Keith (Hathaway House #11) - Dale Mayer Page 0,22

as a patient is really amazing to you,” she said. “But it looks to me like you are seeing the man inside. That’s why nobody else has affected you before, and nobody is likely to affect you in the future because something special is happening between the two of you. It’s the same relationship elements as any male and female the world over experience.”

Ilse looked at her in surprise. “It’s hardly a place for personal relationships though,” she said slowly.

But Dani was having none of that. “This place has been very much the place of personal relationships,” she said with a boisterous laugh. “I mean, Aaron and I started it,” she said, “but easily another maybe half a dozen to a dozen relationships have evolved ever since. I never expected to be a matchmaking service here, but we’ve certainly seen many happy couples.”

“I wonder if Robin has introduced Iain to Keith at all,” Ilse said suddenly. “Maybe if Keith saw how Iain is now, it would give Keith some hope that maybe he could improve too.”

“I suspect he’s one of those guys who wouldn’t believe the change because he didn’t see Iain before.”

Ilse winced. “You could be right,” she said. She walked to the doorway. “You got all your paperwork, and I’m good now, right?”

Dani quickly flipped through the pages. “You’re good.”

“Perfect,” she said. “I’m off to make sure dinner is on time.”

“Good luck with that,” Dani said. “Honestly, I don’t know how you do it. I have enough trouble cooking for myself, without trying to cook for hundreds, like you are.”

“It’s what we do,” Ilse said with a laugh, waved goodbye, and headed down the hallway.

As she walked past Keith’s room, she froze for a moment, and wondered. Unable to help herself, she reached out and knocked on his door. But instead of a cheery “Hello” or a “Come in,” it was a stern “Go away.”

At that, she frowned and said, “That’s not a very nice thing to say, you know?” She hesitated, remaining outside the door.

After a dead silence for a moment, he spoke, a grudging, “Come in.”

Knowing she was confronting the bear in his cave, she pushed open the door but stayed outside the doorway. “Obviously you’ve had a rough afternoon,” she said gently.

He just glared at her.

“I’m not pitying you,” she said, raising both hands. “That would be the last thing I’d do. I just wondered if maybe a cup of coffee and a piece of pie or something would make you feel the tiniest bit better.”

He stared at her in astonishment, and a glimmer of humor appeared in his eyes, until he was suddenly chuckling. “Is that your solution to everything?” he teased.

“Hey, it works in my world,” she said, relieved to see his dark mood lifting.

“You’re right,” he said. “Coffee and pie would be absolutely perfect.” He looked around at the bed that he’d finally managed to get himself back into. “The trouble is, I don’t think I can go out there again. Not right now.”

“Don’t have to,” she said. “I’ve still got a few minutes. I’ll go grab you a piece.” She started to leave, then stopped and turned back. “Do you want ice cream on the pie?”

“Is the pope Catholic?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Responding with a giant eye roll, she said, “I presume that means yes.” She quickly walked down the hallway, but now she was the one wearing a big grin. Maybe she couldn’t do a whole lot for him, but just the fact that she’d gotten a smile out of him was a huge turning point.

Back in her kitchen, she cut a piece of apple pie, put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it, then added a couple blackberries on the top. Pouring a cup of coffee, she disappeared again, ignoring the grins of everyone around her. She didn’t care what they thought or that they would gossip about it after she left because, if this simple act would make one person in this place feel better, then she was all for it. The whole thing had given her a new appreciation of the food that she put out for these people. She saw with fresh eyes just how much it could mean to them to know something like an apple pie awaited them at the end of a particularly rough day.

As she approached his room, she realized the door was still open. She had left it open, knowing she was coming right back. As