He glanced around and waited for a woman with a tight gray perm to push her cart out of produce and into the dairy section. Loralee kept smiling, but her insides froze.
“My offer is still good for sharing any doctor recommendations you might need.”
“Yes,” she said. “How nice of you to remember.”
He looked at her closely for a moment before continuing. “If Rocky will be starting school here in the fall, he’ll need a physical and a doctor’s sign-off that he’s had all his shots. My practice does free school checkups the last week in July, which should give you plenty of time to get his current pediatrician to send over his medical records. There are lots of other pediatricians in the area, so feel free to check them out, too. Just wanted to give you the heads-up.”
“Thank you, Gibbes. I appreciate it.” She continued to smile, waiting for her insides to thaw.
“I know lots of other doctors in the area, too,” he went on. “You’ll probably want an internist or a GYN. A dentist. Whatever you need, I’m sure I know one I could recommend. Please don’t hesitate to let me know.” His voice was light, but his eyes held a serious glint. “You want to make sure that you’re under a doctor’s care, with your ulcers.”
“Yes, of course. Just give me a few more days to get settled and I’ll give you a call.”
He continued to look at her without speaking, and it was almost like they were daring each other to be the one to look away first.
Still studying her, he said, “I’m not on call this weekend and was planning on taking my boat out—maybe just to ride around in so you can check out your new home. We can fish next time. The invitation still stands if you and Rocky are interested.”
“He’ll love that—we’ll love it. Thank you. What should I bring? I’ll pack a picnic basket—there’s one in the pantry that looks like it’s still in good condition.”
“You don’t need to, but I have a feeling that you’re going to bring one anyway.”
She returned his smile, although it did nothing to melt the frozen spot inside her. “Can you ask Merritt to come with us again?”
He tilted his head, the way some people did when they couldn’t understand her accent. “I was under the impression that she’d rather sew her head to the carpet than spend any time in my company.”
She thought just for a moment, remembering what her mama had said about how it was always easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. “I think the reason she said no was not so much because of you, although I won’t lie and say that’s not part of it. It’s more about the boat. And the water in particular.”
He looked at her with dawning understanding and she hoped, just for a second, that he would understand enough so she wouldn’t have to say it out loud. Merritt was such a private person that she would probably turn to stone if she knew what Loralee was about to tell Gibbes. But Merritt needed somebody besides Loralee to know, and Loralee just didn’t have the time to wait the fifty or so years she imagined it would take Merritt to warm up enough to anybody to tell them herself.
“Merritt’s mother drowned. She and her mother were driving over a bridge in a storm at night, and the car went over. Sarah managed to get Merritt free, but Sarah died.”
Gibbes looked stunned for a moment, then nodded his head. “Ah. Well, that would explain why she wouldn’t want to go out on the water. And I can’t say I blame her.”
“I know. But I think if she gives it a chance, she’ll find the water is different here. It’s still the Atlantic, but down here—except during hurricanes, of course—the ocean seems so much more forgiving. It’s warmer, calmer; the colors are green and blue and not black and gray. Growing up in Gulf Shores, I always found the water to be a place of refuge and renewal.” She looked past him, through the sliding glass doors that showed blue sky outside, remembering. “When my own mama died, I spent a lot of time on the beach staring at the water until I learned what I was supposed to. And I did. I finally figured out that when the waves come ashore and wipe away all the footprints, it’s like God telling you that starting again is part of life. It saved me.”
“And you want to save Merritt?”
Loralee dipped her head, examining her gold metallic strappy sandals. They had been Robert’s favorites, and they made her happy when she wore them. With a strength of conviction that came from deep inside of her, she said, “We all need saving.”
“Good luck with that. Something tells me that Merritt isn’t the type who enjoys a good ol’ coffee klatch with her girlfriends.”