“Ooh, no. That sounds interesting.”
“Open your jaw a little wider, just where it’s comfortable.” Lina began scraping plaque, something she strangely enjoyed, and told the woman all about the bachelor for the show, a guy who would be bringing on several women from his past in the hopes of getting a second chance. One of them was a crush from his co-ed soccer team, another had been a prom date, a few were ex-girlfriends brought on solely to stir the pot, so to speak. Lina felt like a walking commercial for the show, except she was selling distraction, not TV. She’d realized a long time ago that the dentists often sent her their most skittish patients, knowing she’d set them at ease.
Talking helped her day go by faster too. Her next patient was an older gentleman who didn’t watch TV at all. They talked about books.
And every time Lina passed the front office desk, she got a raised eyebrow from Ashley. The suspense must be killing her.
Ashley practically pounced on Lina when it was closing time. “Kirby took all our girl-talk time.”
“He didn’t know that.”
“He’s still hoping something’s going to happen between you two.” Ashley grabbed her coat and purse off the hook in the back room. “Poor man.”
“Yeah, never gonna happen.” Lina went through the routine of closing up with Ashley assisting, saying goodbye to everyone else as they left. They never got to talk the way they used to as roommates, but it was nice to catch up at the end of the day.
Ashley tapped Lina’s arm the moment they stepped out the door. “Okay, I need the quick and dirty report on Thanksgiving. What’s going on?”
“Well, it’s not certain yet, but I may be posing as someone’s girlfriend at his family’s Thanksgiving dinner.”
Ashley frowned, as Lina knew she would. “That sounds like some terrible rom com plot. Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Of course I’m not joking. Would I wait all day just to deliver a punchline? Okay, don’t answer that.”
They laughed together, and then Ashley grabbed her arm. “Spill. I’m dying here.”
Lina explained the best she could about Dillon’s desire to help his brother and about their daily meetups in the apartment gym.
“He’s never asked you out before?” Ashley asked, leaning against her car and rubbing her pregnant belly.
“No, never. I think he’s been working up the nerve to ask me about this for a while. Thanksgiving is only three days away. It was now or never.”
“So, he’s shy, but loyal to his brother, to the point of embarrassing himself. Hmm. That’s different than the guys who normally hit on you.”
“And that’s good, right?” Lina didn’t expect to get Ashley’s support on this. Ashley was usually not a fan of anyone Lina dated.
“Good-ish. I’m sorry Lina, I still think it’s a bad idea.” Ashley dug in her purse until she found her keys. “Not that I have any say in this. You do what you think is best, and I’ll love you no matter what.”
“Thanks.” Lina smiled, but she was relieved when the conversation turned to other things. She understood Ashley’s cautious nature, but for some reason, Lina felt a little protective of Dillon and what he’d asked of her. It was a hard thing to explain.
***
Dillon pulled a few weeds from the edge of the field as the sound of a tractor droned on, making long fluffy rows of cut hay where there once was swaying green. They were cutting the alfalfa for the last time this season. They’d bale it up later today and truck it off.
Footsteps crunched behind him, and Dillon turned to see his sister, Josie. A jaunty red knit hat covered most of her curly dark hair. She sped up and linked arms with him. “It’s hard to tell what time it is when the sky stays overcast like this all day.”
He glanced up and nodded. “I’m just glad it dried up enough for this last cutting. It’s supposed to be sunny for Thanksgiving, though.”
“When do Kip and his mystery woman get here?”
Dillon gave her a warning look. “Wednesday night. He’s terrified. You can’t tease him, and you have to keep Mom in check.”
“There’s no keeping Mom in check, you know that.”
He did know that, but he had to ask anyway. He knelt down to grab a few weeds before they kept going down the row. He did his best thinking while walking along these fields.
Josie picked up a dirt clod and rolled it in her hands until it crumbled and fell through her fingers. “What about you, Dill? When are you going to bring someone home to meet the family?”
Dillon shrugged, not wanting to say anything about Lina just yet. She could still back out. Any sane woman would. “Our family can be overwhelming, especially for the first potential in-law.”
