dedicated,” Rick said. “We’re lucky she decided to come back to Lilly Lake once she finished her education, because she’s got amazing talent as a nurse and also as an administrator.”
“She said you two go back a long time.” Somehow, she felt a little envious. Nobody in her life went back very far.
“We were kids. Ran around together for a while. Got into trouble a couple times.”
“Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” OK, that was none of her business, but she was curious.
He shook his head. “Nope. More like allies. Julie was one of Grace Corbett’s foster-children, and I was the son of Lawrence Corbett’s maid. We both felt a little left out or excluded from certain things. Gave us a common bond.” Thinking back, he grinned. “Or a common goal to raise a little hell wherever we could.”
Summer knew what feeling excluded felt like. These days, she felt it acutely herself. “Well, whatever kind of past she had, she’s certainly a talented woman … in her nursing skills, in her ability with horses.”
“You’re not bad with the horses yourself. And as a nurse, I’d rank you right up there with Julie. Speaking of nursing …”
As a nurse … she didn’t want to get into that issue right here. She and Rick had gone round and round before, and nothing had changed. She wasn’t going to take the full-time position he’d been offering her. So she quickly scuttled that part of conversation and turned it around to horses … safe territory. “Grace gave me that experience with horses. I love animals … all animals. Hadn’t ever been around horses, though. Didn’t grow up in a situation where anything like horseback riding was available to me. So when I moved into Gracie House to take care of her, she offered me the opportunity to do something I’d always wanted to do … learn to ride. And I loved it. Loved her for giving it to me.” A faint smile slipped to her lips, remembering that first day Grace had taken her down to the stables. She’d found Jasmine right off, a shy, gentle chestnut. Had fallen in love with her. A week later, Grace had given her Jasmine. “I really miss her,” she said fondly.
“So do I. Grace touched a lot of lives. Mine included, when she endowed me to go to medical school.” “She did that for you?”
Rick nodded. “At the time, I didn’t even know I wanted to be a doctor. I was in college, not majoring in anything. Kind of on the verge of washing out, actually.” He smiled. “Let me rephrase that. I was being a real screw-up. Mad at my mother, mad at the world in general. On academic probation, on disciplinary probation. Probably days away from being kicked to the curb. Then one day, Grace showed up at my dorm room, walked right in and made me an offer. Get my act together, start taking pre-med classes to see if I liked medicine. If I did, she’d send me to medical school.” He didn’t talk about himself much. No reason to. People here either remembered him as a kid and held onto their prejudices or accepted what he’d become, or they’d come to know him as an adult only and based their opinion on what they saw. He did his job, raised his kid, kept to himself. That was his world, and that was all he wanted in his world. But something about Summer compelled him to be, well, a little more loquacious than he normally was. In fact, Summer was the first person he’d ever told about Grace making his medical education available to him. He wasn’t even sure Rafe and Jess knew, and didn’t feel inclined to mention it to them.
“So, just like that, you changed your life?”
He shook his head. “Not really. I gave it some thought. Didn’t like the idea of all the years of study I’d have ahead of me. I wasn’t very focused then so I turned her down. In due course, I grew up some, and got a little more serious about my studies … at least, enough so I wasn’t in imminent danger of getting myself kicked out. Then about a year later I went home on semester break and she offered me a one-week job at the hospital. Hard work, no pay, was what she said.” He chuckled. “I’d always had free access to the stables and the horses. She told me for that door to remain open during my holiday, I had to work that week at the hospital in exchange for my privileges. No hospital, no horses. So I took on the hospital. Did grunt work, nothing glamorous. It nearly broke my back. In fact, I was so tired I never rode once during that week. But after one particularly rough night, where I actually assisted in a resuscitation … I was the one to do the chest compressions that helped save the patient’s life … let’s say that my life changed. It was the first time I’d ever done anything I considered worthwhile, and I floated around on a high from that for weeks. I saved a life. The rest is history, and here I am. Thank God for Grace Corbett and her phenomenal insight into people.”
“I wish I’d known her longer, but she …” Summer paused, drew in a ragged breath. “Taking care of her all those months when she was dying, it was never like I was really working. It was more like being part of something important. And she was so good to Alyssa … I didn’t know Grace as long as everybody else around here did, but I don’t think I’ve ever respected anybody more in my life.”
“She was one of the truly good people.” He licked his ice-cream cone, then pointed to the blue melting down the side of Summer’s cone. “You’d better get after that blue stuff fast,” he said, handing her a napkin. “And in the meantime, while I’ve got you distracted, I’m going to make that offer again.”
Summer shook her head. “No, Rick. Don’t do it, because I haven’t changed my mind. I like my working situation as it is. Being a temp nurse is … good.” Kept her largely unnoticed, off to the side, which was exactly where she wanted to be these days. She raised her daughter, she worked occasionally. It was enough. Although she did have to admit that she missed full-time involvement. Missed the financial security, too. Maybe again someday …
“But it doesn’t pay you as much as you could earn coming on staff as a full-time RN, and you’re a damned good nurse, Summer. I wouldn’t be asking you to head the pediatric ward if I hadn’t already seen how you work. The hospital needs you and I think you need the hospital.”
“See, that’s the thing. I don’t need the hospital. At least, not in the capacity you’re offering me. Coming in occasionally, working wherever I’m needed … that’s all I want to do.” She glanced over at Alyssa, then back at Rick. “I value my time with my daughter, and a full-time job would take too much of that away from me.”
“Like my job as chief of staff takes too much time away from me. But I make it work, Summer. Sometimes I don’t like all the hours I have to put in, but at the end of the day, it works out.”
“I’m glad it does. But I can’t do it.”
This was the third time he’d offered her this position, and had been turned down that many times. Yet he still wanted her in that job. Hadn’t even considered looking for someone else yet. Summer was a good nurse. No, she was great. She had the right instincts as well as a natural gift with children. Maybe her greatest ability was the way she put people at ease. As far as he was concerned, she was the only person he wanted, and he wasn’t going to be deterred by what he was sure was going to be his next rejection. “Look, I don’t know what’s stopping you. If it’s someone reliable to look after Alyssa, bring her to my house. Mrs. Jenkins is there looking after Chris, and—”
Summer thrust out her hand to stop him. “That’s not the point, Rick. I … I can’t get that involved right now. Not with anything.”
“What if I sweetened the pot by telling you that we’re going to start a day-care program for employees’ children? Alyssa could be included in that program, and you’d get to be with her throughout the day. So, would that be enough to make you consider accepting?”
She
