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“It’s not for everyone.” Avery thought of Wes and the journey he’d started in honor of his friend. How was he faring in her apartment?
Before Avery knew it, they were pulling in to the clinic’s parking lot. There was still enough light to make out the clinic and beautiful property surrounding it. She attempted to view the brick building through fresh eyes and liked what she saw. But there was no denying that it was a converted home. She hoped that didn’t turn Lucy off.
“Well, here we are,” Avery said.
“It has a nice homey feel.”
“As you can see, all the houses through here have been converted into businesses. I bought the property a couple years ago and transformed it into a clinic. My brother’s a contractor.”
“Very handy. You’ve been busy since med school. When I finished residency, I felt like I could sleep for a year. I can’t imagine taking on this kind of challenge. How far away is the nearest hospital?”
“Forty-five minutes but they’ll run an ambulance here when necessary.”
“I can see the need for your clinic. You must get a lot of injuries from hikers coming off the trail.”
“We do. But a good share of business comes from the town itself. Part of our job is, of course, determining when the patient requires more care than we can give. To assist us with that decision, we’ve acquired an EKG machine, and eventually we’re planning to get X-ray and small lab machines as well.”
Avery put the Jeep in Park and shut off the engine. After Lucy collected her bag, Avery led her up the walk. “Would you like to see the apartment first? The clinic’s obviously closed, but it might be a good idea to check it out tonight so I can answer all your questions without interruption. Then if you’re hungry, I can take you out for supper.”
“I could definitely eat. That sounds like a plan.”
Avery led her around the back, keeping up a running dialogue about the clinic’s hours and practices. Nervous energy filled her as she approached the entrance. “We just completed renovations. There’s one wall that’s still unfinished—the framing was just inspected and approved today, so I’m hoping my brother can finish it next week.”
“Is that the river I hear?”
“Correct, the French Broad River. There’s a great spot to take a lunch break back there—though most of the staff prefers the breakroom or back deck. We’re a sociable group. Here we are.” Breath held, Avery opened the door, flipped on the lights, and ushered Lucy inside. She hoped the woman didn’t find the space too provincial.
Lucy entered, letting her gaze drift around the apartment. “Oh, it’s very nice. I like how open it is.”
“We took a wall down, and it really opened up the space.”
“The gray tones are so soothing. I love the floor. Is it real wood?”
Thank you, Wes.“Vinyl planking, but it does look real, doesn’t it? And it’s easier to care for. The furniture is a bit old, but I can certainly store or sell things to make room for your furniture.”
“I have a few basic things, but I’ve been too busy to collect much in the way of household goods.” Lucy wandered through the kitchen, then into the bathroom. “This is very nice.”
After Wes had strained his back, Avery asked Lisa if she could drop by and finish making the bed. But Lisa had also left some fluffy towels in the bathroom, set a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table, and added candles and accents here and there to cozy up the place. Avery would have to thank her later.
“This is lovely,” Lucy said after she peeked into the bedroom. “It’s the same size as my current apartment but a lot nicer.”
“I’m glad you like it. It doesn’t have central air, but the window units cool it sufficiently. A lot of people around here open their windows at night.”
“I’m a big fan of fresh air.” Lucy ran her hand over the bedroom windowsill. “And these seem new. The window in my current bedroom is painted shut. My super doesn’t seem to be in a big hurry to rectify the problem.”
“Well, I don’t have the skills to fix anything that might go awry, but my brother’s pretty handy, and he usually owes me one.”
Lucy beamed at her. “It must be a brother thing.”
Avery glanced up at her apartment bedroom, where lamplight shone through the window. She’d really like to check inon Wes. “Would you like a chance to get settled before we head over to the clinic?”
“No, I’m good. I’m excited to take a peek.”
“Well, let’s get to it then.”
Chapter27
First an illness, now an injury. Wes had managed to make a real pain of himself around here. He lay flat on his back atop Avery’s bedspread, trying to get into this biography about Churchill. But all he could think about was Avery and the doctor she was pinning all her hopes on. He said a brief prayer that she’d love the apartment. That she’d see all the wonderful things Avery was doing with her clinic and want to be a part of it too.
