Susan. The town got its name on the day he proposed to her.”
“Why’d they give it such a weird name?”
They drove around the far end of the park, afternoon sun glinting off the green-brown Guadalupe River. Kids were starting to fill the park, parents sitting on benches chatting.
“It was a little joke between Grandma Susan and Grandpa James.” Caine turned the cart down Rosebush Drive. “She said she came to Texas to explore the great Unknown. So when he asked her to marry him, he asked her to marry him and explore the Unknown right here on the banks of the Guadalupe.”
Micah and Caine laughed at the gagging sound coming from the back. “Mushy love stuff. Gross!”
“I’ll remind you of that in about ten years, little man,” Micah said. Caine pulled the cart to a stop in front of the big blue house that had been his home away from home before his parents sent him away.
Jax scrambled out. “Thanks for the ride, Uncle Caine. The Mayor Mobile is pretty cool. But not as cool as Uncle Gage’s motorcycle.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t get to ride on Uncle Gage’s motorcycle until you can drive, so enjoy the Mayor Mobile,” Micah said. “Go on inside. I want to talk to Uncle Caine for a few minutes.”
The boy sighed heavily before going inside, waving over his shoulder. Caine switched off the golf cart and twisted to face his friend, arm braced on the steering wheel. “Good to be home?”
“Yes.” Micah rubbed the back of his head in indecision, a habit he’d had since they were kids. “And no.”
Caine frowned. The tall gangly kid he’d known had filled out into a muscular, stoic guy with shadows in his eyes. Life had dealt them both a few shitty hands, but they’d come through it. “Well, our humble town might not be as busy as New York City, but if you ever need a guys’ night out, you know where to find me and Gage.”
“I’ll definitely hit you up for a game of pool down at the Fortune Saloon.” Micah glanced back at the house. “I love being a dad, but I miss talking to adults about something besides baked goods.”
Holding out his hand, Caine laughed as Micah went through the complicated hand motions they’d made up when they were seven. “It’s good to have you back, man. I’ve missed having you around.”
“Me too. Me too.”
Caine drove back toward Town Square feeling as if a small part of his life was shifting back into place. Nothing had felt right since he’d come back from the Caribbean and lost Mel, but things had started to shape up in the last year. He’d won the election, got to work with his brother every day, took care of the town their family had started. Now he had his best friend back in his life. Mel was even talking to him. Yup, things were definitely looking up.
#
Mel looked at the clock on her computer and cursed. If she didn’t leave now, she was going to be late meeting Gage for lunch at the Fortune River Cafe. To her delight, she’d actually had a busy morning for once. A stomach flu was making its way through the local middle school and Doc wasn’t in the office. There wasn’t much she could do except prescribe fluids, but at least she kept busy. She’d just been sending off an e-mail to a colleague back in Charlotte when she lost track of the time.
Standing up, she started toward the antique coat rack by the door to grab her bag when her desk phone started ringing. Glancing at her watch, she hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone. Hopefully it was Gage saying he was running late, too. “Unknown Clinic. This is Dr. Carr.”
“Aren’t you gone yet, bitch? You don’t belong here. Fuck off and get out of town.”
She slammed the receiver down, annoyance warring with wariness. That was the second such call she’d received. Apparently the surge in business over the last few days didn’t mean everyone in town was okay with her presence.
Snatching the purse off the rack, she hurried downstairs and out of the clinic. Shrugging
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