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I didn’t really mean to say it out loud.”

Chapter Five
    Denise was waiting in the hallway between the exam rooms and the lounge with an expectant look on her face. Joy handed Mr. Torbin’s file to Chloe and then turned to Denise. “Everything okay?”
    “It’s another beautiful foggy day in Raceda. What more could we ask for?”
    “Coffee?” Chloe asked.
    Joy went over to the coffeemaker. “After three weeks, you’d think I’d be able to figure out this machine.” A half-inch of rust-colored water filled the bottom of the pot. “I used to drink two espressos every morning made in these little stamped metal cups, and on busy days, a mocha in the afternoon. Today anything hot and caffeinated would do. It doesn’t need to be fancy.”
    “It’s not you. I’ve tried my best tricks and got nothing in return,” Denise said. “That workhorse has brewed its last cup. But I’ve got good news.”
    “The rest of the day’s appointments canceled and we can go home?” Chloe asked. She looked hopeful.
    Denise arched her eyebrows at Chloe. “No.” She turned to Joy and continued, “A sales rep from that software company I was telling you about called. She’s in the area and offered to pick up doughnuts and coffee.”
    “Sales reps don’t count as good news,” Joy said.
    Denise turned the same tight smile she’d given to Chloe on Joy. “Beggars can’t be choosers. She was going to drop off some information about her company, but I told her we would be more receptive if she had coffee with her.”
    “I like the way you think,” Joy agreed.
    “Sales reps have got a hard job,” Denise said. “But I’m not about to make it any easier unless I get a doughnut out of it. Everyone’s got a job to do.”
    “And I’m allowed to hate some people’s choice in careers,” Joy said.
    “I’ll let you know as soon as she gets here.” Denise tapped the coffeemaker. “By the way, I’m buying you a new one this weekend. It’ll be a welcome present from me to you. Don’t try arguing.”
    “You don’t have to do that, Denise,” Joy protested. “We can budget for a new one—maybe even a Keurig—as soon as I clear this next month’s bills.”
    Both Chloe and Helen lingered in the hallway. They glanced from Denise to Joy.
    Helen finally said, “You said it yourself, Dr. Henderson, we don’t need fancy. We just need coffee. And I don’t think I’ll be able to keep us on schedule if we wait till the end of the month.”
    Maybe Denise really wanted to give her a gift. It was her father’s pride, not her own, that she was wrestling. She’d finally taken the time to go through everything on her father’s desk and found several bills that had been overlooked. Two bills were due a month before her father passed. Knowing that he’d missed payments made her wonder how the last few months had gone. He hadn’t mentioned any problems, but she was beginning to wonder if he’d kept it from everyone. Whatever had happened, or not happened, reality was that money was going to be tight for the next couple months. “You’re right. Okay.”
    Denise unplugged the coffeemaker. “All right. No farewell party for this piece of junk.”
    “Your next one—Mrs. Robbins—mentioned that she thinks she needs a new prescription. Blurry vision. But her glasses were so smudged I could hardly see through the lenses. I cleaned them for her already.” Chloe handed the file to Joy and then added, “By the way, she brought you a little present. And she started crying when she sat down in the chair. Helen said she was one of Dr. Sam’s old friends.”
    “Thanks for the heads up.” Joy wished she could wait for coffee and a doughnut before seeing another patient. No one wanted Sam Henderson’s daughter to replace him as the town’s favorite optometrist. Joy didn’t blame them. She flipped open Mrs. Clarissa Robbins’s file and straightened her back. Chin up , she heard her father say.
     
    Chloe handed Joy a cup of coffee