Without looking at me, he scraped back his chair and took his plate to the sink. “You can stay here forever as far as I’m concerned.”
“Thanks, Royce.”
“No thanks necessary. I’m being selfish. I love having you here.” He gave a self-conscious laugh and moved toward me. “I need to shower and get ready for work. Janelle will be at the station at 3:00 p.m. if you still want to be there.”
“Sure.”
He bent down and kissed me. “In case you take off before I’m out of the shower, I’ll see you later at the station. Have a good day, Max.”
“You too.”
Since I wasn’t going to see patients today, I decided I’d call Mrs. Numi. She’d mentioned having a few other locations to show me. As much as I hated doing it, I needed to move on from that other spot. River had outmaneuvered me, and I needed to accept defeat. I had to find somewhere else to reopen my clinic. I’d stick pins in my eyes rather than go on paying rent to that snake.
Mrs. Numi and I arranged to meet at a property on the outskirts of town. I made the short drive, and I turned off the main road and onto a dirt one. My stomach sank as I headed down the bumpy dirt road. I tried to imagine my patients traveling over the pothole-riddled lane and shuddered. The road was bad now; I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if it rained.
When I finally reached the structure at the end of the lane, I found Mrs. Numi’s Mercedes parked in front of a one-story ranch-style building. It looked like perhaps it had been a real estate office at one time. The blue paint on the outside was worn away by harsh summers, and the landscape was nothing but waist-high weeds and barrel cactus.
Climbing from her car, Mrs. Numi forced a smile. “I know it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is better. I think.”
“It would be hard to be worse.” I stared at the building, stomach churning.
Her laugh was brittle. “I know. Our issue is finding a spot that’s zoned for medical use.”
“Yes.” Eyeing the dilapidated building, I said, “If this is the best that’s available, maybe I should change my profession.”
“Oh, don’t be like that, Dr. Thornton. A couple of coats of fresh paint and some landscaping, and this place will look amazing.”
“Is there enough paint in the world?”
“Come, come. Where’s that can-do attitude you’re known for?”
I frowned. “I don’t think I’m known for that.”
She waved her hand at me. “Let’s think positive.”
“Not sure I can.” I eyed the road we’d just traveled over. “I’m not sure about that road either. My patients can barely navigate the seating area in my clinic. Some of the older ones might end up in a ditch.”
“You could have that graded. Maybe put down some gravel. There are things we can do.”
We? Don’t you mean me?
“I suppose.” I knew she was making the best of a bad situation. It wasn’t her fault I couldn’t stop thinking about that redbrick building with the pool. It was impossible not to compare everything she now showed me against that place.
“Let’s go inside. Shall we?” She seemed extra perky today. I got the feeling she was overcompensating.
I followed her to the door. She slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the door. It squeaked like something out of a haunted house, and the musty scent filled my nose. As we stepped into the building, I noticed another smell as well. I recoiled, plugging my nose. “That smells like something decaying.”
She pulled her scarf up over her nose. “Oh dear. I think you’re right. There must be a dead rodent in the attic.”
“Awesome.”
The inside of the building consisted of one wide-open room. There were cobwebs in the corners and at least an inch of dust on everything. I was sure Mrs. Numi could see how horrified I was at what I was seeing because I was incapable of hiding my dismay.
She gave a nervous laugh. “I haven’t shown this particular property in a while.”
“It looks like no one has.” I turned in a circle. “There are no separate rooms. It’s like a barn.”
“Yes. You’d have to have your contractor build you an examination room and office. That’s no biggie though. Just some framing and drywall and you have all the rooms you need,” she said brightly.
