had seemed like he was always slugging down coffee during his senior year. If Noah had allowed it, Owen probably would have worked every available moment he had, since he’d been saving for college. But his eldest brother had put restrictions on how many hours he’d let his little brother work in high school.
Owen turned to face me with a mischievous grin. “How do you think I made it through medical school and my residency? No lectures about how I’m a doctor and I know how bad it is for me, if you don’t mind.”
It was the first time I’d actually seen Owen smile like that since he’d returned to Citrus Beach, and the sight almost melted my heart.
I shrugged as I picked up a Diet Coke he’d given me earlier. “I won’t say a word if you promise not to comment on my addiction to Diet Coke. A person has to have a vice or two, even if they know it’s bad for them.”
Owen moved until he was right across from me, resting one hip against the island. “Agreed. Something is going to get all of us someday. I’d rather enjoy my life than worry about every single thing that could end it.”
I swallowed a mouthful of soda with more force than was necessary. I didn’t like how uneasy I felt with him this close to me, even if there was the barrier of the granite island between us. “Same here. I mean, I try to be as healthy as possible, but I’m not giving up pizza, hamburgers, and Diet Coke completely. Life would suck if I did.”
“Speaking of pizza,” he drawled. “Is that incredible family-owned pizza joint on Baker Street still open?”
I nodded. “Russo’s. Yeah, it’s still going strong, and hasn’t changed a bit. They still have the best pizza in the area. You haven’t been there yet?”
“I haven’t,” he confirmed. “Citrus Beach has changed, and I wasn’t sure it was still there. There are so many new restaurants in this city.”
I sat down on one of the stools along the island. “I guess since I’ve been around to see those changes, it doesn’t seem like Citrus Beach has grown that much,” I answered. “It doesn’t seem all that different to me. Most of the places we went to as teenagers are still operating. You haven’t taken time to explore?”
It wasn’t like he’d just gotten back to California yesterday. I knew I sure as hell would have sought out some of the best restaurants in town if I’d been gone for a decade.
“I’ll get there eventually,” Owen answered. “I guess I’m still not used to having the time and the money to go out to eat. I still feel a little lost. I spent a whole decade of my life pretty isolated. Now that I’m finally exactly where I want to be, everything has changed. The world has moved on while my life outside of school has been on hold.”
Okay. Maybe Owen and I weren’t friends anymore, and I’d probably never let go of my resentment toward him, but I could relate to what he was feeling. “I get it,” I told him. “I felt the same way once I finished graduate school. I spent years in college, and I worked as a registered nurse once I was able to take my boards, so there was nothing except work and school for me, either. When I was finally done, I realized all of my friends had moved on without me. Most of them had gotten married and had a kid or two by the time I was finished.”
I could still remember how sad I’d been that I had nothing in common with most of my old friends once I’d finished college. They’d built a whole new network of friends who were married with kids, and I didn’t fit in with any of them anymore.
“So you finished your bachelor’s, became a registered nurse, and then went on to grad school?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
“Yes . . . and no,” I started to explain. “Like you, I tested out of general classes and took classes in high school to knock out some of my prerequisites. I got through the rest of them in a year, and then went into the nursing program for my associate’s. After that I took my boards and started working as an RN. I wanted a job that would pay me decently so I could afford to pursue my bachelor’s and then my master’s.”
His compelling