Page 129 of Clara Knows Best

“There was a bit of a bidding war. Those Airbnb types can be so aggressive. Ended up getting about twenty over. Twenty-two, actually.”

“Twenty-two thousand dollars over our new asking price?” she squeaked. “Is it official?”

“Will be, in an hour or so.”

“Wow, Hart! You did it!”

“Yep. Did you check out that house in Valentine yet?”

“I’m meeting Skip there in a few minutes.”

“Keep me informed,” he requested. “And don’t tell Skip we just made a bunch of money. He’s a decent guy, but he’s gotta make a living like anyone else.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

After they hung up, she felt the excitement fade. It was certainly good news that they would recoup their investmentand turn a profit, but she was aware of a small pang of grief as well.

Why had she so stupidly set her heart on Jesse buying that place, and why did selling it to an Airbnb investor feel like another nail in the coffin of her love life? None of it was logical.

“I’m probably just ovulating,” she told Greer. “Dad said Jesse needs time, and I have plenty of time. Everything will be okay, do you hear me?”

54

His last two weeks at the hospital flew by, and they were bittersweet. He would miss working in a level-one trauma center, where everything he could possibly need was at his fingertips. But thanks to Grisham, he got to have his cake and eat a little bit of it, too.

He woke up on Friday morning a member of the active unemployed, and he had to admit that the freedom didn’t feel too bad. He spent an hour loading his belongings into the trunk of his new SUV—he’d traded in his trusty Toyota—and grabbed a breakfast burrito on his way out of town.

It was a long drive, but by the time he arrived he’d be well-versed in his new vehicle, and hopefully he’d know what he was going to say to Clara.

He’d already worked out how to deal with her parents, and the plan was to knock that out first. If he made good enough time he could catch Dr. Wilder at work, and that seemed infinitely better than confronting her and her husband at the same time. The old divide-and-conquer.

He reached Romeo Family Health just before closing. The Maserati was parked beside Yoli’s Jeep Liberty, and there were two cars he didn’t recognize.

The waiting room was empty, and the woman behind the desk was not Clara. She was young, and radiated timidity.

“Dr. Wilder in?”

“Yes,” she said. “But—” She hesitated, probably unsure how to deal with walk-ins at closing time.

“Is she with a patient?”

“No…” She trailed off, and chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I think—”

“It’s all right, Baylor,” Dr. Wilder said, appearing in her office doorway. “You can head home for the night. Yoli will help me close up. Come in, Jesse.”

“Thanks,” he said, following her. Not much of a hugger, she indicated the chair across from her desk, and he sat.

“I’m surprised to see you. Happy, but surprised.”

“It’s a surprise visit,” he agreed.

“Interesting. What’s on your mind?”

“I want to join RFH. As a full partner.”

Dr. Wilder did not look particularly surprised. “Okay.”

He waited. Then, “Okay?”

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