Page 21 of Heart of a Hero

“That’s great. Benji will be there, as well.”

“I was going to take care of some shopping while the girls had practice, but I’ll see you when I drop them off and pick them up. And Saturday night?” She was unable to disguise the hope in her voice.

“How about I pick you up at six? Do you like Mexican?”

“God, yes!”

“Let’s eat at Delicias Mexican. They’ve got great food and booths instead of tables. It should make it easier for conversation.”

“That sounds perfect, Mark.”

“All right, I’ll see you on Saturday morning when you drop the girls off, and Karen, I’m very excited about seeing you Saturday evening.”

“I feel the same way.” They said goodbye, and then she smiled. Sliding under the covers, she rolled over, and her gaze moved to the framed photograph of her and Jeffrey on the nightstand. Reaching her hand out, she traced her forefinger over his face. Then sighing, she rolled over and fell asleep, dreaming about the weekend.

10

Karen walked into work, her smile still in place. After fixing her coffee, she placed the cup on her desk and settled in her chair to look at her schedule now that she had reviewed the new patient files. A woman was coming home from a hospital and rehab stay after complications from her spinal fusion surgery. A man was being discharged from a long rehab after a stroke. And a teenage athlete was transitioning to home after suffering a severe neck injury during a game.

She pressed her lips together. And tomorrow night, I’ll have my first date with someone I’m really interested in. She had only gone out a few times since Jeffrey’s death. The first date rolled to the front of her mind. She’d met him through a grief group before moving to the Shore. Instantly, she knew the date was a mistake. She had wanted an adult dinner with someone she could talk to, and he was looking for a ready-made mother for his three children. She feltwife replacementwas what he saw on the menu. A shudder ran through her. There were a few others, but she’d found no spark.

Since then, she’d moved to the Shore and was busy with work, the girls, and enjoying just being a mom. But now… the thought of tomorrow’s date with Mark?—

“Good morning!”

Her head jerked up before she laughed as Selma walked in.

“Lordy, girl, you were deep in thought.”

Karen shook her head. “I didn’t realize how much I had zoned out.”

“I would ask if everything was okay, but you had a smile on your face.”

Unable to stop her smile from widening, she looked at Selma, who gasped.

“Are you going out on a date? ’Cause I can only think of one thing that would put that kind of smile on your face besides your girls!”

Nodding, she replied, “Yes, I am. Mark Robbins, one of the county detectives, has asked me out.”

She heard a noise in the lobby of someone coming in and quickly begged, “Please don’t say anything to anyone.” Seeing Selma’s raised eyebrows, she hurried to explain. “It’s a first date, and it could end in disaster. I’d rather other people not know. If it eventually leads to more dates, it’s fine to become public, but something is so unnervingly vulnerable and personal about a first date.”

“Absolutely, Karen,” Selma whispered, leaning forward as she emphatically nodded. “I understand.”

Soon, the staff was in their weekly meeting. After reviewing the ongoing, upcoming, and recently discharged patients, she moved the meeting to budget items.

“I’ll be glad if we get a raise soon, and it doesn’t have to be much ’cause by the time taxes and all the other things get taken out, it leaves me with very little,” Selma claimed. “My son is now twenty-one years old, and I swear that boy can’t hold down a job. He’s all about what’s easy and what he can get for nothing. He’s always asking about some of the richer people around here, wondering what they do to make money, and then he claims hecan make money just sitting in front of his computer all day. He’ll be the death of me!”

Rick groaned. “My twin boys graduate and had better get scholarships ’cause I don’t have the money to pay for them to go full-time at a big college. My wife and I sat them down the other day and explained that they would need to start at the community college and live at home. One seemed okay with that, but the other said he’d work to make up for the cost difference. How he thinks bagging at the Food King will bring in enough money, I don’t know.”

“At least he has a work ethic!” Selma said. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with James!” She shook her head, her dark curls sprinkled with gray bouncing with the movement. “He’s always talking big. Got himself a girlfriend now and gave her a ring. A big, ole ruby ring… or at least he claims it’s a ruby. Says he got it cheap at a pawn shop. But he spent money on it he shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t know, Rick,” Patrick said. “I’ve still got student loans from PT school that I’m paying off. My wife and I have let her brother rent out the small room over the garage to bring in a little more money and make it easier for him to pay his bills.”

Karen knew her girls had a few more years before college costs would loom, but she’d held on and invested much of the money from Jeffrey’s life insurance policy just for those costs. She couldn’t imagine trying to pay for their higher education with just her salary. Sharon and Miles had been quiet, but Karen’s gaze locked in on the large gemstone ring Sharon wore on her right hand. She caught Miles looking down at it, too, and then a smile crossed his lips as he and Sharon smiled at each other as though sharing a secret. She wondered if Miles had given Sharon the dinner ring and how he’d managed to buy it.

Realizing Selma and Rick seemed to be waiting for her to conclude the meeting, she jumped back on task, and soon, everyone headed off for their appointed home visits.

At the first home on her schedule, she rang the doorbell and was greeted by a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as the daughter. “Hi, come on in. I’m Jennifer. If you follow me, I’ll take you to Mom.”

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