Prescriptions and Promises

by Jessica Matthews

  ‘No, I didn’t.’

  ‘Oh, my, yes. He’s a real mover and a shaker. The best thing we ever did was invite him here. If there’s a problem, Noah will fix it,’ he finished proudly.

  ‘How nice,’ she said, making a point of acting suitably impressed.

  ‘There’s nothing the folks around here wouldn’t do for him,’ he added as he pulled out his billfold and removed a bill. ‘It was the same way with your uncle. He’s sorely missed.’

  A lump suddenly formed in her throat. ‘Thanks,’ she murmured, handing him his change. She understood how her uncle had earned everyone’s high opinion, but wondered how Noah had achieved the same status in the few short years he’d been here.

  Then again, the polite and personable Dr Kimball who’d dropped by several days ago could easily have won the community’s adorations in record time. If her own recent history with him hadn’t been so volatile, she’d have fallen for his charms immediately and without question, too. In fact, if he kept acting this way, she’d be hard-pressed to maintain her emotional distance, but she would. She must.

  It doesn’t matter how well the folks in Springwater like him, she told herself in the next breath. He may have extended an olive branch so they could associate in peace, but olive branches often had strings attached. She’d been tangled once before and wouldn’t fall into the same trap.

  Noah would have to live with one less member in his fan club before she left at the end of the summer.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  FOR the next ten days, Jenny anxiously waited for her construction projects to end. The carpenter and his crew, the electrician and his apprentice, and a steady flow of customers had been underfoot the entire time. She’d expected Noah to call or come by at least once during that time to at least check on her progress, and she’d felt a strange but keen sense of disappointment by his absence and clear lack of interest.

  She hadn’t accomplished as much as she would have liked in the interim, but Friday and five o’clock had finally arrived, which meant the various laborers would wrap up their respective jobs, if they hadn’t already done so. Eager to start her phase of the project, she didn’t waste any time locking the front door to the public.

  While Carrie emptied the partially bare shelves of their merchandise, Jenny pushed her way through the boxes stacked in her storage room to reach the mop bucket and her cleaning supplies. Restoring the interior to a pristine condition ranked highest on her list of priorities.

  As she backed out of the space, clutching her equipment, the tools jangling on the electrician’s belt signalled his approach. She dropped her load near the doorway before she faced him.

  ‘All done,’ Gib told her, his teeth showing white through his full beard. He was a burly man in his thirties who wore a faded and sweat-stained baseball cap emblazoned with GIB’S ELECTRIC. He didn’t say much while he worked, which explained why he had a reputation of getting the job done in the shortest time possible.

  ‘I’m so glad.’

  He lifted off his ball cap to scratch his head with large, grease-stained fingers, revealing hair as thick and dark as the hair on his face. ‘It’s a good thing you had the place rewired,’ he said as he resettled his cap. ‘If you’d ignored it for much longer you would have had to call the fire department instead of an electrician.’

  Thinking of the sparks she’d seen, she mentally patted herself on the back for spending the money now, rather than later. ‘That bad?’

  ‘You betcha. See here?’ He pulled a strand of wire out of his pocket and pointed to areas along its entire length where the insulation had worn thin. ‘Nearly all of the lines looked like this. You were living on borrowed time.’

  She studied his example. Even to her untrained eye, the damage was obvious, and she shuddered at the idea of everything going up in smoke.

  ‘Yup. That’s what happened to the Elks Club a few years back. About two a.m. one Sunday morning. By the time we got there, the flames were shooting through the roof. After that, Earl talked about redoing this place, but he never got around to it.

  ‘Anyway,’ he continued, ‘you’re in tiptop condition now. You can plug in all the computers and electrical gadgetry you want to.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  He tugged on the brim of his cap, then left with his gangly assistant.

  ‘OK, Carrie,’ Jenny told the little girl, ‘let’s go home and change clothes before we come back and get really dirty.’

  ‘Can I bring Bugs with us? He won’t be in the way. He can stay in an empty box over in the corner.’

  ‘I’m not sure all this dust will be good for him,’ Jenny cautioned, not convinced that Carrie’s pet was as well behaved as she claimed. An ornery rabbit could disappear for days, even weeks, in all the nooks, crannies, and other potential hiding places to be found. She didn’t relish the idea of going on a lengthy search and rescue mission.

  Carrie swiped the top of an empty shelf with her index finger, then held it up to show the white sawdust she’d collected. ‘It’s dirty, but he lives outside so he’s used to dirt.’

  Jenny couldn’t fault her logic.

  ‘And if he stays over in the corner,’ Carrie continued, ‘I can visit him every so often. He’s getting lonely, ’cause I’ve been gone all day.’

  Her tone of voice and the plea in her eyes were more than Jenny could handle. ‘OK, but you have to make sure he doesn’t jump out of his box. We might not find him for a long time.’

  Carrie’s expression brightened. ‘I promise.’

  They returned thirty minutes later to park in the paved alley behind the building, and found Noah leaning against the driver’s side of his Blazer. She felt self-conscious in her red knit shorts, which had shrunk after years of hard washing, a multicolored plaid shirt that tied at her midriff and was liberally splattered with paint, and her grungy yet comfortable Reeboks.

  As she slid out from behind the wheel of her subcompact car, he straightened and flashed a disarming smile.

  His grin did funny things to her insides. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost think she’d missed him. It was a crazy thought considering how she’d best describe their conversations as arguments. ‘Let me guess. You’ve heard more rumors and dropped by to separate fact from fiction again.’

  He adjusted his glasses on his nose. ‘No. I’m here, as promised.’

  She frowned. The only promise she recalled was the one he’d made to Carrie concering the garage sale. ‘Oh?’

  He nodded, extending his arms out from his sides. ‘I dressed for the occasion. I’m prepared for anything.’

  Jenny looked him over from head to toe. A white T-shirt depicting an orange-colored basketball and the faded black Springwater Hornets logo covered his chest. The shirt had obviously seen better days because several finger-sized holes along the shoulder and side seams revealed smooth, suntanned skin.

  His athletic shorts were gray and somewhat ragged-looking and matched his Nikes which had been white at some point in the distant past. His legs appeared as strong as tree trunks and as tanned as his arms, which was surprising for a man with an indoor occupation. Then again, her uncle had once mentioned Noah’s love for the outdoors.

  Even in old clothes, the man was breathtakingly male. Thank heavens Carrie was only ten and immune to his physical charms. As for herself, she’d be wise to assign him a job off in a corner all by himself.

  ‘Anything?’ she clarified.

  ‘Anything,’ he reaffirmed.

  She shoved her key into the newly installed door lock. ‘You’ve just made a dangerous offer.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Carrie joined them, holding her black and white rabbit against her chest. One arm supported his hindquarters and her other hand rested across his back. ‘Jenny might have you clean the basement ’cause she’s scared to go down there.’

  Jenny lifted her chin as she shoved the door open. ‘I’m not scared. I’m just not particularly fond of spiders and other many-legged creatures.’

&
nbsp; ‘When it’s time to tackle the basement, I’ll volunteer,’ Noah said.

  ‘I’ll go with you,’ Carrie said. ‘I don’t mind bugs either.’

  ‘If the boss sends us to the dungeon, I’ll welcome your company,’ he told the little girl somberly. ‘So this is the famous Bugs. What breed is he?’

  Carrie beamed with pride. ‘See how his front half is white and the back half is colored? That means he’s Dutch. I’ve had him since he was a baby.’

  ‘That long?’

  She nodded. ‘I’m trying to teach him some tricks, but he’s not co-operating.’

  ‘What can rabbits do?’ he asked, crouching down to her eye level.

  ‘They can’t do too many things, ’cause they’re not smart like dogs or cats. Bugs will walk on a lead rope, but that’s all. Now, my friend Laurie has a rabbit and he can do neat tricks.’

  ‘Like what?’ he asked.

  ‘Jump fences. Bugs has done it a few times, but he won’t very often. I think he’s scared. Mom says he’s just lazy. Go ahead and pet him,’ she urged. ‘He likes to have his forehead rubbed.’

  Noah’s long, lean fingers stroked the white blaze extending down Bugs’s black face. Jenny saw the bunny’s nose twitch and his eyes close, as if savoring the moment. She wondered how many women had enjoyed the same experience. With Noah’s looks and the mystique of his profession, females probably fell at his feet on a regular basis.

  She, however, wouldn’t be one of them.

  ‘If you guys are through visiting, we can get started,’ Jenny said, pointedly motioning to the open door.

  Noah winked at Carrie. ‘Is she always such a slave-driver?’

  Carrie giggled as she stepped over the threshold. ‘Only when she’s anxious to get something done. She pays good, though.’

  Noah waited for Jenny to pass before he followed and closed the door. ‘No kidding? What’s the going rate these days?’

  Carrie walked over to the waiting area and the large box she’d commandeered earlier. Holding Bugs by the scruff of his neck and supporting his hindquarters with her other hand, she carefully lowered her pet inside.

  ‘I get five dollars a day plus she orders pizza every time I want it. I’ve got plenty saved up to go to the movies and for trips to the pool. If you do a good job, she’ll pay you, too. Whatever you want.’

  ‘Well, now,’ he drawled, his eyes sparkling with an unholy gleam, ‘I’m sure I can think of an appropriate form of compensation.’

  Certain that his payment suggestion wasn’t a suitable topic for an impressionable young mind, Jenny interrupted. ‘Carrie? Why don’t you see if you can find something to hold water for Bugs?’

  Once Carrie had hurried out of earshot, Jenny turned on him. ‘Don’t get your hopes up, Romeo,’ she warned. ‘I’m not that kind of girl.’

  He pressed a hand against his chest and grinned. ‘You’re the one who jumped to the wrong conclusions. I didn’t say a word.’

  ‘I saw the gleam in your eye. Don’t deny it.’

  ‘I won’t, but it must have been on your mind, too, or you wouldn’t have considered the possibility either.’

  Her face warmed at his accuracy. Luckily, Carrie returned with a small plastic bowl filled with water and Jenny shot him a warning glare before she became all business. ‘As you can see, the place needs a thorough cleaning. After that, we need to assemble my new shelving units.’

  Noah’s gaze slowly raked across the room and she tried to see the changes from his perspective. Just glancing around the room, it gave her a feeling of pride in what had already been accomplished.

  The latest style in decorator plywood covered the walls. Stripping off the old wallpaper, it had literally been more trouble than it had been worth because of layers plastered over layers. To create the same overall effect, she and Carrie had chosen a pattern of faint blue stripes on a white background.

  Mike, the carpenter, had replaced the ceiling tiles and Gib had converted the old fluorescent light fixtures to a more modern recessed version. Unfortunately, the new flooring would have to wait until she had the money to pay the carpetlayer. She would have preferred having her projects done all at once, but she could only afford to do a little at a time. Already in hock up to her eyebrows, she didn’t want to dig her financial hole any deeper than it already was.

  ‘It looks great. Really great,’ he commented at last. ‘You’ve been putting in long hours to have accomplished so much in such a short time.’

  She relaxed under his praise. ‘We have worked hard, haven’t we, Carrie?’

  ‘Yeah,’ the little girl piped in. ‘We’ve worked so hard, we haven’t had time to go swimming.’

  ‘Next week,’ Jenny promised.

  He pivoted full circle to study his surroundings. ‘No one can accuse you of not being committed to your venture.’

  Considering the money she’d spent lately, her commitment was far greater than he could possibly have imagined. ‘Were you afraid I wasn’t?’

  He paused, then had the grace to appear sheepish. ‘The possibility crossed my mind.’

  His doubt didn’t surprise her; his honesty did. ‘And now? Are you convinced?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Sincerity rang in his voice.

  She didn’t particularly care one way or another about his opinion, but his endorsement could either make or break her business. ‘Well, then. I hope you’re ready to start.’

  ‘Just say the word.’

  Jenny took a step toward the cleaning supplies she’d laid out, but his hand snagged her arm and she stopped. ‘You’re not angry because I had some doubts?’ His tone was cautious.

  ‘I asked for the truth and you gave it to me. If I don’t like to hear it, it’s my problem, not yours.’ She felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. ‘Besides, I’d rather get even.’

  He raised one eyebrow. ‘Get even?’

  ‘That’s right. You get to scrub the floor.’

  ‘Scrub the floor.’

  ‘You volunteered to help with anything,’ she reminded him, delighting in his momentary surprise.

  ‘I might have known,’ he grumbled without rancor. ‘I suppose I have to get down on my hands and knees.’

  She grinned, curious to see how far she could push before he’d retract his offer. ‘Is there any other way?’

  He groaned, then sighed. ‘Would it do any good to tell you about my football injury?’

  Jenny glanced at his legs. Neither had any surgical scars marring the skin and, in fact, looked perfect. ‘Football?’

  ‘No, but it sounded good.’ His disarming smile tugged at her heart and she took pity on him.

  ‘Actually, I have a mop you can use.’

  His face brightened. ‘Wonderful. Where’s it at?’

  ‘Coming right up.’ On her way to the corner, where she’d laid out her cleaning equipment, she heard a scratching noise coming from Bugs’s box. Suspicious, she detoured to investigate.

  Bugs was waddling around his makeshift cage as if searching for something. ‘Carrie?’ Jenny called. ‘Are you sure Bugs can’t jump out?’

  Both Carrie and Noah joined her to peer down at the rabbit who, as if realizing he’d attracted an audience, overturned his water bowl.

  Carrie retrieved the container from under his foot. ‘I thought he might tip over the dish because it’s so light. I should have brought his special bottle.’

  ‘There’s a small metal mixing bowl under the sink,’ Jenny recalled. ‘Try that. If he knocks it over, he’ll just have to go without until he gets home.’

  ‘OK.’ Carrie scratched his forehead. ‘You’ll be a good boy, won’t you, Bugs?’

  The rabbit rubbed his chin against her hand in contentment, and a few minutes later she scampered off to find the dish.

  Noah’s gaze followed her as she disappeared from view. ‘She’s a cute kid. Has she found any playmates yet?’

  ‘We haven’t had time.’ Jenny ignored her twinge of guilt for keeping Carrie too busy
to enjoy her vacation. ‘Next week, I’m going to call an old friend of mine who has a daughter about her age. I also called the Recreation Center last Monday and enrolled her in a few of their summer art classes. Contrary to what you might think, I’m not working her from sunup to sundown.’

  A teasing light showed in his dark eyes. ‘What a relief. I’d hate to see our only pharmacist in jail for abusing the child labor laws.’

  She grinned. ‘So would I.’

  ‘What did you say her mother was doing this summer?’

  ‘Susan is working on her master’s degree research project, studying some animal to see if it should be added to the endangered species list. I don’t know the specifics, other than she has to camp in a fairly remote area.’

  ‘Sounds interesting.’

  ‘It does,’ she agreed. ‘Except for the camping part. I don’t mind roughing it for a few days, but not for weeks on end.’

  ‘A kindred spirit,’ he drawled. ‘Your uncle loved to go on extended fishing trips. I went with him a few times, but I was always more than ready to fall into a decent bed after a couple of nights.’

  The talk about beds elicited an image of him sprawled across the length of the mattress with his hair tousled and his face shadowed in dark whiskers. The glimmer in his eyes suggested that he was suffering from the same problem in reverse.

  Luckily, Carrie returned and diverted Jenny’s wayward thoughts. ‘It was right where you said it was,’ she said as she placed the bowl in the box’s wet corner. The rabbit opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, then closed them again.

  Appeased by Bugs’s apparent adjustment to his temporary quarters, Jenny pointed toward the main window. ‘We’ll start in the front and work our way to the back. Is that OK with you?’

  Noah gave her a snappy salute. ‘Aye, aye, skipper. All hands accounted for and ready to swab the deck.’

  Carrie giggled. ‘You’re funny for a doctor.’

  He winked at her. ‘We’d better get to work before Jenny makes us walk the plank.’ He grabbed a broom and headed for the front of the store, shortening his steps so Carrie could keep up.