Her mother held her hand out for the bouquet. “I’ll put these in water. I’ll be back to help you change.”
Heather’s mouth dropped open. She was still in her yoga pants. Was her hair still a mess? Terrance handed Heather’s mother the flowers and stuffed his hands inside his pockets. Heather gestured for him to sit, and he did.
He rubbed his hand down his pant leg. “How are you? I would have come by sooner, but I wanted to give you some space.”
She stifled a grin, appreciating his thoughtfulness. “I’m okay. Thank you. You really didn’t have to come over. I have enough ‘get well’ cards to last a lifetime.”
Terrance smiled. “That was your students. It’s all over town about your injury. If your mother didn’t tell them to let you rest, we could have lined them up at the door.”
Heather folded her arms across her chest. “So… how did you make it past my mother?”
“I have no idea.”
She giggled. “You must have some tricks up your sleeve.”
“None I promise. She said there were some leftovers for you in the kitchen.”
She pointed at him. Her eyes squinted. “Did she invite you to have dinner with me?”
Terrance raised his hands in a surrender gesture. “No, but I wouldn’t have said no if she did.”
Chapter 7
“So… she wants to switch physical therapists?” Allen asked his supervisor, Mrs. Billings. Supplies covered her desk: mail trays, a phone, a stack of files, a computer and printer, and her half-filled coffee mug with an apple red heart in the center.
A few inspirational quotes decorated the plain white walls, including the quote from Henry Ford. “If you think you can or can’t do a thing, you’re right.” The quote resonated with Allen every time he entered her office. Mrs. Billings didn’t usually call him to her office, but today was an exception because of the case of Heather Shaw.
“That’s what she said. She said no offense to you but she preferred someone else. Is there something you need to tell me?” she asked as she slid her cabinet file shut.
“No, I did my job and she asked me to leave.”
Mrs. Billings pressed her glasses back on her face. “Yvette is on maternity leave and we already have a full load as it is here. What happened?”
“I only got through one exercise with her. She got flustered and asked me to leave.”
“You and I both know we have to be sensitive to the emotional needs of our patients.”
“I know and I was, at least that’s what I thought.”
“I’m sure you did. You’ve proven yourself in such a short amount of time. I suggest you try again.”
“I’ll get the job done, Mrs. Billings,” he said.
His supervisor sighed. “If it’s still not a good fit, then we’ll do a formal transfer for Heather.”
With a nod of his head, Allen returned to the hallway. Looking ahead, he saw a few patients shuffling along for their exercises. He rubbed the back of his head. He would finish his job, regardless of Heather’s attitude. When his cell buzzed inside his pocket, Allen looked to see his father calling. It wasn’t until he heard the request that he regretted answering.
“You want me to what?” he asked. Trying to process what his father asked him, he blinked.
“I need you to take my place helping with the Christmas festival. They need help building the Candy Cane Runway, the Twinkle Tunnel, and the hot cocoa station.”
Surely, Allen heard him wrong. “What in the world is a Twinkle Tunnel?”
“Look it up, son. I promise it exists. The kids eat it up for pictures,” his father said.
“Dad with work I don’t think—”
“I know you’re busy, but I can’t help this year. Doctor’s orders.”