Page 30 of Mountain Freedom
It wasn’t like him to walk away without a fight. That meant he was saving the fight for later.
But nearly an entire week passed uneventfully, without trouble or even a sighting of Russell. And despite my intention to put some space between us, Allison and I wound up meeting every night for dinner. It felt okay though because we had to keep them short. She was having a busy week meeting with hospital administrators, trying to get the clinic set up the way she wanted, and setting up her house at night. The quick dinners felt casual and had established a routine of easy friendship.
So it was no surprise when she texted me Thursday evening about getting together again.
Allison: Today has felt like the longest day ever. I know it’s a little early, but I can’t look at charts anymore. Want to grab dinner?
Jackson: I could eat. I’m still at the station, finishing up a report, but I’ll be done in about ten minutes. What sounds good?
Allison: Something light. Sandwiches or a nice salad? Is there anywhere that serves anything like that?
Jackson: Honey, you’re in the fried food capital of the world.
Allison: LOL, I’ve noticed. But I’m craving something healthier. Besides, in school they told us we should set a good example for our communities, be seen eating healthy and all that. That we have a responsibility and a standard to live up to.
Jackson: LOL. And I’m guessing you wrote that down in your notebook and took it as gospel, didn’t you?
Allison: …well, yes.
Jackson: I knew it. You’re in luck though. There’s a cafe downtown called Luna’s. Best soup, salad, and sandwiches around. Even has vegan options. Sources a lot of their stuff from local growers.
Allison: Wow. Go Rosemary Mountain. Meet you there?
Jackson: I’ll be there in twenty.
Sheriff Morrison leanedon my desk as I pocketed my phone. “What are you grinning about?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
“Just joking around with an old friend about restaurant options here in town.”
He grinned. “Would this be a female friend? Rumor has it you’ve been seen taking the same woman out every night this week.”
“Yes, but she’sjusta friend,” I clarified. “It’s Allison Bell. We talked about her.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding. “The new doctor in town. You guys reconnected, huh?”
“Yeah. We’ve been catching up. She has her work cut out for her here, trying to win over everyone who still thinks Doc Rogers should be practicing.”
Greg snorted. “Good luck to her. I’ve been here for, what, three, four years now? And there’s still a handful of people who tell me how much better things were when Joe was in charge.”
“Ah, yes,” I said drily. “You mean when they had a sheriff willing to look the other way on anything they did behind closed doors as long as he could keep up the impression that this was a quiet little town where nothing bad ever happened. Speaking of which, Allison has an idea.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“She mentioned that a lot of her patients are still on too many prescription drugs. She wants to start a medication-assisted treatment program, help get them clean.”
Greg’s face beamed with approval. “That would be great. I was just doing some reading about how that’s working in another small town with a similar demographic to ours. It’s not a perfect solution, but the stats are good. If there’s anything she needs from us, or if she wants us to help with public education, let me know. We might be able to work something out where, if we arrest anyone who’s using, we could offer some sort of deal contingent upon program compliance. Might actually help people change their lives for good.”
“That’s similar to what I was thinking. Glad to know you’re on the same page.”
“I like this girl already. Any chance this ‘just friends’thing is temporary?” He winked at me.
I knew he was rooting for me to find someone and settle down. He had recently gotten remarried and declared it to be the best decision he had ever made. He wanted the same for me. But I couldn’t bring myself to admit to him all the reasons it wouldn’t be.
I shook my head. “Nah. We’ve already talked about how we don’t want to mess up anything by having that possibility on the table.” I paused for a minute, deciding to open up just a bit.“When I was a kid,” I said, glancing around to make sure we were alone, “she meant a lot to me. Might even be the reason I’m still alive. You don’t screw that up by screwing around.”
He nodded. “I understand. Sounds like you two have your heads on your shoulders. Either way, I’m glad she’s back. I appreciate anyone who wants to make a positive difference in our community, and I’m glad you’ve got a good friend in her.”
“Me too.” It meant more than I could say.
