Page 54 of You Shouldn't Have Come Here

Joe shook his head and chuckled, turning over the brats.

Charlotte set her beer down and stood. “Let me help you apply something to those stings.”

Betty nodded, and Charlotte helped her into the house, closing the sliding door behind them.

“What’s with Betty?” Joe asked.

Calvin put his thumbs in the loops of his jeans like he usually did when he was apprehensive or didn’t know what to say. I had only known him for six days, and I had already picked up on that little tell of his. He would never do well in poker. Too many tells.

“Don’t go saying this to anyone else.” He lowered his voice. “But when I took Grace to Dr. Reed after she fell off the horse, he mentioned Betty hadn’t refilled her prescription in two months.”

Joe’s eyes went wide. “Have you talked to her?”

“Of course not. Dr. Reed shouldn’t have told me that in the first place. He could lose his license to practice.” Calvin rubbed his forehead.

“Chicks be crazy, am I right?” Wyatt said, swigging his beer.

Calvin rolled his eyes.

Joe shrugged. “This is a small town. Who really has a license around here?”

“I would hope a doctor would. Dr. Reed removed my appendix.” Calvin gave a look of dismay.

“Yeah, and you’ve never been able to do a fullsit-upever since.” Wyatt let out a laugh.

Calvin rolled his eyes and flicked a hand at him. “Everyone knows crunches are more effective.”

“Says the guy with afour-pack.”

Joe shuffled to the side and peered in through the patio door before settling back into place. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll say something to her, but not today.”

Joe shook his head and straightened up, flipping a burger again. “Grace, you like... meat?” he asked just as the sliding door opened. Betty emerged, followed by Charlotte. It was clear he had intended to ask something else but quickly changed the subject.

“How ya feeling?” Calvin asked.

Betty’s neck and hands were covered in red splotches. There was a slight jelly glisten over each mark where Charlotte had rubbed Neosporin. It felt like this whole town had Neosporin rubbed over it—something to conceal it, make it feel better, look better—but beneath the jelly glisten, there was irritation, pain, maybe even venom.

“Yeah, much better, darling.” Betty’s eyes bounced over all of us like a pinball in an arcade.

“Hello,” a voice called from around the corner.

Calvin, Wyatt, and Joe all yelled, “Hello.” Dr. Reed rounded the side of the house, carrying a large package covered in white butcher paper. Patsy, his secretary, walked beside him holding a bottle of sauvignon blanc.

“Whatcha got there, Doc?” asked Calvin.

“A dozen New York strip steaks. Happy birthday,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks, Doc. You didn’t have to do that.”

Dr. Reed patted him on the back. “I don’t have to do anything, doesn’t mean I won’t.” He then greeted each of us.

“Nice to see you,” I said when his eyes landed on me.

Dr. Reed closed the distance and gave me a half hug, eyeing me in a doctorly way. “You feeling all right?”

“Perfectly new, thanks to you.” I nodded and smiled at him.

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