“What do you think?”
Evie slowly turned in a circle, taking in the bare walls and scattered tools. “There’s so much more light in here with that enlarged door space.”
“Yeah, that’s made a big difference.” He’d carved out the space for the new entryway and was just using a piece of plywood as a door for now. The plywood rested on the wall, and light streamed in from the outside.
“I can see the possibilities down here,” she said with a smile. “But I’ve got a pretty vivid imagination.”
“Yeah? What else do you see?” Charlie said, crossing his arms, clearly interested.
“Well, off the top of my head, right where you’re standing could be more than a waiting room.” She moved toward the center of the room where Charlie stood.
“Like what?”
“Like, it’s big enough that it could be a gathering place for a group. And given the lighting situation down here, the walls should be a light color, maybe a pale blue, with a little gray in it.”
“Don’t stop.”
Not a problem! She was just getting started. “On the walls, I can imagine some framed pictures of local landscapes. A covered bridge, or some of those beautiful Amish barns. Or quilts! I could look in some downtown shops for them.”
Taking a step toward her, Charlie grinned. “Keep going. I like your ideas.”
Evie felt a surge of excitement. “We could put down a rug to make it cozy. A durable rug. As in ... washable.” Just yesterday, a little four-year-old boy threw up all over the floor of Dok’s small waiting room. “Definitely washable.”
He stepped even closer. “You’ve got a knack for this.”
Their faces were just inches apart.
Eyes locking, they both grew very still.
Evie should step back.Too close,too close!She didn’t trustherself to not throw her arms around him and cover his face with kisses.
Step back,step back!Right now, before it was too late. But she didn’t. She couldn’t make herself.
Just then, Wren came down the cellar stairs. “Charlie, you won’t believe what I’ve found—” She stopped short at the exposed threshold when she saw Evie, her expression shifting to one of dry disgust.
On the far side of the basement, Dok’s voice rang down the steps. “Evie? We’ve got a house call to make.”
“Oh, okay, Dok. I’ll be right up.”
Wren let out an annoyed sigh. “House calls are a colossal waste of time. You need modern equipment to properly evaluate a patient, and that requires a doctor’s office.”
Evie couldn’t disagree more. So much more about a patient was revealed in their home—like the elderly man who promised Dok that he was taking his medication, only for her to spot the full bottles on his kitchen windowsill. In their homes, patients often revealed things they didn’t even realize themselves. Like the woman who insisted she had asthma and needed an inhaler. Each time her cat climbed into her lap, she started having trouble breathing—turned out she was allergic to it.
What was the point of disagreeing with Wren? It was never really a conversation with her. She told you what she thought, with a tone in her voice that you should think that way too. Even if you didn’t. Evie glanced up at Charlie. “Guess I’d better go.”
Charlie shot her an apologetic look. “No problem. We can talk more later.”
Upstairs, Dok was waiting for her by Annie’s desk, medical bag in one hand. “Is any progress happening down there?”
“I think so. Definitely.” But Evie wasn’t talking about the basement.
David finally had a quiet moment at the end of the day. His two little boys were asleep, and he sank into his favorite chair, a book in hand, soaking in the peacefulness. But that peace was short-lived. His wife Birdy appeared from the kitchen with a look that instantly made him squirm.
Hands on her hips, she asked, “Did you really quote Scripture to Dok?”
David grimaced. Apparently, after what he thought was a meaningful talk with his sister about the importance of training others, she’d stopped by to complain to Birdy about him. “I was just trying to make a point.”
Birdy raised an eyebrow. “David, you’re her brother, not her bishop.”
