“If your cooking is holding you back, I could help out,” her mother suggested. “I’ve never met a man who didn’t love my spare ribs — or maybe a nice pot roast with new potatoes and tiny onions would be better.”
“No, Mom,” Amy said.
“Of course, he’s a doctor,” she went on as though she hadn’t heard her daughter’s objections. “Maybe he thinks red meat isn’t heart-healthy. I have a new recipe for tilapia … ”
“No!” Amy said more emphatically.
“Now that I think of it, I could have a small dinner party at my house. I know your sister would love to come — and Mandy is home from her honeymoon.”
“Invite her parents too. Aunt Linda could bring her ambrosia salad, and Uncle Pete is always good for a laugh when he tries to blow smoke rings with his pipe.” Amy resorted to sarcasm, something she rarely did, since her mother seemed to be deaf to her protests.
“My friend Connie might like to come. She’s been curious about the new doctor,” her mother mused.
“Mom! I was kidding. Why would a complete stranger want to come to one of our family dinners?”
Amy slid out of the lounger on her mother’s back deck, trying to think of a reason to leave. When she’d brought her laundry to do in her mother’s washer and dryer, she hadn’t expected to spend the waiting time fending off two rabid matchmakers.
“Does Dr. Prince have a mommy and daddy?” Hannah asked, as though the question had just occurred to her.
“He has a mother in California. Unfortunately his father passed away when he was very young,” Amy said, recalling a conversation they’d had the last time he had lunch at the drug store.
“How sad,” her mother said. “I didn’t know that. Was it cancer?”
Amy was sorry she’d mentioned it. Even after more than ten years, her mother’s sorrow for her deceased husband was still near the surface.
Shaking her head rather than discussing it in front of Hannah, Amy mouthed the words “auto accident.”
“All the more reason to make him welcome here,” her mother said, never one to give up easily when she started to imagine wedding bells for her daughter and more grandchildren for her.
Amy left as soon as she could, promising to return for her laundry later in the day. Her social calendar was the opposite of full, but she did have errands to run and her apartment to clean. She never knew what day she’d have off until Bert posted the work schedule on Monday morning, but this week Thursday was working well. Some weeks her boss wanted Tuesday off to go to his service club breakfast, although why he needed a full day to recover from it, she didn’t know. More often, he took Saturday off, leaving her to run the store. At least they closed every day at six and never opened on Sundays or holidays, unlike pharmacies in larger towns. It was one of the perks she liked about working in Heart City.
As emphatic as she’d been about not inviting Dan to dinner at her apartment or her mother’s house, she wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended. He was on her mind as she hurried to the combination dry cleaners and commercial laundry to pick up her work jackets. Having them done there was a little luxury she allowed herself, since they turned out as limp as old rags when she did them herself.
“Hello, Pharmacist Amy.” Dan startled her coming out the door as she was about to enter.
Her nose was only inches from one of his infamous neon lab coats. It took her a few moments to realize he’d just picked them up along with jeans in a plastic dry cleaners bag. No one could accuse him of being a conservative dresser. He stood out like a clown at a birthday party in the rural Iowa town.
“Oh, you have your laundry done here,” she said, instantly realizing what a lame comment that was.
“Beats turning my shorts orange,” he said. “I was going to call you.”
She’d heard that before — usually from men who wanted to break up. Fortunately, he was so tall she didn’t have to look directly into his penetrating brown eyes. No doubt if she did, he’d diagnose her discomfort about meeting him head-on. In fact, the more she saw of him, the more disconcerting their accidental meetings seemed. Some men undressed women with their eyes; Dan Prince seemed to look into her head. The last thing she wanted him to see there was the little crush she was trying to hide from everyone, especially him.
“How about having dinner with me tomorrow?” he asked, letting her slip by him into the dry cleaner’s but following right behind.
“If you’re free, that is,” he said when surprise made her hesitate a moment.
“Yes, I think I am.”
She knew exactly what was written on her calendar for Friday: nothing. Once in a while, she had a casual date, usually one set up by a friend, but the pickings were slim in Heart City. When she dreamed about finding a soul mate, it usually involved going on vacation somewhere exotic. In fact, she’d been saving up for a Mediterranean cruise sometime in the far future.
“Great.” He said it matter-of-factly. Did he realize no woman in town would say no to him, unconventional as he was as a doctor garbed in neon and jeans?
“I work until six.” She didn’t know whether to hope it was too late for him. “If you’re hungry and want to eat earlier … ”
“Will it rush you if I come by for you at seven?”
“No, I don’t live far from the store.”
In fact, she had a cozy studio apartment in what had once been a warehouse. A local realtor had converted it into two floors of rental units after it sat empty for years. Amy loved the colorful metal awnings shading small individual balconies with a view of Johnson Creek and rolling farmland. One of the perks of Heart City was no one had to go far for pretty scenery.
“In the apartment building with red and white awnings, right?”
“Yes. How do you know?” She certainly didn’t remember telling him. In fact, she had a clear recollection of every conversation they’d had. There hadn’t been that many.
“Don’t you know a physician has to be a good investigator?” he teased.
“Georgia Stewart must have told you. I heard she’s working for you,” Amy said.
“I thought I was working for her,” he said with the light laugh she enjoyed. “But she is a font of information. I have to run, but I’ll see you tomorrow at seven.”
Well, she had a date, sort of. Her mother would be thrilled, and Hannah would launch into her Prince Charming scenario when she told them — if she told them. Maybe it would be better to let the news filter back to them through Heart City’s all too reliable tell-a-person line. It was quicker than posting on Facebook, and at least she wouldn’t have to make lengthy explanations about how they were only casual friends.
She started to regret saying yes almost immediately. Sure, the new doctor had heart-stopping good looks and the potential to be a really hot date, but warning signs popped up in her head whenever she was near him.
Falling in love with Dan would be easy to do, given his obvious charm, but would surely lead to heartbreak. Nothing could possibly come of becoming attached to the newcomer. He only wanted to pass the time of day with her while he fulfilled his obligation in Heart City. She would only be his temporary cure for boredom.
It was too late to say no this time, but she vowed to avoid him in the future.
• • •
Asking Amy to dinner had seemed like a good idea when Dan woke up that morning. His practice kept him busy enough in the daytime, but his evenings already seemed long and dull. He’d seen the only movie playing in town, watched baseball teams he didn’t care about on TV, and gingerly worked to get rid of the poison oak behind his apartment. A man could only spend so much time running, reading, and daydreaming about the possibility of joining a lucrative clinic in California.
Now that he’d taken the plunge and asked her out, he had reservations. He was working on the saturation
principle. If he saw more of her, she wouldn’t seem as beguiling. They probably had nothing in common, and the little spark between them would diminish with familiarity.
Yeah, that was his theory, and he was stuck with it, at least through tomorrow’s dinner date. He wasn’t looking forward to testing his theory as much as he’d anticipated. What if the date was great and they had a real connection? He didn’t want another failed romance, and it wasn’t his intention to hurt Amy.
No matter how it went tomorrow evening, this had to be a one date deal. He went back to his office thinking about the retired doctor in his sad golfing garb. Dr. Graham was a perfect example of what small-town life did to an otherwise intelligent man. Love had been his snare, but Dan wasn’t going to step into that trap. As delightful as Amy seemed to be, she would never play a part in his plans for the future.
CHAPTER 6
When his cell phone rang, Dan was already running late for his date with Amy. He was tempted to ignore it and leave, but he had responsibilities now. It might be a potential patient or a summons to an accident site. Everyone who could possibly have need of his services had his personal number, including the head of the hospital, the police chief, the county sheriff, and even school and day care administrators.
He checked caller I.D. and smiled.
“Hello, this is Dr. Dan, uncle of the infamous Prince boys of Sacramento,” he said, pleased to get a call from his only sibling.
“You’re silly, Uncle Dan,” his eight-year-old nephew Tray giggled.
“I got it from your father. He tickled me too much when we were kids,” Dan teased. “What’s going on at your house?”
“Tony hit a home run,” his younger nephew reported.
“I wanted to tell him,” his nine-year-old brother said, grabbing the phone away from Tray.
Dan perched on a kitchen chair and enjoyed a lengthy account of his nephew’s Little League triumph until his father confiscated the phone.
“How’s it going in the Heartland?” Greg asked.
His brother was seven years older and the father of two boys and a third on the way. One of the things Dan wanted to do was find a way to help Greg’s family when he was practicing in California. Greg taught high school science, and it was a struggle to raise a family on his salary, even with his wife Ginny’s help as a substitute teacher. The unplanned pregnancy was putting an even greater strain on their finances, but Dan envied his brother’s love of teaching. Would he ever love medicine that much? He had high hopes, but was bogged down paying off his obligation to Heart City.
“I visited two day care centers today,” Dan said. “Wanted the little ones to see me informally in my lab coat before they have a visit at the office. I let them listen to their own hearts. It was fun.”
“You should be an elementary teacher,” Greg teased. “Kids love you.”
“Sounds like a good way to starve.”
Dan checked his watch and realized he had only minutes to get to Amy’s apartment on time. Still, it was great to hear from his brother, and he wanted an update on all that was happening in his life. For years, it had only been the three of them, Greg, their mother, and him. He wondered if he’d ever feel as close to a woman as he did to his family. Although he’d never made definite plans for their future, he was still soured on romance.
“I have to go,” he said when it was past time to pick up his date.
“I’m sorry about Belinda,” his brother said.
“Yeah, who knew she was only interested in a doctor with a lucrative California practice?” Dan said with a trace of bitterness.
“Well, better to find out now,” Greg said philosophically. “Have you met anyone in — what’s the name of that town again?”
“Heart City. No, the last thing I need is a woman who might want to tie me down here. I can’t wait to finish my two years and get on with my life.”
“You’ve only just begun,” his older brother said. “Maybe you’ll end up loving it there.”
Dan laughed in response. “My biggest hope is I’ve eradicated all the poison oak in back of my apartment. I still itch when I think about the case I contracted. Keep me posted on the baby.”
“Will do,” Greg said, signing off.
Dan checked his watch again. After a nice long conversation with his brother, he was twenty minutes late and counting. He’d have to drive, even though her apartment was within walking distance. In fact, everything in town was easy to reach on foot, but he didn’t think much of guys who showed up late for dates. Rushing out to his car, he was surprised at how eager he was to see her.
• • •
He’s a doctor, Amy told herself. There were all kinds of emergencies that may have made him late. Letting her imagination run wild didn’t push away the other possibilities: He’d changed his mind or had simply forgotten their date.
Why was she wearing her newest, cutest dress, a little yellow number with a short bouncy skirt? If she were being stood up, she’d only feel worse because she’d dressed up. Dan was nearly half an hour late, and he hadn’t even bothered to call. She knew because she’d been carrying her phone around with her the last fifteen minutes. He could at least have the courtesy to let her know if he wasn’t coming.
Just when she’d decided to change into shorts and an old tank top, her doorbell rang.
Counting slowly to twenty so she wouldn’t seem eager, she made her leisurely way to the door. This wasn’t an important date, and she was going to play it cool no matter what his reason was for being late.
“No excuse,” Dan said with a sheepish grin when she opened the door.
“Oh, are you late?” She feigned indifference but it was hard to pull off while wearing three-inch heels that didn’t compensate for their height difference.
“A little,” he said, raising one dark eyebrow in skepticism.
“Okay, you’re thirty two and a half minutes late, but I’m sure you have a good reason.” She only wanted to get the evening over with, so there was no point in playing games.
“My brother called just as I was leaving. We hadn’t talked in quite a while. Afraid I lost track of time. He’s expecting his third son pretty soon.”
He rattled off his reasons, at least giving her some fodder for their dinner conversation. She really didn’t know much about him, other than that he was only in Heart City for two years.
Her feet hurt already from pacing around her apartment, so she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he’d brought his van. It was only six blocks or so to the town’s best eatery, but keeping up with his long strides would be like trying to catch a guy on stilts. The sad truth was that he wasn’t her size, shape, or type. It was a darn shame he was the living image of a Greek god, but looks weren’t everything.
Friday night meant dinner out for everyone under fifty. The local restaurants ran senior-citizen specials on Tuesday and Thursday to make room for the family trade on Fridays and date nights on Saturday. Of course, Dan didn’t know the Knife and Fork would be packed with big groups gathered around tables pushed together to accommodate their numbers.
“Looks pretty busy,” he commented unnecessarily as they waited in line to leave their names with the hostess.
“Friday is like one big family reunion,” she said, shuddering as she remembered her mother’s plan to invite him to a dinner with all their relatives.
“People here hardly ever get sitters,” she said. “They just bring the kids along. It was slim pickings back in the days when I was trying to earn spending money by babysitting.”
“That’s nice, really,” Dan said thoughtfully. “I imagine working mothers want their kids nearby in the evening.”
“We can squeeze you into the back room if you don’t mind being a little crowded,” the young, pink-faced hostess said, flicking aside her long head-hugging helmet of red ha
ir.
Why on earth was the girl wearing high heels and a black cocktail dress to seat people at the Knife and Fork? Amy could imagine how much her feet must hurt at the end of the evening.
And why was she starting to think like the self-proclaimed spinster who lived across from her mother? Had her youth faded away now that she had a professional degree and a job where she wore a white coat?
“That’ll be great,” Dan said, handing the young hostess a folded bill.
“You don’t have to tip her,” Amy whispered in the softest possible voice as they followed the hostess to a rear room sometimes used for wedding receptions. “No one does.”
“She’ll need to save up for a podiatrist,” he whispered back, leaning down to speak close to her ear.
His breath tickled her ear, and she totally forgot about the hostess as they walked into a room with a noise level only slightly below a rock concert.
“I think they’ll be having dessert soon,” the hostess said as Amy picked her way over a snowstorm of breadcrumbs. Apparently, the rowdy youngsters at the big table had found a way to entertain themselves while they waited for their orders.
Pulling out a chair for her, Dan impressed her with courtesy. The man certainly knew how to treat a date, even though they had to shout at each other to be heard over the lively party dominating the room.
“Would you like to go somewhere else?” Amy asked, leaning close to be heard.
Maybe he was the one who should suggest it, but she was embarrassed by the rowdy group. She didn’t want him to think the town was overrun by ill-mannered people who paid no attention to their children’s bad behavior.
Dan shook his head. “The kids are a hoot. They’re doing what every kid wants to do at a stuffy adult dinner.”
Hiding her surprise, she realized he was right. She could remember endless dinners when her great aunt visited. The staid older woman, who’d never had children herself, insisted Amy and Natalie sit at the table until she finished eating her meal in tiny bites. It was agonizing to watch her consume a meal in slow motion, and the two of them often fell into giggling fits before their mother finally excused them from the table.
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