LJ Maas - Rebecca’s Cove

“I can’t believe it. A woman tells the doctors at a psychiatric hospital that she sees a three-foot hamster everywhere she goes, and they release her?”

“Honestly, Baylor, where did you come by all this lack of compassion? Didn’t seeing what your father did teach you anything? Katherine hurts no one. She is a wonderful and faithful partner to Helen and a loyal friend to those who take the time to get to know her. Learn to accept, dear heart. Accept people the way they are, all their flaws included.”

“Sorry. I’ll try, but frankly, the people on this island are just giving me too much to work with right off the bat.”

“So what do you think about the rest of our island?”

“I think that if what I’ve seen of the people so far is as deep as the gene pool gets, then somebody is gonna bash their head open by diving in.”

“Oh, stop. I’m glad to see the two of you have made friends,” Evelyn said with a nod in Hobie’s direction.

“Yeah, well.” BJ smirked. “We kind of...ran into each other.”

Hobie returned BJ’s half smile and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t elaborate. It was one more thing for Hobie to ruminate over, however. BJ seemed to love humiliating people. Why hadn’t she told her grandmother that Hobie was to blame for the broken ankle?

They sat and talked for another hour until Evelyn grew tired. Hobie mentioned that they should be going anyway since she had to be in her office in a couple of hours.

Evelyn thanked her granddaughter once more for caring for her cherished home. “Take good care of Arturo,” she said just before the two younger women left. “And take better care of yourself, Baylor. You sound as if you’re becoming accident prone.”

BJ ground her teeth together. She detested having her grandmother think the broken ankle was her own fault, but for some reason, she didn’t have the heart to implicate Hobie. The funny thing was that she had no idea why. She kissed her grandmother’s cheek and said she would be back as soon as she could.

“So where to now?” BJ asked once they settled into the red Jaguar.

“After I take you home, I was going to swing by the Cove and get some lunch, then I have to get to the office.”

“Oh.” BJ sounded disappointed. “You just ate there a few hours ago.”

“I have to eat a lot of meals. They’re not all as big as breakfast, but I usually eat about every three hours. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Nah, I’m not too hungry yet.”

“Look, if your leg feels up to roaming around downtown, I could eat lunch while you browse. Then I can take you back home and get my truck.”

“Hmm, I’m sure that would be about as exciting as watching grass grow, but I guess it’s better than looking at that cotton ball of a mutt for the rest of the day.”

“That reminds me. I fed Arturo while you were taking a shower this morning. His food is in the cabinet over the fridge. He gets fed in the morning and at dinner time.”

“Check. So what do you think about the Jag?”

“I think I’m spoiled after one morning of driving it.”

“Yep. You really do get what you pay for with these things. It moves like you’re sliding along silk.”

“I know, it handles great. Earlier this morning, I thought I was in heaven.”

“What do you mean, earlier?” “What?”

“You said it handled great earlier. What do you mean? Earlier when?”

“Um...”

BJ straightened up in her seat. “Mack didn’t drive it to Tanti’s house, did he?”

Hobie shook her head. “You did!”

Hobie slowly nodded.

“Holy shit, woman! What is wrong with you? Every time we talk, I catch you in a lie. Is this a compulsive problem?”

“When have I lied?”

“Every single time we talk! Let’s start with the whole ‘I am a doctor but’ conversation, then there’s that coach you delude, the nutty woman and her hamster. And you didn’t tell my grandmother why my leg was really in a cast.”

“Well, you didn’t tell her to start with.”

“You sure weren’t jumping in to make any admissions.” “Look, I didn’t mean to lie about the car. It’s just that I’d

never driven a Jag before, so Mack took my truck and…shit! I’m sorry.”

“Sorry you did it, or sorry you got caught?”

“Well, both, I guess, if you’re gonna put it that way.” “How did you ever get a medical license?”

“I’m a very good doctor!” “Who can’t tell the truth.”

“I bet no one tells the truth when they’re around you.” “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you wouldn’t know the truth if it was right in front of your face on a billboard written in letters fifty feet high! The truth is, Baylor Warren, you are the most opinionated, self-centered, unfeeling person I have ever met.”

“Stop the car,” BJ cried out. “What?”

“I said stop the goddamn car!”

Hobie looked in her rearview mirror and pulled into a deserted sandy lot. “Are you okay?”

“Get out.” “What?”

“I said get out of my car right now!”

“Are you insane?”

“I am not going to sit here and let some hick animal doctor from jerkwater USA tell me—”

Hobie removed her seat belt, shoved open the car door, and jumped out. “You know what? You do have to listen because you don’t have a choice. For once, someone is going to tell you just what they think of you!”

“Shut up!” BJ shouted.

“Oh, yeah? Who’s gonna make me?” “I swear I’ll hit you with this crutch.” “But you can’t reach me, can you?”

“Don’t make me throw this thing at you.”

“I’ll bet you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with it!” “Hey, I played softball.”

“I’m surprised! Seeing as it’s such a girly sport!” Hobie shouted at the top of her voice. “I am not going to walk two miles back to town just because of your...your...bruised ego!”

“It’s my car! I’ll be the one to decide who drives and who walks. Let me tell you another thing—”

“Forget it! I’m outta here! You can have your fancy car and the attitude to go with it. If I never see you again, it will be too soon!”

“Good, go!” “Fine!” “Fine!”

They glared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to admit defeat. Each woman had apparently concluded that she was in a fix without the other.

“Okay, I think we’re gonna need to rethink this, temporarily at least.”

Hobie silently sat and slammed the car door. “Okay, but the minute we get back to town, I am never speaking to you again.”

“That’s just fine with me.”

Moments after they were under way, both women felt foolish—not that the emotion did anything to dull their anger, but they did at least feel a small amount of regret. Of course, being the rational women they were, neither was willing to admit it. They looked at each other but quickly looked away.

Hobie took a deep breath. Even when she was a child, it had been up to her to play peacemaker. She and Mack had fought incessantly as children. It usually started because of his unmerciful teasing, but Hobie’s mother had taught her that it took a much stronger person to extend the olive branch first.

Another deep breath and Hobie knew what she had to do. “Um...do you still...you know, want to walk around town?”

“I don’t know. Will I be safe? Do you plan to do much driving?” BJ replied sarcastically.

Hobie closed her eyes and gripped the wheel tightly. “Okay, Baylor, here’s the deal.”

“Must you always call me that?”

“What, Baylor? I thought that was your name.”

“It is, but I detest it. Tanti is the only person I can tolerate it from.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize. Well, Bay—um, BJ, what I was going to say is that it seems pretty obvious, from the interaction we’ve had so far, that we grate on each other. I don’t know why, but I guess it happens. We’re in a situation, though, where we’re kind of stuck with each other for the time being. This is a small town and I don’t see either of us getting far without interacting with the other at least once in a while.” Hobie could hear BJ grinding her teeth, but the other woman still sat with her arms folded across her chest, staring straight ahead.

“I propose that we do our level best to avoid each other. Again, I understand that it’s a small town and that we may run into each other eventually. It may be more than we care for, but I ask that when we are in the same company, we treat each other with a small amount of respect and keep a civil tongue. Even ignoring each other may be easier on our stress levels than what we’ve been experiencing. How does that sound? I mean, how do you feel about my offer?”

“Like I’m making a deal with Satan.” Hobie sighed. “So you disagree?”

There was a long pause before BJ answered. “I...suppose not.”

“Okay then. Do we have a deal?” She held out her hand.

BJ counted to ten before she answered. It wasn’t that she was still mad at Hobie, but something inside her never let go of an argument. When BJ took a step back, inside her head, and looked at the situation, she realized she really didn’t want to fight with Hobie.

“Deal,” she finally said. Perhaps staying away from Hobie was the best thing after all.

“Okay,” Hobie said. “Do you still want to look around while I eat?”

“Yeah, why not. Beats a sharp stick in the eye.”

They agreed to meet back at the car an hour later. Hobie walked off to the Cove and BJ grabbed her crutches and decided to explore the town.

“Well, that was fun.” BJ leaned against the car and glanced at her watch. She shook her wrist to make sure it was running. “Now all I have to do is think of something to do for fifty more minutes.”