Doctor's Secret - K.C. Crowne Page 0,1
wasn’t a good job, Dad – I was substitute teaching.”
“Small jobs are steps on the path to a big one. But like I said, it’s in the past.”
“And that’s where it’s going to stay,” I said definitively.
A rapid-fire series of knocks sounded from my apartment front door, the noise sudden enough to make my heart jump up into my throat and interrupting our conversation.
“What was that?” Dad asked.
Once my jangled nerves calmed, I realized who it was – no doubt with a knock like that. I stepped over to the door and put my eye up to the peep hole. A bright, pearl-white smile on a trim face surrounded by loose black curls was on the other side.
I grinned and told him, “It’s Gia.”
“Tell her hi for me,” he said.
“Of course. Anyway, Dad, thanks for everything, and sorry if I’m being stubborn. I really appreciate your help.”
“Of course, kid. And you know I’m there for you no matter what.”
We said our I love yous and hung up just in time for another blast of knocks to fill the apartment.
“Coming, coming,” I called as I slipped my phone back into my pocket and headed to the door. I opened it and there she was bottle of sauvignon blanc in her hand.
“Hey!” she trilled. “I’d ask if you were busy, but the whole unemployment thing…”
“Har-har,” I responded, stepping aside and letting her in. “What’s going on?”
“Wine – that’s what’s going on,” she said, setting the bottle of wine on the tiny kitchen table and not wasting a moment rifling through my drawers to find the corkscrew and a pair of glasses. Once she found the opener, she quickly plucked out the cork and filled the glasses, handing one to me.
I glanced at the cheap, Target clock hanging on the wall. “Might be a little early for me.”
Gia waved her hand through the air, dismissing the idea. “It’s past five. And I don’t know what you’ve been up to, but I bet you deserve a break.” She plopped down on the couch and crossed her legs, her big curls bouncing voluminously.
“I think you need to actually be doing stuff to earn a break,” I commented, gently sitting down next to her. “And how did you even get in the building?”
She reached into her pocket and took out a key. “Helped you move in, remember? Got the spare.” I gave her a look. “You want it back or something?”
“Nah, hang onto it. But at least shoot me a text before dropping in.”
“Please,” she said, giving me a come on now look. “Like you’ve ever had a problem with my little drop-ins before.”
I smiled at her. Since we were kids, Gia had always been the spontaneous one, loving to make plans on the fly, structuring her day around whatever mood she was in. I, on the other hand, preferred to have some kind of organization to my life. Another reason the whole unemployment thing wasn’t working out for me.
“And speaking of check-ins,” she asked after sipping her wine. “How’s life in fabulous White Pines working out for you?” To make her point, she got up and walked over to the window, pulling open the curtains. The sight outside my window was nothing short of breathtaking.
White Pines was about the quietest, most picturesque little mountain town I could imagine. The view from my window looked down onto the main drag of downtown, both sides of the street clustered with mom-and-pop shops, the road leading to a diamond-shaped park just before city hall. The Rocky Mountains rose in the distance, their tops capped with white peaks, their slopes covered in deep-green pines. It was winter, so they were dusted with snow, accounting for the name of the town. The sun was beginning to set, the sky above the mountains a brilliant orange.
“Well,” I said. “I wanted a change of pace from Denver, and that’s exactly what I got.”
“That’s right,” Gia agreed, cheerfully raising her finger. “You’re going to love it here. It’s chill and laid-back and friendly and, most importantly, I’m here and there are no asshole lawyers who will randomly leave you for no damn good reason.”
I laughed. “That you know of.”
“True, true,” she admitted, sitting down. “Place could be lousy with jackass men. I mean, not like I haven’t found a few of them myself.”
“Dating’s the last thing on my mind right now. I just want to get a job, find some stability, and start my new life.”
“Girl, you know I’m right there with you.