Page 19

My taxi driver made the sign of the cross which struck me as both odd and comforting.

“Anthony and Dr.Martin helped Juliana.She’s in college now, down in San Diego.Studying to be a doctor.Well, she’ll be applying next year for med school.She’s so smart.I’m sure she’s going to get in.”He turned right, and the appearance of the houses changed.

Were we leaving Riverside?Of course we were—the hospital was beyond the borders of my little part of Gaynor Beach.“You’re very proud of your daughter.That’s…nice.”

He caught my gaze in the mirror.“Every parent should be proud of their child.Well, unless their child is a criminal or something.”He waved the hand not gripping the steering wheel.“We can debate whether nature or nurture is a thing, but we’re almost there.”

Can we?Debate about nature versus nurture?Because I sure didn’t turn out the way anyone in my world had wanted me to.

But that was a conversation for another time.We pulled into the parking lot and he cut the meter as he came alongside the main entrance.“That’s five dollars.”

I pointed to the meter.“That says nine.”

“First-time discount.”

I was one hundred percent certain that wasn’t a thing.But four dollars I could spend on something for Wally had me handing him a five-dollar bill and four quarters for a tip.

“You’re a good young man.”He snagged a card from a holder.“You keep this.Call anytime you need me.My name is Carlos.”He held out his hand.

I shook it.“I’m Phillip.”

“Good name.And your boyfriend?”

“I…uh…”

“Oh, sorry.Assumption on my part.”He pressed a hand to his chest.“Sorry.”

“His name is Jeremy.He’s not my boyfriend.Just a neighbor taking care of my dog.”

“Nice neighbor.Gaynor Beach has lots of friendly neighbors.”

“But I am gay, though.”Somehow, despite that being very personal information, I was compelled to say it out loud.If this obviously religious man had a lesbian daughter he adored and spoke glowingly of, then the least I could do was own my queerness.

“Good town to be gay in.”He grinned.“You’ll be fine.”

“How do you know I’m new?”

“I know everything.Now, go see Dr.Martin.Very good man.”

I exited the taxi feeling slightly disconcerted, but quite reassured.I didn’t want to make a ripple in town.Just quietly settle in and do…whatever I was meant to do.The problem was that I didn’t know what that was.

As I entered the hospital, I nearly barreled into a blond god wearing the most adorable pink scrubs.

“Oh, hey.”He offered a lopsided grin.“I was hustling to get outside on my break and wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Stepping from the bright outside to the dark inside had skewed my vision as I’d headed in.“Also my mistake.”

He gave me a huge smile.“I’m Jay.”

“Uh…Phillip.”I frowned.“You always just randomly introduce yourself?”

“To nice people I almost knock over?Yes, absolutely.I’m a nurse in the ER, and I work with a Canadian doctor.His friendliness, and his penchant for apologizing all the time has rubbed off.”He cocked his head.“You know where you’re going?”

I winced.“That obvious?”

He shrugged.“Not everyone’s been here before.And not everyone comes through the ER, so I shouldn’t assume?—”

“New in town.First time here.Seeing Dr.Martin.”Because why not tell everyone I met that I was off to see the resident psychiatrist?