“You’re acting like I was about to marry the devil.” Diane chuckled against her shoulder.
“Trust me. That would have been a step up from Derek,” Nikki said pointedly as they separated. “Seriously though, how are you?”
“I’m good,” Diane replied with a light grin. “For the first time in a long while, I feel good, but we’ll talk about it later when I get back and about your progress.”
“Okay,” Nikki replied, pursing her lips.
Diane could see the apprehension in her eyes at the mention of talking about her definite depression. She brought her cousin in for another hug and placed a tender kiss against her temple. “Be good,” she instructed as they separated. She turned and headed for the door.
“I take it from what you said that you don’t have a car?” Diane inquired when she and Joshua stood outside.
“Um, no, I don’t. I plan to drive Grandma’s old pickup while I’m here, but I haven’t been to the house yet, so…”
“All right. Well, this is me,” she informed him, pointing at her blue Subaru Exiga. She moved to the driver’s seat, and Joshua went to the passenger’s side. After tossing his duffel bag in the back, he got in.
“So how long are you here for?” she asked as they drove away from the café and out of the business complex.
“I was granted thirty days, so I’m hoping that will be enough to get things sorted and get Grandma a nurse if that’s needed.”
Diane nodded and set her eyes before her as she drove down the main street toward the hospital.
“So are you originally from Oak Harbor?” Joshua’s voice cut through the silence.
Diane glanced at him before returning her attention to the road. “Born and raised,” she informed him. “I went away for three years for college. I didn’t finish, though, or I would probably not be back here.” It felt like she’d just overshared with a man she’d only met, yet it felt easy to volunteer the information.
“If it’s any consolation to you, I didn’t go to college at all,” he revealed. “I went straight into the Army after high school.”
“Did you always want to be an Army guy?”
Joshua chuckled. “Yeah, I always wanted to be an Army guy. I wanted to serve my country, so when the opportunity came around, I did just that.”
“I admire you.” Diane let slip what was on her mind. “I mean your courage. I admire your courage,” she rushed to add before turning to give him a sheepish smile.
“It took some hard moments in my life for me to decide to leave med school and follow my dreams of owning my own bistro.”
“Sometimes we just need that push to remind us that we need to do what makes us happy before it’s too late,” Joshua reasoned.
Diane smiled as she considered his words.
“Besides, that was a very brave move you made, launching out of your comfort zone like that and creating something uniquely you. I saw the crowd back at your café, which tells me you’re very good at what you do,” he complimented.
Diane felt her cheeks get warm. “Thank you,” she replied.
“So that guy back there.”
She cringed at the mention of the debacle back at the café. “As of today, he is my ex-fiancé,” she spoke lowly.
“I’m sorry,” he replied.
“Don’t be,” she assured him. “We were kidding ourselves into thinking it could work. If we had gone through with it, we would have ended up miserable. I’m glad it happened now and not while standing at the altar.”
“Well then, here is to a successful broken engagement.”
“Hear, hear.”
The remainder of the car ride was done in comfortable silence. Diane noticed that Joshua lingered behind when they made it to the hospital.
“Are you okay?” she turned to ask.
