Page 11 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)
Chapter Eleven
The café was filling up with the afternoon crowd.
There was always a rush of customers around two to three o’clock when caffeine withdrawals kicked in.
And Matilda was grateful for it. There was nothing worse than a slow shift.
She much preferred to be run off her feet at the café.
It made the time go fast, and she enjoyed the interactions with customers as well.
She loved the Southern culture of conversing with the server.
Or, as she’d call it in Australia, “having a chat.” She’d gotten to know a lot of the regulars that way.
“You want a slice of pie this afternoon, Ken?” she asked one of those regulars.
Ken came in every day around the same time.
He’d order a coffee, get out his iPad, and read up on the news.
One of the reasons she liked him so well, was because he was a veterinarian too and they often shared funny stories with one another.
He looked like he was coming up on retirement age and had probably slowed down in recent years.
The two of them often sat and talked about their lives, if there weren’t many other customers for her to take care of.
“Whaddya got?” He grinned, his glasses sliding down his nose as they always did. He shoved them back with his forefinger.
“We have pecan, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Perfect for a hot day.”
“You’ve twisted my arm. I’ll have that plus my usual coffee, thanks.”
“Coming right up.” Matilda hurried to place the order, then glanced around, looking for Rita.
She hadn’t been into the café much lately, but she was supposed to be there today.
Matilda had seen her old truck parked outside, so she had to be there somewhere.
Most probably in her office. She delivered Ken’s order to him, then tidied up the pile of magazines on the coffee table near the front of the cafe.
She hadn’t seen Rita for a few days and missed her.
She wanted to talk to her about the idea going back to working as a vet.
If she were to leave the café anytime in the near future, she really should give Rita as much warning as possible.
And if Rita baulked at the idea, Matilda would drop it.
She couldn’t bear to hurt Rita if she could help it.
But if Rita was okay with it, Matilda really wanted to get started.
Ever since she’d first told Ryan that she might consider getting back into her own field, the prospect had been simmering and growing in her mind until she could barely think about anything else.
With a quick glance around the café, she noted that everyone seemed to be taken care of for the moment, so she scurried to the back of the building, where Rita’s office was tucked away beside the kitchen. She knocked quietly, then pushed the door open.
“Rita?”
“Come on in, honey. I’d get up to give you a hug, but my legs are worn out.”
Matilda went around the desk to kiss Rita’s cheek. “No need—I’ll come to you. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve felt better, let me tell you! But I’m survivin’ each day, and that’s something to be grateful for.
Besides, I finished my round of treatments, so I’ve got a little break before the next round starts.
And that’s another thing I can thank the Almighty for.
I’m counting every blessing these days.”
“That’s a great perspective. I should do that more often myself. An attitude of gratitude really seems to help me when I’m feeling low.”
“It sure does. Now, what can I do for you, honey? Everything okay out there in the café?”
“Everything’s fine. We have a pretty full house, but it’s all under control.”
“Glad to hear it. How’s Cathy doin’, do you think?”
Matilda hesitated and drew a short breath. “Cathy’s fine. She’s improving. In fact, I spoke to her a few minutes ago and she seemed almost friendly, so maybe she’s finally settling in.”
“That is good to hear.” Rita leaned back in her chair, eyes sparkling. “Keep me updated on that one.” She groaned suddenly and pressed a hand to her forehead. “This headache is killin’ me today. I can’t concentrate.”
Matilda opened her mouth to talk about her plans for the future, but decided against it. Rita wasn’t feeling well. She was pale, looked weak, and was struggling.
“You should go home. Whatever you’re doing can wait, can’t it?”
“Well, I suppose you’re right.” Rita glanced at the computer screen with a frown.
“You need to get your rest. You’re trying to do too much.
The treatment round might be over, but you’ve still got to recover from it.
Give yourself time. Maybe take a nap, get something to eat.
You really haven’t been holding down much food lately.
Now’s your chance to eat something delicious and actually get to enjoy it. ”
“That’s a good point. I could do with a burger. A nice juicy one, with tomato and lettuce.” Rita licked her lips. “Just as soon as I get some Tylenol in me.”
“I’ll wrap up a burger for you while you gather your things. How does that sound?”
“It sounds perfect. Thank you, honey. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Matilda said with a pang of guilt.
She helped Rita to her feet, then returned to the kitchen to order a burger and fries with extra pickles on the side, just how Rita liked it.
After Rita left, she got back to serving customers.
When she took a coffee refill over to Ken’s table, he glanced up from his iPad with a furrowed brow.
“I was beginning to think I’d have to hunt you down. ”
She laughed. “I’m so sorry, Ken. I got caught up helping Rita. She’s headed home now.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Pretty well, considering. Although she’s a little tired.”
“Well, tell her I said hi.”
“I will. I was going to talk to her something, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I hate to upset her.”
His eyebrows arched, and he patted the empty chair beside him. “Tell me all about it.”
Matilda checked that no other customers needed her, then slumped into the chair. “I guess I can sit for a few minutes.”
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“You know how I used to work as a veterinarian?”
“I still think you should go back to it.”
“I’ve started thinking about doing just that. The problem is, I’ve never worked as a vet in this country, and I don’t know what I’d have to do to get my license here.”
“I’m sure it’s only paperwork. Couldn’t be too arduous.” He took a bite of pie.
“You’re probably right. At least, I hope you are.”
“Do you know if you want to work for someone, or buy your own clinic? Because I don’t have an opening in my team right now, but something might come up in the future. I could keep you in mind, if you like.”
Matilda blinked. “Wow, thanks.” She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. She’d never owned her own clinic, but she’d dreamed that one day she would. “I’m not sure which way I’ll go. I’d probably work for someone. I wouldn’t even know where to start with my own clinic.”
“Well, let me know what you decide. I have a friend who’s retiring and selling his clinic. He’s selling the whole thing, with equipment, staff, and everything. And he’s doing it for a pretty good price because the place needs fixing up. He’s ready to move on.”
“That does sound interesting,” she replied.
“I’ll write down his number for you. You can give him a call if you want to find out more.”
As she walked away from his table, she stared at the name and number on the napkin in her hands.
Excitement buzzed in her gut. Could she do it?
Could she purchase a clinic and run it herself?
She had no experience managing staff, or a large budget, for that matter.
She wasn’t sure she’d even know what was involved in the day-to-day operations of a business.
But she’d worked at veterinary clinics as a member of the staff for years.
She was familiar with that side of things, even if she didn’t know how to read a balance sheet (she’d tried once) or how to do payroll.
Surely she could figure those things out.
It couldn’t be too hard. Still, was it what she wanted? There’d be a lot of work involved.
She took more coffee orders and handed them to the barista, as her thoughts flew.
She could be a vet again — she loved working with animals.
And maybe she could even run her own business.
It was an exciting prospect. And a little scary too.
But she wasn’t one to veer away from something simply because it was frightening.