Gabriel. “Sorry. I talk to everything.”
“It happens.”
She got her own coffee and poured in the flavored creamer then set the container back in the refrigerator. She took a seat across from him and tilted her head.
“What else can I tell you?” she asked. “I have guilt about trying to attack you.”
“With an umbrella.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”
He liked how amusement danced in her blue eyes and the flash of teeth when she smiled. He wanted to keep her talking because the sound of her voice soothed him. A ridiculous claim, but there it was. What he couldn’t figure out was why. Why her? He was around women all the time. Other doctors, some of the nurses and techs, soldiers, administrators. But Noelle was different somehow.
“How long has Carter been around?” he asked.
“He showed up this past summer. His mom died about a year before that. He was in foster care with his best friend’s family. They’d made arrangements with Carter’s mom before her death, I think. But they started having marital trouble and he was going to have to go into the system. He didn’t have much to go on—his dad’s name and that he’d been in the military. But he found him and made his way here. I don’t think I could have been that resourceful at his age.”
“Me, either,” Gabriel admitted.
He cupped the mug with his good hand. The wound on his left palm throbbed in time with his heartbeat. If he were his own patient, he would tell himself to take something. That being in pain didn’t reduce the time to heal. But he also knew he wouldn’t listen. That he didn’t want the mental wooziness that was a side effect and that he was a long way from the threshold of what was unbearable.
“You know they’re getting married, right?” she asked. “Gideon and Felicia.”
“I’d heard.”
“There aren’t details yet. At least not that I know of, but I can’t see them waiting.” She paused and raised her mug. “I should probably warn you about her.”
“Felicia?”
Noelle nodded. “She’s really smart. However smart you’re thinking, you’re not even close. She’s beyond genius level, although I don’t know what that’s called. And she speaks her mind, which I adore, but it can surprise some people. She just flat out says what she thinks. So you don’t have to be subtle around her. Oh, and she’s super beautiful. If we weren’t friends, I’d have to hate her.”
The last statement was delivered cheerfully.
“You’re good at speaking your mind, too,” he said.
She shook her head. “Not really. I try to be honest. You know, not waste everyone’s time with game-playing. But it’s a tough habit to break. I’m not advocating being mean at all. That’s not right, either. But I think the world would be a better place if we all stuck a little closer to the truth.”
She paused and the corners of her mouth turned up. “I have no idea where that sermon came from.” She stood. “I should get back to my store before I start boring you with my theories on the meaning of life.”
“You have theories?” he asked as he rose.
“A few, but trust me, you don’t want to hear them. Anyway, I also need to get back to my store because in an effort to save money I hired part-time college students instead of full-time regular people.”
“College students aren’t regular people?”
“Not usually. And especially not when there’s a dusting of fresh powder up on the mountain. I live in fear of returning to my store and finding the door propped open and no one inside. Well, no one who works for me.” She paused. “It’s weird because the high school kids I’ve hired are really responsible. So I guess at nineteen they regress.”
He had no idea what she was talking about but that was okay. Just listening to her voice was soothing. He also appreciated the information about his family. A case could be made that he should have known it all himself, but
“It happens.”
She got her own coffee and poured in the flavored creamer then set the container back in the refrigerator. She took a seat across from him and tilted her head.
“What else can I tell you?” she asked. “I have guilt about trying to attack you.”
“With an umbrella.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”
He liked how amusement danced in her blue eyes and the flash of teeth when she smiled. He wanted to keep her talking because the sound of her voice soothed him. A ridiculous claim, but there it was. What he couldn’t figure out was why. Why her? He was around women all the time. Other doctors, some of the nurses and techs, soldiers, administrators. But Noelle was different somehow.
“How long has Carter been around?” he asked.
“He showed up this past summer. His mom died about a year before that. He was in foster care with his best friend’s family. They’d made arrangements with Carter’s mom before her death, I think. But they started having marital trouble and he was going to have to go into the system. He didn’t have much to go on—his dad’s name and that he’d been in the military. But he found him and made his way here. I don’t think I could have been that resourceful at his age.”
“Me, either,” Gabriel admitted.
He cupped the mug with his good hand. The wound on his left palm throbbed in time with his heartbeat. If he were his own patient, he would tell himself to take something. That being in pain didn’t reduce the time to heal. But he also knew he wouldn’t listen. That he didn’t want the mental wooziness that was a side effect and that he was a long way from the threshold of what was unbearable.
“You know they’re getting married, right?” she asked. “Gideon and Felicia.”
“I’d heard.”
“There aren’t details yet. At least not that I know of, but I can’t see them waiting.” She paused and raised her mug. “I should probably warn you about her.”
“Felicia?”
Noelle nodded. “She’s really smart. However smart you’re thinking, you’re not even close. She’s beyond genius level, although I don’t know what that’s called. And she speaks her mind, which I adore, but it can surprise some people. She just flat out says what she thinks. So you don’t have to be subtle around her. Oh, and she’s super beautiful. If we weren’t friends, I’d have to hate her.”
The last statement was delivered cheerfully.
“You’re good at speaking your mind, too,” he said.
She shook her head. “Not really. I try to be honest. You know, not waste everyone’s time with game-playing. But it’s a tough habit to break. I’m not advocating being mean at all. That’s not right, either. But I think the world would be a better place if we all stuck a little closer to the truth.”
She paused and the corners of her mouth turned up. “I have no idea where that sermon came from.” She stood. “I should get back to my store before I start boring you with my theories on the meaning of life.”
“You have theories?” he asked as he rose.
“A few, but trust me, you don’t want to hear them. Anyway, I also need to get back to my store because in an effort to save money I hired part-time college students instead of full-time regular people.”
“College students aren’t regular people?”
“Not usually. And especially not when there’s a dusting of fresh powder up on the mountain. I live in fear of returning to my store and finding the door propped open and no one inside. Well, no one who works for me.” She paused. “It’s weird because the high school kids I’ve hired are really responsible. So I guess at nineteen they regress.”
He had no idea what she was talking about but that was okay. Just listening to her voice was soothing. He also appreciated the information about his family. A case could be made that he should have known it all himself, but
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