Page 41

“Like the sign says?”
She nodded. “The world is terrible, but it doesn’t feel as terriblehere.We all get along for the most part. We don’t have the high rental prices or all the people clamoring to move here. It feels calm.”
That calm could have been ruined if I’d let Trevor go through with his plans. Thank God I’d trusted my gut.
“I need calm,” I said. “I think I was in the city for too long.”
“Let me be the first to say, you should stay as long as you like. Enjoy the magic, Mollie.”
8
CAIN
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Henry Connor
I can’t believe I have to say this, but please wash your hands. I just witnessed a very public rear-end scratching incident that makes me fear for people’s health.
Comments:
Jade Clark: I SAW IT TOO.
Kerry Winsor: WHO?
Henry Connor: It doesn’t matter. It’s just a friendly reminder from your town doctor.
Kerry Winsor: Who do I need to avoid shaking hands with@Henry Connor? This will HAUNT ME.
Tammy Jane: You know, I haven’t changed the men’s bathroom soap in years.
Mark Bell: I haven’t had to at the bar either.
Henry Connor: I wish I hadn’t read this.
Strawberry Springs was sosmall that we only had one clinic with one doctor, and we were lucky to even have that. I wasn’t sure how he made his money, but he saw nearly everyone in town for their regular visits and when they were sick.
I’d had an appointment scheduled months in advance to get Eric’s checkup right when school started. Dr. Connor, otherwise known by his friends as Henry, got along well with Eric, and tolerated me.
That was as good as it was going to get.
Dr. Connor’s office was right off of the square. Atticus, the local veterinarian, was the only other person in the waiting room, and he was reading a pamphlet about healthy eating.
“Guess I’m getting older,” he said as he scratched at his close-cropped, curly black hair. “Apparently, I can’t live off of a diet of only meat and potatoes.”
Eric luckily did the talking for me. “But they’re so good!”
“Still.” He sighed. “I wanna see Simone graduate from college and have kids. Better fix it now.”
Dr. Connor called us in next. The clinic was small enough that he didn’t have a nurse and did all the work himself. He was a few years older than I was, with light brown hair that put half of the ladies’ hair to shame, a lithe frame, and had apparently graduated from some fancy school before settling here. He had been welcomed with open arms.
I’d tried not to be jealous.
“Wow,” Dr. Connor said as he looked at Eric. “You’ve grown. Can we check to see how much?”
Eric nodded and let himself be measured. Dr. Connor took his weight, too, before leading us to the exam room. It didn’t take him long to check over his vision, his joints, and everything in between.
I was more than ready to get back home.