Karen White-Owens - Someone To Love

“Before I forget, my mother wants you to come to Sunday dinner.”

Butterflies danced in her stomach. “Dinner?” she echoed softly. His mother knew about her?

“Yeah. We do this family dinner thing most Sundays. My brothers and sisters and their families always show up.”

Shae shifted in her bucket seat to face him. “J.D., we’ve only known each other a few days. How does your mother know about me?”

J.D. blushed a delicate shade of red and intently studied the dashboard as his hands tightened around the steering wheel. “I happened to mention you a couple of times while we were talking this week.”

“Did you now?” she asked with a significant lifting of her brows.

He shrugged. “I talk about you because I like you. You are becoming an important part of my life.”

Her heart danced with excitement. What could she say to that? Tell him the truth. “You’re important to me, too.”

Embarrassed, J.D. gazed out the window. “I talked to my mom last night because she was checking to see how my trip worked out. Mom wanted to know if I was coming to dinner. When I hesitated she shifted from mom to sleuth mode and kept digging until I confessed that I was seeing you and didn’t want to leave you alone on the weekend. That’s all it took. Mom insisted that you join us.”

“I don’t know.” Shae nervously twisted a lock of hair around her finger. Was she ready to be introduced to the Daniels family? “We just met. Don’t you think it’s a bit early in our relationship for me to meet your family?”

J.D. grinned broadly at her.

The effect dazzled her and she found it nearly impossible to concentrate. “What?”

“I like the sound of that word. Relationship.”

Relaxing, she grinned back at him and admitted softly, “Me, too.”

“Getting back to your question, Shae, my family is pretty laid back. It’s dinner. No strings attached. I’d like you to come.” His hand settled on top of hers and squeezed. “Please.”

Shae grinned, shaking her head at the look on J.D.’s face. How could she resist that puppy-dog expression and endearing words? She had misgivings about meeting his family at such an early stage in their relationship, but she refused to let her concerns weigh down the time she spent with J.D. “Okay. I’ll come.”

“Thank you. You will love them,” he declared. “Trust me.”

Trust him. Of course she did. J.D. didn’t know how much trust she’d placed in him. Worried for her safety and welfare of their only child, the Weitherspoons had cautioned Shae against letting people get to close to her. After years of watching every step, she had thrown caution to the wind and allowed J.D. into her life. It felt wonderful to enjoy this relationship and see it develop without her parents’ watchful eyes and possible interference.

He glanced at his watch. “Ready to go to work?”

“I think so.”

“Good luck,” he whispered, leaning across to softly kiss her lips. He pulled one of her curls and stretched the lock straight before letting go. It snapped back into its original spiral shape.

“Thank you.”

Caressing her cheek, J.D. added, “Go in there and save the world. I know you can do it.”

“Will do, sir.”

“You have my cell phone number, right?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s programmed into the memory,” Shae answered, touching the phone clipped to the waistband of her mauve skirt. “And you have mine.”

J.D. watched a young man with his head wrapped in a do-rag and baggy wide-legged denims hung across his butt saunter past the clinic. “Watch yourself. I’ll be here at five to pick you up.”

“Are you sure you can do this? You have your clients to consider, and I don’t want to interfere with your business. If you have things that you need to do, I can always get a cab home and rent a car tomorrow.”

“Yes, you can. But I don’t want you to. Don’t worry about me, Shae. I make my own hours and, to be perfectly honest, I love seeing so much of you.” He grinned. “Besides, we’ll go car shopping real soon. I’m sure you’ll have transportation in no time.”

“If anything changes, call me.”

“Will do.” He brought her hand to his lips before dropping it. “I have one meeting this afternoon around three. Look for me out here.”

“Okay. I’ll look for you at five.” Shae leaned closer and kissed him. “Bye.”

Shae got out of the car and closed the door, moving up the sidewalk to the building. Before entering the building, she turned and waved. J.D. mimicked the gesture. She rang the doorbell and seconds later the custodian ushered her inside.

Halting in the lobby, Shae noted the changes to the room. Much had been accomplished since her last visit. The clean scent of freshly painted walls greeted her.A welcoming shade of violet covered the previous pink coating; plum carpeting hid the scarred wood floors and a brand new nursing station waited for the staff to take charge.

She strolled down the main hallway to the medical director’s office. The door stood open and her boss sat at his desk with a headset pinned to his ears. The name plate on his desk read Kenyatta L. Reid, M.D.

“Good morning,” Shae said from the entrance.

Dr. Reid glanced her way. “Good morning to you.” He rose and made a quick move around his desk with an outstretched hand. As he drew closer, she was surprised by how quickly such a large man moved. Close to 6’4” and weighing in at nearly 280 pounds, Dr. Reid looked as if he should be on the football field instead of in an examining room. That impression wasn’t far off. During their interview, Dr. Reid had revealed that he’d completed his undergraduate degree on a football scholarship.

“Want some coffee?” he offered, as he continued to hold her hand.

“Sounds good.” She gave a sharp tug on her hand and he released her.

Dressed in a crisp white lab coat with K. Reid, M.D. in bold, black letters and blue-green scrubs, the medical director led her to his desk before grabbing a mug from a makeshift coffee station near the back of his office. “Black. One sugar, no cream. Correct?”

Surprised, she turned and watched him pour the rich brew into the mug. “Wow! That’s some memory you have.”

“It’s not hard when you’re the only staff I’ve hired.”

She chuckled. “I see your point.”

Dr. Reid returned to the desk and offered Shae the mug.

“Thanks.” She placed her mug on the edge of the desk, then opened her briefcase and removed her portfolio and pen.

He rubbed his earlobe as he spoke. A diamond stud adorned his right ear. “Since I brought up the topic of staffing, I need to tell you that that is our top priority.”

“Is everything else in place? The exam rooms, offices, nursing station? Have we ordered medications?”

“Most of them. It’s time to get our staff in place. Here are some of the things you’ll need to get started. This is your annual operating budget, keys for the building and your office.” He laid each item on the desk as he identified them. “The security code to the front and back doors and your gate card for the parking lot.”

“Thanks.” She slipped the keys inside her jacket pocket and placed the code and gate card in her briefcase.

“Where did you park?” He leaned back in his chair to glance out the window. “Do you want to move your car?”

She shrugged. “No. I got a ride.”

“Taxis can get pretty expensive.” He removed a pencil from behind his left ear. “I hope you can find less expensive transportation.”

“Not a taxi. A ride,” she corrected. “And I do plan to buy a car very soon. Probably tonight or tomorrow.”

“Are you going alone?”

“No. I have a friend.”