Page 32 of Fighting For You

"Yeah," I said. "It'll be fun."

"Okay." She smiled. "We'll come."

"We'll just take Birdie and Barb home first." Andy scooped Birdie off the floor. "Then we'll catch up to you."

I waited in the truck while Nora and Lori went back inside to change. I caught myself checking the rearview mirror, running a hand through my hair, looking down at my shirt. I couldn't remember the last time I'd thought about whether I looked presentable enough for a bar I went to almost every Friday.

Nora and Lori came out the front door. Nora had changed into a fitted top and a skirt that cut just above her knees. Her hair was down, brushed out, catching the last of the evening light. She looked nothing like the woman I'd carried out of a burning building, and nothing like the woman in the hospital bed. She looked like someone I hadn't been ready for.

Nora climbed into the passenger seat. "Thanks for waiting."

Lori climbed into the back.

The drive to The Lantern was ten minutes. Nora and Lori talked most of the way. Something about a shift they'd worked together, a patient who had asked for Lori's number. Nora turned to me once to ask if The Lantern had food. I told her it did. She smiled and went back to her conversation with Lori. The passenger seat was close enough that I could smell her perfume every time she moved, something warm and sweet that I was going to be thinking about for the rest of the night.

"Sullivan!" Travis was on his feet before we got through the door. "And he brought friends."

The crew had their usual table. Travis, Greene, and Carl, all with drinks in front of them. Greene looked up and nodded. Carl gave a wave.

"Where's Wyatt and Andy?" Travis looked past me at the door.

"Dropping Barb and Birdie off at home. They'll be here in a while."

I pulled out a chair. "This is Nora and Lori. They're nurses at CCMC. They live at Barb's rental. Nora just moved into the neighborhood."

Greene nodded. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

Carl raised his glass. "It's nice to meet you both."

Travis looked at Nora, then at me, then back at Nora. Whatever he was doing the math on took him about half a second. He grinned and dropped into the chair next to Lori.

"Why haven't I seen you two at CCMC?" Travis leaned back in his chair.

"I've only been there a month," Lori said. "Nora's been there a little longer. Two months?"

"Three months," Nora said.

Selena came by with drinks and set them down without asking who ordered what because nobody had.

Wyatt and Andy arrived twenty minutes later. Wyatt grabbed a beer and settled in next to Andy. She picked up a menu and leaned across the table toward Nora and Lori. "Are you two okay with nachos and sliders? I'm starving."

The night settled in. The table filled up with drinks and plates and conversations that crossed over each other. Nora and Lori fit in easier than I expected. Lori matched Travis's energy, and Nora held her own with Greene and Carl without trying too hard.

When the table broke into its own conversations, I turned to Nora. She had her drink in both hands, watching the room with a small smile.

"Are you doing okay?"

She took a sip. "I don't usually go out. So this is new." She set the glass down. "But it's really nice."

"You don't usually go out?"

"My little brother's been my responsibility since I was twenty. He's been the priority for most of my adult life, so I haven't really gone out much." She smiled. "But it looks like I can start catching up on all those missed years now."

Most people her age spent those years doing exactly what she'd missed. She spent them making sure her brother didn't have to miss anything.

"Your brother's lucky to have you."

She smiled, but it was smaller than the one before. "He's making his own way now. He's got his job, his friends, his own life. Even though I'm not his mom, it feels like I'm empty nesting."