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Chapter Nineteen
“How do you like the view?” Steve asked as the plane rose into the sky.
“It’s soothing. After the week from hell I had at the clinic, I’m very happy to get away.”
He caught Lillian’s hand between his and caressed her palm. “Same thing here.”
Last week had been hectic for both of them. He hadn’t seen her privately or even talked to her on the phone. At the clinic, he’d caught a few glimpses of her rushing around with one doctor or another. Exhausted after his long days, he’d texted,We’ll talk on the planeorCan’t wait for next week.
“The clinic was pure chaos. The day after Dr. Matt started, you wouldn’t believe the number of patients we received.”
He laughed. “Glad it worked.”
“What worked?”
“I called a few friends at the hospital, mostly internal medicine specialists, and announced that my son was back at the clinic, in case they wanted to refer patients.”
“They referred them all right. Dozens of them. Heidi was so overwhelmed that she gave Dr. Randall an earful, threatening to quit if he didn’t hire more nurses.”
Steve burst out laughing. “Glad I’m not the only recipient of her scolding.”
“Dr. Randall told her to interview applicants and hire as many nurses as they needed. I got stuck assisting the surgeons while she conducted her interviews. She finally hired three permanent ones and two part-timers, in case there was too much work at the clinic.”
“You see, no one is indispensible. They’ll survive without us.”
“Have your tenants arrived?”
“Yes, yesterday. I met them. Nice British family with a son in college, two girls in high school. They’ve lived in Switzerland and all over Europe. He’s a businessman and his wife an artist—a painter.”
“Is Cybil still upset about the house?”
“Cybil…” He huffed. “I’m not surprised Matt spent fifteen hours a day at work. As soon as he stepped inside the house, you could hear them fighting. She didn’t like anything within their budget, and Matt refuses to borrow huge sums of money when he’s just starting a new job. Anyhow, all that is irrelevant now.”
“Why?”
“She flew to Houston yesterday, saying she’ll come back only when he’s ready to buy her a decent house.”
“Oh my God, he didn’t breathe a word at work.”
“It’s not Matt’s style to complain. He stayed at the hotel with me last night. Royce invited him to be his roommate until he decides on what to do next.”
Lillian shook her head. “That’s too bad. He’s such a nice guy.”
“And a good catch. Cybil’s playing with fire. Now enough about my children. And by the way, I’m so grateful you organized my animals’ care.”
“You have Susan Chen to thank for that. She agreed to move into my house and take care of Max and the cats.
“I bet she was happy to find such a nice place for free.”
“Well, yes. She’ll be able to save money on her lodgings. Any news from the St. John’s clinic?”
“The recruiter had ads running in the papers and on Internet for various positions, and he created a website, where candidates can read the job requirements, fill in an application, post information and references. Tomorrow, you can spend the day reading through the various applications, choose those you want to interview, call their references, and give them appointments. Don’t be scared when you see the number of applicants. I’ll help you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m happy to help with the new clinic.”
“Now, we’d better enjoy our quiet time together.”
They ordered coffee and breakfast, and later he put his arm around her shoulders, and she dozed off, her head resting on his chest.
