32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Roxie

I woke up the morning after Lennox and I finally took the plunge, ready for a new day, a new approach to how I live my life.

It’s been eye-opening. We’re successfully keeping things under wraps from Ivy for now. But things are good—hell, they’re more than good. For the first time since my parents died, I feel supported. Loved. It’s empowering as hell.

I set up an appointment with Dr. Grant the next day, and today, it’s time to see if I have a permanent place here in Bluebell Falls.

Lennox said he would do his normal exercises today and then drive to the national park and see how far he could get. He reassured me he won’t actually get on the trails without me, but he wants to desensitize himself to the panic it usually induces. It’s a good plan, but one I hate not being part of.

I find a parking spot in front of Sal’s, keeping my head down as I walk toward the office. It’s not that I’m being anti-social; it’s more that I don’t want the famed rumor mill to pick up on anything .

The bell above the door dings as I walk in, and I’m greeted by an older man in a classic white button-up shirt and a pair of horned-rimmed glasses.

“Good morning, how can I help you?” His voice is instantly welcoming, and I get a rush of comfort from it.

“Hey. Hi. I’m Roxie, Roxie Moore, here to talk to you about what I can offer your practice,” I fumble through my over-practiced speech.

“Roxie! It’s so great to finally meet you. I’ve heard about you, but we never seem to cross paths. Come on into my office. I have to leave the door open because I don’t have a receptionist today, but it should be quiet.” He gestures for me to walk ahead of him.

I take a peek at the two patient rooms I see as I walk back, and they look large enough to hold physical therapy in.

Dr. Grant takes a seat in the creaky chair behind his desk, and I sit in one of the provided seats in front.

“So, tell me what your thoughts are,” he says point-blank, shocking me a little bit. I expected a little fanfare and small talk before jumping into things, but I appreciate that he’s getting right down to business.

“Well, I’ve been mostly contracted since I graduated with my doctorate, working with a company that has clients all over the country. It’s been good for me, as I’ve moved around a lot, but I’m looking to create something more permanent. I’m not sure if Blubell Falls could maintain a fulltime PT, but I wanted to get your opinion and look into partnering. I’m not sure how busy and active you are with things outside of internal medicine,” I explain.

“You aren’t incorrect in your assessment. I definitely have more internal medicine patients than anything; however, I have some ideas. We have a growing number of older residents in Bluebell Falls, and that means more injuries, diminished strength—you know, the usual. I’ve been wanting to get a program up and running that gets them moving more, strengthening the muscles that will help with injury prevention since the major hospital is so far away. Is that something you would even be interested in?” he asks.

“Oh, absolutely. I’m all about preventative therapy to decrease the likelihood of injuries. Sounds counterintuitive to my profession, but I’d rather not every client have worst-of-the-worst injuries.”

“Of course, you’ll have the random cases here and there that would come in, but the program would at least get you steady hours and income,” he offers so freely. He hasn’t seen my track record, doesn’t even ask for reference, simply offers the perfect program for me. “I can rearrange the office as well to make sure you have the space you need. I have a handful of rooms I don’t use unless something major happens.” He knocks on his wooden desk, making me chuckle.

“I’d love to have a look around before I leave here today.”

“Absolutely. Go for it, and if you are able to work on a contract for all of this, we can jump right in. I’m not entirely sure if it would be better to run it as an employee, or your own business and you rent space from me. Whatever is more beneficial for you, run with it.” He taps the desk with his finger, a broad smile on his face.

“That’s … incredibly generous. I’ll leave my references with you before I go as well, so you can ensure you’re adding the right person to your business.” I’ve never had such blind faith before, and it makes me nervous. I need him to check into my background and not blindly accept that I’m a good decision.

He gives me a look that says the way I work and the way he works are very different .

“Well, I have a patient coming in”—he looks at his watch—“ten minutes. Feel free to spend as much time as you want here. Explore, check out all the rooms, and see if things will work for you. Let me know about the contract whenever you get it figured out.” He stands and holds out his hand to me. I’m sure I have a stunned look on my face at how fast everything has happened. “And Roxie?”

“Yeah?” I squeak.

“Welcome to the practice. It’s great to have the newest resident of Bluebell Falls on board.”

I shake his hand, and before I get a real handle on what just happened, he’s out the door.

Holy shit, did that just happen?

I sit for a minute before walking around the office. There’s some great space, and the unused rooms would be perfect for individual clients as well as some groups if this program turns into something bigger.

As I round the corner to another room—this one would make the perfect office—I think about how damn excited I am to tell Lennox. My mind is running a million miles a minute with everything I need to put into place to get things up and running, but I couldn’t be more excited.

Walking through to the front, I see Dr. Grant checking out his patient. I wave and try to sneak out, but he doesn’t let me.

“Send me what you come up with, Roxie!” he calls from behind the counter.

“Will do, Dr. Grant. Thanks, Dr. Grant.” My words are robotic, but I have no control over it at the moment. Everything feels so surreal.

“It’s Robert, please,” he says with that warm, comforting smile.

“Thank you, Robert,” I say before walking out the door .

I’m lost in my head, thinking about everything I have to get done—a mental to-do list compiling everything I need to accomplish before I can truly call myself a Bluebell Falls resident.

Looking up quickly to make sure I’m not going to run into anything, I stop in my tracks at what I see.

No.

My breath stalls in my chest as I look Greg in the eyes. There’s no doubt this time. Greg and Pam are in Bluebell Falls.

A sinister smile spreads along his face, and my mind blanks.

Run. Now.

I turn on my heel and sprint across the street to my car.

Peeling out of the parking space, I make the drive to Lennox’s cabin in record time. Slamming the front door, I rush to Ivy’s room and start packing. Once I’m done with the bulk of her room, I move to mine and start throwing clothes into a suitcase. I guess that’s the good thing about moving around a lot. The lack of material things makes it faster to pack.

I don’t think about what this means.

I don’t think about Lennox.

I only see the look in Greg’s eyes when I saw him ten feet from me.

Protect Ivy.

It’s the only thing that matters.

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