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grandmother take that job. Hospitals were filled with pain and heartbreak. Not to mention frustration. The image of Scott McKenna intruded and she shook her head, thinking that over the course of the day he’d only managed to confirm her initial impression of him: rigid, humorless, stubborn. Although she’d been accused more than once of being too quick to judge when it came to men. Still . . . this firefighter already looked like a candidate for a menacing green candy heart. Back off.
    She settled into a paint-layered chair on the small tiled patio and watched as her grandmother fussed with her hollyhock seedlings in the waning light. Then she drew in a breath of damp, salty air and closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the sounds of the ocean just a short block away. Some people found the waves soothing, peaceful. As a child, she’d found her own comfort with the sounds, often lying in bed at night imagining Jesus orchestrating the movement of the sea using a piece of driftwood like a conductor’s baton. But now, the endless crashing seemed to stir Erin’s restlessness and left her feeling even more unsettled . . . lonelier.
    “Did you see the thank-you note from Claire and Logan?” Nana asked, settling onto the garden bench near Erin.
    “I did. I can’t believe they’ve already been married a month.” A sigh escaped that she refused to call envy.
    The truth was, fellow nurse Claire Avery deserved every speck of happiness that came her way. Falling in love with Dr. Logan Caldwell, after so much loss and heartache, was a miracle. Part of “the plan.” Erin smiled, remembering Claire’s passionate belief that meeting Logan had been God’s plan.
    She’d been convinced that something similar was in the works for Erin too. If only that were true. But unfortunately, Erin’s track record with relationships butted right up against her friend’s blissful enthusiasm. She was far more comfortable with a punching bag than any man she dated, and most of them had been knocked out of the ring after only a few awkward weeks. But “the plan” had indeed put her in a bridesmaid gown, with a bouquet of daffodils—and right back in the same Gold Country town as the long-wandering Frank “Flimflam” Calloway. Whom she’d artfully managed to avoid . Back off, Dad.
    Her grandmother cleared her throat. “Your mother’s planning a family dinner for Easter.”
    “Hmm. Better not count on me. I’ve got a lot of things going here.” Erin turned to her grandmother, desperate to change the subject . “What else did Mom have to say?”
    Nana hesitated, a maddeningly wise look in her eyes. “Only that she was glad I’m going back to volunteer work.”
    Bingo. Here was the chance. “You told her about applying at Pacific Mercy?”
    “Yes.” A smile spread across her face. “And I reminded your mother that the last year I worked at Pacific Mercy, I was pregnant with her. Of course, that was way back in the days when nurses were expected to stand when a doctor walked into the room, and bedpans were made of stainless steel. Drop one of those and they heard it in Cleveland.” Her smile faded. “And those were the years of the polio epidemic.”
    Erin felt a rush of admiration for her gutsy grandmother. She’d endured plenty in her lifetime. And a polio epidemic certainly put Pacific Point’s brief pesticide scare into perspective.
    “Anyway,” Nana continued, “thank heaven so many things have changed. Even in the twelve years since I retired.”
    “Still,” Erin said, trying to segue as casually as she could, “a lot of it is the same. Despite better conditions and all the latest equipment, hospital work is still incredibly demanding, and—”
    “Oh, darling,” Nana interrupted. She set her cup on the table and reached over to take Erin’s hand. “I wasn’t saying you have it easy, for goodness’ sake. Far from it. You know how proud I am of you. Don’t forget I watched the nurses all those weeks