The Scars I Bare (By The Bay #2)

Chapter Two: Cora

"No," he replied. "We come every year."

"We?" I asked, looking around and in between the other cars until my eyes spotted an older woman at the rail, taking in the scenery with several other passengers.

"The Mrs. and me," he explained, pointing to the same woman I'd suspected he would.

Both white-haired and in casual khaki shorts, they somehow just fit together, like puzzle pieces. Even down to the nearly matching Hawaiian tops.

"We've been visiting here since our honeymoon eons ago. Growing up, our kids took trips down to the island, and now, it's just us again."

"It must be a special place," I said, noticing the way his eyes lingered on his wife.

"Oh, it is. You'll see." He stuck out his hand, assuming I'd travel the distance to offer mine. "Thomas Lovell," he greeted.

I looked at the outstretched hand, knowing there was nothing but the warmth of a gentle-natured old man, but I couldn't.

I just couldn't.

So, instead, I awkwardly waved from the spot I'd planted myself to. "Cora," I replied before realizing I wasn't sure how to finish. "Cora Carpenter," I said finally, realizing it was the first time I'd used my maiden name since my wedding day.

But not the last, I told myself.

"Nice to meet you, Cora Carpenter. I hope your stay in Ocracoke is as lovely as I promised. Maybe you'll come back every year, like we do."

I shook my head. "No," I answered. "This isn't a vacation, Mr. Lovell. I'm moving here. Permanently."

Jake Jameson, my new boss, had offered to meet me at the dock to welcome me to my new home. Unsure of what mental state I'd be in after leaving Virginia that morning, I politely declined, agreeing to instead meet up with him and his fiancée at the inn. It had already been an emotional week after saying good-bye to my coworkers and packing up the small apartment I rented for Lizzie and me. I didn't need to start this new adventure by sobbing all over my boss's shoulder.

I'd met Dr. Jameson a handful of times over the past few years, as some of his patients went in and out of the hospital I worked at in Virginia Beach. Since Ocracoke Island was so isolated, being only accessible by ferry, and their medical resources were limited, many inhabitants needed care off the island.

Although we weren't the closest hospital, we were the most advanced. So, for major events such as emergencies or catastrophic events, we were often the first responders.

We...

I had to remind myself that I was no longer part of that we. No longer a nurse managing a staff of twenty at a highly respectable medical establishment.

I was just a nurse.

The only nurse.

The two-person medical clinic Jake ran pretty much summed up the availability of help on the island. Besides a handful of volunteer EMT responders, I would be the only nurse on the island.

Me and about eight hundred or so residents and their guests.

The thought made me a little dizzy as I drove down the long, empty highway toward the sleepy town. Sure, I was used to stressful situations and handling multiple things at once, but an entire island?

It seemed like an insurmountable task.

"Mommy?" a sleepy Lizzie called out from the backseat. "Are we there yet?" she asked, her brown eyes briefly meeting mine in the rearview mirror. She had a red nose from her finger being wrapped around it while she sucked her thumb. At least a dozen mothers had told me how bad it was for an almost six-year-old to still suck her thumb.