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Eyes sparkling with resolve, Mom leaned in. “We’ll make Trail Days the best festival this area has ever seen. It’ll bring the revenue this town needs to make it through.”
Catching the spirit, Cooper smiled. “We’ll do whatever it takes to survive. And so will the rest of the town.”
13
Just a few more hours and it would be the weekend—a hard one. Tomorrow morning Katie would leave for Max Patch bright and early. She’d honor Spencer by making the journey he couldn’t make himself and scatter his ashes at the summit.
She was both anticipating the trip and dreading it. She was grateful to have Gavin accompanying her; she’d been nervous about making the trip alone. But she worried about involving him in such a private, emotional moment. She wasn’t sure she wanted to share that with him. It felt... too early in the relationship.
Katie took a quick break between patients, slipping into the office for a sip of stale coffee. The week had passed quickly.
Avery had been distracted by the news of the rerouted trail. The town alone wasn’t big enough to sustain the clinic—it depended partly on the illnesses and injuries of hikers. Would the clinic survive the coming lean months? Avery was concerned business would suffer and she’d have to let Sharise go.
Was Katie’s job also in jeopardy? She winced at the selfish thought. The Robinsons—the whole town—had so much more to lose.
Katie took another sip of coffee, grimacing at the taste, then headed to the next patient. When she reached the exam room she tapped on the door and entered at the sound of a woman’s voice.
“Good afternoon, how are—?” She stopped short at the sight of the older blonde woman seated in the plastic chair beside the desk.
Beth Wallace beamed. “Well, hello. How nice to see you here.”
Katie’s birth mother wore a bright-pink top that gave her an airy, happy appearance. White capris and strappy sandals completed her youthful outfit.
Pull it together.Katie stretched a fake smile across her face and took a seat in front of the computer. “Likewise. What brings you in today”—she glanced at the file—“Ms. Wallace?”
“Beth, please. I did something to my wrist while I was gardening of all things.”
Gardening. Katie must’ve gotten her green thumb from her mother. She forced herself to focus on the computer screen.
“It hurts when I twist it to the right. It’s probably just a sprain, but it’s my dominant hand so I wanted to be sure.”
“Of course.” Katie went through the list of questions, somehow maintaining a professional demeanor. Her mother’s only meds were vitamins and supplements. She seemed remarkably healthy for a forty-six-year-old recovering addict.
“Do you like to garden?” Katie asked.
“It’s a hobby. Something to keep my hands busy, you know? I used to smoke and... well, do all kinds of things I shouldn’t. I find I fare best if I stay busy. My yard looks like a botanical garden.” Her laughter was melodious.
“I like gardening too.”
“Well, I’ve been here enough seasons to know what grows well and what doesn’t, so if you need any tips, let me know.”
Katie offered her a tremulous smile.
She’d never considered that the woman might show up at her workplace. Her heart thumped. Next she’d have to take the woman’s vitals, and her hands were trembling.
But she couldn’t put it off any longer. She stood, grabbed the blood pressure cuff, and slid it onto Beth’s arm. As Katie removed the stethoscope from her neck, she fumbled with the tubing, almost dropping it.Seriously, Katie!Finally she put the diaphragm under the cuff and inflated it.
“How have you been, Katie? I haven’t seen you lately.”
She hadn’t been back to AA since Beth gave her the business card. Katie slid her gaze up into eyes so like her own. How could her mother not recognize her own eyes staring right back at her? “I, uh, I’ve been pretty busy with work and getting settled in to my new place.”
“You’re new to town, aren’t you?” Beth chuckled. “I’ve been here long enough to recognize most everyone, even if I don’t know them by name.”
“I moved here in May.” She didn’t want to mention Asheville, so she removed the cuff a little early. The Velcro gave a loudrip. “One hundred ten over seventy. Perfect.”
She placed the oximeter on her mother’s finger, then put the stethoscope’s ear tips in her ears and placed the diaphragm on her left lung. Katie went through the task, trying to keep her expression blank as her mind spun.This is my mother’s heartbeat. I grew inside this body. This heartbeat was my lullaby.
She blinked away the thoughts, hoping the woman couldn’t tell that her hands were shaking or that her heart was about to thump out of her chest.
