style="font-size:15px;"> “I don’t remember that,” Rob said. He glanced into the living room to see six girls and two boys sitting on the furniture, floor, anywhere, talking and laughing. “My house is going to be dripping in testosterone tonight.”
“I’ll help you clean up the dishes,” Sid said. “Why’d you have to make spaghetti? I hate cleaning up the spaghetti pots.”
“I got it,” Rob said. “I left Kathleen in charge at the pub. In case Finn needs me.”
“Oh, I think you’re the last person he needs,” Dakota said. A burst of laughter came from the living room. “He seems to have this under control.”
Sidney started rinsing plates while Rob gathered pots off the stove and put away leftovers.
“It wouldn’t kill you to take a woman on a proper date,” she said to Rob.
“Nah. Someone around here has to keep a clear head.”
“She seems like a nice woman, the doctor. Not at all crazy—a plus in this town.”
“Agreed, she seems nice,” he said. “And she knows how to get out stains. Did you know hydrogen peroxide gets out blood? I could’ve used her expertise while I was raising those two maniacs.”
“Not to mention a discount in medical costs,” Sid said. “You know, the boys are certainly old enough to accept the idea of their father going out with women now and then. After all, they do.”
“Sean isn’t exactly dating yet,” Rob pointed out.
“I bet he’s got something going on—walking a girl to classes, sitting with a girl at games, that stuff. Finn has a steady girl,” Sid said.
“I think he lucked into that,” Rob said. “She’s a sweetheart. And smart.”
“They’re going to leave you, you know,” she said. “You should be looking. For companionship.”
“Maybe I am and don’t want to talk about it. Keep the water in the sink, please,” he said.
And then he thought about it. He’d always had an open mind. But most of the women he’d met since his wife died nine years ago had been a bit too eager and anxious to win over his sons and take charge of his life. He just hadn’t been ready for that. There were a couple of women from out of town he’d had casual relationships with. What that meant was he’d see them briefly, talk to them occasionally, maybe there would be a quick roll in the hay. He’d had that kind of relationship with a woman named Rebecca for a couple of years, then she wandered off for a more serious man. A couple of years later he met Suzanne. She was in sales for restaurant supplies. He took her out for a drink, learned she was divorced, had a couple of grown daughters and was not interested in anything serious. That was about his speed. They got together infrequently but when he did spend a little time with her, it was good. She was also nice and didn’t seem to want anything more than he did.
She didn’t rub his neck or head, as he recalled. And she didn’t have that creamy, peachy skin. He wondered how long Leigh Culver’s hair was—it was always tied up in a bun when he saw her. She had playful green eyes. And a real take-charge attitude. She came into the pub from time to time, was well-liked in town. Today was the first day he’d called on her professional services.
He wouldn’t mind seeing more of her, but that was complicated in a town like Timberlake. Two dates and the whole town had you engaged. Maybe that didn’t happen to everyone but he and Leigh were pretty high-profile—the town doctor and the town pub owner. They would run into more people every day than the average citizen. And people had been trying to fix him up for years.
He wondered if she’d been fixed up lately. He didn’t even know if she’d ever been married. Maybe if he got to know her, he’d find she wasn’t such a prize.
No, that wasn’t going to happen. Eleanor and her husband liked to eat at the pub and Eleanor loved Leigh. Eleanor didn’t suffer fools gladly. Connie Boyle was always saying she was great, as did some of his fellow firefighters.
“Dad? Is it almost time for another one of those pills?” Finn asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Rob looked into Finn’s eyes. He could see he was hurting. He felt his head—warm. But he’d gotten antibiotics. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“It’s throbbing. It feels like the bandage is too tight.”
“Let’s take your temperature,” he said.
It was just barely above normal.
“You’re almost due a pain pill,” he said. “We’ll watch your temperature. If you’re still having trouble in the morning, I’ll call the doctor. If it gets bad in the night, I have her cell number.” She had said it would save her a world of trouble if he’d just call that number rather than meeting a big problem first thing in the morning. Made sense. “We’re going to be good boys and not take off that bandage. I don’t know what happens if you do that but I think she executes you. It sounded serious.” He craned his neck toward the living room. “Your girls gone?” There they sat, waiting patiently. Quietly.
“Everything okay?” Sid asked, drying the last pot.
“Pain, like she said would happen,” Rob said.
“Can you put ice on it?” Sid asked.
Rob got a shocked look on his face. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll call her after things quiet down and ask.”
“Good idea,” Sid said. She leaned toward Finn and kissed his cheek. “We’re going home. If you need me for any reason, please call.”
“We’re good,” Rob said.
Dakota put a hand on Finn’s shoulder. He leaned close. “Nice cheering section, bud,” he said.
“Thanks,” Finn said.
A half hour later, Finn had another pain pill and the girls retreated. Rob ordered Finn to bed and Sean to his room to either finish homework or find some quiet pastime—it would probably take place on his tablet or phone.
Once everything was quiet he called Dr. Culver.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I would expect. You can cover the bandage with Press’n Seal or a plastic bag and rest a bag of frozen peas in the palm. Gently.”
“We have a variety of cold packs,” he said. “Athletic boys. They have to ice knees and shoulders and even heads regularly.”
“As long as it’s a soft ice pack,” she said. “We don’t want to disturb the stitches. Why don’t you bring Finn by the clinic before school and let me have a quick look, just to be sure.”
He grinned so big his cheeks hurt. And he was glad no one could see his face. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll do that.”
“We mustn’t have any regrets,” Helen Culver said. “The house can sit empty until we’re absolutely sure. I have plenty of friends here in Naperville so after we sell the house I can come back for a visit anytime. I don’t have to have my own house to visit friends.”
