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Knowing that she needed to get back downstairs, Aria sat up. She rubbed at her arms with her knuckles, resisting the temptation to scratch at them, which is what her anxiety often demanded of her.
Peeling out of her work clothes, Aria draped them over a chair to deal with later, then pulled on a pair of leggings and an over-sized T-shirt with long sleeves that hung down past her hands. She tugged on a pair of ballet-style flats, then went downstairs.
“How was your first day?” Charli asked with a smile as she looked up from the salad she was making.
“I think it went okay. Lots of people were wanting to set me up with their eligible male relatives.”
Charli’s expression tightened as she shook her head. “It’s ridiculous.”
“It seemed a little over the top,” Aria agreed. “I hope it dies down soon.”
“Just don’t buy into any of the glowing recommendations,” Charli said, her voice sharp. “They all like to think their son or grandson is an angel, when usually they’re nothing of the sort.”
“Don’t worry,” Janessa said as she joined them in the kitchen. “I’m keeping a close eye on her. I won’t let her agree to any dates before I vet who it is.”
“Oh, I’m not agreeing to any dates,” Aria said, waving her hands. “New town. New job. That’s quite enough for me right now.”
“Make sure to tell Nora that,” Charli said, her tone even more sharp. “So she doesn’t make your life miserable.”
“What’s her deal?” Aria asked. “I felt like she was trying to trip me up, asking me to do things I wasn’t trained for yet.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’sexactlywhat she was trying to do,” Charli said.
“Nora decided after she arrived here that she wanted to play the role our mom played.”
Aria frowned. “As a female doctor?”
“Not just female doctor, but wife of the doctor.” Charli handed the salad bowl to Layla. “She thought that she and Gareth could be the next iteration of my parents.”
“Gareth isn’t interested,” Janessa said. “But Nora hasn’t accepted that yet.”
“She thinks any eligible woman is going to take Gareth away from her.”
“Even though he’s not interested in her?”
“She thinks she still has a shot, and any single woman is a threat to that,” Janessa said as she carried a pitcher of water to the table.
“Is she going to make my life miserable?”
Janessa and Charli exchanged glances, then Janessa said, “She’s going to try, but just stand up to her. She can’t do anything to you. Only me, Jay, or Gareth have the right to speak to you about your job. And we all know her tricks.”
“Why does she continue to work at the clinic?”
Janessa sighed. “We need a female doctor. We have patients who prefer to see one. Gareth and Jay are still on the lookout for another woman doctor, but it’s hard to find someone who wants to move up here and work in a small family clinic.”
Aria wasn’t sure she had the backbone to stand up to Nora, but she would try. It wasn’t like she had a choice. She didn’t want to make an enemy of Nora, though. Her job would be a whole lot easier if everyone just got along.
The last thing she wanted was to lose this job because so much was riding on it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gareth hung his white coat up on the rack behind the door, then sat down at his desk. Though he enjoyed meeting with the patients, he also appreciated the end of the day when he could just sit in the quiet of his office, doing all the admin stuff that Jay required of him.
After the brutal demands of his residency, the clinic was a welcome change of pace. He enjoyed having his evenings and most weekends free. The balance of work and life was what he’d looked forward to once he moved back home.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He looked up to see Nora in the doorway. “Yep.”
