way with the renovations, but there was still a lot to be done before we would be able to open. In the meantime, we would be splitting our time between here and the hospital.
“You’re sure you rescheduled with all our patients for this morning, right?” I asked, following him inside.
After I’d told him that it was time to make the practice our priority, he’d beamed at me and then told me he had news. We had our first couple of sessions, but he’d cleared the rest of our day so we could be here when the sign got delivered.
He’d also promised that he’d stocked up on beer. Once the sign was up, we planned on having one to celebrate. Day drinking wasn’t really my thing, but I figured the occasion merited one damn beer. Even if I was doubtful that whatever name would be on the sign would be the one we stuck with.
He turned to face me with a shake of his head. “Of course, I contacted all the patients. Who do you take me for?”
“Someone who’s very excited about his express order and may well have skipped one or two names on our list.”
“I didn’t skip anyone.” He let out a long-suffering sigh, but humor lit his eyes. “Now, are you ready to find out what our name is going to be?”
I looked over my shoulder to see a delivery van pulling up outside. Apprehension rolled through me, but I gave him a tight nod. “Sure. Let’s see what you’ve come up with this time.”
We walked to the curb, but Hunter motioned for me to stay back while he signed for the order. A man who was almost as big as he was heaved a package out of the bag and handed it over, causing Hunter to slump a bit before he adjusted to the weight.
“Whenever you’re ready for the main signage to be created, just let us know,” the man said. “Those will take longer to manufacture, so the turnaround will be a few weeks before they get delivered.”
Hunter nodded. “I understand. Thanks for the effort you guys put into getting this to us so fast. I just need to confirm with my partner, but we’ll be in touch.”
“We hope to hear from you soon.” He gave us each a curt nod before climbing back into the van and taking off.
Hunter held the sign so close to his chest that I still couldn’t see the name. He smirked and carried it past me. “This one is only the sign that will go up behind the reception desk. If you approve of it, I can order the signage for outside, stickers for the equipment, and stationery.”
“You have to show it to me before I can approve of it,” I said.
His smirk grew before he turned his back on me and disappeared inside. When I walked in after him, he was holding it up behind the plastic-covered desk that was currently the only furniture occupying the space.
He held it almost exactly where we’d decided the divider would go, high enough that I could see it from the steps. The font he’d chosen was bold but playful with clear, clean lines and cupped hands below the words.
It read “The Helping Hands,” and was absolutely fucking perfect. I scowled at it for a moment to build suspense, then broke into a wide grin and started clapping.
“This may just be your finest achievement,” I said. “I can’t believe it, but I think you’ve really done it.”
“You’re serious?” He set the sign down carefully on the desk and narrowed his eyes at me. “I mean it. You’re not fucking with me right now, are you?”
“Definitely not. I love it.” I walked up to him and opened my arms. “Bring it in, man. Well done.”
He enveloped me in a bear hug and thumped my back so hard I was afraid I might cough up a lung after, but it was worth it. When he finally stepped back, he jabbed a thumb up at our office. “Beer?”
“Beer,” I said, turning to walk up the staircase.
Our office was the only part of the practice that was already fully functional. We had a desk each, computers that had been set up, and even a few couches. In a room right off from the office, there were even two futons in case we ended up working late and decided to crash here.
Hunter also insisted they could be used for naps, but I was hopeful we wouldn’t have time