“Was it nice?”
Rick chuckled. “Well, it wasn’t Maple Island, that’s for sure. It was in an inner-city high rise, and the only piece of green within walking distance was the local park. I liked it, though. I had a big family of cousins and aunts, and kids always find a few special places of their own, wherever they are. And my grandmother was great, a real matriarch but she gave me the security I needed.”
“Not your mom and dad?” Rick had talked about Ellie getting to know Lara’s parents, but never his own.
“I don’t know my dad. I’m pretty sure my mum doesn’t even know who he is.” He chuckled as Fleur pulled an embarrassed face, hoping she hadn’t made a gaffe. “It doesn’t bother me. You don’t miss what you’ve never had.”
“Don’t you wonder about him?”
“When I was at medical school, I ran my DNA. When I looked at the chart I remember thinking that this w
as all he was. DNA.”
Fleur shivered. She’d never even thought about her Dad’s DNA, because she had always had so much more of him. No wonder Rick was so committed to Ellie knowing about her mother, and wanting her to understand where she’d come from.
“What about your mom?”
“My mum’s great company, whenever I see her, which isn’t a great deal. She’s fun and very sociable, the life and soul of the party. But she’s not much good with kids and she’s got very itchy feet. She was always taking off, for one job or another that didn’t work out, and leaving me with my gran. Which suited me just fine, really.”
“She sounds wonderful. Your gran, I mean.”
“Gran didn’t have much, but she gave me all that I needed. Without her I probably would have turned into a disaster area. She was very strict about my schoolwork and she made me study hard. I’m a doctor because that’s what she made of me.”
Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Rick’s longing for a stable home wasn’t only for Ellie’s sake. He needed it too.
“You and Ellie are going to have something different from that, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are. Somewhere we can call home. I want a place where we can plant our roots into the soil and where I can grow old. Ellie will move on, no doubt, but she’ll always have a home to come back to.”
A home like Maple Island. The one that Fleur had left, and was just about to leave again. “Somewhere like here?”
“I’d like it to be here.”
They walked together in silence, close together on the narrow path, which dipped down toward the shore and then began to slope upwards toward the harbor. She held on tight to his arm, the uneven ground feeling strange beneath her feet after walking on solid floors for so long.
“You okay?” He slowed his pace a little.
“Fine. Just getting used to the great outdoors again.” Fleur climbed the steps up to the sidewalk that led to the harbor. “Here we are.”
The water lapped quietly against the sea wall, small craft bobbing at anchor. Some of the fishing boats were hauled up onto the dry dock for repairs over the winter months. They walked along the quayside, past fish shops and restaurants, which buzzed with activity during the summer but were now quiet and dark. Then they turned for home.
“It’s been a wonderful evening. Thank you.” As the lights from her parents’ house became visible again ahead of them, Rick spoke.
“I’m glad you could come. Ellie seems to have enjoyed herself.”
“I think I’m going to have to separate her from your dad with a crowbar. I hope he doesn’t mind.”
Fleur laughed. “He loves it. I imagine he’ll be asking you both back, so that he and Ellie can get on with their story-writing. It’s serious business, you know.”
“Ellie would agree with you there...” He stopped walking, turning toward her. In the moonlight, his face seemed more angular. Stronger and yet more tender. It seemed altogether natural to put her arms around his waist.
“This would be entirely wrong if I were still your doctor...”
Despite herself, and all the resolutions she’d made, a thrill shot down Fleur’s spine. Maybe letting go would be a little easier if she knew exactly what she was letting go of.
“But you’re not my doctor now. And I have the discharge papers to prove it.”
He chuckled softly, stripping his glove off and raising his hand to the side of her face. So close that she could almost feel his fingers, even though they weren’t quite touching her.