has been for quite a while.”

Chad sipped his coffee. He still didn't look in her direction. “My point exactly.”

“Why is it,” Gloria demanded, “that you have such a hard time accepting the fact that I'm not interested?”

“Because I know it's a lie.”

“You have a rather high opinion of your charms.”

“Perhaps,” he agreed readily. “However, I doubt it.”

His remark amused her. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He turned to face her then, with his back to the railing. “I scare you to death because I'm the first man to get past your guard. You have your life carefully planned out and falling in love didn't fit those plans. Take a memo, Gloria: Life is full of surprises. Not everything happens according to schedule.”

“Excuse me. I thought you were a family physician, not a psychologist.”

He ignored that. “I don't mean to sound egotistical, but you're in love with me, and like I said, it scares you to death.”

Her laugh was forced and high-pitched.

“If you want to laugh,” he said in a bored voice, “go ahead, but we both know the truth.”

In response, Gloria conspicuously checked her watch. “Your time is about up.”

“I thought you'd be able to acknowledge your feelings and admit that what we shared was very, very good. I guess not.”

“And you know all this about me, about us, after
one
night? One foolish, drunken night, I might add.”

“No. It's taken me a while to figure it out.”

For reasons she couldn't explain, a lump had formed in her throat.

“As you say, my time's about up. And I don't just mean my time with you now, this afternoon. I wanted you to know I've given my notice at the clinic, but before I left Cedar Cove I felt I should tell you how much I wish things were different between us.”

An unexpected feeling of loss washed over her and she couldn't speak. She swallowed hard.

“I hope you find the happiness you're looking for,” he said. “I just regret it wasn't with me.” He looked directly into her eyes, smiled and threw his coffee container into a nearby trash bin. Without another word, he walked away.

Gloria remained rooted to the spot. After a moment, she closed her eyes and acknowledged that he was right. She'd carefully planned the reunion with her birth family, but nothing had worked out the way she'd hoped. She wanted to be close to her sister and brother, and that hadn't happened. Nothing had gone as she'd envisioned. She saw Mack once in a while, for a quick drink and some stilted conversation, and exchanged an occasional phone call with Linnette. It wasn't their fault; she'd counted on too much from them—too much too soon. They'd already established lives, with no firm place for her. Corrie was superficially warm and friendly, but Gloria felt she'd never got past her guilt over the adoption. Of all of them, she had the best relationship with Roy, a former cop himself.

Trembling, she leaned against the railing, watching as Chad walked toward the clinic. All these months, she'd
been afraid of what would happen if she ever let him back into her life.

That night, that fateful night, he'd seemed to recognize her pain. When she didn't answer his questions, he'd whispered that she could tell him when she was ready. But she wasn't any more ready now than she'd been then.

After that one night with Chad, Gloria had felt vulnerable. He'd shaken her sense of self-preservation. Instinctively she'd fled, determined that what had happened could never be repeated. She didn't like being out of control. She couldn't risk getting emotionally involved with him, with anyone. Linnette's interest in him had been a convenient excuse, but that was all—an excuse. Especially when Linnette had fallen for Cal, when she was over her infatuation with Chad.

Although Gloria had rebuffed Chad several times, he hadn't given up and refused to accept that she didn't reciprocate his feelings. Only now did she admit what those feelings were, and only because he'd forced her to.

Now Chad was leaving and she had the strongest intuition that if she let him go, she'd be sorry for the rest of her life.

Gloria returned to her vehicle and sat there for several minutes, debating what to do. The safe response, she supposed, would be nothing. He could leave, and her life would be unchanged….

No, it wouldn't.

She couldn't lie to herself anymore. She cared about him, had cared for a very long time. Dropping her head to the steering wheel, she considered her next move. The lump in her throat hadn't gone away and she gave a shuddering sigh, trapped in her indecision.

Without any further deliberation, she got out of her car
and slammed the door. Anger vibrated through her. She wanted to kick, yell, scream, stamp her feet.

The medical clinic was close to the marina, and she walked there at a clipped pace, nearly breathless by the time she arrived.

The waiting room was crowded. She stepped up to the receptionist's desk and stood in line. “I need to see Dr. Timmons,” she said when it was finally her turn. The woman started to ask her something, but Gloria broke in. “This is a personal matter.”

For a moment she thought the receptionist was about to argue with her. Then she followed the woman's glance. Chad was speaking to a nurse in the background; he paused when he saw her, said a few words to the nurse and started toward the reception area.

Gloria met his eyes.

“Dr. Timmons,” the receptionist said loudly, “this woman wants to see you on a
personal matter.
” Gloria cringed in embarrassment.

“That's all right, Micki.” He directed his next comment to Gloria. “I'm on duty.”

This was incredibly uncomfortable. In addition to the staff, the waiting room full of patients who studied them as if they were Hollywood celebrities indulging in a public spat.

“You wanted to see me?” he said coolly.

The least he could do was put her at ease. He didn't. She managed to nod, her mouth too dry to say anything at all.

“I have to get back to my patient,” he said, looking quickly over his shoulder.

In other words, if she had something to say she'd better do it soon because he didn't have time to waste.

“What you said earlier…”

“I said a lot of things earlier.”

She closed her eyes. “Don't leave,” she blurted out.

“Are you saying you want me to stay in Cedar Cove?” he asked.

“Yes.” She risked opening her eyes.