Page 80 of Meet Me on Greenwood

I smiled, pulling out a tin that held one more slice. "I saved this just for you."

"Gema! Lying on the Lord’s Day," she said with laughter, taking a bite right in front of me. "This is incredible. I see why ol’ Lulu was over here in your business. Don’t you dare share this recipe with her."

"I’m just grateful everyone is enjoying it," I said leaning against the tree behind me. It felt nice to be good at something again. I hadn’t felt capable in a long time. All of my energy had gone into keeping my research going, I’d lost all pleasure in it.

Letting continued eating in silence, studying me over the generous scoop of ice cream I’d added to the pie. "You look well. Are you happy at the Alderman’s?"

"They are very kind. They’ve been keeping me busy."

"Mm." She accepted a napkin from my hand. "The hospital keeps you busy I imagine."

"It does." I straightened a pie tin that needed to be discarded. "I haven't seen Dr. Brown in a few days. Or—any other doctor for that matter."

Lettie's mouth curved. Just slightly. "Is that right?"

"The staff can manage for a time without them but," I said, "they are missed."

"Mm hm." She took another bite. "Well, Dr. Whitaker has had some things to attend to closer to home."

I kept my hands busy clearing the table. "Oh?"

"I don't know the particulars," she said, in the tone of someone who knew most of them. "Only that Miss Sarah has not been to that office in some weeks. And he has not been to her family's home either, from what I understand."

I said nothing, but I was screaming inside.

"Of course that is none of my business," Lettie added pleasantly.

"No," I agreed.

She was quiet for a moment, watching the children run past. Then, something shifted in her expression. The levity left, replaced with a more guarded expression.

"There is something else," she said.

I looked up.

"He's closing his medical practice."

The words landed, but I wasn’t comprehending. "What do you mean closing it?"

"Clearing it out. The whole office," she said, handing the plate back. "Something with the bank. The loan he took to open the place, I don't know the details, Gema, I truly don't. Only that the funding has been pulled and he's got until the end of the month."

I set down the pie tin.

"Is he all right?" I asked.

Lettie looked at me with kind eyes. "His office is on Archer," she said simply. "If you want to ask him yourself."

"That probably wouldn’t be a good idea."

She put a hand on my shoulder. "You are right. Normally, I’d agree but… he needs someone. I think he trusts you."

The picnic continued around us, unhurried and leisurely as I stood thinking about a man packing up the dream he'd spent years building. I wondered whether I had any right to go to him, though deep down, I already knew what I was going to do.

It was a simple brick building. There was nothing special about it, per se, except that it was his. A "For Sale" sign hung in the window, a garish reminder that his time here was short. I stood at the bottom of the steps, going over all the reasons this was a bad idea.

"Are you lost, ma’am?"

I jumped, so deep in thought I hadn’t seen the older man walking towards me. "No—I saw the sign and I wondered if the doctor was in."