chuckled.
“When I get out of here,” Cade said, opening his eyes, “when I’m better, Barb and I are going to treat you to a night on the town. Dinner, drinks, dessert.” A smile curved up one side of his face. “All the best
D’
s possible. Dancing, if you want it.”
I grinned. “Disco?”
“Done.”
“Do-si-do?”
“Indubitably.”
Barb looked at him askance. “That’s not a
D
word.”
“No, but it feels like one. Say it out loud and you’ll see.”
So there we were, saying the word “indubitably” over and over again and getting a serious case of the giggles. Since it was a hospital, we tried to keep the noise down, but that made my stomach start to cramp. “Don’t,” I panted, “it hurts. Don’t.”
“
D
word,” Barb managed to get out, and we were off again.
A male voice intruded. “As I thought. It’s Minnie Hamilton, out and about and making trouble.”
“Tucker!” I jumped to my feet and went to him for a quick hug. Not a big one, because he was in doctor mode, but even a little one felt good.
Barb looked from me to Tucker and back. “Our bookmobile angel and our emergency room doctor hero are an item?” She clapped her hands. “Oh, how perfect this is. How absolutely perfect!”
“Stop her,” Cade said, “or she’ll be making calls for your wedding caterer.”
“We’ve only been dating a few weeks,” I said, my face once again going warm.
“Good weeks, though, right?” Tucker kissed the top of my head. “Good to see you’re doing well, Mr. McCade.”
“Thank you again, Dr. Kleinow,” Barb said. “Thank you so very much.”
He smiled. “Just doing my job, ma’am.” He nodded a good-bye, gave me a quick hug, and left.
“I should get going, too.” I stood. “I’m glad you’re doing so well, Cade.”
Barb stood, too. “I’ll walk you out, Minnie.” She leaned forward. “Go to sleep, my sweet. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Mmm.” Cade’s eyes were already closed. By the time Barb and I reached the door, he was snoring.
Out in the carpeted hallway, Barb stopped. “Minnie…” But whatever words she wanted to say got lost somewhere and she just stood there, looking at me with eyes full of emotion.
My throat clogged up a little. “You don’t need to say anything, okay? I’m glad I was there to help. Truly.”
“You’re a lovely girl.” Barb laid her hand on my cheek for a brief moment. “Your parents must be very proud.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but hey, maybe she was right.
“I’ll call you,” she said. “We’ll set a date for a nice lunch. I should have called before, but I’ve been a little…” She looked back down the hall.
“Busy,” I supplied. “Don’t worry about it. My cell number’s on my card. Call whenever you want.”
“Thank you, Minnie.” She gave me a hard hug. “So very much.”
I watched her walk back down the hall to her husband’s room, sniffled a little, and felt a sudden urge to talk to my aunt Frances.
• • •
“Minnie, my sweet. How are you?”
Even though I wasn’t feeling bad, not really, hearing my aunt’s voice made me feel better. She had a knack for making people feel not just better, but happier. And beyond that, more comfortable with themselves and who they could be.
It was a mild push from Aunt Frances that had gotten my friend Kristen thinking about opening a restaurant, and it was an Aunt Frances suggestion that motivated a neighbor of hers to make the move from composing music for friends and family to selling it over the Internet and eventually to making a mint writing movie sound tracks.
I glanced through my office doorway. No one in sight. “Just wondering about breakfast on Saturday. And how things are, you know, going.” Because Aunt Frances ran more than a summer boardinghouse and she did more than amateur career coaching; she was a secret matchmaker.
My aunt sighed. It was an uncharacteristic sound from my permanently cheerful
“When I get out of here,” Cade said, opening his eyes, “when I’m better, Barb and I are going to treat you to a night on the town. Dinner, drinks, dessert.” A smile curved up one side of his face. “All the best
D’
s possible. Dancing, if you want it.”
I grinned. “Disco?”
“Done.”
“Do-si-do?”
“Indubitably.”
Barb looked at him askance. “That’s not a
D
word.”
“No, but it feels like one. Say it out loud and you’ll see.”
So there we were, saying the word “indubitably” over and over again and getting a serious case of the giggles. Since it was a hospital, we tried to keep the noise down, but that made my stomach start to cramp. “Don’t,” I panted, “it hurts. Don’t.”
“
D
word,” Barb managed to get out, and we were off again.
A male voice intruded. “As I thought. It’s Minnie Hamilton, out and about and making trouble.”
“Tucker!” I jumped to my feet and went to him for a quick hug. Not a big one, because he was in doctor mode, but even a little one felt good.
Barb looked from me to Tucker and back. “Our bookmobile angel and our emergency room doctor hero are an item?” She clapped her hands. “Oh, how perfect this is. How absolutely perfect!”
“Stop her,” Cade said, “or she’ll be making calls for your wedding caterer.”
“We’ve only been dating a few weeks,” I said, my face once again going warm.
“Good weeks, though, right?” Tucker kissed the top of my head. “Good to see you’re doing well, Mr. McCade.”
“Thank you again, Dr. Kleinow,” Barb said. “Thank you so very much.”
He smiled. “Just doing my job, ma’am.” He nodded a good-bye, gave me a quick hug, and left.
“I should get going, too.” I stood. “I’m glad you’re doing so well, Cade.”
Barb stood, too. “I’ll walk you out, Minnie.” She leaned forward. “Go to sleep, my sweet. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Mmm.” Cade’s eyes were already closed. By the time Barb and I reached the door, he was snoring.
Out in the carpeted hallway, Barb stopped. “Minnie…” But whatever words she wanted to say got lost somewhere and she just stood there, looking at me with eyes full of emotion.
My throat clogged up a little. “You don’t need to say anything, okay? I’m glad I was there to help. Truly.”
“You’re a lovely girl.” Barb laid her hand on my cheek for a brief moment. “Your parents must be very proud.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but hey, maybe she was right.
“I’ll call you,” she said. “We’ll set a date for a nice lunch. I should have called before, but I’ve been a little…” She looked back down the hall.
“Busy,” I supplied. “Don’t worry about it. My cell number’s on my card. Call whenever you want.”
“Thank you, Minnie.” She gave me a hard hug. “So very much.”
I watched her walk back down the hall to her husband’s room, sniffled a little, and felt a sudden urge to talk to my aunt Frances.
• • •
“Minnie, my sweet. How are you?”
Even though I wasn’t feeling bad, not really, hearing my aunt’s voice made me feel better. She had a knack for making people feel not just better, but happier. And beyond that, more comfortable with themselves and who they could be.
It was a mild push from Aunt Frances that had gotten my friend Kristen thinking about opening a restaurant, and it was an Aunt Frances suggestion that motivated a neighbor of hers to make the move from composing music for friends and family to selling it over the Internet and eventually to making a mint writing movie sound tracks.
I glanced through my office doorway. No one in sight. “Just wondering about breakfast on Saturday. And how things are, you know, going.” Because Aunt Frances ran more than a summer boardinghouse and she did more than amateur career coaching; she was a secret matchmaker.
My aunt sighed. It was an uncharacteristic sound from my permanently cheerful
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