that easily. But it was a start. At this point, he would take it.
“How long is this going to take?” Bobby asked as Rick parked in front of the medical building the next morning. Bobby had been grumbling since Rick told him he couldn’t stay home alone. The town was small and safe, but Rick wasn’t comfortable leaving his son on his own for more than a few minutes. Once he and Bobby got settled, he was going to find someone to watch Bobby until school started.
“Not long. I told you I want to get a look around and see what I need to do.” Agreeing to set up the practice sight unseen had been risky, but Rick saw this as both a professional and personal opportunity. He’d relied on information provided by the mayor in conversations over the past several months and photos provided by the real-estate agent. This was the first time he would see his building in person. Hopefully those pictures were accurate.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“I told you to plan on occupying yourself. You could have brought a book. If you don’t plan—”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll get waylaid and end up where I don’t want to be. Like here.”
“Bobby.”
“Never mind. I’ll just sit in the car and listen to the radio.”
“Not a chance.” Rick removed the key from the ignition and stepped out. After fixing Rick with a glare and heaving a sigh so heavy he must have pulled oxygen from his toes, Bobby got out of the car and slammed the door just in case Rick hadn’t picked up on his annoyance.
A man of about Rick’s height was walking in their direction. He smiled. “Are you Dr. Tyler?”
“Yes.”
The man offered his hand. “I’m Lex Devlin.”
“Mr. Mayor. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Call me Lex.” He turned his attention to Bobby. “Hi. You must be Bobby.”
To his credit, despite how annoyed he was with Rick, his son was polite. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
Lex nodded. “I’m here to answer any questions you might have.”
“Thanks. We were just about to have a look around. You’re welcome to join us.”
The inside of the building was as tidily kept as the outside. Although it hadn’t been used in some time, there wasn’t the grime he expected. He ran a finger across the counter separating the empty waiting area from the examination rooms. Not a speck of dust.
“Sweet Briar is a great place to live, but lately we’ve had a hard time keeping a doctor. Our last doctor got married and moved to Boston after six months because his wife wanted to live near her family. The one before only lasted three months before deciding that although she wanted to live in a small town, she didn’t mean one this small. Everyone was so excited about having a doctor make a two-year commitment that several people got together and cleaned the offices last week.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything. But I will pass your appreciation along to those who actually did the work.”
Rick walked past the counter. There was enough space for two workstations as well as file cabinets. He continued down the hall and opened the first of six doors. The room was large and the sun streamed through the big window on the far wall. He could envision two examination tables as well as a desk, scale, guest chair and other equipment fitting in the space. Three other rooms were the same size, and there were two smaller ones that could be used as offices.
A second hallway led to a bathroom and a room that could be used as a break room. Although the walls could use a fresh coat of paint, he was pleased by what he saw.
“When do you think you’ll be ready to start seeing patients?”
“I hope within the next three weeks. I need to hire a nurse and a receptionist, but I can muddle along without them at first if need be. The truck bringing my office furniture should arrive in a few days.”
“I’ll put out the word about the employees you need. It shouldn’t be hard for you to find someone qualified around here.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Rick let the mayor out then walked through the offices once more. Excitement swept through him along with the desire to share the experience with someone. His ex-wife was long gone. Not that he and Sherry had shared much toward the end of their marriage. Bobby was here, but he was too angry to share Rick’s happiness. Charlotte had been his closest friend in Sweet Briar, and once upon a time she would have been beside him, sharing his joy. They weren’t friends now. He’d ruined that years ago with his selfish behavior.
He blew out a breath, his excitement diminished by regret.
“Can we leave now?” Bobby asked. “All you’re doing is staring into space. You can do that at home.”
Rick threw his arm over his son’s shoulder. There was no sense looking back at a past he couldn’t change. He needed to concentrate on the present. “Yes. We can leave.”
Rick locked the door, glad for the moment that Bobby hadn’t shrugged off his arm. Things were looking up.
Charlotte’s stomach growled as she closed the cabinet door on her newly organized dishes. Over the past couple of days she’d cleaned her house from top to bottom, removing every speck of dust from every crack and crevice. She swiped a hand over her forehead, wiping away perspiration. Maybe she would paint. One of her secret pleasures was watching home renovations shows. She didn’t kid herself that she had what it took to gut her kitchen and rebuild it, but surely she could put in a new tile backsplash. And maybe while she was changing her house, she could find a way to change her life.
After her stomach rumbled again, she decided it was time to quit for the day and get something to eat. Her appetite had waned over the past few days and she’d skipped meals. She knew part of the reason for her loss of appetite was the death of her lifelong dream of one day running Shields Manufacturing. The job represented more than professional achievement. It would have been proof that her father really did love her and that everything she’d sacrificed to gain that love had been worth it. Watching him give that job to someone else smashed that delusion. Her father didn’t love her. She’d only been kidding herself.
He hadn’t called her to explain his actions, or to ask her to return. He hadn’t even had his secretary call to see if she was all right. It was as if she no longer existed. She shouldn’t be surprised. He’d turned his back on her sister Carmen just as easily. Carmen had been a bit of a wild child as a teenager, bringing shame on the family. When she was eighteen, she’d been involved in a fatal car accident. Carmen hadn’t been driving, nor had she been drinking, but that hadn’t mattered to their father. He’d thrown her out of the house and washed his hands of her. To her shame, Charlotte had joined her father in order to gain his approval, rejecting the little sister who’d loved her. When Carmen returned to town a couple of years ago, she’d reached out. Charlotte had repeatedly rejected her. What a fool she’d been.
Of course, her job situation was only part of the reason she’d skipped meals and was having trouble sleeping. The biggest part was residing on the other side of her shared wall. She’d managed to avoid Rick for the past three days, but she’d been aware of his presence. She’d seen him coming and going, but he hadn’t sought her out again. And that was fine with her. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Sure, he’d apologized, but so what? It was only words. Empty words that didn’t change a thing.
Deciding she’d spent more time than she cared to thinking about Rick Tyler, she pulled open her refrigerator door. Nothing appealed to her. She wasn’t the best cook, and apart from a few simple meals that she made on a regular