“I was hoping I’d run into you. Your getting out of the slammer has been the talk of the town,” Mrs. Price says, taking her wife’s hand right there in the middle of the restaurant.
Will’s eyes dart down to them.
“Shit, you finally find somebody willing to put up with you?” he questions with a chuckle, and I can’t even make myself smile, watching the interaction. Taking in the strange experience of Will having a normal conversation with someone.
“She sure did,” her wife says, kissing her hand, making Mrs. Price look away.
“Alright then, that’s my cue,” she says, turning to me. “Make sure this one stays out of trouble, Dr. Murphy. We like having him around.”
“Will do, Mrs. Price. Don’t forget your appointment next Friday.” She doesn’t respond to that, tugging her wife behind her before she has to hear more about it.
When I turn back to Will, he’s shaking his head with a frown. “That’s a damn shame.”
“What is?” I ask, hoping my brother-in-law doesn’t mean her marriage. We’re not homophobic in my family, and I won’t tolerate it from him.
“I always hoped I’d have a chance with Mrs. Price someday.”
Oh.
I laugh harder than I have in a long time, paying no mind to the people around us.
My new practice is in the middle of Main Street in a building that’s been around longer than I have. Jess and I bought it almost two years ago, an upgrade from the old building that hardly had room to move. The plan was to renovate the space and eventually hire more doctors.
It was a nice plan.
Jess left before it could happen.
So now I’m stuck with a space I have nothing to do with, and renovations that I wouldn’t have any idea where to start. We were supposed to figure it out together.
Will’s eyes scan the sign, Murphy Family Medicine, and the large white building, widening slightly. His awe will be short-lived, I can guarantee.
There’s a pride sticker on the window beside the front door, Addie and Emmett’s recommendation. Will nods at it. “Nice.”
“Everyone should feel welcome here.” I pull out my keys with a shrug. “Seems like a low bar, but thisisRosehill.”
The outside can pass as being well kept, but the inside is a different story.
The waiting area is functional, with chairs Jess picked out and a desk, as long as you don’t look to the left, where the wall is half painted with a color I don’t even like anymore, and tools I wouldn’t know how to use propped up against it. Floor samples piled up in the corner.
It’s a mess that the decorative plant off to the side can’t cover up.
Will stops abruptly. “It’s a work in progress,” I defend, even though I know this isn’t a good look.
“Mm.” He walks to the half-painted wall, running a hand along the poorly done spackle. “How long has it been like this?”
“About a year.” He looks at me over his shoulder. “Jess and I were supposed to do it together and, well. Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
There’s a question in his eyes. He hasn’t asked about Jess, but I know he’s wondering. What happened. Why she left. What I did wrong.
The list is endless.
I clear my throat. “Come on, I’ll show you the desk.” He takes one more look at the wall, but follows me without a word.
I’m in the middle of showing Will around the very sparse desk when my only employee, Victoria, arrives. “Morning, boss, I heard the craziest thing on the way—”
She stops in her tracks, her eyes sliding from me to Will. “Oh. Hi.”
“Good morning, Victoria. This is Will. He’s going to be helping out today.”
