Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping…” ~Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
“ T ater tots are truly the food of the gods!” Nat dipped a crispy potato round into ketchup. “I love it when you have morning shifts at the café,” she groaned with happy pleasure.
“I supply free lunch, and you give me free medical advice. It’s a quid pro quo relationship,” Summer teased, stabbing a piece of salmon from their shared salad.
Whenever Summer worked the breakfast shift at the café, she’d get a to-go salad and an order of tater tots for lunch and stop by the clinic to eat with Nat. These lunch dates were contingent on Liam’s schedule or on Summer not having to see a client for her growing event planning business.
Today, Liam, the mini-Clayton, was spending the afternoon at the vet clinic. Most of the time, he’d be in the reception area eating too many cookies, greeting the animal patients, and playing with Fitz and Lizzie, who went to the clinic whenever he was there or Elle was out of town for work.
Lunch dates with her bestie were better than ice cream for dinner. Since last Monday’s dinner date, too much of their interaction with each other had been via text messages, and that had been dominated by Nat’s relationship with Noah. Since then, Summer had been busy with work and had an initial telephone interview with the behavioral therapist in preparation of Liam starting therapy in the fall.
“How’d your chat with the therapist go?” She lifted her iced tea.
Summer pulled her long hair into a low ponytail. “It went well. We just went over some insurance, logistical, and background info. She made some suggestions, including joining a support group for parents with kids on the spectrum.”
“That’s great.” Her excitement was soon dulled by Summer’s pinched expression. “Let me guess…it’s in Buffalo.”
“Yup,” Summer sighed, setting her fork down. “She did suggest some online resources, though. Message boards, Facebook groups, and websites. That kind of thing.”
Nat leaned back in her chair, gnawing on her lip. It was ridiculous how few resources were available in rural communities. In Boston, if she had a parent in the same situation, there’d be an entire list of organizations to connect with.
“Is there a way to reach out to other parents in the county and put together a group?” she suggested.
“I thought about that, but the group in Buffalo is facilitated by a trained psychologist. We’d need to find one with the expertise in Autism to run our group, and there’s no one outside of Buffalo or Rochester. As it is, we barely have any mental health services in the area. I remember when I first moved back…” Summer shifted in her seat. Her worry-filled eyes flicked to the open office door.
Summer’s gap years, between leaving Perry at eighteen and returning at twenty-nine, were a mystery. She’d offered small glimpses but not much.
Nat’s vision moved to the doorway. Without saying a word, she stood, walked over, shut the door, and sat back down.
Summer offered a thankful smile. “Liam’s dad, Max, and I dated for four years. I thought he was everything. Good looking. Sophisticated. Rich. He was the opposite of Perry…of me. I felt so lucky to be with him and…” Her voice quaked. “If I forgot that, then he reminded me with...” She shook her head. “For four years, I lost myself in the relationship…no, I lost myself to him.”
Nat reached across the space between them, linking their hands.
“I tried so hard to make him happy. To make him not…”
So much was said in the unspoken words. Nat squeezed her hand, reminding Summer that she was there. That even if Nat hadn’t been there then, she was there now. And she’d be there after.
“I thought it was what I deserved, and I stayed until I found out I was pregnant. Max was in London on business. It wasn’t just about me anymore…and I left. I came back home. Max had only met my parents when they came to New York City to visit. He’d never been to Perry. I changed my cell phone number. I deleted social media. I didn’t talk to anyone from my life there. I went back to my natural hair color. When I came back, I was a mess, and my parents thought it would be good for me to talk to someone, but it was so difficult to find a therapist in the area. Especially one that was affordable. I didn’t have insurance until Cassie hired me full-time.”
“Did you eventually find someone?” she asked.
Summer shook her head. “I talked to the pastor at my parents’ church for a while and…” An embarrassed laugh slipped out of her. “…remember Mrs. Anwar, the school guidance counselor?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I talked to her after Evan died.”
“She’s friends with my mom, and she’d have me over for tea once a week to talk.” Summer made air quotes. “It was like secret therapy, but it helped. Although, she kept recommending lots of career suggestions.”
They both chuckled.
Nat remembered Mrs. Anwar listening attentively after Evan had died, but most of their conversation drifted to what she’d major in at Boston College. That was probably because each time Mrs. Anwar asked how she was doing, Nat responded that she was fine, even though she wasn’t.
“I wish there were more resources here.” Nat blew out a heavy breath, tapping her glittered pink fingernails against the desk. “I know my parents tried to get a psychologist to join the practice about five years ago, but they had zero luck with attracting one. Even the ones who live in the county prefer driving to Buffalo or Rochester to work where they can make more money.”
“What about Sloan-Whitney? Doesn’t Elle oversee their telehealth network?” Summer grabbed her fork and speared a tater tot.
“Elle tried to convince my parents last year, but it means giving up our clinic’s independence. We’d no longer be the Owens Family Clinic but a Sloan-Whitney Clinic. It means giving up a lot of control with the practice. Mom and Dad aren’t willing to do that,” she explained.
“Elle’s their Deputy Chief Operating Officer; wouldn’t she be able to stop that? Make some sort of deal to keep your independence while getting the additional resources?”
Nat shook her head. “No. She’d have to keep herself completely away from any decisions related to the clinic. With her marrying my brother, it would be seen as a conflict of interest. Even if Elle wasn’t so ethical, my parents would never let her risk her professional reputation like that.”
“Adulting blows,” Summer groaned.
“Tell me about it.”
“Speaking of adulting…” She shimmied her upper body in a suggestive manner. “…now that the door is shut, can we dish about the adulting you’re doing with Noah? Have we packed all our sexy panties for this weekend?”
“Panties are unnecessary for what I have planned.” Batted lashes accompanied her low sultry voice.
“Get it, girl!” Summer grinned.