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“Absolutely amazing,” Josie said, flopping back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
“Good.” Josie could tell from Caitlin’s tone that she was smiling. “I’m so happy for you. Wesley is a great guy.”
“He really is. And speaking of great guys, how’s Michael doing?”
“Wonderful as usual. He’s been helping me with all the wedding planning—he’s been insisting on that, since he was the one who suggested having a big celebration instead of a simple courthouse wedding. He’s been so enthusiastic about the whole thing—and so has Pearl. They’re helping me choose joy over stress, if you know what I mean.” She laughed again.
“I absolutely know what you mean—and I think I might be able to help you with some of that workload. Or at least, I hope I can. Do you have someone lined up to bake the wedding cake yet?”
“No, I don’t—oh! Will Paige have graduated by then?”
“Yes, she will. How would you feel about her making the wedding cake for you guys? She’s made wedding cakes before, but only in practice.”
“I’m definitely intrigued by the idea. I adore her baking—we all do. Do you think she’s up for such a big task, though? There’s a lot of people invited to the wedding, so it would have to be a pretty big cake, maybe bigger than what she’s made before.”
“I know she can handle it.” Josie smiled, feeling a glowing sense of pride in her sister. “After all, this is Paige we’re talking about. I’m sure she’d practice the cake three or four times before the wedding.”
“That’s a good point! I know how hard working she is—and no one can argue the fact that she’s talented. And besides, I’ll never forget the support that I got from our community when I was first starting the Beyond the Sea Dinner Cruise, and I’d absolutely love to help out another aspiring businesswoman. Especially one as dedicated as Paige.”
“Thank you! I mentioned it to her already and told her I’d ask you what you thought. She said she’s up for it if you still need someone.”
“Sounds great. I’ll give her a call and we can discuss everything. Michael and I have yet to decide on a flavor, and I bet she can help us with that.”
“Definitely. Thanks, Caitlin! I’m really excited about this.”
“I am too. I—oh wait, hold on a second.” For a moment, Caitlin stopped speaking, and Josie could hear Pearl saying something in the background. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey,” Caitlin said, her voice a little muffled. “Hey, Josie? Pearl isn’t feeling well. I should go. I’ll call Paige as soon as I get a chance.”
“Thank you! I’m sorry to hear that. Tell Pearl I hope she feels better soon.”
“I will. Have a good night!”
“You too!”
The friends hung up, and Josie sat on her bed, staring into space. She hoped that Pearl felt better very soon, and that Caitlin decided to hire Paige to bake the wedding cake. Smiling to herself, she stood up and went out into the main part of the apartment to find her husband.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Gwen stood in her office, checking the information for her next patient. It was a little girl, and the form stated that she’d been feeling nauseous and had been running a fever the night before. She pressed her lips together in concern—it was unlikely to be anything serious, but she always felt especially bad for the kids that came in and were sick with something. She noted that the age of this little girl was eight.
She glanced at the clock and decided to head to the examination room right away—it was still five minutes before the appointment, but perhaps this little girl and whoever had brought her would be there early.
She stepped out of her office into the lobby and saw Heidi talking to a smartly-dressed woman with brown hair. Standing beside the woman was a little girl with curly hair who was scrunching her face up as if she didn’t feel well.
“Here’s Dr. Gwen now,” Heidi said, smiling and gesturing to Gwen. Heidi looked down at the little girl with kind eyes and spoke in a reassuring tone. “She’s going to make sure you feel better soon, Pearl.”
The little girl gazed up at Heidi with wide eyes and a trembling bottom lip. “What if I don’t get better in time?” she whispered.
Heidi cocked her head to one side in confusion, but at that moment Gwen stepped in, wanting to make sure the little girl got to sit down somewhere as soon as possible. She looked as though she was sick enough to be uncomfortable standing there like that.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Gwen,” she said, shaking the hand of the smartly-dressed woman.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Caitlin Lewis,” the woman said, smiling. “I’ve heard great things about you.”
Gwen’s face broke open into a smile, and her heart leapt up at the words. Relief swept over her—the clinic getting a good reputation so quickly meant a great deal to her. “Thank you. Why don’t you and your daughter come on back to the examination room? You’ll feel better in no time at all, Pearl,” she said to the little girl, smiling at her.
Pearl offered a wobbly smile in return, and they went into the examination room together. Gwen and Heidi usually did the initial patient check-in together when things at the clinic were slow, so Heidi came into the examination room with them. Pearl sat down on the padded table, looking nervous and holding her mother’s hand.
“Now, Pearl,” Gwen said, smiling at her, “tell me what you’re feeling.”
