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By the end of the day, tremendous progress on the wood pile had been made. The crew then completed a few general repairs to the chimney and the screen on the front door. The final task involved cutting the long grass in front of the cabin before the guys were ready to enjoy some cold beer. As the group relaxed, Elk prepared a great meal. She made a peppercorn sauce for the steaks, marinated the asparagus in a special garlic marinade, and grilled it with the steaks. She also had freshly baked rolls and a mushroom side dish simmered in Boursin cheese. As typically happened when Elk cooked, everything was eaten. Dealing with leftovers never was a problem.
After dinner, Grant held a camp meeting to review some camp rule changes for the year. “Guys, here’s the deal. We have a few things we need to change around here this year as far as the hunting. Baiting laws have become more restrictive this year due to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). In case anyone isn’t familiar with it, CWD is caused by a protein substance called a prion and is spread among the deer herd through saliva. This disease is slowly spreading throughout the state, and it decimated deer herds wherever it appeared. The DNR’s theory is that baiting, or bait piles, cause deer to congregate in close quarters and spread the disease. Last year the baiting rule allowed two gallons of bait at a spot. The new law bans baiting entirely.”
Grant continued, “I know many camps will disregard the new law and continue hunting over bait. We’re not gonna break the law in this camp, so I want everyone to know that baiting will not be allowed. Also, we’ve been following a rule that requires any buck harvested on our property to have at least six points. We’ve decided that that rule will now be expanded to eight points. This will lead to an older age class of bucks on the property.”
Grant waited for a reaction from the group, and Elk spoke up first saying, “I totally agree. I have no plans to shoot small bucks anyway. I hunt for the big bucks, not little spikes and baby four points like some of you other Asshats do. As far as baiting, I don’t bait anyway. For once, you actually have rules that make sense, Grant, so I am totally on board.” A few others nodded, but Chet wore a scowl bigger than the mean face you carve on your Halloween pumpkin. Grant looked at Chet’s scowl and debated encouraging him to voice his opinion. Ultimately, his evil side won out, and he decided to let Chet spew.
“Chet, what do you think,” asked Grant.
“I think these rules suck if you really want to know. You Koehlers made these damn rules up without getting my input. I’m the senior camp member, and I pay dues here. I guess I have no say about anything. If I don’t bait, the neighbors will pull all the deer off our property, and I’ll have no chance of getting a buck. The DNR lacks sufficient conservation officers to police the baiting rule. I want to keep baiting and could care less what rules they put in place. As far as your 8-point or better rule, I shot a six-point buck four years ago, bigger than most of the 8-point bucks on this property. I should be able to shoot a deer like that. So, as far as I‘m concerned, your eight-point rule sucks too.”
Following Elk and Chet’s divergent comments, a robust conversation ensued about the new rules, with everyone weighing in. Most seemed okay with the new approach and supported Grant. Chet remained unmoved. He stalked off angrily when they were done with the discussion. Grant indicated the new rules were to be implemented unchanged. Everyone departed the next morning following a breakfast Elk cooked up of eggs benedict and pork sausage links.
Chapter seven
The day after the work bee, Jeff pulled into the doctor’s office for his scheduled appointment to remove his stitches. He’d cleaned up prior to the appointment this time since the last time he appeared in Carrie’s office, he had been covered with dust and sweat. He wanted to see her again and may have been one of the few patients looking forward to getting stitches removed. Jeff entered the office, signed in with the receptionist, and was ushered into the same room where he originally got stitched up. He only waited a few minutes before Dr. Waymont came in.
Dr. Waymont wasn’t who Jeff expected, but he did his best to cover his disappointment. “Hello, Jeff,” Dr. Waymont greeted him. “Good to see you. I hear today is the big day to remove those stitches.”
“I didn’t realize you were back, Doc. I knew you had a bout with COVID, and I saw Dr. Cunningham at my last appointment.”
“You’re right, Jeff. Today is my first day back in the office after almost twelve weeks. At age 68, the COVID bug hit me hard. I had to be hospitalized for two weeks and suffered from those “long haul” symptoms that some patients get after a bout with the virus. I have my good days and bad days, but I have to get in here and give my niece some relief. With her children and this busy practice, she can’t handle everything by herself. I plan to work part-time as much as I can to help out. I won’t completely retire until everything is stabilized within the practice.”
This information explained a lot to Jeff. He now realized that Carrie was Dr. Waymont’’s niece, and the reason she had moved to town now became apparent. Her uncle’s medical practice would have been without a doctor.
“Your niece, Dr. Cunningham, took great care of me in your absence. She does a mean stitch.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m grateful Carrie has joined me. Things are already getting more organized with her around.”
***
The next morning Jeff found himself back in town preparing for a trip to Traverse City to bid on a job for a wealthy businessman. The man wanted to have some wildlife photographs taken and framed of animals found on a new property he had recently purchased. It could be a lucrative assignment, so Jeff visited the man to discuss the job. He chose to fit in a workout at the local gym before leaving town later that afternoon. Jeff showed up at the gym at 8:00 am to get an early start on the day. Granite Cove did not have a lot of newer businesses in town, but it did have a modern athletic club. The Northview Gym featured modern exercise equipment, fitness classes, a basketball court, a sauna, and whirlpools in the locker rooms. Jeff stopped briefly at the front desk to sign in and nearly collided with Carrie as he rounded the corner heading back to the locker rooms.
Carrie was dressed in her black workout gear with her hair tied back. Jeff was pleasantly surprised to see her. “Hey Jeff,” Carrie said, “The way we keep running into each other makes me wonder if you’re stalking me, or maybe I’m stalking you. You're late this morning. I’ve already finished up my kickboxing class.”
“Kickboxing class, eh? I’m sure that’s a skill you frequently use in your practice.”
Jeff’s deadpan delivery made Carrie smile. “Well, you know those senior citizens can get pretty feisty. I heard you got your stitches removed by my uncle, so you should now be officially back in action.”
Jeff then bucked up and asked the question he had been mentally rehearsing all week. “So Carrie, since I ran into you, and I uh, have always admired a woman who can drop a man with a kick to the head, I wanted to take a chance here. Would you be interested in lunch with me sometime, whenever your schedule permits? I was thinking about that new restaurant north of town, The Hideaway. Word is they have great seafood, and I hear their shrimp scampi is to die for.”
Carrie paused because she definitely hadn’t seen this coming. She chose her words carefully before she responded. “Jeff, I’m flattered, I really am. However, I’ve not been dating since I moved here to town. My focus is on my children, who really need me right now, along with the medical practice, which is taking up all my time. Besides, getting personally involved with a patient is unethical. A doctor could lose their license if the medical board learned of such a situation. I really appreciate the offer, but I must say no under the circumstances. I hope you understand.”
Jeff felt deflated but determined not to show his disappointment. “Oh, no problem then, Carrie. I totally understand. I know you have a lot going on, and I would not want to cause you ethical problems. I wasn’t aware of the patient ethics thing at all. Well, I better get dressed and get my workout in, so I’m not late for an appointment in Traverse City. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“You too, Jeff.”
Jeff hurried into the locker room to get dressed for his workout following his awkward dating attempt with Carrie. It certainly looked like his “dateless” pattern would not change anytime soon.
Carrie exited the gym quickly and jumped into her car to head home to shower before going into the office for her first appointment. She wasn’t big on showering at the gym and always preferred to catch her shower at home. Jeff had shocked her with his invitation to lunch. Just her luck that the first interesting guy she’d met in what seemed forever asked her out, and she had to decline. Carrie would never date a patient. She’d suspected that Jeff might be interested in her. She briefly imagined a date with him as she drove home to get ready for work.
Due to her early start to the morning, Carrie arrived at the office before her first appointment. She asked Susan, “what's the deal with that guy Jeff Koehler? Uncle Joe told me his wife drowned in a rafting accident a while ago. He’s a decent-looking guy. I’m surprised he hasn’t remarried.”
“Why the interest? Have you taken a fancy to Jeff Koehler?” Susan asked with a mischievous grin.
“Don’t be ridiculous,'' Carrie replied, smiling. “I just like to get to know the backstory of my patients….and I admit, I can be a tiny bit nosy sometimes too.”
“Well, all I know is many women around town have had their eyes on Jeff. But to my knowledge, he’s never dated anyone, at least from around here. Some people think he might have something going on with Francine, a woman who owns a framing shop in town. I guess they work at some art fairs together in the summers. The rumors are out there, but I don’t think they’re true. He seems to stick to himself and is often away with his photography business.”
