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On Sunday, Marla woke up tired. She had decided to bake an apple pie for Delaney and her family Saturday night and had stayed up until midnight. She used her grandmother’s recipe and thought it would be a nice gesture since Delaney seemed to rave over her grandmother’s pies. Feeling lazy, she spent the morning sipping coffee and relaxing in her pajamas. Around noon, she showered and threw on her new jeans and boots with one of her new sweaters. After flat ironing her hair and pulling her long bangs back into a small barrette, she applied some light make-up and then looked at herself in the mirror. This will work for an afternoon with new friends, she thought.
In her Jeep, Marla plugged Delaney’s address into her phone map and headed out. Within ten minutes, she arrived at Delaney’s house. It was a pretty, ranch-style, brick house with a covered front porch. She could see to one side of the house from the driveway, and it appeared to have a covered wrap-around porch as well. A pond was also in view several yards from the house.
Marla was surprised to see several vehicles parked in the driveway. She suddenly felt anxious, realizing that there were probably other guests. She hadn’t thought about that, or she would have baked another pie. Although she was excited to meet new people, she couldn’t suppress the nervous feeling in her gut. She had always felt this way when she and Charlie had gone to social events. A sense of dread flooded her. Any time they went somewhere, he would leave her alone while he mingled. She would end up alone most of the night because she had nothing in common with his friends. She wondered many times why he even bothered to take her to those events. Exhaling deeply, she reminded herself that Charlie was not part of this and that she had no reason to feel dread. These were her friends, not Charlie’s.
Marla walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. A handsome, tall man with dark hair and smiling eyes opened the door. He said, “Hey there, you must be Marla.”
“Yes.”
“I’m Ben, Delaney’s other half. Come on in.” He yelled in the other direction, “Babe, Marla is here.”
Marla stepped inside and handed the pie to Ben.
Delaney appeared in the entry, holding Eli on her hip. “Hey, Marla!” She exclaimed. “We are so glad you could make it. Give me your coat and come on in.”
Marla handed her coat to Delaney, who immediately gave it to Ben.
Ben took the coat and said, “Look what Marla brought us,” as he held the pie out for Delaney to see.
Delaney’s eyes widened, and she asked, “Oh my gosh! Is this Marlena’s recipe?”
Marla nodded.
“Well, thank you! Come in and meet everyone,” Delaney said.
Marla followed Delaney into the living room. Immediately, her eyes locked with Micah’s. She hadn’t expected to see him, and a wave of excitement washed over her. He seemed to be equally pleased to see her. He was sitting in an armchair and stood as he saw her, reaching for her hand.
Marla shook his hand and said, “We meet again. How are you?”
Micah smiled with a boyish grin that displayed his dimples. His eyes sparkled, and Marla was sure she wouldn’t mind getting lost in them. He was wearing dark, boot-leg jeans, black boots, and a black Henley. She could see the outline of his bulging chest and arm muscles through the shirt.
Marla didn’t realize her gaze had been fixed on him until she heard Micah say, “This is a friend of mine, Lewis. He is a local firefighter. He has taken me in until I find a place to live.” Micah winked at her.
Marla raised her eyebrows and looked toward Lewis as if she had been startled from a long stare. She smiled and held out her hand to Lewis.
Lewis smiled and leaned toward her. “It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Guntersville.”
He was as tall as Micah and had a muscular build equal to his. He had brown hair in a crew cut and light green eyes. Although Lewis was large and intimidating, something about his disposition radiated kindness and warmth. She reasoned that perhaps it was the protective stance of a fireman that he possessed.
“Marla, I’m Doc Paine,” said a voice from behind Marla. She turned around to see a man with sapphire blue eyes holding his hand out to her.
“Hi,” she said.
“You’ve already met my wife, Millie,” he said. Millie appeared from behind Doc.
“Hey Marla, it’s so nice to see you again. I’m glad you could make it to dinner,” Millie said, wearing a broad smile.
“It’s great to see you again, Millie.” Marla shook her hand.
Doc added, “I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you’re going to be working in the ER. I know you’re going to be working nights, but if you need me to trade a few of my day shifts with you, just let me know. It’s such a relief to have your help.”
Marla said, “I’m grateful to find a job so quickly. I don’t mind working nights at all, but I’m sure I’ll take you up on a few day-shifts at some point.”
Doc replied, “Delaney says you moved here from Cincinnati. I hope you don’t start missing the big city and leave us.”
Marla exhaled. “No, Guntersville feels more like home to me than anywhere else. I’m happy to be living in my grandparents’ lake house.”
Doc chuckled. “I heard you booted Micah out.” He glanced over at Micah with a devilish grin.
Marla started to respond, “Yes, I feel so bad about—”
Micah interrupted her. “Hey, it’s no big deal.”
“Yeah, it is,” interjected Lewis, “I have to put up with him now.” Everyone laughed.
Delaney, who had disappeared from the living room, emerged from the kitchen and announced, “Dinner’s ready.”
To Marla’s surprise, dinner was enjoyable, and she found herself getting absorbed in the various stories being told. Doc talked about a couple of scary cases in the ER, including a near-drowning and the precipitous delivery of a baby he had performed. Then he and Millie told the story of how they met. Ben and Delaney talked about how they were both transplants from other places. Marla was surprised to learn that Delaney was from her grandmother’s hometown of Louisville.
“Micah and I met in college in San Diego. We go way back,” Ben said, throwing a crumpled napkin at Micah.
Marla furrowed her brows, looking at Micah, “I heard you were from Cincinnati.”
Micah nodded, looking down at his plate and answered stoically, “I took a job in Cincinnati after college.”
Marla added, “That’s a pretty long way from California. How did you end up here?”
Micah was silent and appeared uncomfortable.
Ben interrupted the quiet moment with a nervous chuckle and said, “I told Micah about this job opening here. Had to get my college buddy closer so we could go fishing together.”
Delaney interjected, “We adopted Gracie after we moved here.”
Ben took the change of subject and ran with it. He said, “Yeah, that situation was a miracle. One of Delaney’s patients was pregnant and couldn’t take care of another baby. She already had two kids, and the father was not to be found. I truly believe it was through divine intervention that Gracie came to be ours. I can’t imagine my life without my little girl.”
Delaney went on to share the rest of the story of how they came to adopt Gracie. Marla found herself tearing up once while Ben told his side of the story. It was so touching, and she was impressed with the vulnerability he showed.
Micah was quiet. Only Ben and Delaney knew about Allie. He didn’t want anyone else to know about her right now. The painful memories had been too much, and he didn’t think he could bear telling the story again. Moving to Guntersville had been the new beginning he needed, away from the sympathetic eyes and sorrowful faces in Cincinnati. He wasn’t about to divulge his past pain and become a project for everyone to cheer up or fix. He wanted to suffer alone and quietly with his distant memories.
Marla met Micah’s eyes many times during the meal, and she couldn’t keep herself from seeking him out. It was almost as if her eyes had a mind of their own. As before, the hint of sadness was there except that it seemed more obvious like it was on the surface.
As the meal ended and the party started to disburse, everyone said their goodbyes.
“I’ll see you at the hospital soon, right?” Doc asked Marla.
“Yes, I think all of my paperwork should be done in a few days. I hope to start mid-week. I think I’m already on Wednesday night’s schedule from seven to seven.”
Doc smiled with a look of relief. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Millie added, “We are all so happy to have you here. Call us if you need anything.”
Marla smiled. “Thanks.”
Micah and Lewis had their coats on and waved goodbye as they walked out the door.
Finally, Marla stepped out the front door onto the porch. “Thanks for having me over. I had a wonderful time. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.”
Delaney and Ben waved goodbye from the front door. Eli was on Delaney’s hip, and Gracie stood, clinging to her daddy’s leg.
Marla waved goodbye, got in her Jeep, and drove home.