“Are you sure?” Reggie pushed his glasses further up his nose. “She seemed very adamant.”
“Well, Amy is as passionate about her work in Belize as you are about your work in Africa. But you needn’t worry. It’s not a competition. The club is looking forward to both of your slideshows, I assure you.”
If I hadn’t already loathed the idea of joining the Rotary Club, the mention of slideshows put the nail in the coffin for me. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why people joined groups like this. It was entirely possible to do good without enrolling in a club. However, I got the distinct impression from Lincoln and the others in the room that they actuallythrived on the social aspect. Personally, I was drained after forty-five minutes of being in the room with them.
Reggie was still complaining. “I’ve got all the slides sorted already. It would be a huge inconvenience to have the slideshow canceled.”
“It won’t be canceled.” Lincoln patted Reggie’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to see your photos.”
Reggie looked relieved. “Okay.” He flicked his gaze to me as if just noticing me. “You’re Dr. Thornton.”
“Er… yes.”
“I’m Reggie Smith. I teach history at Rainy Dale Elementary.” He lifted one auburn brow. “When will your new clinic be open?”
“Soon. I hope. I’d say the beginning of next month. I’ll be seeing patients again.” I shifted uneasily because his stare was so focused.
“Is it true River Martin kidnapped you?”
Taken aback, I wasn’t sure how to respond.
Lincoln sighed. “Now, why are you bringing up something so unpleasant, Reggie? I’m sure Dr. Thornton doesn’t want to talk about that.”
“I’d rather not,” I mumbled.
Reggie shrugged. “I really liked River Martin. It’s hard to imagine him doing such a thing. He didn’t seem the type. Are you sure it was River?”
Again, I was lost for words.
Huffing, Lincoln said, “Reggie, why don’t you go ask Mrs. Charles to pass around more champagne. I see a lot of empty glasses.”
“Oh, uh… okay.” Reggie turned and walked away without another word.
“Sorry about that.” Lincoln gave a pained smile. “He’s in his own world. Reggie spends a lot of timewith his birds. He’s fine with his students but not great with adult people.”
I know the feeling.
“I suspect half of Rainy Dale thinks I made the whole thing up,” I murmured. “Or that I really did murder River’s sister, so therefore, I deserve what I got.”
“No. From what I heard, River confessed.” He shrugged. “River came in like a charming wrecking ball. It’s true he won people over easily, but that doesn’t excuse what he did to you. He assaulted you, and that’s not okay. I don’t care what his reasons were, he screwed up big-time.”
I met Lincoln’s kind gaze. “I didn’t, you know. I didn’t murder anyone.”
He squinted at me. “Of course not. You think for one second I’d have invited you to join the club if I thought you had?”
I grimaced. “I guess not.”
“I’ve lived in Rainy Dale all my life. I know what the people are like. This whole thing will blow over soon, and they’ll be on to the next titillating topic.”
“I live for that day.” I loathed the fact that all of Rainy Dale now knew about Lucinda’s death. I couldn’t go to each person and explain what had happened. They’d all just think whatever they wanted to think. Odds were their theories wouldn’t be flattering to me.
Lincoln patted my arm, his expression empathetic. “Life is full of things we can’t control. All we can do is go forth and do our best.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
“You’ll get there.” He looked past me, and a smile split his chubby face. “Well, well, it looks like Sheriff Callum decided to make time for us tonight.”
I turned so quickly I almost spilled what was left of my drink. Sure enough, Royce was walking into the crowded room. Relief washed through me, and I had to stop myself from shoving my way through the crowd to him. Biting the inside of my cheek, I forced myself to stay where I was. When his gaze settled on me, he gave a warm smile and moved in our direction.
