Page 7 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)

Chapter Seven

Around lunchtime, Julie drove Rita to the hospital. They used Julie’s car, since it was a small hatchback with air-conditioning, leather seats, and Bluetooth. Much more comfortable than Rita’s old truck with the stubborn stick shift and the unreliable air.

Julie still felt hung over from the lack of sleep.

She sat in the waiting room, hunched in her chair with Rita beside her.

Before long, a lovely nurse strode out to greet them and take them back to see the doctor before the treatments began for the day.

Julie was surprised when she glanced at the door to see the name Dr James Fuller, MD mounted there.

Still gaping, she stepped into the room and found herself staring at James, seated behind a large mahogany desk.

He came to greet them and ushered them into chairs facing his.

“Good to see you again, Rita, Julie. How are you feeling, Rita?”

Julie interrupted. “You’re Rita’s doctor?”

“Her oncologist, yes. You didn’t know that?” His blue eyes were piercing against the dark wall behind him.

“No, I didn’t realise. Wow.”

“You know each other?” Rita asked, a bemused expression on her face.

Julie felt as though her cheeks might burst into flames. “James lived with me and Mom a long time ago. Don’t you remember?”

Recognition dawned. Rita’s eyes widened. “James? Oh, heavens! I didn’t put that together. Of course I remember. You were shorter then, although not much. But you’ve changed a bunch.”

James laughed. “I hope so. I was only fifteen at the time.”

“Well, I’ll be… That’s something.” Rita grinned. “How are you, James?”

“I’m well, thanks. But I’m going to turn it back to you, since you’re the patient here.”

Rita inhaled a slow breath. “I’m okay. Not feeling great. I’ve been nauseated and tired. I threw up last night.”

“I didn’t know that.” Julie frowned at her.

Rita patted her leg. “It’s okay, honey. This is all part of it.”

“I can give you something for the nausea. Just keep a log of any symptoms you’re feeling so we can make sure we stay on top of things.”

“Will do,” Rita replied.

As Julie sat and listened to the exchange, she was suddenly aware of just how much of a mess she was.

She’d run a comb through her hair that morning, then piled it in a messy bun on top of her head.

But other than that, she’d made no effort with her normally immaculate appearance.

Usually she dressed up for life on campus, but this morning she’d thrown on shorts, a T-shirt, and some sandals.

No makeup, her self-tan had faded weeks ago, and her nails were short and chipped.

She’d given up on any kind of beauty routine when she left college.

But with James seated behind his desk, hair perfectly combed, skin glowing and wearing an expensive shirt and slacks beneath his long white coat, she felt very out of place.

“I’m going to wait outside,” she said, rising to her feet.

Rita nodded and Julie rushed out the door, aiming for the waiting room. She stood there for a few moments, looking around. The place was packed. Then, she went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. Maybe it would wake her up a little, help with the bags beneath her eyes.

Even after that, she still felt like the air was stifling, so she hurried out through the double automatic doors.

As she stepped outside, she twisted an ankle and almost landed in a heap on the sidewalk.

Thankfully, she was able to catch herself and steady her gait, but the pain was enough to make her yelp.

There was no one close by to hear it, and a steady stream of traffic on the road so that any noise she made was quickly drowned out.

But she glanced around just in case she’d drawn any attention.

Satisfied that she hadn’t completely embarrassed herself, she found a bench to sit on and lowered herself tentatively onto it.

Then she raised her foot to her other knee so she could massage her ankle.

“Are you okay?”

James had followed her outside. He squatted in front of her, a concerned look on his face.

She forced a smile. “I’m fine. Really, you should go back inside and take care of Aunt Rita.”

“She’s started on her treatment. I’m free for a few minutes.” He sat on the bench beside her. “You seem a little down. Anything wrong?”

“I’m worried about Aunt Rita.”

“I can understand that.”

Julie studied him. His blue eyes were fixed on hers, deep and intense. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. What have you been up to?” It was all she could think to say.

“After I left your house, I moved to Alabama with Mom. We did okay there, although I missed home. I missed you two as well. And I didn’t make friends easily there—I found it hard to fit in.

I decided that in order to get out of there, I needed good grades, so that became my focus.

I was obsessed, and it paid off. I got into Emory and studied medicine. Now, here I am.”

“I can’t believe we never heard from you again.”

“I spoke to Helen every now and then. She helped me a time or two.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, she was great. Your mom meant a lot to me. I was sad to hear she’d passed. I wanted to come to the funeral, but I wasn’t able to get there in time.”

“That’s okay. It was a lovely service. I wish you could’ve been there.”

“I’m sure you miss her.”

“So much. Every day.” She rubbed a hand over her face.

The thought came unbidden— but she wasn’t my mother .

She didn’t want to think those things, but it happened all the time.

The thought would pop into her head and there it would stay, hanging around like a bad scent.

Would she ever come to terms with what she’d learned?

“Well, I’m glad I got to see you again. I’ve wondered for years what happened to you, what you were doing. So, are you living nearby?”

“I was studying psychology at UGA, but I’m taking a break to look after Aunt Rita.”

“Oh, wow. That’s kind of you. It’s a good idea.”

“It is?”

“Of course, she needs you. And it can be hard to focus when someone we care about is sick. This way you can give your attention to Rita and not lose sight of your goal. You can go back to it when you’re ready and refreshed to start again.”

“You’re right—that does sound like a good idea. Much better than me flunking out because I couldn’t handle the pressure of it all.”

He laughed. “I doubt that was the case. I remember you being great under pressure.”

It was so nice to talk to someone who knew her, really knew her, had seen her as a kid. Who knew what she was capable of and that she wasn’t one to give up. Tears pricked in her throat.

“Thanks, James. Seeing you again is almost like therapy.” She issued a hollow laugh. “And I can’t afford therapy.”

“Soon you’ll be able to give yourself therapy,” he quipped.

She huffed. “I’ll never get anything else done.”

He chuckled. “Hey, I’ve got to get back to work, but I’d love to catch up some more. Can I get your number?”

She nodded. “Sure, that would be really nice. I don’t know a lot of people around the area these days. I’ve been living in Athens for years.”

“Perfect. I don’t know many people because all I do is work, so we can get together and moan about our lack of friends.”

“Sounds good.”

She gave him her number, and he waved as he walked back through the hospital doors.

She caught herself smiling even after he was gone.

She already felt better than she had before.

There was something truly soothing about him.

He’d been that way as a teenager as well.

She liked being around him, and it certainly didn’t hurt that he looked good in a white coat.

She only wished she’d had the foresight to dress a little more stylishly.

Although, truth be told, she wasn’t sure she had the energy for it.

Right now, it was all she could do to get out of bed and drag herself through each day.

With a sigh, she got to her feet and hobbled back inside to find Rita.