was afraid of snapping.
Sitting at the small table in the break room, she rubbed her head as she spoke to the general practitioner who came into the clinic three mornings a week. He was young, tall, and thin, with bright red hair. He always seemed to be in a good mood and the elderly patients loved him.
“Well, if we knew where he was, it would be nice. For him to just take off makes no sense.”
Josie pursed her lips but remained quiet. She’d expressed her concerns to her dad about Caesar’s absence in light of her questioning the suspicious donations and the subsequent threats but had kept them from the others in the clinic. At first, it was because she was uncertain of the donation reports and the threats were aimed only at her. But with Caesar’s disappearance, her father talked to an investigator, and she was advised to remain quiet until someone from security came to her. But she’d already told her nurse and best friend, Laurie Mitchell, before being cautioned to stay silent.
As for Mario, the nursing assistant, and Charlene Porter, the receptionist, she had no reason to involve them in the clinic’s finances. Mario was in his mid-forties, married with four children, and he was dedicated to the clinic as well as his family. Charlene was young, pretty, and dressed in skirts that were a little too tight, heels that were a little too tall, and full makeup, but she was friendly, and the patients liked how she made a big deal over them when they came in. The only other person who worked in the clinic was Sally Garcia, the social work intern that only had a few weeks left on her rotation before she would be leaving, almost finished with her social work degree.
Rubbing the tight muscles in the back of her neck, she stood and left the break room, heading to her office. Laurie stopped her in the hall, a concerned expression on her face as she studied Josie. Her friend was a beautiful brunette, tall and leggy, always smiling, and engaged to be married in the fall.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She knew her voice sounded tired but didn’t feel the need to pretend with her friend.
“Heard anything?” Laurie kept her voice low.
Shaking her head, she whispered, “No. Dad said that I can expect to have an investigator come talk to me about what’s happening. I assume I’ll get a phone call or an email to let me know when he’ll arrive, but I haven’t heard anything yet. I just don’t want anyone else here to know what’s going on.”
“You should take the afternoon off. You look tired.”
“I admit that I haven’t been sleeping well. Christ, Laurie, I haven’t even told you this, but Dad said to pretend I’m going out with the investigator to give credence as to why he’ll be around so much. It’ll probably be an older, bald man with a big gut.”
Laurie snorted but shook her head in sympathy.
“I mean, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’ve got some kind of dating reputation to uphold. But still, it’s weird.”
“Yes, but if it keeps you safe, that’s all that matters.”
“Well, at least it’s already Thursday, and I only have a few home visits to make tomorrow. I might stay in bed all weekend with the covers pulled over my head.”
Charlene popped her head around the door frame, her smile huge and her eyes wide. “Oh, my God, Josie! There’s a gorgeous man out here to see you!”
She glanced at her calendar, wondering if she had forgotten an appointment. Seeing it blank, she glanced toward Laurie, who simply shrugged. Sighing, she followed Charlene out to the reception lobby. Her feet stuttered to a halt as she stared at the man who had crept through her mind over the past few months.
“Josie.” He stepped toward her, a smile on his face.
His voice was just as deep as she remembered. Blinking, she stared, dumbfounded. “Uh, Jorge?”
“I took a chance that you’d still be at the clinic. I hoped you’d have dinner with me.”
“Dinner?”
“Jorge,” Laurie repeated, her eyes wide as she looked at Josie. Then, suddenly, her brows lowered as she turned back to him. A slight gasp slipped from her lips before she breathed, “Oh… Jorge Cobb.”
“Cobb?” Charlene squealed. “Like Governor Cobb?”
“No,” Laurie huffed, rolling her eyes at Charlene. “Like Governor Cobb’s son.”
The air fled Josie’s lungs at Laurie’s announcement of who the man was that was standing… no, filling all the space in