“This man, Dr. Becks . . . The three women sent him to me. Not pointedly, they just strongly suggested that he get a sandwich at the Phoenix shop and ask for Sophie.”
“Have they done that before?”
“No, so I knew it was important, and I sat down with him to talk. Poor man. He’s a mess. His wife has been having an affair with the other doctor in his practice and she wants a divorce.”
“And he wants to come here to little Edilean to heal his wounds?”
“Yes. And I think it’ll be good for him. The locals will match him up with somebody, and by the time Tris returns he’ll be in recovery.” She stepped forward to make some more changes to the ill-proportioned sculpture Henry had made.
“It all sounds like a good thing,” Henry said. “But you don’t seem to agree.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” Sophie said. “I know this is what Reede wants. He wants to return to his charity work. That’s where his heart is. At least I think so. It’s not as though he’s ever actually told me so. A few weeks ago there was a piece on the news about a doctor who owned a big boat that was set up as a hospital ship. He went around the world to places where people had never seen a doctor in their lives. You should have seen Reede’s face! It lit up like a light had been turned on.”
“What did he say about it?”
“That’s it!” Sophie said. “Reede didn’t say a word. He just got up and went to the kitchen to get a beer. I went after him and asked him if he’d like to do something like that. You know what he did? He laughed. He said, ‘Do you know how much something like that would cost?! I’d never get funding for something as big as that.’ I tried to get him to talk about it, but he wouldn’t say another word.”
“Funding, huh?” Henry said. “If he did get the money for such a project, then what? Would you go with him?”
“What could I do? I’m not a nurse or know anything about health care. I’d just be in the way. Reede climbs down cables on helicopters. I’m terrified of walking across a roof beam.”
Henry couldn’t help smiling. “So am I, but I don’t think that means I’m useless. Sophie, you have a wonderful talent. I’d think you’d want to use it.”
“I do,” she said. “I mean, I think I do. But sometimes, I . . . I don’t know. All I know is that Reede didn’t tell me about the doctor who wants to take over his practice. I dropped about a thousand hints, but Reede didn’t take them. He was quiet all night. I’m afraid . . . ”
“Of what, Sophie?” Henry asked.
“That he’ll stay here because of me and give up his dream. Or maybe he’ll take this doctor up on his offer and I’ll be left behind. Either wa
y, one of us is going to be miserable.”
Henry could see that she was on the verge of tears and he did the same as he did with his daughters and pulled her into his arms. Over her shoulder he saw his wife, but she turned away, sympathy on her face. She knew that her husband was very good with crying women.
When any of their daughters fought with one another or their mother, one by one, wife included, they went tearfully to Henry, and he solved the problem.
“Let me talk to some people,” Henry said as he released her. “I know some businesses that could afford to fund a doctor who wants to save the world.” He smiled. “And when he comes home you’ll be waiting for him.”
“Good,” Sophie said and as she looked at Henry she knew that this was a bargain. A business deal. If she would give Henry what he wanted, which was a private teacher and a shot at placing his work somewhere important, he would fund Reede’s mobile clinic.
She took a breath. This is what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? What she’d trained for. And now everything she’d studied for was right in front of her. Henry, this man who’d come into her life like a fairy godfather, was offering her a beautiful studio and endless supplies. No doubt through Henry she’d have fabulously wealthy clients who could afford a life-size bronze sculpture in their gardens. All she had to do was work with Henry, who was an easy man to be around.
And as Henry said, she could stay there in Edilean and probably live in the house Reede had bought and wait for him to come home when he could. He could send her photos and call often. She could show him her work, tell him of her success. They could adjust to a life that was separate as well as together.
It was all great. A perfect solution. So why did she feel like she wanted to crawl into a hole and pull a cover over her?
“Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll talk to Reede about it all.”
That night she and Reede were both quiet.
“Is something bothering you?” she asked him.
“No, nothing. What about you?”
“No problems,” she said, lying as much as he was. If he didn’t want to tell her about Dr. Becks being willing to take over the practice, so be it. She wasn’t going to ask him. And if he was already making plans to leave, that was his right. But then she did not want to hear him tell her that she couldn’t go with him because she’d be useless. What could she do with sick people? Shape their pills into unicorns? Compared to what Reede did, her profession was frivolous. No, she didn’t want to hear him tell her—kindly and with gentleness, of course—that she wasn’t needed in the very important business of what Reede did.
The next day it was too busy at the shop for Sophie to think about her own problems. It seemed that half of Virginia had put off shopping until the last minute, and they’d all decided to do it in cute, quaint, adorable little Edilean.
Carter and Sophie made sandwiches, Kelli ladled soup, and Roan took over the pastry cabinet. His booming voice and persuasive manner made even the skinniest of people try the tarts that were dripping with cream.