Since You've Been Gone Read online

  “I always knew you’d do amazing things @GarrettColemanVet. Glad to see you’re still sweet too.”

  Yeah, it was cheesy, and he probably never read all the comments from his adoring fans, but it made her feel better to say something.

  If she were the braver sort, she’d message him and ask for his help, but…she wasn’t.

  For a few more minutes, she looked at pictures of him and sighed–sandy brown hair that always looked a little messy and a cropped beard looked good on him. Emma always thought he was cute, but as he got older and matured, he’d turned into a ridiculously good-looking guy. He was so good-looking that she tended to revert to her stuttering ways because she’d get nervous around him. It was crazy because they were friends–good friends–but there had been a time when she felt like it was weird. Garrett was confident and popular, while she was always quiet and shy. Their friendship didn’t make sense, and she was the envy of many, many girls because she never had to work for his attention. They were just friends.

  Just. Friends.

  Every once in a while, she used to dream about what it would be like if they were more than friends. It was silly and always just a fleeting sort of thought, and she certainly never did anything about it. Then, at seventeen, she started dating Steve March and…

  Yeah, she didn’t want her thoughts to even go there. She wasted far too many years on that relationship and now look where she was.

  She looked down at Axel, who was curled up in a ball and sleeping in her lap, with a sigh. She smiled and gently pet him. “We’ll get through this, sweet boy. Somehow, we’ll find a way for everything to work out.”

  Garrett Coleman knew he’d met the girl of his dreams when he was eight years old.

  He just never told her.

  Staring down at his phone, he couldn’t help the stupid smile on his face. Emmaline Ryan had commented on one of his videos and it was crazy how happy that made him.

  His first thought was to send her a message and see how she was doing, but…he didn’t want to seem overly anxious. His second thought was to try to see if anyone he knew had her phone number so he could call her, but…that seemed a little stalkerish.

  With a sigh, he leaned back on his sofa and tried not to be such an idiot about the whole thing. It was one comment on one video. For all he knew, she was just being nice and wasn’t looking to actually talk with him.

  Well, that’s a depressing thought…

  Before he could do anything else, his phone rang, and it was stupid how he could feel disappointed that it wasn’t an incoming call from Emma.

  Instead, it was his older brother Austin.

  “Hey!” he said as he answered. “What’s up?”

  “Is this the Hot Doc? Mr. Sexy Vet? The social media sensation known for…”

  The groan was out before he could stop it. All those damn titles people had given him on social media were killing him. “For the love of it, Austin. Give me a break.”

  “Damn, you’re no fun. What are you doing this weekend?”

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking,” he said with a small laugh. “And how are you? How’s Mia?”

  Luckily, his brother took the hint. “Sorry. We’re doing well. Great, actually. Mia’s been in her writing cave for the last few weeks trying to finish up a book, and I’ve been busy getting plans finalized for the house.”

  “That’s awesome! Although…I thought the plans were already finalized.”

  “I had to tweak a few things and get permits filed, nothing crazy. It was more time-consuming than anything else.” He paused. “So listen, we’re breaking ground on the property this weekend, and I kind of had this idea of all of us being there for it. Mom’s already planning on making a big picnic lunch for everyone, and Jackson’s on a short leave and said he’d be here, so…I don’t know. I just thought it would be cool if you were here too and we’d do this together.”

  For a moment, Garrett was speechless. Austin wasn’t usually the type who embraced a lot of family togetherness, but ever since he moved back to Magnolia Sound and fell in love with Mia Kingsley, he’d changed.

  For the better.

  “Um…yeah!” he finally said. “That sounds great! I’ll see about making it a long weekend and getting Friday and Monday off. The drive should only take a little over three hours, so...”

  “Wait,” Austin interrupted. “I thought you were up in Maryland.”

  “Nope, I’m in Norfolk now.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “A few weeks ago. I’m sort of traveling around a bit and working with different offices and trying to figure out where I want to settle at. I’ve had a lot of amazing offers, but it’s hard to commit when I know nothing about the area, you know?”

  “Yeah, I do. So what kind of offers? Partnerships or just joining the staff?”

  “Mostly just joining the staff, but I did meet with a clinic up in Delaware that I could possibly become a partner in after the first year. It’s a huge practice–well-established–and they’re looking to expand. The area is beautiful, the housing market is great, and I have some friends who live locally. The salary is phenomenal, and, really, there’s no downside to it.”

  “Then why not just accept it? What’s holding you back?”

  Good question…

  With a shrug, he replied, “I’m not sure. You know I like to be thorough. Cover all bases. Do enough research to make sure I’m making the right decision.”

  “Overthinking. The word you’re looking for is overthinking.”

  “It’s not…”

  “That’s exactly what it is, and one of these days all that overthinking is going to cost you. Hell, you could miss out on a great position because you’re trying out all these other places when you probably already know some of them aren’t going to be a good fit!”

  “I won’t know until I go and check it out,” he reasoned.

  “Garrett, listen to me,” Austin countered. “I’m older than you.”

  “Barely…”

  “Still talking!” his brother shouted, effectively shutting Garrett up. “I’m older and I’ve known you your whole life and you have a tendency to overthink and be overly cautious and you can’t tell me that’s never come back to bite you in the ass!”

  “Okay, maybe it has a time or two, but…”

  “But nothing! If this job in Delaware is as great as you think it is, then trust your gut and go for it!”

  “They gave me until the end of the month to make a decision.”

  He heard his brother sigh before he asked, “Yes, but do you really need until the end of the month?”

  Garrett knew he didn’t, but he also knew he’d made some commitments and didn’t want to let anyone down, so…

  “I do,” he said. “I’ve made arrangements to visit clinics to help out and I’m not going to let anyone down. It’s just not who I am. I’m a man of my word and so…”

  “So you’re going to overthink and be thorough and just be you,” Austin said wearily.

  “No one’s asking you to do it. There’s no need to sound so put out.”

  It took a minute, but Austin finally conceded. “You’re right, you’re right. I would get pissy if anyone tried to tell me how to live my life, so who am I to try to do that to you? Sorry.”

  “Wow, Mia has really worked wonders on you,” he said with a small laugh.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ve mellowed, and it’s kind of awesome and freaky at the same time. Now I have to come home so I can witness it in person!”

  “Garrett…”

  “No, no…don’t say anything and ruin it! If I can get the time off, I’ll most likely drive down Thursday night and stay at Mom’s.”

  “Um…just make sure you let her know that first. Don’t surprise her.”

  “Okay, but…why?”

  “She’s dating.”

  “Dating?”

  “Yeah. As in, she has a boyfriend.”

&nbs
p; For a minute, Garrett had no idea how to react to that news. “So that means…”

  Austin growled. “Just make sure you call so you don’t show up while she and her boyfriend are maybe…having a date night at home! Jeez, do I need to paint you a picture?”

  He shuddered. “Please don’t.”

  And then he shuddered again.

  “Maybe I should just stay with you,” he mentioned, thinking it was possibly the safer option.

  “No. Every night is date night at home for us and you’d be in the way,” Austin teased.

  “TMI, brother. T-M-I.”

  “Just call Mom and give her the heads-up. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “So who’s the guy? Have you met him?”

  “Yeah. Dominic Jones. He owns Jones Automotive on the north side of town. He’s Scarlett’s dad.”

  “Oh, wow…I had no idea he and Mom were…I mean…when did this start?”

  “Garrett, breathe. It’s not a big deal, and you can’t be all weird about it when you’re here. Mom’s really happy, and Dom’s a good guy, so…relax, okay?”

  Raking a hand through his hair, he nodded. “Yeah. I’m good. I swear. I just wasn’t expecting that.”

  “It’s not like she was going to stay single forever.” Austin paused. “Or so everyone keeps telling me.”

  “Okay, so then I’m not the only one a little unnerved by this announcement.” Relief washed over him. “What does Jackson think?”

  “He really didn’t seem to have an opinion. All he said was ‘cool,’ so…there’s that.”

  “How did he end up being the most chill out of the three of us?” Garrett mused.

  “Beats me. Although, personally, I think he wasn’t really paying attention so I’m not sure we could say with any certainty how chill he is.”

  “Sounds about right. I haven’t talked to him in a while. Is he doing okay?”

  “He’s contemplating whether he’s going to re-up with the Marines and if he doesn’t, does he want to come back to Magnolia Sound? Plus, he’s getting deployed in a few weeks, so he’s got more important things on his mind rather than whether or not Mom has a boyfriend.”

  They were both quiet for a minute before Garrett asked, “Do you think he’ll move back home? Really?”

  “There was a time when I thought I wouldn’t, but now that I’m here, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. It’s been nice reconnecting with everyone.” He paused. “Did you reach out to any clinics around here, by chance?”

  “Seriously?” Garrett said with a gruff laugh.

  “What’s wrong with the clinics around here? If any of us were going to move back home after college, I figured it would be you.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. You had a really tight group of friends you were always with–some of whom still live here–and I guess I just thought you were more of a small-town guy.”

  There was a time when Garrett would have agreed, and there definitely had been a time when he truly believed he’d move back to Magnolia.

  But then…he’d missed his opportunity and lost the girl he was always too cautious about asking out, and the thought of living in the same town with her and her husband was beyond unappealing.

  “She’s divorced now, you know,” Austin said, interrupting his thoughts.

  “Who?” And yeah, it was stupid to pretend he had no idea who his brother was referring to.

  “Emmaline.”

  There were only a handful of people who called her that–most called her Emma–but Garrett has always preferred her full name. He sighed. “That’s ancient history, man. And besides, it’s safe to say that ship has sailed.”

  She did comment on your video…

  “I’m just saying…you never liked to talk about it, but you talked about it enough that I knew why you stayed away. That reason is gone now. Maybe when you come home this weekend, you should stop in at Happy Tails…” Austin paused and chuckled. “I sound ridiculous saying that name. Anyway, I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.” Another pause. “You know, stopping in to catch up with an old friend. No big deal.”

  The idea had merit, but…Garrett wasn’t sure he could do it. A comment on social media was one thing.

  He had a feeling if he went and saw Emma face-to-face, he’d be that same nervous kid he’d been since the third grade.

  “You’re overthinking it, G,” Austin said, once again interrupting his thoughts.

  “I’m not.”

  “You are!”

  “I’m not!”

  “Okay then, tough guy. I dare you to go and see Emmaline,” his brother challenged.

  With a groan, he raked a hand through his hair again. “Dude, we’re adults. Daring me is ridiculous.”

  “How about I make it interesting?”

  Oh, God…

  “We can bet money on it. I’m sure Jackson would love to get in on it too.”

  “No…don’t involve him. He gloats worse than you.” And yeah, he was practically whining.

  “Fine. No Jackson. But what do you say to a hundred bucks?”

  I can lose a hundred bucks and still be okay…

  “Or…” Austin went on. “If you go and see her, then I’ll donate the money to the animal charity of your choice.”

  “You should be doing that anyway.”

  “But if you don’t go and see her…”

  Here it comes…

  “You owe me a week of labor on the new house.”

  “Wait, so you donate a measly hundred bucks if I win, but then I owe you forty hours of hard labor if I lose? How is that fair?”

  Austin laughed. “Fine. You can name the amount–within reason. What do you say?”

  It went without saying that Garrett was going to help with the house no matter what. Once things hit a point where the main construction was done, he knew they’d all be pitching in with painting and landscaping and whatever else needed to be done. It was technically a no-brainer. He could skip out on seeing Emma and be no worse for the wear.

  “Garrett?”

  Or…he could go and see her and put his mind at ease that she was doing okay and move on with his life.

  Decisions…decisions…

  “Garrett!” his brother snapped.

  “Yeah, sure. I’m in.”

  2

  “I can’t do it. I don’t want to.”

  Emma smiled. “How about this–you read these three pages to me, and tomorrow we’ll see if your mom will bring you to the barn so you can read to one of the puppies. What do you think?”

  Five-year-old Callie Wells looked up at her with wonder. “Really? I can read to the puppies?”

  “If you finish this assignment and read these pages to me, I will talk to your mother and we’ll make all the arrangements.”

  Then she silently prayed that Mrs. Wells would be agreeable.

  In her career as a speech therapist, Emma worked with the surrounding school districts on an as-needed basis and then tutored on the side. Some afternoons, she met with clients at their homes; other times–like today–they were at the library. She’d heard about programs where students read to dogs as a way of feeling less intimidated about reading and she’d tried it a few times with great success. It was time to see if it could work for Callie too.

  Beside her, the little girl began to hesitantly read. “The c…c…at…cat…” Pausing, she looked up at Emma apologetically. “I’m sorry I’m not so good at this.”

  Emma reached over and gave her small hand a gentle squeeze. “I think you’re very good at this,” she told her, and with a smile, she encouraged her to keep reading.

  When their session ended twenty minutes later, she talked to Callie’s mother about the possibility of doing a tutoring session at the barn and she was completely on board!

  “Does Callie have any allergies? Has she ever been around dogs?” Emma asked, knowing she would need to sign a consent form and a release form that Happy Tails used when people came to in
quire about fostering or adopting one of the dogs.

  “We have a Chihuahua at home. His name is Pickles,” Mrs. Wells explained.

  “Maybe tonight you could have Callie read to him? You know, as practice?”

  “Oh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “How come?”

  “Pickles is a little…ornery. He’s my husband’s dog, and he’s ten years old. I think Callie overwhelms him.”

  With a smile, Emma held up her hand. “Say no more. We’ll wait until tomorrow and I’ll be sure to pick out one of the more mature and patient dogs to sit with us.”

  “Thanks, Emma. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Once they were gone, Emma gathered her things and put the books they’d used back on the shelves. Then she wandered around and picked up a few books for herself before going to the checkout desk. “Hey, Shelby,” she said softly, mindful of not talking too loudly.

  “Hey, Emma! How did your session go today?”

  “We’re making progress, but tomorrow we’re going to go over to Happy Tails and try reading to the dogs. I’m hoping that will make Callie feel a little more at ease.”

  “Oh, what a great idea!” Shelby looked around and seemed to be figuring something out in her head. After a minute, she turned back. “Okay, this is totally off the top of my head, but…what about bringing a few dogs here once a month for an after-school sort of thing? We can let the kids take turns reading to them! What do you think? Am I crazy?”

  “Are you kidding? I think it’s wonderful! Of course, I’d have to talk it over with my mom and see about getting volunteers to come with us to help with the dogs, and I’m sure you’ll need to talk to someone about the legalities and insurance and all that other stuff that probably needs to be dealt with.”

  Shelby’s smile fell. “Darn. I hadn’t thought of that. I just know we have a few kids that come here after school because they don’t have anywhere else to go and I thought it could be something fun for them.”

  And that gave Emma an idea.

  What if she went to the high school and proposed an after-school program with students volunteering at Happy Tails? They could possibly get some sort of school credit for it, and her mother would get some extra help while Ed was recovering! It was a win-win situation!