A Man to Believe In. Kathleen Pickering

to see who they’d become.

      A familiar ache rose in her chest. She and Kyle had discussed having three, maybe four, if they could have afforded it. After losing him, she seldom visited those tucked-away dreams, except when with the twins. Their sweet faces reminded her of how rewarding child-rearing could be. Ellen and Doc were proof. These girls kept Doc young, and Ellen managed to remain a stay-at-home mom, which she had always wanted, while keeping her finger on her career by continuing to tutor.

      Amanda slid from her lap. Marrianna followed and slung an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “We’ll win again this year, too.”

      “Have you decided what you want to build?”

      The girls looked at each other then spoke in tandem. “Mermaid twins.”

      Cassie snapped her fingers. “I like that idea.”

      “Jenny and her brothers are building a big castle, and a village around it,” Amanda said.

      Marrianna added, “We want to do something different. Mom says we should practice some to make them perfect.”

      Cassie nodded. “Makes sense. Sounds like we’ll be getting up early.”

      “Will you bring donuts like last year?”

      “Of course. Juice boxes and carrots, too.”

      Marrianna wrinkled her nose. “Don’t need carrots.”

      Amanda held up a hand. “Maybe sardines and crackers?”

      Cassie laughed. These kids were true beach bums. Just like their Mom. Cassie and Ellen always brought sardines and crackers with their snacks and drinks on long beach days. A tin of sardines wouldn’t go bad in the heat, like a sandwich would, and offered great protein and needed salt after a good workout in the surf. Since they didn’t mind drinking warm water and brought cherries or apples, nuts and cookies or nature bars, their choices eliminated the need for a cooler. That the twins wanted sardines for a meal always had Ellen and Cassie grinning at each other for passing along a tradition.

      Ellen set the lattes on the table. “Spoke with John earlier. I heard his new nurse arrived by ambulance with you in tow. Is that the hot topic we’re about to discuss?”

      “What makes you think it’s hot?”

      “You have a twinkle in your eye.”

      “Mom, can we have an ice pop?” Amanda spoke for her sister as well, both showing anticipation in their sweet faces.

      “Sure, honey. Help yourselves. Sit at the table to eat them.”

      The girls peeled the wrappers off the pops. “Can we go on the swings?”

      Ellen pointed to the pink baseball caps hanging on pegs next to the door. “Of course. Put on your hats to protect those gorgeous noses from the sun.”

      Through the glass door, Cassie watched the girls run to the swings, hats on, pops in hand, their opened hoodies flying behind them. She shook her head. “Oh, to be so carefree.”

      “What? You carrying the world on your shoulders?”

      Cassie blew on her latte, then sipped. “Mmm. Yum.”

      Ellen watched Cassie from over her cup. “Something bothering you?”

      “No.”

      “You thinking about this morning?”

      Cassie put her mug down. “Yes, but it’s not what you think.”

      “What am I thinking?”

      “You’re thinking a new guy is in town so he becomes a prospect for me.”

      “Do you like him?”

      Cassie met her friend’s gaze. “I feel a bit guilty because he crashed his truck because of me.”

      “Really?” From the look on her face Doc had told Ellen more than she was saying.

      “I think Doc is concerned I’ll fool around with this one and he’ll quit like the intern from last year.”

      Ellen grinned. “I heard there was something about deer involved in your meeting.”

      “He’s a good-looking man. We were smiling at each other without knowing who each person was. He didn’t see the deer until too late.”

      “I’m getting the picture here.”

      Cassie held up both hands. “No. You’re not, Ellen. If you witnessed an accident where the patient was rendered unconscious you would have stayed involved, too.”

      Ellen nodded. “You’re right.”

      “I ended up spending most of the day with him because one thing led to another. I’d just left him at the Oceanside when you pulled up behind me. He’s a bit aggressive, and I don’t like that. We’ll probably get along fine working together, but I have no intention of dating him.”

      “John says he seems like a nice enough guy to match his qualifications.”

      Nice enough? He was charming as hell and so damned gorgeous he made her salivate. But none of that mattered because she was not getting involved. Cassie shrugged. “Saw his résumé. Now I’ve met him. He’s pleasant. Easygoing. Let’s see how he does under pressure. Paper qualified means nothing if you can’t perform under fire. Who knows why he left his first job? Only time will tell.”

      * * *

      PETER COULDN’T BELIEVE he’d slept away the rest of the day on Tuesday, and most of yesterday. When he woke up late yesterday afternoon, he’d felt more than rested. And the first person to cross his mind was Cassie Michaels. Wouldn’t it have been nice to wake up one more time with her watching him?

      Sheesh. He needed to get a grip. It had been way too long since he dated. Now he was full of energy, ready to roll and upset for wasting a day. He’d spent most of today walking around town, or grabbing taxis to check out apartments for rent. He hadn’t realized when he scoped out rentals during the winter that even though it was spring, the summer season prices had kicked in. Finding decent housing at a reasonable price was proving impossible. He mentally kicked himself for not securing a place before arriving. Today, he had way too much on his plate to be thinking about a beautiful woman.

      The taxi dropped him off at the repair station. He’d slept through Mike’s call yesterday. Mike was sitting at the service counter, wolfing down a sub, when Peter walked in.

      “Hey, Mike. Thought I’d stop in since I missed your call.”

      Mike wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “Hi, Pete. Got good news and bad news.”

      The men shook hands. “Okay. Bad news first.”

      “The radiator needs to be replaced. Waiting for the parts and repair will take you late into next week. I’m sorry, man.”

      Peter held up a hand. “No worries. Expected as much. So what’s the good news?”

      Mike slid a sheet toward him. “Insurance will pay for all of it, minus the deductible.”

      “That is good news.” He pulled out his wallet. “Let me pay that now, so you can order the parts and we can get moving on this.”

      Mike grinned. “Already ordered the parts. You might be new here, but you’re part of Doc’s team. Makes you family, hands down.”

      Peter appreciated being accepted without having to prove himself. “I knew from the minute I drove into town that I would like this place.”

      “Hey, nurses are like heroes, man.” Mike shuddered. “I can’t take looking at blood, let alone fixing someone up. That’s the good thing about cars. They don’t bleed.”

      Peter laughed. “Well, you’ll have to let me buy you a beer sometime.”

      “Sure! I know this hole in the wall