Cheryl Harper - The Bluebird Bet

A discreet tap on the door by Nina, Elaine’s dedicated nurse, signaled the end of their appointment. Patients were waiting in the other exam rooms, and the lobby was a madhouse. Resigned that the day had to march on, Elaine stood up and said, “Maybe he’ll stay until you’re ready to see Spring Lake again.”

Robert Collins slid off the exam table. “Here’s the thing. It’s a tough decision, but it’s the right time. Someone else can take the Bluebird and make it special again. Martha would want that, and she’d want me to get off my hindquarters and do something with all this time. Running an inn...well, I think maybe it’s a talent a person’s born with. Martha had that gift—it ran in her blood. Without her, the business just...stopped. The place lost its magic, and eventually guests stopped coming. That suited me fine for a while. Now, I’m not sure Dean’s the right choice, but I don’t know if I can let it go to someone else.” Robert blinked slowly. “I understand that letting it fall down around my ears is the worst option. Martha’d hate to see her inn looking like it does.”

Elaine squeezed his arm. “Let Dean take a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Nothing felt comfortable about this whole situation, but it seemed like the right thing to say. She wanted the Bluebird. She should make him an offer. But he wanted the best for his son and for the Bluebird. She would encourage him, even if it went against her nature.

“You surprise me, Doc. Figured a take-no-prisoners winner would seize any weakness.” He raised an eyebrow. “Better not let Wanda Blankenship see that soft underbelly when the Fourth of July half marathon comes around. She’ll knock you out of the top spot.”

Oh, no. She would not. Elaine had placed first in the women’s division every year since she’d moved here. Wanda Blankenship, owner of the town gym, would eat her dust again this year.

Some of her warrior’s spirit must have shown on her face because Robert laughed as though it was the funniest thing in the world to put a target on Wanda Blankenship’s back. Good thing he wasn’t racing.

“You have to do what you believe is right, Mr. Collins. I’m doing my best not to launch into a hard sell, mainly because I like you so much.” Elaine rested her hand on the doorknob. “You know how I feel. I spent some lovely afternoons on the front porch drinking tea with my mother. I’d love to have that view of Spring Lake as my own.”

Robert nodded slowly. “Well, how about...” He stared off into space for a second and then nodded again. “Come out for a visit. Meet Dean. We’ll talk about your plans and then see...” He shrugged. “Maybe selling to you is the best thing for me and Dean. Maybe he needs somewhere to catch his breath before he hits the road again. I don’t want a run-down building holding him back any more than I want to be the one keeping the Bluebird from being restored. Once he sees I’ve got a buyer, he might see the benefit of coming up with a new plan.”

“He could hit the road with you. You could see the country together.” Elaine couldn’t help it. She should encourage this plan. Robert Collins might be one of her favorite people, but his son was fair game. She could outmaneuver him without the slightest guilt.

Maybe.

“Right.” Robert rubbed his forehead. “We don’t usually see eye to eye. Once his mother died, Tall Pines lost all hold on him, and now I have a hard time imagining my rolling stone settling in one spot, even on Spring Lake.” Then he smiled. “Not your worry, Doc. Come out this weekend. See how far you’d have to go to restore the building and then we can talk about whether it’s something you’re still interested in.”

Elaine felt a flutter of hope. The Bluebird was a dream she could go after. Once she’d decided to pursue something, she rarely lost. She liked her odds all of a sudden. “Fine. I’d love to visit.”

“Maybe you and Dean will hit it off. Only a matter of time until you two meet anyway. Kid’s always had a knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which leads to stitches, splints and casts, if you know what I mean. Broke his arm when he was sixteen by falling off the roof. The girl he was trying to impress was more horrified than anything else.”

Confused at the thought of anyone being foolhardy enough to climb the roof of the two-story farmhouse, Elaine opened the door and nearly shut it again at the mixture of ringing phones, arguing television pundits and the screams of an anxious child in the waiting room.

The Bluebird Bed-and-Breakfast was set in a peaceful spot overlooking Spring Lake. What she wouldn’t give to spend her evenings there, catching her breath after long days of noise like this.

“Before you go, make an appointment for your six-month follow-up. Don’t miss it.” She shook her finger at him. “This road trip has to come second to your health, right?”

He grumbled but the gleam in his eye was back. “And I won’t forget the sunscreen.”

Elaine smiled and waved goodbye. She could hear him talking with Wendy, her office manager, as she wrote her notes in his file and then asked Nina to call in refills on his medications.

“Here’s the file for the next patient, Miss Hailey Dawson, age nine,” Nina said as she slid over the folder. “Room two. Sneezing, cough, low fever. Looks like a cold to me—”

A loud commotion followed by the unmistakable sounds of someone vomiting in the waiting room interrupted whatever Nina was about to add to her diagnosis. Elaine had to take a deep, calming breath.

“No worries, boss. I’ll take care of it.” Nina patted her hand, picked up the trash can and hurried around the desk. “Oh, and your mother’s already called three times this morning. The messages are on your desk.” Nina paused and met her gaze. “Sorry, boss.”

Elaine smiled. “No problem, Nina. I did warn you. The third divorce is almost final. Expect it to go on like this until there’s a new man.”

Nina saluted and disappeared into the waiting room.

For half a second, she considered checking the messages. Just because it had never been an emergency before didn’t mean today was the same. Except Nina would have correctly assessed the situation just as she’d diagnosed the next patient.

Her mother could wait. Work could not.

Elaine scooped up the file and quickly entered the next exam room.

“Hailey, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you. How’s the rabbit?” Elaine shook hands with Hailey’s mother, whose name she could not remember.

“He’s good. Fat!” Hailey said with a delighted sparkle in her eyes just before she sneezed.

“She’s got a terrible sneeze, coughs all night and I’m afraid her temperature’s up,” her mother said. “It’s probably a cold, but I wanted to make sure.”

Elaine nodded as she listened to Hailey’s lungs, checked her temperature and took a look at her throat and ears. “Well, it looks to me like she’s the latest to catch the cold tearing through town. Something for the cough and congestion will ease the symptoms.” Elaine made some notes then ripped off the top page of her notepad and handed it to Hailey’s mother. “These over-the-counter meds should help.”

“So...no shot?” Hailey asked and then clapped her hands. “Yes!”

“I can tell you’re disappointed. I could round up a shot for you,” Elaine said. She might not have kids, but she liked them. They didn’t usually return the favor, at least not while she was wearing a stethoscope around her neck.

“No, thank you,” Hailey said and rolled her eyes. She straightened the bow in her curls and then carefully folded the pleats in her skirt. Hailey had a unique style. This was a girl who loved color. All of them. And all at once.