Page 2 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

HENRY

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

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“Do you really have to go?” Mom’s grip was tight on my shoulders as she pulled away from our hug.

My temples pounded and everything felt like I was being repeatedly hit with a sledgehammer. “A patient called. I need to be back in Strawberry Springs as soon as possible.”

That was a lie. While I could probably find something to do, what I truly needed was to be home .

Since I’d visited this morning, I’d listened to Mom tell me her stories about her job as a nurse, ignoring the way her loud voice made me wince over time.

She couldn’t help it, especially since her hearing wasn’t what it used to be, so I smiled and dealt with it, counting down the minutes until I could leave.

To her, I was her perfect, smart doctor that she was proud of. Though she didn’t get why I chose small-town life over a higher-paying gig in the city, she loved me. And I loved her.

But she didn’t get me. There was a look she would wear whenever I was overwhelmed.

Her head would tilt to the side and she would frown.

She’d never understood it and I didn’t blame her.

She was from a different time when traits like mine were hidden.

Hell, I didn’t understand it until I was an adult.

Sometimes, I was grateful for her lack of understanding, for the way she’d push me to be better. I’d learned how to pretend to be normal for everyone else.

At least for a while.

My battery was low, though. And I knew better than to tell her that her loud speech about Nurse Janice had sent me over the edge.

“Work calls. I understand.” She pulled me into another hug, and my smile dropped for all of one second before she pulled away. “I’ll call you soon.”

“I look forward to it.” And I did. At least on the phone, I could turn down the volume.

The picturesque city street would be charming to some, but a siren a few roads over nearly sent me over the edge.

It was always like that here. More people meant more noise.

It was never quiet, even in a smaller city like this.

When I’d lived here, I found the little pockets of nature, hoping to find a quiet place.

Anywhere I’d found was temporary.

Thankfully, I was only a visitor. I was able to leave in the end, and once I had, my GPS couldn’t count down to zero fast enough.

As noise gave way to silence, my exhaustion fully hit me. My dress shirt was too tight and the ambient sounds of the highway were grating. I didn’t have the radio on, and not even my health and wellness podcast could pull me out of the mood I was in.

It didn’t help that I had to drive past the house where I had once spent a lot of my free time.

Ace’s house hadn’t changed much, even though he posted that he’d bought it from his parents.

The car in the driveway belonged to his wife Norah.

I knew that car because she had had it since high school, when I taught her how to drive it.

I’d been a different person then. I pushed myself more, desperate to keep up with all the things Ace did. I ignored it when things were too hectic and loud. And when I finally started to lose my cool and looked like a complete ass, it had pushed them away, toward each other.

With a sigh, I unbuttoned my shirt to give me room to breathe. The irritation I tried to hide waned. Silence continued on, feeling like a salve on my emotions as I got out of the city and returned home.

I checked the GPS some time later. I was twenty minutes out. Instead of buildings and other people surrounding me, there were fields of green. If not that, it was a tree-lined hillside. This was one of my favorite parts of the drive, where everyone else vanished and I was enveloped by the country.

It also meant I was close to home.

Then, in the distance, there was a red truck on the side of the road. One of the tires was flat, and the owner was kneeling, staring at it.

I slowed immediately. Was I too tired for this? Yes. Did I know how to change a tire? No. But if there was one thing I’d learned about small-town life, it was that you offered whatever help you could give. And if it meant I Googled how to change a tire, then that was what I did.

I pulled over behind the truck, trying to think of who in town owned that kind of vehicle. Most people here still believed the myth that red cars got pulled over the most, even though the sheriff didn’t even do traffic stops anymore unless there was a major infraction.

“Hey!” I called as I got out of my Honda. The sun was hot on my skin. Summer was going to be brutal this year. “Need some help?”

The person looked over at me and my heart stopped. This was not someone from Strawberry Springs.

The truck’s owner was a woman with strawberry-blonde hair tied back into a ponytail that glistened in the sun. Her green eyes were framed with light lashes and a smattering of freckles painted her face.

She eyed me up and down, and I resisted the urge to run and hide. I always tried not to appear imposing to women, but I wasn’t sure that was possible with her. She stood, and I realized she was almost my height. Maybe an inch or two shorter.

She was the prettiest woman I’d ever seen—I knew that without a shadow of a doubt. Though it was nearly impossible, the entire earth warmed up in her presence, and I was sure I was about to get burned if I stood too close to her.

“You from around here?”

Even her voice was incredible. Melodic.

“Y-yeah.”

She looked at her tire and at me. “I guess I got one heck of a welcome. I don’t think I’m lucky enough for this tiny town to have a tire shop.”

“Unfortunately, no. But there are a few people who can fix it if you ask nicely.”

She huffed out a laugh. “I’m not the biggest fan of asking for help. I’ve got this.” She walked around to the back of her truck and pulled down the tailgate. She cranked something, sending a spare down for her to grab.

“You know how to change a tire.” I said it like a fact.

She hummed. “It’s one of the best things anyone can know. You never know when you’ll need it. My dad taught me.”

“Do you at least need a ride somewhere?”

She sighed. “The only place I need to go is my friend’s house and then a tire shop.

The spare’ll work for the first thing, but the second is a little too far for friendly help from a stranger.

” Her hand ran over the treads of the flat tire before she leaned back down.

“Found it. I must’ve hit a nail. That’s ironic. ”

“Why’s it ironic?”

She stood and lifted the spare tire onto her shoulder like it was nothing. “I work in construction. It’s probably a miracle that I haven’t had this happen before, but it gives me a chance to figure out how to plug a tire.”

That was when I realized she was not only fucking gorgeous but also smart. Practical. Could fix all of her own problems.

And she was way, way out of my league.

In the time that I spent staring at her, she had loosened the lug nuts enough to get to the next step. She looked up at me from her crouched position.

“Need something?”

“Uh, no,” I said. “I was just ... Sorry. I just didn’t want you to be alone while fixing this.”

“I’m sure no one else will come by, but thanks.”

It was a clear dismissal, even to me. I shifted on my feet. I wanted to stay to make sure she was able to get back on the road, but I also wanted more time to talk to her. A woman like her didn’t show up in a town like this that often. I wondered if I would ever even see her again.

“Still. Moral support and all that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not watching to see if I mess this up?”

My eyes widened. “What? Why would I do that?”

“I’m changing a tire. I’m a woman.”

“Clearly you’re a woman ... I still don’t understand what the implication is.”

Her lips pursed and she got onto her stomach in order to position the portable jack under the truck. “It’s not a typical job a woman does. And a lot of guys like to make sure it’s done right or whatever.”

Horror dawned on me. “N-no, absolutely not! You obviously know more than I do. I’m just here because ...” I trailed off. If I were being honest, I didn’t want to leave. But a woman who was alone changing a tire being watched by a man who didn’t want to leave? Yeah, that didn’t seem the best.

“Because what?” She got back onto her feet and removed all of the lug nuts with ease and finesse.

“We take care of people here,” I finished. “It’s pretty rude to leave someone stranded on the side of the road before making sure they can get somewhere. It’s like driving off before the person gets into their house.”

She paused to look up at me and then back down to the tire. “Been a while since I’ve been around people who do that.”

I put my hands in my pockets to keep myself from fiddling with the sleeve of my shirt. “Let me be the first to say welcome.”

She huffed out a laugh and pulled off the popped tire. “Thanks. Mind being useful and holding this?”

She rolled it to me. I grabbed it and held it still. “See? I have a use other than just standing here.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry I doubted you.” She put the spare in place. It took her barely any time at all to get it on the truck. Then she lowered the vehicle.

The muscles on this woman. Construction had done a lot for her.

“I think I’ve got it now. Thanks for hanging out with me.”

“Need to go far to see your friend?”

“Thankfully, no. I should be good now.”

I wanted to ask where she was going, but she was already hopping in her truck before I could even open my mouth.

“Have a nice day!” I managed to say before she shut the door.

She peered out, hair glowing in the late afternoon sun. “My day was pretty bad, but it got better for just a little bit.” Her eyes met mine and she smiled. “I appreciate you stopping, kind stranger. And being my bodyguard.”

I was pretty sure my heart stopped at the sight alone, so I stood there like a fool and watched as she drove off.

I adjusted my glasses. That ... could have gone better. I was usually so much better at socializing, but I was way too tired to get words right.

My mind still circled back to her as I pulled into town. I could see her so clearly in my mind’s eye, and I wondered if I’d seen her somewhere before.

Finally, I pulled into my driveway. I lived near downtown Strawberry Springs in a two-story home with a decent-sized backyard, only a few streets away from the square.

It was nothing compared to some of the land the other people in town owned, but it was close enough to the clinic that I could walk on nice days, and had enough land for me to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes.

The city center here was nothing like I was used to.

There were hardly ever visitors, save for the farmers market when it came through on Saturdays, and usually, people took the direct route in.

There were hardly any sirens and most of the residents respected each other enough not to rev engines or be loud while on the streets.

The longer I stayed, the more I loved it.

The spring air was warm. I’d enjoyed it more than usual since Bennie Grove Farm had opened back up. I still had frozen strawberries from Mollie that I could use in smoothies. I always liked to grow plants, but seeing her work pay off made me want to plant even more.

My thing was with flowers, though. Ever since I bought my house, I’d added more and more to my yard.

I loved to find the meaning of each bloom.

When I first moved here, I’d go for a plant that corresponded with some other part of my life.

I’d gotten white lilies to symbolize new beginnings, potted lavender for serenity, and bluebells after I made a mistake at the office for humility.

Over the years, I’d gotten more that didn’t have a connection to my life, though I knew each and every one of their meanings.

No matter how tired I was, checking in on all of my plants was a part of my routine.

I eyed the few remaining tulips, and then went to the back to ensure there were no weeds in the other plants.

I had already gone to a greenhouse out of town to get everything I needed, and all I had to do was wait for them to fully bloom.

I loved taking care of things. So much so that it had even expanded to the rest of the town. The pots and the fairy lights were my work, and it kept me busy.

After I made sure everything was in order, I took off my shoes at the door and checked on the seedlings I’d been bringing up. Then I showered, changed my clothes, and finally flopped on my bed.

Tomorrow, it would all start again when I woke up. I would make a smoothie, water the plants that needed it, and go into the office to keep the people in town healthy. Everything was exactly as I expected. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It was a comfort zone, one that I held on to tighter than anything else.

The last bit of tension left my body as I took a deep breath.

Being alone might have been boring at the end of the day, but it made sure that everything went exactly as expected.

And if I wanted to be the kind doctor who everyone knew, who everyone liked , it needed to stay that way.