the Military Appreciation Day event coming along?”
“I have a chamber-of-commerce meeting tomorrow. I’m not hopeful of them planning anything different this year.”
“You mean, other than throwing up a few tents and handing out flyers? That didn’t generate much interest last year. We need publicity. Radio, TV, word of mouth. And we need to make it a fun family day.”
“I agree. Now we just need to convince the members to let go of some money to make it happen.”
Bret was relieved when Alan left the office. His friend meant well, but he didn’t fully understand the heavy burden he carried deep inside. He’d tried to reconcile his failures in his mission and his marriage, but nothing had eased his guilt in the last three years, and he doubted anything ever would. All he could do was try to make up for it with his company, help as many veterans as possible and take care of his girls.
No time to think of that now. He had a class to prepare for. Six vets had signed up for computer classes this afternoon, and he hadn’t even prepared the classroom.
He stood up and walked through the office, his gaze darting to the front door and the office across the hall. How was Nina getting along? Hopefully her secretary, Dottie, would ease her transition. Something told him that Nina had more than just nerves over a new position to contend with. He had a gut feeling that her issues ran as deep as his.
* * *
Nina leaned back in her chair—Kathryn’s chair—and closed her eyes. Most of her earlier anxiety had faded in the soothing privacy of the office. She discovered a pod coffee maker and made herself a cup. The flavored brew settled her nerves. All she needed now was a cup of confidence to go along with it. Her landlord had more than his share of confidence. Normally, that would be an indication that a person was well-adjusted, but he’d overdone the welcome, as far as she was concerned. It probably had something to do with his good looks. He knew he was handsome and behaved accordingly.
She had to admit he had a nice smile and warm, friendly eyes. His close-cropped dark brown hair was long enough to hint at a tendency to wave and gave him a boyish quality.
What was she doing? She set her cup down and shoved her thoughts of Bret Sinclair aside. She had no time to think about anything but her reason for being here. Her goal was to come to the office, meet with her patients, help them in any way she could and keep them on track until Kathryn and her family returned home. When she wasn’t at the office, she would keep to herself. Alone. Quiet. Avoiding the past.
Carrying her cup out to the reception area, she peeked out into the corridor separating the various offices. Sinclair had said there were seven businesses in the building, and he’d seemed eager to introduce her to the owners. She’d have to make sure she was too busy to get involved.
Movement across the hall caught her attention. The offices of Phase II took up the whole west side of the second level. Wide windows on either side of the main entry afforded a clear view of the reception area. A young woman sat at the desk, while people moved back and forth, some in military uniforms. Would they be coming and going all day? The thought twisted a small spot under her breastbone. She wouldn’t think about that.
Bret suddenly came into sight and spoke with the woman at the desk. Nina froze. Then, as if sensing her staring, he rotated and looked directly at her. He smiled, sending a slow, warm wave of awareness through her body. She told herself it was embarrassment at being caught snooping, but she knew it was more than that. The warmth in his green eyes could be felt through the glass. She gave a slight nod and hurriedly turned away.
She didn’t want to give the man any ideas. As she started back to her desk, she heard the office door swish open. Was he coming to talk to her again? Quickly, she formed a plausible excuse to turn him away, but when she looked over her shoulder, it wasn’t Bret, but a middle-aged woman with a bright smile, perfectly coiffed light brown hair and glasses on a chain hanging around her neck.
“Hello, there. I’m Dottie Patterson. Welcome to Hastings. I’m so excited to have you here. Kitty thinks the world of you.”
The woman’s sincere greeting and easy manner instantly calmed Nina’s nerves. “Glad to meet you, Dottie. Kathryn told me you had the answers for all my questions.”
“Ha. Sounds like her.” Dottie piled her purse and several bags onto the desktop. “No. I only have a few answers, but I do know where all the bodies are buried.” She waved her hand. “Just joking. I will help you with everything I can. I’m familiar with her schedule and most of her patients, though of course, not their issues. But I know enough to detect when they really need to see her, or when they just need a kind word.”
The idea of having a filter between herself and her patients was reassuring. “You must have worked for her a long time?”
“Since her boys were babies. Course, I only work three days a week now. Monday through Wednesdays, till noon. Hubby is retired, and I want to spend as much time together as we can.”
“Kathryn doesn’t have a full load of patients?”
“She used to, but a year ago, she decided she needed to spend more time with her family, so she started pulling back. Now she sees patients early in the week. Thursday is for emergencies or new patients, and Friday, she plays hooky.”
“Sounds like a nice job, but I prefer to be busy. I don’t do well with time on my hands.”
“I hope you don’t go stir crazy here, then. We aren’t very busy. Kitty has transferred her most serious patients to other qualified doctors. You’ll be working mainly with the run-of-the-mill neurosis and phobias.”
“I wasn’t aware there were any of those.”
Dottie chuckled. “Sorry. You know what I mean. At any rate, I’ll help you all I can, and of course, you’re welcome to take on any new patients if you like. In your spare time, you can discover Hastings. It’s a very historic town. We have dozens of antebellum homes, a cemetery dating back to the settling of the area and several notable museums.”
Dottie turned on the computer, and then she planted her hands on her hips. “Did you read the letter Kitty left?”
“Yes. It all seemed pretty simple.”
“Good. The only really important item is the Widow’s Walk Club. That’s every Tuesday night at 6:30.”
Nina’s palms began to sweat at the thought of the one thing she wished she could avoid. “I’m afraid I haven’t had much experience in group therapy. I’m more comfortable with one-on-one sessions.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. These ladies have been in the group for years now. They’ve been through it all together. All you have to do is listen and make sure they’re being honest with themselves.”
“Any chance we could suspend the group until Kathryn returns?”
Dottie raised her head and frowned. “Goodness, no. Those women depend on that weekly meeting. For a couple of them, it’s all that’s keeping them grounded.”
Dottie must have seen her alarm. She came and gave her shoulders a warm squeeze. “Don’t worry. The women are all sweet as pie, and they’ll bring you up to speed. They are looking forward to meeting you. Now, let’s get you settled in.”
The next few hours were spent going over everything with Dottie. They sorted the patient files to coordinate with each appointment so Nina could read them before they met. The only bump in the road was the patient scheduled for this afternoon. Dottie had tried to reschedule but was unable. Nina wasn’t prepared to counsel someone this soon, but she had no choice. She’d come here to shake herself out of her apathetic state, so jumping in with both feet might be a good thing.
Thankfully the patient called and canceled at the last minute. All she wanted to do now was get to her hotel, take a long bath and study the files for tomorrow. She had five appointments during the day, and the Widow’s Walk group in the evening. It was going to be a long day.
After