Chapter 3

"So… if you're up for it, wanna come with me?" He glanced at his watch before returning his gaze to hers. "Gotta go in a few to make it on time, either way." But his tone was anything but nonchalant, even hopeful if Aiden was honest. A slow smile crossed her lips and she shoved an errant lock of hair from her face, already feeling a little flicker of excitement at the prospect of spending some solo time with Mitch, as well as seeing Jessie again. It hadn’t been too long; Jessie had dropped in for a weekend a few months before, and Aiden had visited her in Chicago a few months before that. Jessie and her parents were only a few of those she’d stayed consistently in touch with. But it was the first time they were both back home at the same time in ages and, combined with the hours-long ride before her, it was a no-brainer.

“I’d love to.” She stood up slowly, making sure her lightheadedness had passed, only to find he’d already stood and taken her arm anyway.

“Easy,” he urged, making sure she was steady on her feet before they both headed for the door. “Can’t say I’m disappointed,” he said with a wink, making her breath hitch just the slightest, making her do her best not to read too much into it... or the feel of his strong, capable hand gentle on her bare skin. “And don’t worry,” he added, as she bent to grab her handbag with her good hand. “I’m sure you and Jessie can get in plenty of beach time over the next few days. Just like old times.”

Aiden laughed, for the first time that morning feeling carefree and in her element, elated at the sheer luck of the timing. All of them, Jessie, Mitch, herself, and some other long time friends had practically made a career out of life by the shore, taking full advantage of Adelaide’s cottage being right on the water with its own private little stretch of beach, and grateful for every moment. It could prove all too easy to fall back into that breezy rhythm. “Keep talking like that and I might have to extend this trip into the whole summer.”

He flashed her a grin as he opened the passenger door to his car - the same old Jeep he’d had since high school, the one that had belonged to his Dad before that, she remembered with yet another flutter of nostalgia as she thanked him and slid into the seat. “Would that be the worst thing ever?” he asked, half teasing again, half serious, tugging another smile to her lips in response.

“Maybe, maybe not,” she answered as she slid her sunglasses back over her eyes with a bit of a smirk. “Depends on if you’re asking me, or my checking account.”

That elicited a laugh as Mitch hopped into the driver’s seat and smoothly started up the old Cherokee before they both buckled up. “Man, I can’t believe you’ve still got this old beast on the road.” The awe was clear in her voice, no trace of teasing to be found. She remembered well just how much it had meant to him to be given the Jeep on his 16th birthday, the pride he’d taken in it before he even started driving. How every Saturday morning, he’d carefully and lovingly washed and waxed the old Blue Monster, without fail, to work against the effects of the ever-present sand and salt. It had paid off, too; the thing looked almost mint. “How are your parents doing, anyway? I feel like it's been an age since I had a good long conversation with your Mom.”

“Enjoying retirement,” he replied, shaking his head as they eased onto the road. “For a guy who swore he’d never quit the practice, Dad's sure having a great time without it. They’re home for the rest of the summer before jetting off on a European tour for an entire month. They just got home from Yosemite a few weeks ago.”

“Wow. That’s different. They always seemed like such homebodies to me.”

“Me too, but I see now it wasn’t always by choice, you know? Dad didn’t have a good sense of work-life balance as it was, so that didn’t help. But even when you do, its hard to get away long enough to be worth it.” He shrugged, trailing off, as they headed down the little main street that made up most of the social hub of Pebble Point. Most places were still closed that early in the morning, with the eternal exception of a few beach-gear shops and rentals, right along with an already packed Keisha’s Diner pumping its alluring southern-fried, greasy-breakfast-goodness into the air.

“That makes sense,” Aiden replied, giving a nod. She could absolutely relate to that, to the inability to get away from a job you actually like, one that sucks you in without warning or care for any of your vague future plans. “I take it you’re still finding your feet with the practice?”

“You could say that,” he agreed. “It’s only been about a year.”

She nodded again, settling back and resting her injured hand palm-up on her knee. “But you’re taking a few days for yourself, that’s gotta count for something, right?”

"It does. I kind of made it a point to build some time in, no matter what. Dad and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye on that, though. Or on a few other decisions I've made about the practice, for that matter." He gave a bit of a shrug, but the fleeting, troubled look on his features hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Like what? If that's not too nosey a question, I mean," Aiden added quickly, giving him an out as well as an attempt to gloss over an awkward question she hadn't meant to let slip out quite so fast.

He gave a slightly hollow laugh and shook his head. "It's not. It's nothing secret, anyway. But, essentially, boundaries. I joined the practice to a regional health network which does a few things - it gives me a set schedule, it sets me up with a privately-managed on-call instead of everyone having my personal number, and it lets me take a few days off here and there because I have someone to cover me. He thinks I've sold my soul to the insurance companies. And maybe in a way I did, but there's more to it than what's in it for me. It's also good for my patients in the long run. Until there's some kind of national healthcare, this works so much better for them. People can get referred to specialists, or for surgery, much faster because all the medical professionals in the network are already approved for their insurance. And I have a plan and fund in place for people who don't have coverage or coverage that falls short, too."

"Selling your soul seems a little dramatic, Mitch. It sounds like you're doing everything right and working with what you’ve got while still taking care of your patients. Everyone deserves some time off... Boundaries are important, too. I didn't realize everyone in town had your dad's number. Eesh."

He nodded as he merged the Jeep onto the entrance ramp to the highway, the old truck smoothly kicking up it's speed with well-oiled ease as he shifted gears. "Oh yeah, small town doc thing, I guess. During flu and RSV season, especially, the phone would ring off the hook some nights. She took awhile to get there, but Mom was at her wits' end with him. Let's just say the Christmas before last was tense. I'm pretty sure she gave him an ultimatum." His mouth pulled up at one corner in a half-smirk as a scoffing sound huffed past his lips. "To be honest, I'm surprised it took her that long," he half-muttered.

"Woaaaah," Aiden said before letting out a long, low whistle. "Go Momma Cynthia, I guess? That's crazy. I didn't think that was her style, but I guess getting that fed up will do some things to a person."

"Yeah, seriously. He ended up announcing his anticipated retirement that January and I took over right after I finished up my residency. He stayed on awhile to get me up to speed… and, I suspect, to try and make sure I kept things the way he wanted them. But Mom nipped that in the bud fast and started booking them on trips." He laughed and shook his head. "She waited that long to enjoy life with him, but I was and am grateful for the assist, no matter her motivation."

Aiden shot him a grin at that. "I'm sure. Your dad always has been 'just so' about a lot of stuff. I can imagine it's been hard for him to let go and stay out of your hair."

"You got that right. But he's getting a little better about it… for the most part. It helps that they're busy all the time. Even when they’re home. Mom’s even got him looking over active adult community brochures; you know, the places with golf, and pickle ball courts, bocchi clubs… stuff like that,” he said with a fresh laugh.

“You think they’ll move?” Aiden asked, surprised at both the prospect and the unexpected twinge of sadness somewhere deep in her middle. Jessie and Mitch’s house had been like a second home for her, with Cynthia looking after her just as carefully and lovingly as she had her own children. She’d spent many nights sleeping over when Nan had had to be away, and countless days, too, at the house just a few blocks from the beach. Aiden's mother and Cynthia had been best friends, too, so it was all but a given.

Mitch gave her a sidelong, curious look and a slight shrug. “Who knows? It’ll be the end of an era, though, if they do. We had a lot of great times there…”

“Yeah it will, and yeah… we did, didn’t we?” A smile on her lips covered the pain at the thought of how those good times had slowed down to a trickle before they dried up, at how another piece of her childhood was starting to slip away. A sigh was hefted and she glanced out the window, trying to quell the emotions warring for prominence as she got lost, for a few moments, in her thoughts.

“We did,” he agreed softly, taking her uninjured hand in his, though his eyes stayed trained on the road for a long beat. At last, he cleared his throat and glanced at her again. "Penny for your thoughts?" But he didn't move his hand away, a move that stirred up a little flutter of delight.