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“That’s not what he said.” Jo made a face. “He just wants you to do a test. You should’ve listened to him in the first place and gone to the hospital after the accident.”
Amanda gave Jo a lethal look. “You can’t possibly be on his side.”
“I’m on your side. It’s your health. What’s the harm of getting the CT? If there’s nothing, we can breathe easier. It’s better we know now instead of paying for it down the line,” Jo argued. “I’ve read horror stories of people brushing off tests after a minor accident and not realizing they have internal injuries.”
“I feel fine!”
“Now you do. But what if you don’t feel any of the effects for another two or ten years from now?” Jo said.
Amanda couldn’t believe her best friend wasn’t as angry at Gene as she was. Of course, she hadn’t exactly told Jo the whole story. She shared almost everything with Jo, but there were some things she couldn’t tell her yet.
Yeah, like when you let the doctor finger you before he betrayed you?
Her face burned with embarrassment at the thought. Amanda turned to the door and headed out. She heard Jo scrambling behind her, following her into the bookstore. There were a couple of people sitting on the sofas with their coffees, laptops, and headphones. Only one lady was browsing the cookbook section. The late afternoon was usually their lull time.
“Hey.” Jo grabbed her arm. Looking worried, she lowered her voice. “I know you’re wary of the health care cost because of how much your mother’s care drained your family’s savings. But you can’t ignore a potential health risk because of that.”
Though that wasn’t the reason Amanda had walked out, Jo hit a sore spot.
“It’s easy for you to say, Jo. My dad would’ve gone completely broke if my mom hadn’t had life insurance. Even with that, there wasn’t enough money left for both his retirement and to update the bakery. I still have this place only because you put up the collateral for the loan. I still owe you so much.”
“That’s business,” Jo brushed it aside. “This is your head. Our insurance will cover it.”
Amanda hated having to go to a doctor or the hospital for anything since her mother died, except for Dr. Bloom, especially when she didn’t have any complaint.
“Well, I can’t just go ask for a CT,” she reluctantly relented.
“Talk to Dr. Bloom and see what he thinks. If you don’t agree with Gene, fine. But you should get a second opinion.”
“I’ll make an appointment with Dr. Bloom,” Amanda said, then added, “Just so you know, I’m more pissed at Gene about this because it means he didn’t really believe me when I told him about the girl.”
“Let’s have an afternoon snack. I think this conversation requires something chocolaty.”
Jo put an arm around Amanda’s waist, and they walked together toward the cafe counter.
“She exists, Jo. I saw her. She’s not made up,” Amanda said, almost pleading.
“I believe you. Getting the test doesn’t make what you saw any less real, not until we know for sure,” Jo said.
Amanda shook her head in frustration. “There’s gotta be a way to find out whether a teenage girl has been missing.”
“Gainesville isn’t that small. Sure, each neighborhood has the small-town feel, but there are still thirty-thousand people living here, not counting the lake visitors.” Jo smiled to Liam, one of their part-timers, and said, “Hey, Liam, can you plate a slice of the chocolate truffle cake?”
“Sure thing, Jo,” Liam replied automatically with a big smile. “You want any drinks with that?”
“Good job trying to upsell me,” Jo noted with a wink. “Two chamomile teas and two forks, please.”
She then pulled Amanda to a nearby table.
“How do I find this girl, Jo?”
Jo shook her head with a sigh. “Why do you need to find this girl so badly? Just to prove Gene wrong?”
“No, I don’t care if he believes me anymore. She needs help. I can feel it in my bones.”
Jo studied her thoughtfully. “You can go to the police. It’s their job.”
“They don’t believe me, either.” Then Amanda had a brilliant thought. “I need to find an artist who can sketch her for me.”
