“Does a bear shit in the woods? I mean, yeah, they do and apparently in towns, too.”
Yesterday, Hollis had read the Twiner sisters’ newsletter about a bear being spotted on the outskirts of town. That had led to a whole rant about something that had made no sense. I still had no idea what point he was trying to make.
He reached for the cup, but I held it back. “If I give this to you, no more grumpiness.”
“I won’t need to be aggravated because I’ll have a decent cup of fucking coffee.”
I kept it just out of reach, and I swore I saw steam start to come out of his ears. “Hollis, I need you to promise me. Otherwise, I’m contemplating medicating you.”
He gave me a grunt. “Promise.”
Oh, man, he’s on edge.
I handed it over. He took a sip and sighed. “Soy milk latte with a hint of vanilla and chocolate with a double espresso, I have never missed you so much.” He took another sip. “I thought I was going to have to fly back to the mainland for one of these to tide me over until my new machine arrived.” Then he pointed an accusing finger at me. “You withheld this on purpose.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I will carry through with the threat. You better turn that finger around and point it at yourself. I forgot we had a Starbucks. Only the tourists drink it. That’s why it’s in the jewelry store. The cruisers come to port and trade diamonds while sipping their Starbucks. It’s not very Alaskan.”
Narrowing his eyes, Hollis knew I’d backhandedly called him a tourist; he’d otherwise abandoned all those things in favor of being a true “Alaskan.”
He took another sip. “We all have
our downfalls. I don’t have to be a full Alaskan on my coffee.”
I laughed. “Come on, Dr. Fritz, you’ve got a busy day ahead of you.”
We were filled with appointments for the next month. Plus, we had to keep some appointments open for the walk-in patients or those who needed emergency care.
Before the first person arrived, I busied myself with making sure the charts were as I left them the night before. At some point, we would need to hire a receptionist, but for now, I could handle it. Keeping the office in order, charts pulled, appointments made was difficult on top of my duties as a nurse.
“Ready for today?” he asked.
“Absolutely. It’s a great day. There’s pep in my step. And someone is bringing you another coffee in about two hours.”
He squeezed me hard. “You are the best of friends.”
Yeah, I’d be bringing him coffee every morning for the foreseeable future.
“That’s not what you were saying yesterday.”
He waved me off. “Yesterday is in the past.”
“If you say so.” I laughed.
We got to work, and the day flew by in a blur. A walk-in had arrived with an infection from an untreated cut, which put us behind. Hollis was in with the last patient while I worked on getting the paperwork completed before I left. After a day like today, I was glad I could sleep in tomorrow. At one point, we’d talked about opening the clinic for a half day on Saturdays, but we decided it was best to not start that.
Devney, the high school music teacher, was currently with Hollis. She was a year older than Drake and a year younger than Hollis, and she taught music on the side. The kids loved her. She’d always been quiet when I was around.
The door opened, and she stepped out. “Thank you, Dr. Fritz. Welcome to Skagway.”
Hollis had an interesting look about him as he said goodbye. It was odd—like he was in a trance. I put my pen down and watched.
As she walked by my desk, her cheeks were flushed and stood out against her otherwise pale skin. Her dark hair was pulled up, and it looked like her neck was a little red, as well. “Goodbye, Alexa. Welcome home.”
“Thanks, Devney. Have a good weekend.”
She left, and Hollis stared after her for a full minute before he turned my way. “Do you know her?”
Yeah, he was taken with her. Completely and utterly taken.