okay. As soon as you let yourself stop avoiding and allow the healing to begin, you’re going to be fine, Rach.”
His words made a wave of nausea swell inside of her, but she tried to ignore the nasty feeling. “Sawyer?” she said, tilting her head and attempting a grin. “You make a much better surgeon than shrink.”
“Sucks when your big brother has mad wisdom powers, doesn’t it?”
His irresistible grin was all that kept her from throwing a sharp object at him.
Sawyer tossed the now-empty yogurt container in the trash and headed for the back door. “I’m off to fight the evils of the Culver garage.”
Which meant Rachel was once again left alone in the house. It was a big house, but thanks to her brother’s little speech, she could barely get a full breath of air. Even though that closed door was up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, she could feel it from here, taunting her. Challenging her. Calling to her to face up to what lay behind it.
Luckily for her, she’d found a new-to-her website filled with case studies on seizures that she was itching to read. Without going up the stairs, she threw some sandals on, grabbed her laptop and left to study...anywhere but here.
* * *
CALE SET DOWN THE four hot pizza boxes in the center of the crowded patio table and collapsed into the last empty striped-cushion chair on his parents’ new balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. His younger sister, mom and dad were flanked by Clay Marlow, Evan Drake and Dylan Long, Cale’s firefighter buddies who’d spent the past two days helping with his parents’ move.
“It’s official,” Cale said to his mom and dad. “Your first meal in your new home. Welcome to San Amaro Island.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Evan held up his bottle of beer, and those who had drinks clinked their bottles and glasses to his. “Hope you love it here on the beach.”
“What’s not to love?” Mariah, Cale’s sister and roommate, said, glancing out at the waves and the sand that stretched almost up to the condo building. From the sixth floor, they could see for miles out into the gulf on a clear day like today.
“It’s a big change from the ranch,” Ted Jackson said in his brusque way as he pulled his wheelchair closer to the table, his eyes on the food.
Ronnie, Cale’s mother, stood and leaned her short, round frame over the table to begin serving. She might be hundreds of miles from what she knew as home, but this table was technically hers, and she wasn’t one to allow anyone else to take charge of a meal under her roof. The role of ranch wife was ingrained in her as much as her love of the horse figurines that had filled six medium-size moving boxes and weighed as much as a submarine. “We’ll get used to it eventually, I’m sure. Who wants veggie deluxe?”
“Is there any meat on that at all, ma’am?” Clay asked suspiciously.
“Might as well just pass it my way.” Mariah reached for the box of vegetarian pizza with a smug grin.
“That’s not real pizza,” her dad informed her. “Need some beef on there or you won’t get full.”
Clay and Evan voiced their agreement.
“I’m not picky,” Dylan said to Mariah with a hungry look Cale wasn’t sure was directed solely at the food. “Don’t go assuming that’s all yours.”
“Could it be? A man with some self-control?” Mariah said. “We don’t have those in our family.” She took two slices of her sacred, meat-free pie and handed the box to Dylan as her dad grumbled at her.
“I didn’t say a thing about self-control.” Dylan served himself. “Just thought I could get a slice of veggie faster, while those three dolts hem and haw over what flavor of cholesterol they want first.” He nodded toward his friends.
Cale’s mom doled out two giant slices at a time to the guys—one of the many reasons Cale knew she was the best mom in the world. Her pineapple upside-down cake recipe was another.
“Who needs more to drink?” Ronnie asked before sitting down to her own plate.
“I’ve got it, Mom. Relax,” Cale said. He took requests and went inside and loaded up on bottles for those who needed them.
“I don’t know how we would have done this move without you kids,” Ronnie was saying when Cale came back outside. “We’re so very thankful....” She raised her glass of ice water to her lips in an attempt to hide