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That would have been a good time to mention it to me, don t you think? With more annoyance than she usually exhibited, Gail said, Goodness, why are you grilling me about this? You ve never asked one question about Dan s farm or his career or his likes and dislikes. It seems odd to me that you re so focused on the fact that you didn t know about his daughter. It seems odd to me that you didn t tell me. Erin hadn t changed the tone or volume of her voice, but her mother was clearly uncomfortable to be under her level, calm gaze. I didn t think it was important! A little stunned by the force of the reply, Erin stepped back a bit. I didn t mean to upset you. I m not upset, she said, even though it was obvious that she was. It would just be nice if you were as interested in Dan as you are in his daughter. Erin pursed her lips and rolled her eyes slightly. I think we ve reached an impasse. I ll try to show more interest in Dan, since it s clear you re serious about him. That would be nice, Gail said. I am interested in him. And I ve asked you to join us several times. I d like it if you d get to know him better. You re right. I ll tag along sometime after he gets back. Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes, and Erin reluctantly went upstairs to change clothes. She didn t have any idea why her mother was so skittish about Katie, but she was certain she wasn t going to find out today. Page 50 Chapter Four n Sunday night, Katie called Erin on her home number. Hi, she said O when Erin answered. This is Katie Quinn, lawyer and stalker. Hello. I didn t expect to hear from you. You don t mind that I m calling, do you? I got your number from directory assistance. No, of course not. What s up? I ve been up there two times, and each time, I forgot to give you the cookies I bought for you and Madge. Oh. Well, you could bring them the next time you visit your dad s place. Yeah, I could, but he won t be back until spring. Maybe I ll head up there sometime and spend the weekend. It might be nice to get out of the city. Don t waste a trip up here just for Madge and me, but if you like peace and quiet, Essex is the place to be. There was a lengthy pause. Erin wondered if she was supposed to say something, but she was fairly certain it was Katie s turn to talk. She was proven correct when Katie said, What do you do for fun on a weekend? Nothing much. I love to be outside, and I love the cold, so I ski and snowshoe. I love to fish, too, but I reserve winter for winter sports. Fishing sucks, but I love winter sports, too. I can t imagine why people live around here when they don t like to be outside. The lure of warmer climates would pull me away if I hated snow as much as some do. What about nightlife? Erin chuckled. The library is open until seven on Thursday, and the diner s open until nine Monday through Saturday. They close at three on Sunday, though, so don t expect much action on the Sabbath. Whew! How do you keep up with it all? Susan X Meagher It s not easy. I ve learned to pace myself. Do the people around there know how lucky they are? I thought they stopped making doctors like you fifty years ago. There are plenty of doctors like me. A lot of small towns have done what Essex did. Which is what? They paid for me to go to medical school, and in return, they own me. Erin laughed, but her laugh didn t sound very jolly. I m just kidding. I don t feel owned, but I do have a contract that spells out how the town wants me to practice medicine. And one of the things that s important is to have a lot of personal contact with my patients. And not take money for that contact. I take money, Erin demurred. I just try not to take more than people have. Abruptly, Katie switched topics. So, tell me more about your mother. I didn t tell you anything about my mother. Old lawyer trick. I learned it from an old lawyer. Sometimes I can get somebody to tell me something if they think they re just adding on to what they ve already said. You don t have to trick me into talking about my mom. She s great. She seems to like your dad, but to be honest, we haven t talked about him or her dating him much. We re both a little uncomfortable about it, I think. So, she really hasn t dated much, huh? No, she hasn t. I don t know if this is fair to ask, but you don t think your dad is going to hurt her, do you? She s pretty inexperienced. Honestly? I don t know. He s dated a lot of women, but I don t know how serious he s been about any of them. You ve given me the impression that you don t see each other a lot. How do you know about the women he s dated? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |