Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
SAMANTHA
J osh picked up on the second ring. “Doctor McCall speaking.”
His voice was comforting but authoritative. Sam smiled. His patients must love him. “Well, Doctor McCall, this is Miss Quinn.”
He laughed. “Sorry, I thought this would be one of my patients.”
“Do they often call you in the evening?”
“Sometimes. I admitted Mrs. Weatherby, one of my patients, this afternoon with a broken hip. Told the nurses to call me if they had any concerns. She's ninety years old.”
Yep, with care like that, his patients probably adored him. And the nurses too. “Is she one of Charlevoix's older residents?”
“Yes, from the Tall Oaks facility. They have me on speed dial.”
“I think they're very lucky.” Sam was sitting on the chaise in her bedroom with a cup of peach tea. This was one room where she still felt comfortable. She’d changed the furniture last fall, along with all the bedding. The white queen size bed was now covered with a flamboyant modern print in orange and pink. She loved it.
“Anyway, I'm glad that you returned my call. I was beginning to wonder.”
“I had some things to tend to.”
“Good things I hope.”
Later Sam would wonder what had gotten into her. Maybe it was Josh's voice, so warm and understanding. She’d been having a bad time since returning home, and her emotions were all over the place. Before she could stop herself, she was telling him about coming home and finding her house half empty.
“And you knew nothing about this?”
“No. That's what made it so devastating, I guess.”
“At the very least, can’t you talk to him? Maybe there’s been a misunderstanding.” Talking to Kurt was the last thing she wanted to do. What Sam wanted was to wring his neck.
“I want to put all that behind me,” she finally said. “If he wants the furniture, fine. I can't bring everything with me to Charlevoix. I don't know how much of this we can use at Sunnycrest anyway.”
“I like the sound of that.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“The sound of Sunnycrest? Yes, me too.” She was back in her zone again and Sam took a sip of her tea. The soothing scent and the warm liquid made peach tea her go-to brew when she got sick or was feeling low. Right now her feelings needed healing.
On the phone line she thought she heard a door close wherever Josh was. Had he closed the door to make this a more personal conversation? Butterflies skittered through her stomach. This was ridiculous. She was forty-two years old and felt like a teenager again. When they were in Charlevoix years ago for the summer, she would take the phone into the closet under the stairs in the front hall. Her father always complained about it, saying the long cord was a hazard.
“Sounds as if your plans are progressing. You’re really going to set up shop in Charlevoix.” He seemed to hesitate. “I don't want to pressure you into making a major life change, but...”
“You're not. My sisters are moving forward and so is my aunt. I can't let them down.” But as she spoke, misgivings curled in her chest. Was he regretting her move? She didn’t want Josh to think he was responsible for all the changes she was making.
“Samantha Quinn, you have never let your family down. And you know that. From what I could see, you devoted years of your life to making sure your two sisters were raised properly. You didn’t want to take your Aunt Cate for granted.” His voice dipped. “You lost a lot during those years. A lot of teenage years.”
Yes, and she’d lost him. Her mouth turned dry and Sam took a sip of tea before setting the mug on the table next to her. More than anyone else Josh McCall knew about those years after her parents had been killed in that crash. She'd been faced with so many tough decisions, so many changes. The plan had been for her to go to St. Mary’s College, just across the road from Notre Dame, where Josh would be. Instead, she’d stayed in Naperville and went to a community college. In doing so, she probably lost him. But she wouldn't think about that now. “I know,” she said in a soft voice. “From seventeen on, nothing about my life was normal.”
For a second they didn’t say anything. Sam could hear Josh breathing and wished this was a Facetime call so she could see his expression. This reminded her of their whispered conversations years ago. She would be curled up on the floor of the hall closet or in her bedroom in their house at Naperville. Josh had been such a comfort after the accident, always there for her. She’d never wanted her sisters to overhear the conversations. Didn’t want them to realize that their big sister was having a hard time.
Back to the subject at hand. “I'm not going to talk to Kurt about the stupid furniture because I don't really care.”
“There's the spirit,” Josh said. He’d always had her back. Always was her cheerleader.
But they weren’t teenagers anymore and Sam had to make things clear. “I don't want you to feel any kind of responsibility.” After all, what did they know about where they were going? Sure, years ago they'd had a thing in high school. But so much had happened in the intervening years. They had to rediscover each other, but she wasn't going to lay that all on him right now.
“I don’t feel responsible, but I am excited that you’re moving up here. Are your sisters making similar plans?” Josh asked.
“They are. And apparently my aunt has put her Tribeca loft on the market. After Christmas, she never left. She's still there and has been a great support for Izzy. Oh, and by the way, I might be coming to Charlevoix soon. An architect is drawing up some plans for Sunnycrest. Marlowe and I want to see them.”
“Excellent. Let me know when you have some dates.”
“I will.” Excitement pulsed through her and what could she do about that? Sam tried to rein in her emotions. She had to remind herself that they weren’t teenagers anymore. Both their lives had changed.
“Once in a while I stop at Izzy's Coffee and Cupcakes. Sometimes I run into your aunt there, and she’ll come over and talk to me. She’s quite something.”
“What do you talk about?” Sam pulled her legs up under the afghan. She could picture Aunt Cate and Josh chatting away. Her aunt could talk to a tree and it would answer.
“Oh this, that and the other thing.” His hesitation made her wonder if they were talking about her. “When you move, you have to set up medical backup.”
“Oh, right.” How practical. Sam hadn’t even thought about that. “I suppose I'll have to do that too.”
“Happy to give you some recommendations.”
“Thank you. I hope I can find a good primary care doctor. So many practices are closing in Oak Brook. Are you seeing that in Charlevoix?”
“There are a lot of barriers for doctors these days. Don’t get me wrong. I love orthopedics. But the whole climate has changed. If I had to set a course for my future now, I don't know what decision I would make to be honest.”
“Lots of paperwork? Insurance questions, that kind of thing?” Sam had read some articles about that.
“Yes, although orthopedics is a specialty and so we’re not subjected to the constant questions asked of family practice medicine physicians.”
“Doesn’t seem right, does it?”
“Yes, don’t worry. I might have some pull with a couple of the female docs you may like.”
“Some pull, huh?” She hoped they were all married. But she had to stop thinking like that. She had no claim on Josh McCall.
“What about your work?” Josh asked. “You told me you work with pharmaceutical companies. You must get a glimpse of medicine from that angle.”
Their conversation took off in another direction and it felt good to talk business with him. It had been a long time since she'd had that comfort level with Kurt. Sam hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that easy exchange. And Josh asked questions, as if he really cared and wanted to hear her thoughts.
Finally Josh had to take a call from the hospital. “Sorry, but it’s the ER.”
“No problem. I won’t keep you,” she said, a bit embarrassed. They’d talked for forty-five minutes.
“Nonsense. I’ve enjoyed talking to you.” His voice dropped. Yep, this felt like high school. Did he feel that way too. “Sorry but I have to take this…and Sam?”
“Yes?” She hated to end the call.
“I miss you.”
Had he really said that? She almost told him that she missed him too. Almost but she held back. “Guess you better take that call.”
Her answer bothered her as she tried to sleep. Did it bother him too?