Page 58 of What We Keep
On the list of things I hadn’t been prepared to deal with, it was getting grilled at Tommy’s doctor’s appointment about Haven. I cleared my throat. “It’s possible I have a crush on him too.’”
Rachel bit her lip, grinning with glee. “This is so awesome. Right, Charlie?”
Charlie seemed a little more circumspect than Rachel. She chuckled. “If they want it to be awesome, then yes.”
“Anyway, it’s really nice to meet you,” Rachel added. “I’m sure we’ll see you around town.”
Just as I opened my mouth to say something, there was a knock on the door. Charlie caught Rachel’s eye. “I need to slip out now. I have to get to the next appointment.”
As she opened the door, another woman peered through. “Tommy’s dad is here.”
“Oh!” Rachel exclaimed.
I shrugged while Tommy rolled his eyes, letting out another dramatic sigh as he walked back into the room with his lollipop in hand. He was all about the dramatic sighs today. “He gets very stressed out if he misses my appointments,” Tommy said.
“He does?” I asked.
Rachel shrugged. “Bring him on back. We’ll give him the update that Tommy’s completely healthy, as if that was ever in question.”
“You never know,” Tommy chimed in.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
Rachel gestured toward the woman leaning in the doorway. “This is our new med assistant, Heidi.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“Like you, Elsa, she just moved back to town.”
“You did?” I narrowed my eyes because, surely, I would recognize her.
Her cheeks went a little pink. She was gorgeous, with shiny dark hair twisted into a bun and dangly earrings. “I think I would have been younger than you.”
“Do you know me?”
She nodded. “Sorta. You lived out near Heartfire Falls, right?” Before I could reply, she glanced behind her. She gestured into the office. “Tommy and his mom are in here.”
Tommy’s face split into a mischievous grin. “Should I start calling you Mom?” he asked just as Haven walked into the office. His dark hair looked as if he’d run his hands through it about a hundred times.
Speaking of his hands—those big, strong hands that I loved having all over me—they were dirty and streaked with grease. The med assistant who’d let him in gave him a dimpled smile. “Nice to meet you,” she said to me and departed, closing the door behind Haven.
Being the big man he was, he filled this entire space, or that was how it felt. “Sorry I’m late.” His eyes flicked to mine. “I caught a ride into town with Jude. Thank you for getting Tommy here.”
“No problem.”
“I am healthy!” Tommy lifted both fists in the air and bounced his heels against the floor. He’d already finished his lollipop and tossed the stick in the wastebasket by the door.
Haven looked, to say the least, out of place. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment toward Rachel. “Hi there.”
“Rachel,” she said helpfully. “We’ve met before. Tommy’s doing great. His blood work looks great, he’s up to speed on his shots, and we’re good to go.”
“Okay, so I probably didn’t need to rush in.”
“Sit, big guy.” I patted the chair beside me. Rachel’s brows hitched up at that, and my cheeks got hot.
“Is that what you call him?” Tommy asked.
“Sometimes.”
