"But maybe that was luck? That's what the article said..."
Sophie's hands clenched around the cleaning cloth. She couldn't take it anymore.
She walked over to their table. "Ellie Hansen is one of the best physical therapists in Vermont. Dr. Matthews is a bully whosystematically destroys people who threaten his ego. If you want actual facts instead of gossip, come to the town hall meeting Friday night."
Mr. Teller blinked at her, startled, then pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose with one finger, a nervous habit Sophie had seen a hundred times.
“Well, I don’t know who’s right or wrong, I’m just—”
"Just think about who you're believing," Sophie continued. "A man who showed up in our town two weeks ago and started causing problems? Or a woman who's been part of this community since she was born?"
She walked back to the counter before she said something she'd regret.
Luke, sitting at the counter with Jamie, gave her a sympathetic look. "Town's divided, huh?"
"Divided is putting it mildly," Sophie said, wiping down the already-clean counter with more force than necessary.
Jamie leaned forward slightly, his expression softening. "For what it's worth, you were very impressive just now. Defending Ellie like that."
Sophie glanced at him, caught off guard. "Someone has to."
"True. But you do it with style." Jamie's smile was warm, almost teasing. "Passionate. It's a good look on you."
Sophie felt heat creep up her neck. "I'm just—it's just the right thing to do."
Jamie held her gaze for a beat longer than necessary before turning back to his coffee.
Luke looked between them, grinning. "Oh, this is interesting—"
"Shut up, Luke," Sophie and Jamie said in unison.
Jamie
Jamie had been at his laptop for sixteen straighthours after coming home from morning coffee with Luke, at Sophie’s cafe. His eyes burned. His back ached. His brain felt like soup.
But he'd finally found something.
Something big.
He'd been digging through obscure medical licensing databases, cross-referencing Derek's name with various state boards, following every digital trail he could find.
And buried in Massachusetts medical board records from eight years ago:
"Complaint filed against Derek Matthews, MD - License temporarily suspended pending investigation - Allegation: Inappropriate relationship with patient - Resolution: Investigation inconclusive, insufficient evidence to proceed with formal charges, license reinstated with formal warning."
Jamie read it three times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating from exhaustion.
Derek's medical license had been suspended eight years ago in Massachusetts.
For inappropriate relationship with a patient.
Jamie grabbed his phone and called Mac.
"Jamie? It's two AM—"
"I found something. On Derek. Something huge." Jamie explained what he'd discovered. "They couldn't prove it conclusively, but there was enough smoke that they suspended him temporarily and gave him a formal warning."
A moment passed, then Mac's voice suddenly fully awakened: "You're sure?"
