Free Sister Dear by Laura McNeill Page B

you work in high school?” Gladys asked, reaching for her Coke and finishing the bottle in a few swallows.
    “I was a vet tech in my father’s office,” Allie answered, her fingers toying with the edge of her shirt. She looked up at Gladys. “He just sold it. I don’t know the people who bought it. They’re new in town.”
    Gladys considered this, swiveling back and forth in her chair. She made a pyramid with her hands and rested her chin on her fingertips. “Put in applications everywhere you can, but try the new vet too. Sometimes people will surprise you.”
    After another ten minutes of lecture and advice, Allie shook hands with Gladys, left the office, and slipped into her mother’s car. She slid behind the wheel, but instead of heading home, she drove south, taking Ocean Highway, crossing Fancy Bluff Creek, and turning on Jekyll Island Road, then South Beach View Drive. She needed solitude and time to think.
    Allie drove the narrow streets until she reached St. Andrews Beach overlooking Jekyll Sound. It was just as she’d remembered it, with its walking trail, a nature overlook, and areas for bird watching. It was a short walk to the ocean’s edge, and Allie slipped off her shoes after crossing the deserted wooden boardwalk.
    Not caring that she’d dirty her pants, or if anyone saw her, Allie sat cross-legged on the sand, gazing out at the waves. The sound and motion were magical. Her pulse slowed; Allie’s brain quieted.
    Allie thought again about Gladys and her advice. She said a silent thank-you and counted this as an unexpected blessing. It was a nod toward hope, faith, and a bright future. Encouragement. Something Allie so desperately needed after so much heartbreak.
    2000
    Sixteen years ago, the night she’d met Caroline’s father, Allie was celebrating. Earlier that day, she’d finished the MCAT exam with dozens of other medical school prospects. The assessment was grueling. Hours later, chemical equations and compounds still swam in Allie’s head, iridescent minnows in a fish bowl, darting like the haphazard patterns she’d left on the answer sheets.
    Indulgence seemed the proper reward. She was spending the night in Atlanta, and Allie allowed herself to veer off the path of reason for a few short hours. The other students—a few acquaintances from near Brunswick, the rest, new faces—swept her off to dinner, laughing, swapping stories. Afterward, they’d all headed to an upscale bar and restaurant, planning to keep celebrating late into the night.
    A mile from the bar, Allie admitted that she was still twenty and underage.
    “What?” One of the girls from Dahlonega smiled as if she hadn’t heard her correctly.
    “How?” The guy who lived in Buckhead wrinkled his brow.
    The chatter in the car silenced.
    “Um, I finished high school in three years,” she protested, feeling her cheeks flush pink. It had always been a bit of consternation between her and Emma, who’d accused her of doing it to show off. Her sister didn’t understand. Allie was ready to break out of Brunswick, ready to tackle medical school and start her career. “Hey, you can just drop me back at the hotel,” she added, squirming down in her seat.
    But in the end, she’d been overruled. And during the evening, after being slipped a few martinis and dancing under the lights, Allie caught the attention of a dark, handsome foreign exchange student.
    A half hour later, Antonio had sidled over, introduced himself, and whispered in her ear. Minutes later, he kissed her full on the lips. When his hand slipped under her shirt, resting on the small of her back, Allie shivered with delight. Dizzy with anticipation, giddy with attraction to the dark and exciting student from Italy, she let him take her home.
    He was engaged, a fact Allie discovered eight hours too late. The morning after, on the back of the bathroom door, triangles of white tied with bits of string caught her eye. A woman’s bathing suit.
    Antonio had smiled