Page 42 of Tumbleweed Temptation
“And?”
“I think it’s silly.” She straightened and folded her arms over her skinny chest. “These people are set in their ways. They’re not going to change just because you want them to.”
“I think you underestimate people,” Sofia chimed in. “Plus, people love those competition shows. I’m sure we have a bunch of people in town who have always imagined themselves as contestants. I think it would be a lot of fun. And then you have the customers as the judges.”
Janine turned to Austin. “You ganging up on me here?”
He offered her a grin. “Maybe a little bit. You have the customer base that the other places don't have. You have the best seating. I really would like to launch the plan here.”
“I don't want strangers in my kitchen.”
He laughed. “Janine, no one in Broken Wheel is a stranger.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Okay, well, you meet with the contestants ahead of time. Set parameters. This is your place, you can have your rules. And it can save some lives. You know your clientele. You know who needs to change their diet.”
Janine’s jaw remained stubborn. “Not my responsibility.”
“Not asking you to change your whole way of cooking, go vegan, anything like that. Just add some options to the menu. If you and Mrs. Lopez can change, we can be successful here.”
Her expression softened a little. Austin caught sight of Ginny out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't dare look away from Janine.
“Present me with a solid plan, and I’ll give it serious thought,” she said at last.
He sat back against the booth, victorious. “You bet. We’ll give you the most solid plan you’ve ever seen.”
*****
AUSTIN LOOKED FROMthe chart to the woman on the exam table in front of him.
“Mrs. Bryant. I, ah. I’m not sure I can do this.”
The woman on the table was his sixth grade science teacher. She’d introduced him to his love of science, with her energy and enthusiasm, and he’d been a little bit in love with her. The name on the chart had surprised him. She’d been Miss Mainka when he’d been in her class.
And now she was sitting in front of him, according to his chart, about six months pregnant.
He’d gone through his gynecological rotation just fine, had learned a lot, but hadn’t learned how to distance himself from giving personal—very personal—exams to people he knew.
“Austin, I know this is odd—just think how I feel. But I’m almost forty, and this is a high-risk pregnancy. I’m so grateful I don't have to drive to San Angelo anymore. We’re both just going to have to get over it for the sake of the baby.”
As she spoke, Austin wondered if he could just do the exam without looking, and wondered if somehow that would be worse.
“All right, well, let me take your history, and then I will get your records from San Angelo. Who did you see there?”
“Dr. Fredrick, who was great, but again, not loving the two hour round trip in this condition, you know?”
“Yeah, I can imagine.”
He sat on his stool and prepared himself to take notes.
“This is my fourth pregnancy, but this is the first time I’ve made it to the second trimester,” she told him, her voice matter-of-fact.
He snapped his gaze to hers and saw the strain on her face. “Mrs. Bryant, this is nothing to do with me, but don't you think you need someone who specializes in high risk pregnancies? Or, you know, just pregnancies? I can consult with another doctor, because I do want to make this easy on you, but I don't want to make a mistake.”
“The mistake wasn’t because of anything the doctors did. It was my own body. I think as long as this is going smoothly, meeting all the marks, I can save myself the stress of that trip and come to you. If things start looking dicey, then sure, I’ll go back to Dr. Fredrick.”
He blew out a relieved breath. “Okay. I’ll read up on everything, get with Dr. Fredrick to see what I need to look for. I promise, I won’t let you down.”
