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“Are you ready for your walk?”
She dropped to the ground and ran to get her leash from the kitchen. It was the only “skill” she had and something she taught herself. After she failed obedience school the second time, I decided to embrace the chaos, to an extent. I knew her limits. If I tried running with her, I’d get dragged after every squirrel. If I left food on the counter unattended, she’d eat it. If I didn’t want her to bark at things outside, I closed the blinds.
Skye ran back to the door so fast, her feet slid on the hardwood floor. She slammed into the wall but picked herself up and spat out the leash at my feet.
My phone buzzed on the end table where I’d left it charging. I hopped over Skye and ran to grab it before it went to voicemail.
“Morning, Cam,” I said. Cammie was the only twenty something I knew who refused to text and enjoyed phone calls, which I guess was a bonus, given her job responsibilities.
“Hi, Cal. Your morning is still open. Dr. Cohen isn’t in until 11:00, so you might as well wait to come in. His first patient is at 11:30; yours is at noon.”
I rubbed my forehead and tried to ignore Skye’s disappointed dog look. “How’s the afternoon?”
“Not bad. You have an hour break at three and no one in the last appointment. I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I moved a couple of your Friday patients to tomorrow afternoon since Dr. Cohen is taking a long weekend.”
“Thanks, Cammie.”
“Fair warning, he asked me to print the schedule from the last couple months and the same period from last year. He’s never done that before.”
“Fuck,” I said, then remembered I was on a work call. “Sorry, Cam.”
Cammie didn’t reply. I started to worry I’d upset her when she sighed and said, “Cal, you have to tell him about the reviews. It looks worse if you don’t. He’ll either think you don’t pay closeenough attention to your client feedback or that you knew there was a problem and didn’t tell him. Better to get ahead of it.”
Not for the first time, I questioned what Cammie was doing working a minimum wage job at a small PT practice in Peace Falls. I wasn’t surprised she knew about the reviews. She took more pride in her work than anyone I knew, which made our boss an even bigger ass for getting on her for not arriving early, on occasion.
“You’re right, Cam. I’ll talk to Adam as soon as he gets in. Thanks for looking out for me. By the way, those reviews have nothing to do with work.”
“Of course not,” she said, sounding slightly offended. “Your patients love you. They tell me all the time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“If you want, I can drop by Karma and get Dr. Cohen a bear claw to soften him up for the conversation. He’s way less cranky after sugar.”
I chuckled. “How about I get him a bear claw and bring you one of those fancy drinks you like?”
“Deal,” she said. “Get me a Rowan, please. It’s named after the Rowan you saw yesterday. Did you know?”
My mind flashed to the enticing redhead down the street and the coffee flavor she might inspire. Something bold and decadent. Skye gave an impatient bark.
“I didn’t. I’ll have to try one myself.”
All through Skye’s walk, when I should have practiced what to say to Adam, all I could think about was how Rowan would taste.
Chapter six
Rowan
When I entered Karma,I took a deep breath and savored the smell of roasted coffee and paper. Lauren’s café combined two of my favorite things: books and caffeine.
“Stop sniffing or step aside,” Poppy huffed behind me. “Some of us need to get to work.”
Lauren pushed through the swinging door behind the counter with a stack of coffee mugs teetering on a tray. “Rowan,” she shouted with a little jump that rattled the cups. Poppy weaved through the bistro tables scattered in front of the coffee bar and around the counter to help her.
As soon as her hands were free, Lauren darted across the café and wrapped me in a gentle hug. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said. “But I’m mad at you.”
Poppy laughed and grabbed a teal apron from the back wall, tying it over her black outfit. The color suited her and brought a brightness to her features that made her look more approachable.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Lauren. “Please don’t take it personally. I needed time to figure things out.”
