She tilted her head. “Your parents, either?”
“No. Not really. When he wants to visit, he comes here. He has never suggested that we go there.”
Interesting. Was Joel making a deliberate effort to keep his new life in Arkansas separate from his past here in Alabama? “Maybe he’s waiting for you to express interest in visiting him there.”
“Maybe.” But Ethan didn’t sound convinced.
She could still hear Joel talking in the other room as she rinsed a glass and set it in the dishwasher. “He really is doing fine, Ethan. He’s happy, his practice is thriving, he has friends. There’s no need for everyone to look so worried about him.”
A muscle tightened in Ethan’s jaw. “You didn’t see him before,” he muttered. “After—”
Nic was beginning to feel frustrated that no one around here seemed to be able to say
the words. “After Heather died.”
Ethan nodded, his throat working with a visible swallow.
Maybe Nic had watched too many television movies-of-the-week—the ones that often seemed to feature men in love with their brothers’ wives. Something in Ethan’s expression made her wonder….
Oblivious to the somber conversation they had been having about him, Joel strolled back into the kitchen with an apologetic expression. “Sorry. I told Mrs. Carpenter to call me if she had any concerns about her daughter this weekend.”
“I hope nothing’s terribly wrong?” Nic said.
“No. We just need to make an adjustment to her meds. She’ll be fine.”
Nic hoped Ethan noticed how fulfilling Joel found his work despite the occasional interruption of his personal life. It was so obvious to her that Joel hadn’t minded the call at all—just the opposite, in fact.
“Anyway,” Joel continued, “I hope you two didn’t mind me taking a call during our visit.”
“Of course not,” Nic replied for them both with a dismissive wave of her hand. And then she smiled for Joel’s benefit. “At least it wasn’t Aislinn again with another foreboding feeling.”
“That’s true. I could start getting worried if she called again.”
“Aislinn?” Ethan inquired, wondering about the inside joke.
Joel chuckled. “Nic’s best friend. She’s sort of psychic.”
Ethan snorted and shook his head. “Bull. You know how I feel about woo-woo stuff. And people who claim to practice it.”
“Aislinn doesn’t claim to practice anything,” Nic piped up in instant defensiveness on her friend’s behalf. “She firmly denies having any psychic abilities at all. She’s just very intuitive and gets uneasy feelings that come true sometimes. Lots of people have that ability.”
Ethan still looked skeptical and fully prepared to argue about the existence—or lack thereof—of any sort of precognition, but Joel spoke quickly, as if to defuse any further argument. “So what have you two been talking about in here while I was in the other room?”
Nic and Ethan exchanged a look. “Just stuff,” Nic said after a moment.
Joel frowned suspiciously, but Ethan made a smooth change of subject by mentioning the recent illness of an old acquaintance, which had the result of diverting Joel’s attention. Nic filed her thoughts and questions about Joel’s brother to the back of her mind during the remaining few minutes of their visit.
The dynamics of Joel’s family were really none of her business, she reminded herself again—despite whatever private observations she might make during the rest of this informative weekend visit.
Because there was nothing left to do in Danston, Joel took Nic back to his parents’ house when they left Ethan’s place. He needed to spend more time with his folks anyway, he figured. His mom would be hurt if he didn’t pay her enough attention during his visit.
He groaned softly when he saw the big black sedan parked in his parents’ driveway. “Oh, great. I should have expected this.”
“Someone you don’t want to see?” Nic asked, following his line of vision.
He grimaced. “Wouldn’t have been my first choice, no.”
“Who is it?”