Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“Probably not, but my father would.”

“Ham? That’s his name?”

“Yep.”

“He looked like retired military.”

“An old first sergeant, tough as boot leather, but squishy soft if you work your way inside far enough.”

“His wife seemed nice.”

“Yes. Ginny taught me to fly.”

“That’s something I’ve thought I’d like to try,” he said.

“I’ll introduce you. She’s a first-rate instructor and has her own flying school at the Vero Beach airport.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“How’d you come to be working in Orchid Beach?” she asked.

“Heard about it on the grapevine, liked the idea of a warm winter. With my skills, it’s easy to work wherever you want to. There’s lots of demand for good ER physicians. I’ve been here eight months, and I like it.”

“Where do you live?”

“I’m renting a house in Vero at the Orchid Island development. I have an option to buy.”

“Good golf there.”

“Yes, you play?”

“Yes, but I haven’t had time for a few years. I’d like to play while I’m here.”

“I’ll arrange it. How long will you be in town?”

“My boss told me not to come back for a month.”

They finished dinner, and Holly served them ice cream, then they took coffee in the living room. The door to the beach was still open, and they could hear the waves lapping at the beach.

“Nice house,” he said.

“I inherited it,” she replied, settling next to him on the sofa.

“From whom?”

“My late fiancé. He was a local lawyer. He went into a local bank the day before our wedding to get some cash for our honeymoon and wound up in the middle of a bank robbery. He got in the way of a shotgun.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“So am I, but enough time has passed that it hurts less than it used to.”

“Were you ever married?”

“No. How about you?”

“Once, twenty years ago, to a nurse. Lasted three years.”

They sat quietly, sipping their coffee, listening to the sea.