Catching Fireflies(34)

Laura had been on J.C.’s mind ever since Saturday when he’d found her shaken by her encounter with those girls at the fall festival. It was disconcerting how frequently she crept into his head these days. No woman had done that in years. If and when he dated at all, it was the sort of independent, no-strings kind of women who didn’t have a vulnerable bone in their bodies. Laura was an intriguing mix of strength and vulnerability. She got to him, no question about it.

And, of course, there was the Misty situation. He couldn’t get that out of his head, either.

At three o’clock, knowing that classes were over, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in Laura’s cell number, which he’d managed to get from her during the first night they’d gotten together to discuss Misty. It rang several times before she answered.

“Sorry,” she apologized at once. “My phone was buried in my purse. I’m not used to listening for it.”

“It seems I have a habit of catching you off guard,” J.C. said.

“J.C.?”

“Ah, you recognize my voice now. Should I be flattered?”

“You could be, or I could claim I caught a glimpse of the caller ID.”

“Did you?”

“No, I was too busy trying to catch the call.”

“Look, my last appointment just canceled and I was wondering if you’d have time for coffee, maybe around four-thirty at Wharton’s?”

“You’re not even trying to bribe me with the good stuff?” she teased.

J.C. laughed. “I suppose I could try to wheedle a couple of cups out of Erik and we could go to the park.”

“That might be better than Wharton’s, and not just because of the coffee,” she said.

“The gossip,” he concluded.

“Grace is known for it. Revered, in fact. It might not be a good idea to give her any ammunition to feed the gossip mill.”

“Okay, then, I’ll meet you at the bench under our pin oak by the lake at four-thirty. Want anything to go with that coffee? If I’m going to be bribing Erik, I might as well go for broke.”

“Surprise me,” she said, surprising him.

She sounded much more lighthearted than she had on Saturday. Maybe he’d been worrying all weekend for nothing. It could be that she had the situation between Annabelle and Misty in hand by now.

“See you soon, then,” he said just as Debra opened his door and beckoned to him. “Gotta go. My next patient’s here.”

“I don’t suppose that was Laura Reed again,” Debra said as she walked down the hallway to the examination room with him.

“I don’t suppose it would be any of your business if it were,” he said lightly.

Her gaze narrowed. “And if I were to tell you that I was thinking of filling that open spot in the schedule at four o’clock?”

“I’d tell you not to do it,” he said, earning himself a smug look.

“I knew it,” she said triumphantly. “I suppose if I couldn’t fix you up with Jan, Laura’s not a bad substitute. I wouldn’t have pictured you with the quiet, shy type, though.”

“Because you never really knew a thing about my taste in women,” he reminded her. “You were just tossing candidates my way, hoping one would stick.”

“Well, I had to do something,” she countered. “A catch like you simply couldn’t be left swimming around all alone in the dating pool. It would have been a crime.”

“Says who?”

She gave him a wry look. “I think I speak for all the single women in Serenity.”

He laughed. “Stick to nursing, Debra. Go with your strength.”

“As if I asked for your advice.” She nodded toward the examination room door. “Johnny Taylor’s just fine, if you ask me. It’s his single mama who has a hankering for your special touch.” She grinned. “Not that you asked my opinion.”

“Duly appreciated, though,” J.C. said. Christine Taylor wouldn’t be the first single mother to drag a perfectly healthy child in for an unnecessary exam.

Ten minutes later, a beaming Johnny was on his way out with a cherry lollipop, and his disgruntled mother was paying a bill and trying to disguise her disappointment over J.C. showing not one single whit of interest in her.

J.C. grabbed his jacket off the back of his door and slipped out the side of the building. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the park with coffee and a piece of key lime pie he was hoping he could convince Laura to share with him. He’d brought two forks, just in case.

He found her sitting on the bench along the path near the tree but not under it. She had her face turned up toward the sun, her eyes closed.