Page 46 of The Holiday Grump
“I finished right before my doctor’s appointment,” Lola said.
“Dr. Handsome?” Eileen asked, eyes sparkling.
Erica sighed. “He’s so dreamy that I’m convinced he’s secretly starring in some medical drama.”
“I keep requesting him, but they always tell me he’s not available!” Astrid grumbled. “The receptionist gave me a dirty look.”
“The new doctor who started at The Hideaway Clinic is unfairly good-looking,” Felicity explained. “Kind of like the guy on that cover.”
I set down my painstakingly crocheted bottom layer of a vulva and picked up the book. “I started reading this last night, but I didn’t get far.”
“Just move on to the next one,” Ida muttered. “You won’t miss much.”
“Ida would like us to stick to crafts,” Felicity continued in her narrator voice. “But some of us are not that gifted with yarn, so we try to balance the scales with books and wine.”
“I’m particularly gifted with wine!” Lola took a drink, grinning.
“Maybe Noelle should pay a visit to the clinic,” Erica suggested. “We’ve done some detective work and concluded that Dr. Handsome is single.”
Lola pulled out her phone, tapped, and handed it over. “Dr. Handsome.”
I stared at the photo of a striking man in a white coat. “He looks like a cross between Superman and Superman.”
“Exactly!” Lola enthused. “What small-town doctor needs cheekbones like that? He should be on billboards!”
“Maybe I need to break an arm or leg soon,” I mused.
Felicity’s reaction to my words was subtle, like a cold draft sneaking in through a crack. Was she jealous because I was expressing interest in someone other than her brother?
“He’s going through a messy divorce,” Felicity said under her breath. “In case that makes any difference to any of you.”
“Have you been snooping through Dr. Handsome’s trash cans?” Erica peered at Felicity like a schoolteacher with a twinkle in her eye.
“My company may have been cleaning his offices,” Felicity added nonchalantly, clearly enjoying herself.
Even Ida leaned in, ears perked.
Lola grabbed a cookie. “Tell me more! Does he donate to charities? Pay his bills on time? I must know! Purely for research purposes, of course.”
Felicity’s mouth stretched into a salacious smile. “Well, for research purposes… I heard he overuses breath mints and never finishes a sandwich.”
“That’d drive me nuts!” I said without thinking. “Such a waste.”
Felicity gave a slow, approving nod. “Right? Fredrik licks the crumbs off his plate. Just saying. And the breath mints could be a sign of halitosis.”
“Uncle Fredrik sits in a bookstore and has like one customer per day,” Kailee pointed out. “He has enough time to eat every meal twice.”
“Excellent point, Kailee!” Erica praised, making Kailee blush. “Maybe Dr. Handsome finishes sandwiches at home.”
“Well, if I ever break my arm, it’ll be the first thing I ask, right after I sniff his breath,” I promised.
Everyone laughed, and I chuckled along with them. The level of matchmaking in this town was insane, yet I felt at home. These ladies were as curious as I was and not shocked by my unfiltered comments. Instead, they were entertained. They saw me as someone worthy of being matched with these men… even a doctor. Felicity, who was aware of my past, still seemed to like the idea of me being with her brother.
To my surprise, I managed to finish one vulva, which resembled the picture on the printout somewhat. We all helped clear the table, packing the yarn into bags Ida had lined up for us.
“Thank you, ladies!”
She beamed as we displayed our half-finished Santa hats and multicolored vulvas, then pulled on our winter coats and tumbled out the door. Oddly enough, I felt as tipsy as most of them looked as they staggered down the icy steps, holding onto each other. Even with my hard work the other night, every surface outside was uneven and slippery.
