His Surprise Son
Page 20
“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 placing a call for a cab, Nina gathered her belongings and headed downstairs. She stepped out the front door of the building and into the heat. It must be eighty-five degrees, much too hot for a wool suit. Maybe she’d shed the jacket tomorrow. Mid-April in Chicago was still cold, damp and sometimes snowy. Here in Southern Mississippi, the sun shone, and the flowers were blooming. It was a nice surprise, but she prayed there wouldn’t be too many more. She liked things predictable, controlled. Her first day had been anything but.
Glancing at her watch, and then up the street, she willed the cab to arrive. She was tired, cranky and hot, and all she wanted to do was get to her hotel room and shut out the world and everyone in it.
Bret Sinclair’s grin flashed through her mind. He was someone she definitely wanted to block out.
The only way she could survive these next few months was to keep to herself. She couldn’t risk getting emotionally involved again, because risking another loss of someone she loved would kill her.
It almost had the first time.
Copyright © 2018 by Lorraine Beatty
ISBN-13: 9781488090561
His Surprise Son
Copyright © 2018 by Alyse Stanko Pleiter
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