“You mean, he’s here now?”
Nate nodded. “I just took that picture a few minutes ago. The staff have sort of adopted him.”
“This sweater is so cute! Where did you get it? I collect outfits for my babies, but I’ve never seen a Valentine’s Day sweater before.”
“Lola, Dr. Morrison’s nurse knit it for him.”
“Lola knit this?” She studied the picture more closely. “He looks like he has some Dachshund in him.”
“You have a good eye. He’s a Dachshund-Chihuahua mix.”
“Oh, lord!” Mrs. Kiefer laughed. “I used to breed Dachshunds. They’re wonderfully loyal dogs, but so stubborn.”
“He’s been having accidents in the house,” Nate admitted. “Despite how many times I take him outside.”
She nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes, that’s a Doxie for you! You just have to be patient.” She smiled at him.
He smiled back. Not the professional smile. A real one this time. “Let’s take your blood pressure again.”
She put her arm out and Nate took her blood pressure. She looked at him expectantly. “It’s still borderline, but much better than your first one. How do you feel about medication?”
“Well, if I need it, then I need it. But I’d much rather not. If I can help it, that is.”
“Any problems with headaches?”
“No.”
“All right, well, how about we try monitoring your pressure every day for a week or so to get a better picture of what’s going on? You won’t need an appointment. Just come when it’s convenient and we’ll work you in. If it’s still on the high side or if you have any symptoms, we’ll need to discuss the medication. The bloodwork should be back in a few days and that will let us know if there’s anything else we should be concerned about.”
He waited for her response.
After a few seconds, she asked, “And that’s it? No lecture or…anything else?”
“That’s it. Unless you have something else you wanted to discuss?”
“No, no. Well, all right then. I’ll be sure to come in tomorrow.” She got down off the exam table. “And good luck with your little dog. Hector, is it? Like I said, just be patient, and for heaven’s sake, don’t scold him! Dogs respond much better to praise than anything else. Don’t worry, in a few months, you’ll start seeing results.”
He nodded slowly. “Excellent advice. I think I’ll take it.”
Lauren was anxious to talk to Dhara about some of the ideas the girls had given her at Bunco last week, but Dhara had taken a few days off to go to Orlando for an interview, so it wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that she saw her again. Lauren fully expected her to come back only to tell her she was leaving, so she braced herself for the news.
“Actually, they did offer me a job,” Dhara said.
“That’s great!” Lauren was sad for herself, but genuinely happy for Dhara. Maybe it was better this way. If Dhara did end up staying to work for Lauren on a more permanent basis, then she’d feel horribly guilty if her store closed and Dhara was suddenly out of a job.
“I’m not taking it.”
“It wasn’t what you were looking for?” Lauren asked.
“No, it was a good job, it’s just…well, I know this sounds horribly last century, but I just met someone and they live locally…” She shrugged like she was embarrassed.
“Ah! A boyfriend. Right.” Funny. Dhara had never spoken about her love life before. Lauren knew all about her big Indian-American family—her mother who made the best butter chicken in the world, and her two older brothers and their wives and all her nieces and nephews, as well as her younger sister, Shaheen, who was still in high school and drove the whole family batty. It was like watching Bend It Like Beckham and Lauren loved it. It had been lonely sometimes, growing up an only child, and she relished other people’s big family stories.
“So…I’m not sure where that will end up,” Dhara said, “But I feel like I need to give the relationship a shot.”
“Sure, of course.” Lauren hesitated a moment. She’d brought her sewing machine to work last week and set it up on the check-out counter. Business had been slow (as usual), so in between customers she’d sewn and been able to finish two more of the same dress she’d made for Kitty. She showed Dhara the dresses.
“What do you think?”