Then There Was You

by Miranda Liasson

  A little? Sara glanced at her watch. It was ten o’clock, and the nine-thirty patient hadn’t been seen yet. “I tell you what, I can see the nine thirty. But when Dad comes out, will you tell him I need to talk to him?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Sara was already halfway down the hall when Leonore called out, “Hey, Sara…You forgot your pen, sweetie!”

  “Oh! Thank you,” she said, grabbing it from Leonore and making sure to stick it in the knit thingamabob around her neck, pleased to see Leonore smile.

  “I told you that little thing would come in handy.” She held out another pen. “Here, stick this in there so you always have an extra.” Sara had this terrible habit of forgetting pens everywhere. “Will do,” she said, and ran down the hall.

  She caught up with her dad after she’d seen the patient, who had a straightforward sinus infection. He was walking out into the reception area with Eva O’Connor. Her eyes looked a little puffy. She grasped Sara’s hand unexpectedly.

  “Hi, Mrs. O’Connor,” Sara said, squeezing her hand back.

  “Sara. I’m so happy you’re back with us in town. We need a nice woman doctor like you. But I have to tell you, your father is a saint. Honestly, we’re going through some tough times, but he made me feel so much better.” She blew her nose, and Leonore pulled a few more out of a box on the counter and handed them to her. “I think I’ve held him up with my troubles.”

  Leonore patted her hand. “Oh, now, you know how Doctor is. He always has time to listen.”

  “Well, I am truly grateful for that, Leonore. You ladies have a good day.”

  Sara found her father back in his office, dictating the visit. “Patient’s son is in the middle of a contentious divorce and got stopped for a DUI, her daughter’s just moved back home with two little kids, and her husband just found out he’s got to have back surgery.” He looked up from dictating into his computer. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, for throwing off the schedule.”

  “Oh no, Dad. I’m really glad you made time to talk with her.”

  He smiled. “Me too. It’s the part of my job I like the best. Sometimes people just need someone to listen.”

  Easy to forget that, in the hectic pace of the day. “Hey, Dad, I need to consult with you on one of your patients I just saw.”

  “Oh, sure,” he said, walking around the desk and standing near Sara, crossing his arms. “Who is it?”

  “Stacy Simmons. I know she’s got irritable bowel syndrome, but she’s having bad pain and her abdomen feels tight. It’s concerning to me, like she might need a CT scan to make sure it’s nothing worse. I thought I’d get you to take a look and see what you think.”

  Her dad rose from the chair. “I’ve been treating Stacy for years. I’m glad you asked me what I think.” As he went off to see the patient, Sara couldn’t help scanning his desk. Tidy piles of papers, pens with drug company logos, and a few goofy things his patients had given him, like a coffee mug that read, “I found that humerus.” In the corner of the desk was a stack of charts. On the top was the name of a patient she’d seen the day before. She flipped through the stack. Yep, her entire afternoon lineup from yesterday. He was still checking them over as if she were an intern.

  Just then her dad came striding back in the room. “I agree with you, her abdomen’s tight. But she’s really stressed, and her irritable bowel always acts up when she’s overwhelmed. I told her you’d adjust her medication and to give us a call this evening if she’s not better. Sound all right to you?”

  Sara tucked her disappointment about the charts aside. She’d bring that matter up another time. “Yes, but it makes me nervous too. How can you be sure nothing’s really wrong with her?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t be. I’m just willing to take the risk because I know her so well.”

  “But Dad—malpractice, lawsuits. Bad stuff happening to people.” Sara shuddered just thinking about that.

  Her dad laughed. “Yeah, yeah. That’s why they call it the art of medicine. Or we’d spend all day ordering every test in the book on everybody.” He pulled his beeper off his hip and squinted at it. “Say, can you help me turn on that newfangled EKG machine? It’s like it has its own mind. This one asks you twenty questions before it decides to turn on. My old one just used to have a switch.”

  “Sure, of course I’ll help you turn it on. Dad—”

  “Yes, sweetheart?” He was already bolting down the hall. She caught up with him there.

  “Thanks for that. It’s—it’s fun seeing you in action. I—hope I can be like you one day.”

  He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Give yourself a little time. I think you’re going to be even better than me one day.”

  Wow, what? Did she just hear that out of her dad’s mouth? A compliment? She took a minute to bask in the fact that her dad saw her potential. That she was doing OK, falling into a groove. Besides that, something more was happening. She was enjoying getting to know her patients, who were also her neighbors, friends, past teachers, and kids she’d babysat for. It made her feel a part of something…It made her feel like she belonged.

  “Hannah Walker’s in room three,” Glinda said when Sara returned to the counter.

  “Thanks, Glinda,” Sara said, taking Hannah’s chart and knocking on the door. She was a little nervous about seeing Hannah as a patient. Of course she would keep Hannah’s concerns private, as she was obliged to do, but she wasn’t quite sure if Colton would like that or not. Hopefully he’d be relieved that Hannah had gotten all the info she needed and be grateful to be spared the details.

  Hannah’s chart said she was here for a physical. A meningitis shot before college. And Sara couldn’t forget about the sex talk. Part of her job. An important part, she reminded herself, whether it was a little uncomfortable or not.

  “How’s your summer?” Sara asked as she took a seat on the stool and put Hannah’s chart off to the side.

  “Fabulous. But it’ll be coming to an end. I’m a little sad about that.”

  Hannah’s tone was chatty, as always, the only evidence of nerves the fact that as she sat she twirled her long braid in one hand. “Are you nervous about college?”

  “No, not really. Excited.” She dropped her hands into her lap but fidgeted them a little. “Except I met someone. A boy.”

  Sara raised a brow. “A nice boy?”

  “He’s awesome, Sara. Kind and sweet and really handsome.”

  God, she loved this kid. Mentioning kind and sweet before handsome. Mature beyond her age. Colton would be so proud.

  “My brother found out I was seeing him.” Hannah looked Sara directly in the eye, which also impressed her. “You won’t tell him any of this, will you?”

  She wanted to make certain Hannah understood she had her trust. “Anything we discuss in this office is private.”

  “Aiden happens to be my brother’s latest project.”

  “Project?”

  “Yeah, you know. The cops helped Colton when he was a wild teenager or something and now he feels like it’s his mission on earth to do the same for other kids. And he picked Aiden. He’s painting Cookie’s house, of all things.”

  “Have you had a talk with your brother about this?”

  “Well, he confronted me because he found out I was hanging out with Aiden. And he basically went ballistic.”

  Colton going ballistic? Hard to imagine. On second thought, maybe not so hard, knowing how much he loved his sister. “Why’s that?”

  “Because Aiden doesn’t come from a nice family—he’s not going to college, and he wants to be an electrician. And he got in trouble last spring, but that was an accident. But he works three jobs and he’s amazing.”

  “Three jobs. That is amazing.” Sara made small talk but knew she had to somehow professionally broach the topic of sex while making the transition as natural as possible. She was just trying to figure out how to do that when Hannah spoke.

  “I already know about the birds and the bees, if that
’s what you’re wondering. And no, I’m not having sex with him. Not yet. But I have a few questions.”

  “Well, I’d love to help you with whatever questions you have. Not just here in the office but anytime, right?”

  “This isn’t a fling. I love Aiden. But Colt will be so upset.”

  “Well, I know one thing—your brother adores you. He wants nothing but the best for you.”

  “My brother is stubborn. He can’t see beyond Aiden’s past. Geez, he practically broke out in hives when he found out I was seeing him.” She grinned and waved her hands near her face. “I mean it, Sara, his face got all blotchy and he looked like he was going to pass out or something.”

  Sara couldn’t help but chuckle. “My advice is to talk with your brother. And go slowly. Sometimes we think we’re in love, but it’s just infatuation.”

  “And sometimes it’s love,” she insisted.

  “I’m just saying waiting to have sex might be a good thing. Slow things down a little. Really get to know one another. Proceed with caution.” She certainly hadn’t done that with Colton. But she was old enough to realize the starry-eyed feeling she felt around him was not love. She would not allow herself to get burned by that again.

  Hannah was sitting there, her long dancer’s legs dangling off the exam table, pretending to listen. Sara knew the look. Hannah was being respectful, but it looked as if she’d already made up her mind.

  As Sara went on talking, educating, and informing, she thought about how dearly Colton loved his little sister and how she had to do right by him but also do right by Hannah. However that balancing act tipped, one side was bound not to be as happy as the other. But she had to do her job first.

  * * *

  “Hey,” Colton said as he walked into Sara’s office at twelve fifteen and found her writing up a chart at the counter. “Have time for lunch?”

  “Yep. I’m done and I’m starving,” Sara said, closing the chart and beaming a bright smile that told him she was happy to see him. He couldn’t help grinning back like a smitten teenager, and bit down on his cheeks to control it. What was it about her that made him feel like he wasn’t in control at all?

  “I’m starving too,” he said, giving her a look that let her know exactly what he was starving for.

  She blushed at his comment, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Leonore and Glinda, who gave each other a knowing look.

  He leaned through the open reception window. “Ladies,” he said. “How goes it?”

  “Great, Chief,” Leonore said with a wave.

  Sara hung her lab coat on the hook and walked into the waiting room. As they headed for the outside door, Glinda said, “Lord, I am having a hot flash. Did you see the way that man looks at her?”

  “Like he’s a sailor home after a six-month voyage,” Glinda said. Colton held the door for Sara and gave her the most indecent look he could muster, which wasn’t hard at all. As soon as they got outside, Colton swung her up against the side of the building and kissed her. “Ahoy there, matey,” he murmured against her neck.

  She giggled. “They said a sailor, not a pirate.”

  “I like the pirate better. Shiver me timbers, lass.”

  She groaned at his bad impression, but kissed him back just as eagerly, wrapping her hands around his waist and gazing at him with those stunning green eyes. In the cool shade by the door, under the old lilacs, he wished he could keep kissing her forever. “I hope you didn’t mind I came in?” He grinned—again. He really had to stop with all the grinning. “I missed you.”

  She laughed. “But you just saw me yesterday morning.”

  He shrugged. “I know, but I missed you last night.” Dammit, he shouldn’t have said that. He knew she had commitments to her grandmother. Plus he was supposed to be treating this as casual and instead he was acting stalker-ish. What had gotten into him?

  But then she grabbed him by the shirt and went in for another kiss. She tasted wonderful, felt so good in his arms. He skimmed her jaw with kisses, then trailed them down her neck.

  She arched her neck to give him better access. “Maybe we should go to your place for lunch?”

  “Can’t,” he said. “I have to be in court in Richardson by one. But I do have lunch for us in my car. And I thought I’d take you somewhere special to eat it.”

  She raised an elegant brow. “Somewhere special?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “You’ll see.” His gaze skimmed lightly over her. She was wearing a flowered dress and red sandals, and her hair, up in its usual ponytail, was catching golden highlights in the sun. Gorgeous woman. Mine, something primal cried out inside him. He started walking around the back of the building to his car before he could say something stupid. Sara was stirring feelings in him he had no business feeling. Ones he’d made it a point not to feel with women, and especially not her. Yet he couldn’t seem to rein them in.

  Just then they saw an older woman walking toward them with a cane. It was Mary Mulligan, the angel photographer. She must’ve seen them kissing outside the door in broad daylight. He uttered a curse under his breath. What had he been thinking? Did he really want the whole town knowing about them?

  “Oh, hello, Chief, Dr. Sara,” Mrs. Mulligan said. “Seems I always catch you two kissing.”

  Colton felt his face flush, a rare occurrence. He was suddenly at a loss for words. Fortunately Sara chimed in.

  “Hi, Mary,” Sara said, shooting a glance at Colton. “Headed to see my dad?”

  “Yes, my stupid arthritis is acting up.” She stopped and rummaged in her purse, then pulled out her iPhone. “Say cheese,” she said, suddenly snapping their picture. “You two are such a cute couple. Are you headed out to lunch? It’s such a lovely summer day.”

  A sense of apprehension spread through Colton. Terms like couple and catch you two kissing were the kinds of words that were apt to give him hives.

  Mary replaced her phone, and Colton offered her his arm as she walked over to the office door.

  “Have a nice day, Mary,” Colton said.

  “You too.” She turned around at the top stair, grabbing on to the door frame for support. “It’s nice to finally see you both together. But those angels are certainly taking their time with you two.”

  Colton waved to Mary and steered Sara to his car, reminding himself that this was only a summer fling. No big deal. It was only lunch. He couldn’t allow himself to think further than that.

  * * *

  “Are you OK?” Sara asked as Colton drove them downtown and turned up a side street right after the falls. “You’re not letting that angel stuff get to you, are you?”

  “No, of course not,” he said. But frankly it had, a little, and he wasn’t quite sure why. Sara had said she wanted to keep things casual, which was exactly what he wanted too. What she’d said just now seemed to confirm that. Then what was his problem?

  He’d decided on impulse this morning to show Sara his plot of land. But now he was having second thoughts. Maybe it was too personal. Half of him wanted to show her everything, tell her everything on his mind because his heart was bursting like a damn teenager’s, but the other half told him he was a fool. A relationship wasn’t what she wanted. Or what he wanted, right?

  One more turn, and they were suddenly traveling up a gravel driveway surrounded on both sides by trees. He felt a little nervous about what she would think, but didn’t want to even think about why that was important to him.

  “Someone lives back here?” Sara asked.

  He laughed. “Well, they used to.” The car crunched along the road, which wound through a patch of woods and over a tiny stone bridge where a creek gurgled below.

  “It’s like a park back here,” Sara said.

  “It’s next to the park. Pretty hidden, isn’t it?” He felt the same peace come over him that he always felt making this climb. As if he’d left his world of problems back on the main road.

  They continued through a clearing, and that’s where Colton killed the motor.
He got out of the car and grabbed a bag of food from the back seat and a blanket from the trunk.

  “We’re eating lunch in the field?” Sara asked.

  He quirked a smile and signaled her to keep walking.

  Suddenly, past the weedy field, a view opened up of a house that at one time used to be a showstopper but was now crippled with age. It was a big rectangular colonial, the bottom half covered in brown stone. The top half was made of wood and had been painted white, but the paint was now gray, chipped, and peeling. The front steps were crumbling, and a big tree alongside the house was growing through the roof.

  “So who owns this decrepit old house?” Sara asked as Colton led her over to the tree and laid out the blanket. She seemed fascinated by the tree limb climbing through the window and popping out the roof. “I’ve never seen a tree do that before.”

  “I own the land, up to the house.”

  “You own this?” She squinted at him in the sunshine. “How could I not even know about this place?”

  He shrugged. “Believe me, kids know about it, and sometimes they come out here and cause trouble. An elderly couple lived here, but it’s been abandoned for years. Their grandchildren are finally selling it. They intend to knock down the house and sell this piece of land off too.” Colton reached into the bag and pulled out two wrapped sandwiches. “Want to eat?” But she was already taking off toward the house, so he set down the food and followed her.

  She climbed onto the porch, stepping around the crumbling stone steps, and peeked in one of the windows.

  “Hey, be careful, Red. It’s not safe. Plus it looks like Hoarders in there.”

  That of course made her peek in all the windows. “Oh, wow. I see all kinds of furniture. Newspapers, magazines. Lots and lots of stuff.” When she turned, it surprised him to see excitement on her face. “So what made you buy the land?”

  “Sometimes being police chief makes me feel like I’m in a fishbowl. I wasn’t really ready for it with Hannah’s college expenses, but sometimes you just know when something’s right.” He winced. That seemed to reflect some other feelings he might be having too. Ones he did not want to assess that deeply right now.