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Hey beautiful. On my way to my parents' for dinner. Let me know if you’re okay.
As I’m slipping the phone into the pocket of my pants, it vibrates and I snatch it back.
The message is from Olivia.:
Have fun. Talk to you tomorrow.
I frown and try to read between the lines but I’ve never been good at that. Is she upset or just tired? I hate this shit of not knowing what’s going on. The message doesn’t sound like Olivia at all. My finger hovers over the keyboard. I want to ask if she’s okay but I want to look into her eyes when I do so. See for myself if she’s really okay.
I put my phone away and leave the office. I take a walk around the clinic before leaving, chatting to the staff and the patients. It takes longer than I expected and I’m late when I pull up to my parents’ home.
“Mr. Anderson,” Stephen says, opening the door. We exchange pleasantries and he gently hints that I’m late without saying it openly.
I hide a smile as I walk into the living room. My brothers are there as well but not their families. This is a business dinner and we try to separate the two.
“You’re late,” my mother snaps from her spot next to my father on the couch.
“I know. I went on my rounds and lost track of time,” I say. “Sorry.”
Her features relax into a smile. My mother will forgive anything as long as it benefits her beloved clinic. I kiss her cheek and shake my father’s hand. I pour myself a glass of chardonnay from the bottle resting in an ice bucket and sink into a chair.
“You get off easier than the rest of us when you’re late,” Dylan says.
“Yeah,” Alec says. “Mother would have torn into me.”
“Aren’t you too old to fight over who is the favorite?” Mother says in an amused tone. “Let’s have that work discussion now, then we can relax over dinner.”
“Good idea,” Dylan says, shifting to the edge of his seat. “I’ll explain since it’s my idea.”
I sit back as Dylan gives his pitch. He does a better job of it than the first time he ambushed me in the clinic cafeteria. My parents’ faces give nothing away though as they listen.
When he’s done, Dylan turns to me. “What are your thoughts, Jace, since you’ve had a lot of time to mull it over.” He’s putting me in a spot. Asshole.
“It’s a good idea…on paper.” I explain my reservations then it’s Alec’s turn to give his thoughts.
The problem with my brothers is that most of the time they do not exchange their doctor hats with their businessman hats. The discussion grows animated but never disrespectful and we talk about it until my stomach growls with hunger.
My father comes up with an idea. He proposes that we rent out space downtown, one, to be more accessible to the people we’re trying to reach and help, and two, to have a separate free clinic. We can even run it several times a week. Then we can refer the surgeries and more complicated cases to the main clinic.
It’s the best idea so far but I’m still not enthusiastic. “It doesn’t solve the problem of our staff. We’ll need to retain the same number of staff for our paying patients even on the days there’s a free clinic.”
“I don’t know,” Dylan says. “It sounds as if we’re separating our wealthy patients from—”
“Not wealthy,” I say and pause for effect. “Ourpayingclients. They’re the reason why we’re where we are.”
“Dinner time,” my mother says when she senses an argument brewing. “We’ll pause this discussion and give everyone a chance to think things through.” She stands up and leads the way to dinner.
We catch up on our other news as we eat. I can’t wait to introduce Olivia to Mother. They’ll hit it off I’m sure. You can’t not love Olivia.
After dinner, Dylan suggests that we go for a quick drink.
“As long as it’s not to talk about the free clinic again,” Alec surprises me by saying.
Dylan shrugs. “I wasn’t planning on it. Are you in, Jace?”
I check my phone. No other message from Olivia. No invitation to pass by her apartment. I could do with the distraction else I’ll drive myself insane worrying about Olivia. “Fine,” I say.
We drive to a nearby bar where I limit myself to two beers and even though I try to get in on the conversation, it’s not working. I’m tired and I miss Olivia with an intensity that shakes me.
