“Of course. Come on in. Everyone’s already left for the day so I have to clean up, if you don’t mind chatting while I clean.”
Motioning with my hand for her to lead the way, I replied, “I don’t mind at all.”
Harley gave me a once over, and I was wondering if she was thinking the same thoughts I had been only moments ago. She headed into the clinic and down the hall to one of the examination rooms.
I decided to get right to the point. On both reasons I was there.
“Harley, I’m sorry for reacting the way I did when you…well…when you told the truth about everything. I was angry.”
She gave me a soft grin. “You had every right to be angry. I lied to you and made a decision about our relationship without giving us a chance to make things work. I hope you know that is a decision I’ll regret for the rest of my life.”
Her eyes filled with a sadness that seemed to spill into the room and swallow me up. After a deep breath, I looked at her. She was spraying the counter with something and wiping it.
“The other reason I’m here is to offer you legal help on your problem with Doc’s brother.”
She stopped cleaning and looked at me. “You know?”
I nodded. “Yes, and it won’t be long before the whole town knows too.”
With a deep sigh, she dropped down onto a stool. “Shit. The last thing I want is drama. Pete isn’t really offering much hope…or help. I was heading to San Antonio to find another lawyer.”
My hands started to sweat, and I prayed she couldn’t hear my heart pounding.
“Well, that’s why I’m here. I want to help you.”
Her eyes widened with hope. “Really? You’d do that for me after everything I told you?”
“Of course I would, Lee.”
A beautiful smile spread over her face but quickly vanished. Tears sprang up in her eyes and I hated that I was the cause of them. I hated seeing her upset. I always had.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, walking over and lifting her chin so our eyes met.
“I’m going to lose everything, Tripp. Every penny I’ve saved for ten years was spent on this practice.”
My brows pulled together. “What?”
She sniffed. “After college, I was home and helping Doc Harris at the clinic. He asked me if I ever planned on moving back home and I said yes. He told me that when he was ready to retire, I could buy him out.”
“How long have you known you were going to move back to Oak Springs?”
She looked away. “Since…not long after that day. It didn’t take me long to realize the mistakes I’d made in my life.”
I realized I was holding her arms. I let her go and took a few steps back.
“Anyway, every bit of money I had saved went into buying Doc out. I have a feeling his brother is going to drag even more money out of me. Money I don’t have.”
I shook my head. “I won’t let that happen. Finish up here and then let’s grab something to eat at the café. You can follow me if you’d like.”
She chewed on her lip for a few seconds before giving me a slight smile. “Okay, let me finish up.”
As I cleaned up the clinic, I told Tripp about Doc’s older brother, Gerald Harris, and how he had started sending me harassing notes soon after I purchased the clinic.
“What did the notes say?”
“At first they said things like the clinic belonged to him. He was the rightful owner. Then they got angrier when I ignored them. He accused me of stealing from Doc, forcing him to sell out to me for under-market value. Trust me when I say that I paid fair market value for this place.”
Tripp turned out the lights as we made our way out of the clinic. “What does Doc say about all of this?”
I stopped at my car and sighed. “At first he told me to ignore the notes. He said it was his older brother causing problems. I guess they had a falling out a few years back. He told me it would all blow over once he contacted him and they talked.”
“Did that help? Doc talking to his brother?”
“For a few weeks. Then I got served with the papers that said Gerald was suing me for illegally buying out Doc and that he was also part owner and deserved to be bought out.”
“Is that true?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Doc claims it isn’t true, but I feel like he’s hiding something. That or he truly doesn’t remember borrowing money from his brother and not paying him back.”
Our eyes met, and we stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. I finally managed to tear my gaze away. Trying to break the awkward silence that surrounded us as we stood alone in the parking lot, I began to shift uncomfortably.