people here could not afford. A couple of people have run the numbers but the bottom line wasn’t good.”
“But is there a day care?” Devon asked.
Right at that moment a young woman entered the office holding the hands of two preschoolers. She was welcomed warmly and Dr. Grant came from the back to greet them. He seemed very happy to see them; he picked up the little girl and ruffled the little boy’s hair.
“The doctor’s children,” Lou explained. “Very cute. They’re three and four. And yours is...?”
“My daughter is three,” she said. “Right now she’s fishing off the dock with Rawley.”
“Day care, you asked,” Lou reminded her. “There are a couple of women in town who babysit in their homes for working parents, but no official day care center. People tend to rely on friends, neighbors and family for that sort of thing. Will you be looking for a sitter?”
“If I manage to find a job, I will,” she said. “How long have you lived here?” Devon asked Lou.
“Here? A little over four years, but I grew up not far from here in Coquille and lived there all my life until Mac took this assignment. As I’m sure you’ve been told, he’s the law in this little town—Sheriff’s deputy with a few other deputies that work for him. It’s a little office, right next door. I’ll be honest—I didn’t want to move, but I’m glad I did. I love the school where I teach and I’ve made good friends.”
“I don’t suppose they’re looking for a kindergarten teacher?”
Lou put a hand on hers. “Not that I know of, sweetheart. But there are a lot of schools in other towns not too far away.”
“I’ll have to call around. I’ve been at Rawley’s house for almost two weeks. I’d better either find a job or move on.”
“Where would you go?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Not back to Seattle?”
“No. I don’t have any family there anymore. I think it’s time for a fresh start. Somewhere.”
“A fresh start as a single mom,” Lou said with a warm smile. “How exciting!”
Devon felt her stomach clench. “Exciting?”
“Yes, exciting!”
Devon just shook her head. “I don’t know. My future looks pretty uncertain right now. And before my daughter came along, I had some pretty lean times....”
“In my life, there seemed to have been cycles—for five to ten years things were up, then followed a long struggle, then things would swing up again. Up and down. I don’t think life is very consistent. But the secret is knowing there’s no limit to the number of times you can reinvent yourself!”
* * *
As the little doctor’s office got busier and more crowded, Devon excused herself and told Sarah she wanted to walk around the town a bit and would be back.
It wasn’t a new or highly polished town, but it was pretty. Devon walked down the sidewalk in one direction then crossed the street and went the other way. She passed lots of small shops, taking note of a store that sold secondhand clothes. There were pots of geraniums hanging from lampposts, window boxes holding roses, and while some of these stores had peeling paint, others looked freshly scrubbed and painted. She peeked inside the diner, an old-fashioned establishment with booths and counter stools. All that seemed missing was a jukebox. She headed down the street toward the marina.
All she had seen from Cooper’s was a marina with some boats, but it was so far across the beach she wasn’t sure what kind of boats there were or how many there were. She was surprised to see big fishing boats, trawlers, sailboats, crabbers. She walked down the street that led to the boat launch and dock. There was a big restaurant at the west end of the marina.
She felt the beach pulling her. It was like seeing a movie from her former life. There was a woman jogging down the beach, reminding Devon she used to love running. She ran track in high school. She saw a volleyball net set up down the beach and a few
“But is there a day care?” Devon asked.
Right at that moment a young woman entered the office holding the hands of two preschoolers. She was welcomed warmly and Dr. Grant came from the back to greet them. He seemed very happy to see them; he picked up the little girl and ruffled the little boy’s hair.
“The doctor’s children,” Lou explained. “Very cute. They’re three and four. And yours is...?”
“My daughter is three,” she said. “Right now she’s fishing off the dock with Rawley.”
“Day care, you asked,” Lou reminded her. “There are a couple of women in town who babysit in their homes for working parents, but no official day care center. People tend to rely on friends, neighbors and family for that sort of thing. Will you be looking for a sitter?”
“If I manage to find a job, I will,” she said. “How long have you lived here?” Devon asked Lou.
“Here? A little over four years, but I grew up not far from here in Coquille and lived there all my life until Mac took this assignment. As I’m sure you’ve been told, he’s the law in this little town—Sheriff’s deputy with a few other deputies that work for him. It’s a little office, right next door. I’ll be honest—I didn’t want to move, but I’m glad I did. I love the school where I teach and I’ve made good friends.”
“I don’t suppose they’re looking for a kindergarten teacher?”
Lou put a hand on hers. “Not that I know of, sweetheart. But there are a lot of schools in other towns not too far away.”
“I’ll have to call around. I’ve been at Rawley’s house for almost two weeks. I’d better either find a job or move on.”
“Where would you go?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Not back to Seattle?”
“No. I don’t have any family there anymore. I think it’s time for a fresh start. Somewhere.”
“A fresh start as a single mom,” Lou said with a warm smile. “How exciting!”
Devon felt her stomach clench. “Exciting?”
“Yes, exciting!”
Devon just shook her head. “I don’t know. My future looks pretty uncertain right now. And before my daughter came along, I had some pretty lean times....”
“In my life, there seemed to have been cycles—for five to ten years things were up, then followed a long struggle, then things would swing up again. Up and down. I don’t think life is very consistent. But the secret is knowing there’s no limit to the number of times you can reinvent yourself!”
* * *
As the little doctor’s office got busier and more crowded, Devon excused herself and told Sarah she wanted to walk around the town a bit and would be back.
It wasn’t a new or highly polished town, but it was pretty. Devon walked down the sidewalk in one direction then crossed the street and went the other way. She passed lots of small shops, taking note of a store that sold secondhand clothes. There were pots of geraniums hanging from lampposts, window boxes holding roses, and while some of these stores had peeling paint, others looked freshly scrubbed and painted. She peeked inside the diner, an old-fashioned establishment with booths and counter stools. All that seemed missing was a jukebox. She headed down the street toward the marina.
All she had seen from Cooper’s was a marina with some boats, but it was so far across the beach she wasn’t sure what kind of boats there were or how many there were. She was surprised to see big fishing boats, trawlers, sailboats, crabbers. She walked down the street that led to the boat launch and dock. There was a big restaurant at the west end of the marina.
She felt the beach pulling her. It was like seeing a movie from her former life. There was a woman jogging down the beach, reminding Devon she used to love running. She ran track in high school. She saw a volleyball net set up down the beach and a few
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