‘Being married doesn’t alter our friendship.’
‘Maybe not. But loving Logan alters everything.’
‘Have you told him how you feel about him? Surely it’s worth it before you take such a drastic step? If you’re leaving anyway, what does it matter?’
‘He knows.’ She hadn’t told him, but she’d shown him. With her body. She’d given him everything. And he hadn’t wanted it. Not in the way that she wanted him to want it. He hadn’t said a word. Just left while she’d still been sleeping.
‘You’ve spelt it out?’
‘We’ve been here before, Kyla,’ Evanna said patiently. ‘You can’t force someone to love you. Anyway, I don’t know why you’re being so tragic. You can come and visit me.’
‘I’m hopeless in cities,’ Kyla muttered, blowing her nose again. ‘I get lost and I feel crowded and hemmed in. So do you, you know you do. You’ve never been a city person and you never will be.’
Evanna took a deep breath. ‘You won’t change my mind, Kyla,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ve been over and over it in my head and I know it’s the right thing to do.’
Kyla watched her for a long moment, her eyes swimming with tears. ‘Ethan might just beat you up. He hates seeing me cry.’
‘I hate seeing you cry, too.’ Evanna stood up and held out her arms and Kyla walked into them, hugging her tightly.
‘I need Cupid to visit the island and stab my brother. Hard.’
‘Yes. It’s time he fell in love.’
‘I want it to be with you.’ Kyla squeezed her hard and then released her. ‘I really wanted it to be with you.’
Evanna gave a helpless shrug. ‘Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want it to. You know that as well as I do. We just have to get on with it. Play the hand we’ve been given.’
Kyla wiped her face with the palm of her hand and managed a smile. ‘You’re always so sensible, do you know that? What am I going to do without you? Who is going to stop me eating Meg out of ice cream and chocolate flakes?’
‘I never manage to stop you, anyway.’ Evanna gave a shaky smile. ‘I’ll call. And e-mail. We’ll stay in touch. I promise.’
‘But it won’t be the same.’
‘No.’ Evanna felt her heart twist for everything she was losing. ‘No, it won’t be the same. But life doesn’t stay the same, Kyla. No matter how much you want it to, it doesn’t stay the same. We all have to keep moving forward.’
She kept telling herself that.
Keep moving forward.
Logan was just finishing surgery the next morning when his sister marched into the room. One look at the flash in her blue eyes warned him that she was about to pick a fight.
He sighed and sat back in his chair. ‘If this is one of your explosions, make it quick. I have house calls.’
‘I know. Ellen McBride and Gail Forster. I spoke to Janet. They can both wait.’ She slammed the door shut and strode across to his desk. ‘Are you seriously going to let her go? She’s part of this practice—part of this island—and you’re going to let her walk away? Are you nuts?’
Logan blin
ked. There was nothing quite like his sister in a seething temper. ‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,’ he drawled softly, and she glared at him.
‘Well, of course you haven’t. You’re obviously completely stupid.’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘And your evidence for that assessment would be—?’
‘The fact that you’re letting Evanna leave! How could you do it? How could you let her resign? She belongs here. She belongs with us. She’s part of Glenmore Island. Part of the practice. You’ll never find another nurse like her if you search high and low!’
Logan sat still. ‘What do you mean, leave? Where’s she going?’
‘To the mainland. To work. And live. And.’ Kyla faltered and waved a hand. ‘To do all the things that she used to do here. Did you accept her letter of resignation? Did you?’