Page 13 of Doctorshipped
“If you like snow.”
“It’s not always snowing there, and you know it. Stop being difficult.”
“It’s my hobby—being difficult. Some people knit. I grumble. You’ll need to get used to it.”
I step back from Hazel and move around to sit in my office chair, putting the comfortable barrier of my desk between us.
“So, did you arrange for some tutoring options for Fiona? I want her to meet whomever I choose before she starts school, to allow them to become familiar with one another. I also need to screen the candidates to make sure they are up to my standards.”
“Candidates? You’re joking, right? We’re in Bordeaux. Our high school history teacher also coaches the little league team and co-owns the gas station. The formalwear store is at the back of the Seed-N-Feed. We don’t have candidates. I know a brilliant young woman who has enough flexibility in her schedule, a heart of gold, and I think Fiona will love her. She’s your candidate. Singular.
“If you want someone else, you’ll have to travel to Dayton or Columbus, and they won’t travel to you here unless you pay them something comparable to your salary—the one you were making in St. Louis, not the one you’ve downsized to here. And all that commuting could be tricky as you’ll have patients and a schedule to maintain.”
I feel my brows draw together.
“Fine.”
“Good,” Hazel nods. “I asked her to come by this afternoon. I’ll send her resume to the printer before I go. I just have to print it off my phone. I set up a bluetooth printer before you moved in. Did you see it?”
“I saw it. And thank you—for all you did to get the house purchase finalized. It’s really well-suited to serve as a home and an office.”
“You’re going to love it, Grant. Trust me. This town is special.”
“That word can be used in both negative and positive connotations.”
“I mean it only in the most positive way.”
“Of course you do.”
Hazel leaves me to my files. She’s somewhere in the house, I can hear her and Fiona laughing on occasion. Fiona comes bursting into my office around lunchtime, announcing, “Lunch is served!”
I take a break to eat with Fiona and Hazel, but return to the office afterward. I leave Fiona happily working on some beading project Hazel purchased for her, already thankful for a woman’s touch in Fiona’s life. I never would have thought to buy something like that.
At around two thirty, Hazel pops her head in the door of my office. “I’ll be heading out. I’ve got to stop in on Lexi MacIntyre. She’s pregnant with her second baby and I’ve been watching her sugar levels and edema during this middle trimester.”
“You make house calls?”
“Of course. It’s sort of how this town runs. Patients will come see the doctor if there’s an office. I haven’t had one. I’ve just gone out to see people in their homes. And, when needed, I’ve set up a clinic at the Rec Center.”
“You set up a clinic at the Rec Center.”
“A-plus for listening skills. You got it. Anyway, I’ll be off. I’ll be back in the morning. Text me if you need anything.”
Hazel turns to leave, but then pops her head back into my office. “Oh! I nearly forgot. I left the resume for the tutor in the tray of the printer. I don’t make coffee, and I don’t file paperwork unless I see the patient myself. You have a nurse practitioner, not an assistant in me. If you want an assistant, hire one. Or put Fiona to work. She seems eager to be a part of things around here and it might be good for her. In the meantime, I’m sure you’ll manage to stand and retrieve the resume for the tutor on your own.”
“I’m sure.”
“Oh, and Grant?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t scare her off.”
“I am perfectly capable of not scaring people off.”
“Mmhmm. I’m sure. You’ll use your signature warm, fuzzy, welcoming approach. I can see it now. You definitely won’t scare anyone off. What was I thinking?”
I nearly roll my eyes. Of course, I don’t.
