Second First Kiss
Page 88
Chapter 34
Jasher
Two roads diverged before Jasher, both stretching around blind curves in the near distance. Not that he could have trod either of them—his head and heart were busy taking a nonstop ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl.
“A buyer?”
“Cash.” Sage’s voice was flat. “As soon as you’d like to sign, this buyer is ready. And before you can even ask, there’s a firm agreement that no incompetent doctors will be allowed on staff at Parrish Medical. No Rudolph Volmer or any of his sanctioned-by-the-state-medical-board cronies.”
Jasher slid an inch backward from Sage. “You found this person? For me?” So that he could move to Reedsville and accept the job at the Knighton Knee Clinic?
“From the outset, you’ve said you wanted nothing more than to move away from Mendon. This makes it happen.”
The sun rested on the crest of the mountain, about to set, about to close the day—and maybe a chapter in his life.
“I did say I wanted nothing more than to move away from Mendon.” Jasher slowly shook his head, and finally he looked back and met Sage’s eyes. “But that’s not the top priority of things I want anymore.”
“Sure it is, Jasher.”
“No.” It wasn’t.
A thousand things rushed at him—including the words Mrs. Ferguson had blabbed in the clinic about telling all her friends that he was a great doctor. Word of mouth had netted him several patients in a matter of days. If they told two friends each, and so on, over time his reputation would heal.
“This buyer is anxious for a quick transaction.” Sage looked at her fingernails. “The sooner the better.”
“Who is this buyer? Or is there some kind of contractual confidentiality going on?” Even if Sage weren’t a real estate agent, that could be the case.
She looked up from her fingernails. “No contract. Just—it’s me, Jasher.”
“You!” Not possible. “What are you talking about?”
She mumbled something about life insurance payouts from her late husband’s death. “And so I can make a fair offer.” She named a very generous number. Ten percent more generous than Zephyr Quennell had proposed. “What do you say? It gets you everything you said you wanted. You can leave town as soon as paperwork is signed. Sooner, even. We can do all this digitally. You could call the Knighton Knee Clinic right now and tell them you can report for work Monday morning.”
Sage hiccuped on the word morning. A large tear rolled down her cheek, but she dashed it away and no more followed.
Jasher’s heart squeezed. “Is this what you really want?”