Page 16 of Love's Cure

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At the appointed time. Crystal placed Emmett’s BLT sandwich in a bag, along with carrot sticks and a single chocolate chip cookie, and carried it out to her car. She wouldn’t stay long but wanted to see the work Dani and the Collister brothers were doing on the house.

Emmett met her at the front door to his medical offices. “Thanks. I haven’t got much time today, so I appreciate the service. The kitchen in the house is about to be torn apart, so I won’t be able to function there.”

“I came to see what they were doing to it. I met Dani and the men at the Café. They’re excited about doing the work.”

Emmett accepted the bag from her. “Let’s go take a look. They’ve knocked out the back wall of the house and are taking down some of the inner walls.”

As they walked to his house, Emmett took out his sandwich and took a big bite. “M-m-m-m.”

When they arrived at the house, Crystal could hardly believe the change. “Wow! The kitchen is a total mess. But I can already see what it will look like with the space extended in the back and becoming part of a sunroom. What are you going to do about keeping any wildlife out while the place is opened up?”

“Aaron and Brad are putting up heavy-duty plastic sheets and tacking them in place to protect the rest of the house. But I’m concerned about wildlife and the weather. Aaron says we have time to enclose the space before rainy weather lingers.” Emmett shook his head. “Aaron says he has a sense about these things, and I’m going to believe him. I’ve got too much on my mind to worry about it. The practice is busy.”

“I saw Bob Bullard earlier. He says you did a superb job with his hand.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

“You’re going to do just fine,” Crystal said.

“By the way, your warning came in handy. JoEllen Daniels came to see me. She told me she wanted to introduce herself and offer her services to help me to become comfortable in town. She was quite weird about it. I thanked her and told her I knew she worked at The Woodlands and would no doubt see her there.”

“I bet she didn’t like that,” Crystal said.

“No, she said she had more in mind than that.” He shrugged. “I don’t have time to get involved with anyone. I’ve got to get my practice running smoothly. There’s stuff I still don’t know about some people’s medical care requirements.”

Rather than be disappointed by his comment about not wanting to get involved with anyone, Crystal was relieved. Now they truly could just be friends.

“I’ve got to get back to work,” she said. “Thanks for letting me see the start of your reconstruction. It’s going to be beautiful.”

“I agree. I’m glad you and Whitney will help with the interior décor. That’s out of my league,” said Emmett walking with her back to the medical office building.

“It’s going to be fun. I loved renovating the Café, and Whitney did a superb job with the Lilac Lake Cottage, as she and her sisters are calling it. I keep telling her, it could become a real business if she wanted to do it.”

“What about her doing more television or movies?” asked Emmett.

“She told me it’s something she’ll decide on when and if the opportunity arises.”

They arrived at the office, and Crystal left with her head spinning. There was a lot for her to think about. The kiss they’d shared was much more than friendship.

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On Wednesday, Emmettshowed up early at the Café and took a seat at the breakfast bar.

“I know we said we’d meet up a little later, but I’ve had a meeting with Collister Construction already and need a hot breakfast before we take off on our trip to Portsmouth and Maine.”

“No problem,” said Crystal. “It’s a beautiful day for a drive around the area. I’ve arranged to have the whole day off, and I’m ready any time after you eat. What’ll you have?”

“Large O.J., scrambled eggs on wheat toast, bacon, and hash browns,” he said. “And coffee.”

Crystal poured him a cup of coffee and placed the order with the kitchen. “Be right back. I see Nick and want to say hi.”

As she approached his table out on the patio, her ex-husband, Nick, glimpsed her and grinned. “Hi, Crystal. How are you doing? Whitney says you and the new doctor might be becoming friends. I hope it’s working out for you.”

Crystal drew a deep breath and took a seat opposite him. Though they’d ended their marriage, their friendship remained intact with Whitney’s blessing. It was Crystal who’d pushed Nick and Whitney to get together after sharing a teen romance. Strange as it might seem, the three of them had a solid friendship.

“Nick, you and Whitney know me better than anyone else. Do you think I’m foolish to leave myself open to getting to know Emmett Chambers better? There’s not much I know about him except he went to medical school in New York. I don’t find much about him on the internet but he’s ... interesting ... kind ... and has a good reputation.”

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