Practicing Partners (Maiden’s Bay #2)

Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

THE APARTMENT ABOVE Doc Bernie’s practice would more than suffice for Aubrie’s stay. However long that would be. It was a modest one-bedroom, with a decent-sized kitchen with white cabinets and an island for two stools, a living area with a sofa, television, and a desk. The light gray walls were sparsely decorated—framed abstract artwork, mostly swirls of muted colors. Something to give the room a finished feeling without committing to any theme.

Aubrie reveled in the hot shower, despite having taken a quick one this morning in the hotel outside Portland. She dried her hair and let it hang freely, her near-black locks reaching the top of her shoulder blades. Her bangs framed her face, the longer locks on the edges getting to the point of needing a trim. Admittedly, her hairstyle brought out the dark brown in her eyes and even darker eyelashes. She rarely wore mascara, and tonight was no exception. Just because it was a party didn’t mean she’d go all out.

Her stomach rumbled, and she finished getting ready with a pass of her compact powder, then threw on a gray rolled-sleeve blazer atop her cream blouse. She had under an hour before the start of the party, so she needed something within walking distance. Not knowing what the food situation would be at the party. Better safe than sorry.

She searched on her phone for a restaurant, and the top choice was a place down the main street in town. “Easy enough.”

She bounced down the stairs and out the door onto Pearl Avenue. The vanishing sun had turned the air cooler and damper, the kind of evening chill that would be too cold for what she was wearing in a month’s time. Maybe sooner.

She wasn’t used to living so close to the water. The air carried a faint, low-level background sound of waves rippling along the shore. A salty breeze would carry it by, and she couldn’t help but look at the water whenever the space between buildings afforded a glimpse.

Not much traffic rolled along the street as she walked north on the sidewalk. She took note of an ice cream place right next door, a tourist shop among other places, and most importantly a cafe and grocery store. Good to know where to get food.

She was half-tempted to grab something quick from Mariner’s Market to eat at the apartment, but the pink neon sign of her destination, Campy’s Bait and Bar, called out to her from across the street. Several cars stuffed into the gravel parking lot of the two-story building.

“Must be good.”

Music from the second story hummed louder as she walked up the white wooden stairs to the top floor. The first floor housed the bait shop, which if she thought about it too long, kind of grossed her out. Sure, she had seen plenty of blood and other human liquids and solids, but something about worms—crawly, squiggly worms—sent chills up her spine.

She expected a blast of overly-loud music when she entered from the front deck, but the chatter of customers overpowered it. Booths ran along the walls with a few free-standing tables here and there. The bar sat near the middle of the room, and Aubrie made a beeline for a free stool. She slung her purse on the back of the stool and rolled her blazer sleeves up further, above the elbows. The view through the windows in the back was well worth a visit to the place. The restaurant overlooked a dock, with a scattering of beautiful sailboats among commercial and recreational vessels. To the right stood the black-banned lighthouse, and past the dock, the open water. Only the tip of the sun was left, melting into the horizon.

“What can I get you?” a young, handsome man asked from behind the bar. He had a chiseled nose and friendly face, like her younger brother who never seemed to age. She noticed his nametag—Joel. He most likely wasn’t any older than her thirty years.

“Water with lemon and a menu, please.”

“You got it.” Joel handed her a menu and went to work on filling a glass with ice and water, topping it with a lemon wedge.

Aubrie didn’t particularly care for bar food. It wasn’t bad and did the job, but it usually wasn’t anything great, either. She kept it safe and ordered chicken tenders and sweet potato fries. Hard to go wrong there.

Her food came surprisingly quickly, and they were some of the best breaded tenders she had ever tasted. She was about to say so to Joel when commotion broke out near the front door.

A man had entered, and several people approached him. He shook their hands, his smile handsome and face even more so. There was a smoothness about him—a suaveness—he carried with his movements, his steps. His dark hair was magazine-worthy, and he exuded charm.

“Who is that? A movie star I don’t know about?”

Joel chuckled. “I believe that is a former local named Bran. I can’t be sure, though, since I haven’t seen him in a few years. Plus, it’s hard to get a good view with the crowd around him.”

“Someone well known in the community, then?”

Joel shrugged his shoulders. “Most people in Maiden’s Bay are well-known, whether they mean to be or not. I guess you can say it’s an event when someone returns after being gone for a while.”

“I’d say it is.” Aubrie returned to her meal, with a growing sense that the crowd was dissipating and the mystery figure was nearing. She all but buried her head in her dinner basket to avoid the stranger.

“Joel Reynolds.” The dark-haired man stuck out a hand to the bartender. “Finally taking over this place?”

“Already have. Brothers got downstairs and Harpeth Rose.”

“Oh, yeah? That thing still kicking, huh?”

“I don’t know about kicking. It’s floating, which I guess that’s all that matters.”

Aubrie met eyes with the stranger for a brief moment, his crystal blues piercing.

“What can I get you?” Joel asked.

“I’ll just have whatever local brew you have on tap.”

A woman appeared next to the man, her long hair dyed blonde and softly curled to perfection. The woman smiled at the man, his face eventually reading recognition.

“Macy, hey, how are you?”

Her smile turned serious. “Maybe you’d know if you ever called me back.”

“Yeah, about that—”

“Six months, Bran. We were together for half a year.”

Bran held up a hand in defense, but Macy kept it coming.

“I know that’s not forever, although maybe from your noncommittal perspective it was an eternity. But I deserved more respect than that. More than you cutting out of town without a goodbye.”

Bran nodded, trying what Aubrie saw as his best to look sorry. The two would make a visually perfect couple, though, that was certain.

“I know what I did was wrong. You see, I got that residency in Seattle. And I knew if I had told you about it, if I had come to see you before leaving, I wouldn’t have left at all. It would’ve been too hard to do it. But looking back, you’re entirely right. You deserved better. Can I make it up to you?”

Macy scoffed, shaking her head. “You always were a smooth talker.” She grabbed a cocktail napkin and nodded at Joel, who handed over a pen. The woman wrote down her phone number and handed it to Bran, who folded it before putting it in his pocket.

“Call me this time.” Macy locked eyes with him, and he nodded. She backed away from the bar, and Bran let out a sigh.

Joel handed Bran his beer, who took it with him to the pool tables on the other side of the bar.

“That was… interesting,” Aubrie said.

“To answer your question, yes. That’s definitely Bran.”

“I’ll try to steer clear of that drama while I’m here.”

“You in town a while?”

“Um.” Aubrie considered it a little too funny not knowing the exact answer. “That’s a good question. I’ve been hired by Doctor Jackson—Doc Bernie—to, uh….” Doc was supposed to announce his retirement plans at the birthday party tonight. Did that mean no one in town knew about it? Judging from what Joel was saying, the whole town probably already knew about it. But she wasn’t about to take away any satisfaction Doc expected with his announcement. “To help him out with the practice.”

“You’re a doctor, then?”

“I am.” She felt compelled to explain to him how she really didn’t have primary care physician experience, that her specialty was pediatric oncology, and this was all new—the practice, the people, the town. To have someone else to talk to about it other than her mother. Her younger brother and sister were busy with their own careers and dating and life in general. She hadn’t had the time to make friends, or if she did, to keep friends, working at the hospital.

“Well, that’s interesting.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, especially considering Bran—”

The dark-haired local celebrity returned, slipping between Aubrie’s stool and the next man over. She scooted a bit away from him.

“Did I hear you just say my name?” he said.

“What?” Joel played stupid.

“It was great, Joel.” Aubrie said it a little too loudly, helping out the bartender. “I was pleasantly surprised.”

Joel nodded and took the basket with the remnants of sweet potato fries. “Glad to hear it. Maybe it’ll bring you back to try out some of our specialties while you’re here. For however long that is.”

Aubrie smiled, trying not to glance at Bran.

“Let me get that.” Bran took out his wallet from his back pocket.

Aubrie did a double-take. “Are you referring to my bill?”

“Yes, I am.” Bran flashed a smile, an annoyingly dashing one.

“No, thanks. I’m perfectly capable of paying for myself.” She handed Joel a credit card, who would process it expeditiously if he knew what was good for him. Which he did, bless the man.

Bran held up both hands. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I simply thought that I may have disrupted your dinner. I doubt you came here wanting someone else’s relationship drama to interfere with an otherwise enjoyable meal.”

Joel returned with her card, and she signed the receipt.

Aubrie took a deep breath, contemplating how much she cared to engage with the man. “That’s okay. It’s nice of you to offer. But maybe save it for when you take her out to dinner?” She pointed to the blonde woman sitting at a nearby booth.

Bran looked over, then nodded. “Right.”

Joel covered his smirk with his arm, pretending to wipe his lip along his wrist.

Aubrie grabbed her purse. “Thanks, Joel. It was lovely meeting you, and have a nice evening.”

Joel signaled goodbye with a nod.

Aubrie weaved between the tables and out of the restaurant. She got the feeling Bran was the type of guy used to things going his way, and she didn’t exactly let that happen. Was it foolish of her to dismiss the offer? Bran seemed well-known in town, and if she were to stay here for a while, perhaps indefinitely, then it probably was not a good idea to get off on the wrong foot. In reality, though, how often would she see him?

Something about him rubbed her the wrong way. Like the one or two doctors she’d had to deal with in the hospital. A little overconfident, self-absorbed. Think they could win anyone over with their words and a flashy smile.

It’s not something she tolerated in her old life and not what she needed in her new one. Her do-over. Restart. Whatever she should call it.

No. She dealt with him politely enough.

She checked her phone for the time. Despite the deep desire to return to the apartment and veg out in front of the television until falling asleep, she knew that would be the wrong decision.

She had a party to attend.