inside of the building was as tidily kept as the outside. Although it hadn’t been used in some time, there wasn’t the grime he expected. He ran a finger across the counter separating the empty waiting area from the examination rooms. Not a speck of dust.
“Sweet Briar is a great place to live, but lately we’ve had a hard time keeping a doctor. Our last doctor got married and moved to Boston after six months because his wife wanted to live near her family. The one before only lasted three months before deciding that although she wanted to live in a small town, she didn’t mean one this small. Everyone was so excited about having a doctor make a two-year commitment that several people got together and cleaned the offices last week.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything. But I will pass your appreciation along to those who actually did the work.”
Rick walked past the counter. There was enough space for two workstations as well as file cabinets. He continued down the hall and opened the first of six doors. The room was large and the sun streamed through the big window on the far wall. He could envision two examination tables as well as a desk, scale, guest chair and other equipment fitting in the space. Three other rooms were the same size, and there were two smaller ones that could be used as offices.
A second hallway led to a bathroom and a room that could be used as a break room. Although the walls could use a fresh coat of paint, he was pleased by what he saw.
“When do you think you’ll be ready to start seeing patients?”
“I hope within the next three weeks. I need to hire a nurse and a receptionist, but I can muddle along without them at first if need be. The truck bringing my office furniture should arrive in a few days.”
“I’ll put out the word about the employees you need. It shouldn’t be hard for you to find someone qualified around here.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Rick let the mayor out then walked through the offices once more. Excitement swept through him along with the desire to share the experience with someone. His ex-wife was long gone. Not that he and Sherry had shared much toward the end of their marriage. Bobby was here, but he was too angry to share Rick’s happiness. Charlotte had been his closest friend in Sweet Briar, and once upon a time she would have been beside him, sharing his joy. They weren’t friends now. He’d ruined that years ago with his selfish behavior.
He blew out a breath, his excitement diminished by regret.
“Can we leave now?” Bobby asked. “All you’re doing is staring into space. You can do that at home.”
Rick threw his arm over his son’s shoulder. There was no sense looking back at a past he couldn’t change. He needed to concentrate on the present. “Yes. We can leave.”
Rick locked the door, glad for the moment that Bobby hadn’t shrugged off his arm. Things were looking up.
Charlotte’s stomach growled as she closed the cabinet door on her newly organized dishes. Over the past couple of days she’d cleaned her house from top to bottom, removing every speck of dust from every crack and crevice. She swiped a hand over her forehead, wiping away perspiration. Maybe she would paint. One of her secret pleasures was watching home renovations shows. She didn’t kid herself that she had what it took to gut her kitchen and rebuild it, but surely she could put in a new tile backsplash. And maybe while she was changing her house, she could find a way to change her life.
After her stomach rumbled again, she decided it was time to quit for the day and get something to eat. Her appetite had waned over the past few days and she’d skipped meals. She knew part of the reason for her loss of appetite was the death of her lifelong dream of one day running Shields Manufacturing. The job represented more than professional achievement. It would have been proof that her father really did love her and that everything she’d sacrificed to gain that love had been worth it. Watching him give that job to someone else smashed that delusion. Her father didn’t love her. She’d only been kidding herself.
He hadn’t called her to explain his actions, or to ask her to return. He hadn’t even had his secretary call to see if she was all right. It was as if she no longer existed. She shouldn’t be surprised. He’d turned his back on her sister Carmen just as easily. Carmen had been a bit of a wild child as a teenager, bringing shame on the family. When she was eighteen, she’d been involved in a fatal car accident. Carmen hadn’t been driving, nor had she been drinking, but that hadn’t mattered to their father. He’d thrown her out of the house and washed his hands of her. To her shame, Charlotte had joined her father in order to gain his approval, rejecting the little sister who’d loved her. When Carmen returned to town a couple of years ago, she’d reached out. Charlotte had repeatedly rejected her. What a fool she’d been.
Of course, her job situation was only part of the reason she’d skipped meals and was having trouble sleeping. The biggest part was residing on the other side of her shared wall. She’d managed to avoid Rick for the past three days, but she’d been aware of his presence. She’d seen him coming and going, but he hadn’t sought her out again. And that was fine with her. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Sure, he’d apologized, but so what? It was only words. Empty words that didn’t change a thing.
Deciding she’d spent more time than she cared to thinking about Rick Tyler, she pulled open her refrigerator door. Nothing appealed to her. She wasn’t the best cook, and apart from a few simple meals that she made on a regular rotation, she was pretty useless in the kitchen. After the past few rotten days she’d endured, she deserved something good and greasy.
She looked at her clothes. Upholding the family status as leaders in the community had been drilled into her since birth. Appearance had meant everything, so she’d never dreamed of being seen in public wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She might not still work for her father, but some things were too deeply ingrained in her to simply vanish.
Dashing up the stairs, she washed up and changed into a lavender sleeveless blouse and dark purple cropped pants. She pulled a comb through her hair then slid a band over it, to hold it off her face. She added lipstick then pronounced herself ready for the world.
The drive to Mabel’s Diner was short and she found a parking space right away. The sun was beginning to set and a cool breeze blew, filling the air with the scent of the flowers overflowing the planters lining the street. Even in the worst of economic times, Sweet Briar had managed to maintain the landscaping. Despite the gloom in her heart, her spirits lifted a little at the sight of the colorful flowers.
Grabbing her book from the passenger seat, Charlotte headed for the diner. She smiled at several people as she passed them but they didn’t smile back. She swallowed the pain of their rejection. She’d rejected them first. She’d treated the citizens of Sweet Briar—some of whom worked for her at Shields Manufacturing—like dirt beneath her feet. She’d been scornful, arrogant and downright rude. She deserved to be ignored. She’d earned it.
Besides, they had no way of knowing the kind of week she’d had and how desperately she needed a smile. Or maybe they did. News traveled faster than light in Sweet Briar. By now everyone could know that her father had given the job she’d lived for to a stranger and that the man who’d ditched her at the altar was back in town. She froze and reconsidered going into the diner. No. She wasn’t going to hide like a criminal.
She
