looked at me curiously. “What was that about?”
I shrugged. “I don't know exactly. Nubbin called to scold me about Charlie and, then, some lady called to ask if I was home. What is it? I come home early and everyone decides to lose their minds?”
Just then, there were hard footsteps, marching up my front porch stairs.
“Who is that now?” Ruby asked, looking out the kitchen window. Her eyes went wide. She turned to look at Hank. “Uh oh.”
Margie immediately rushed to the door and pulled the door open, yelling, “Caught you, thief!”
A woman yelped. “Oh, you scared me! Where's Mercedes?”
It was the same woman from the phone call.
Ruby stepped in front of me as I made my way from the kitchen table to the front door in the living room. “Now, Mercy, I'm going to need you to remain calm.”
“Wait. What? What are you talking about? That's the woman from the phone. I recognize her voice.” I tried to move around her.
Mercy opened her mouth to protest, but her cell phone rang in her pocket and, being the supervisor of Nightingale Nurses, the traveling nurses agency that we worked for, she was obligated to answer all of her calls in case there was an emergency.
She answered her phone, “This is Ruby Nickles, the on-call supervisor.”
No wonder the woman's voice was so familiar, she was the housekeeper I'd helped my ex-husband find to clean his house a couple of days a week, because his cleaning skills were severely lacking. I should know – I lived with him.
“Kitty?” I asked. “How nice to see you. Was that you that just called me a few minutes ago?”
She pulled me in for a hug before noticing Ruby and Hank.
“Oh, hi! I'm so glad you're both here too. I was going to call you. Now, I can cross off a couple of more items on my wedding to-do list.” Kitty said.
It took me a good five minutes of staring at Ruby's stunned face to connect the dots. “You're marrying James?” I didn't mean to sound rude, but if memory served me right, Kitty Corker was a good fifteen years older than I was. That put her at about ten years older than James.
“Yes, I'm so glad that you introduced us. I can't tell you how much my life has changed for the better.” Kitty beamed like a blushing bride, while I fought to keep the contents of my stomach from escaping through the gaping hole in my face – my mouth.
Ruby spoke. “Honey, sorry, but that was the office. Someone has requested you for a job here in town.”
“Me, specifically?” I sounded on the verge of tears.
“Yes, Nathaniel Rich. Do you know him? He asked for you specifically. I thought you were going to take a couple of weeks off?” Ruby asked.
“I don't know anyone named Nathaniel,” I said. Things were moving too fast and none of it made any sense.
“Oh, that was me,” Kitty giggled. “I used to work for him and he asked me if I knew of some good nurses that could help care for his ten-year-old grandson. I recommended you. James says you're the best he knows. And, speaking of Jimmy, he told me that you would never go for this, but I think we're about to prove him wrong.”
Jimmy? He hated to be called Jimmy.
“I'm on vacation.” I answered, angered by her nerve. Who was she to volunteer me for any assignment? We weren't friends. She was just someone that a former patient of mine recommended to me. Now, I wish I'd never brought her into my life.
“Oh, but they are really nice people and little Cash is such a good boy. He's tons of fun.” Kitty said.
I couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask. “When did you start dating James? Last I heard, he was happy being single and when did you decide that you wanted to be called Katherine and...”
Ruby interrupted before I really got going. “Kitty, this is a lot to take in right now. How about we head on out of here and let Mercy get settled in for a bit?”
Kitty looked like
I shrugged. “I don't know exactly. Nubbin called to scold me about Charlie and, then, some lady called to ask if I was home. What is it? I come home early and everyone decides to lose their minds?”
Just then, there were hard footsteps, marching up my front porch stairs.
“Who is that now?” Ruby asked, looking out the kitchen window. Her eyes went wide. She turned to look at Hank. “Uh oh.”
Margie immediately rushed to the door and pulled the door open, yelling, “Caught you, thief!”
A woman yelped. “Oh, you scared me! Where's Mercedes?”
It was the same woman from the phone call.
Ruby stepped in front of me as I made my way from the kitchen table to the front door in the living room. “Now, Mercy, I'm going to need you to remain calm.”
“Wait. What? What are you talking about? That's the woman from the phone. I recognize her voice.” I tried to move around her.
Mercy opened her mouth to protest, but her cell phone rang in her pocket and, being the supervisor of Nightingale Nurses, the traveling nurses agency that we worked for, she was obligated to answer all of her calls in case there was an emergency.
She answered her phone, “This is Ruby Nickles, the on-call supervisor.”
No wonder the woman's voice was so familiar, she was the housekeeper I'd helped my ex-husband find to clean his house a couple of days a week, because his cleaning skills were severely lacking. I should know – I lived with him.
“Kitty?” I asked. “How nice to see you. Was that you that just called me a few minutes ago?”
She pulled me in for a hug before noticing Ruby and Hank.
“Oh, hi! I'm so glad you're both here too. I was going to call you. Now, I can cross off a couple of more items on my wedding to-do list.” Kitty said.
It took me a good five minutes of staring at Ruby's stunned face to connect the dots. “You're marrying James?” I didn't mean to sound rude, but if memory served me right, Kitty Corker was a good fifteen years older than I was. That put her at about ten years older than James.
“Yes, I'm so glad that you introduced us. I can't tell you how much my life has changed for the better.” Kitty beamed like a blushing bride, while I fought to keep the contents of my stomach from escaping through the gaping hole in my face – my mouth.
Ruby spoke. “Honey, sorry, but that was the office. Someone has requested you for a job here in town.”
“Me, specifically?” I sounded on the verge of tears.
“Yes, Nathaniel Rich. Do you know him? He asked for you specifically. I thought you were going to take a couple of weeks off?” Ruby asked.
“I don't know anyone named Nathaniel,” I said. Things were moving too fast and none of it made any sense.
“Oh, that was me,” Kitty giggled. “I used to work for him and he asked me if I knew of some good nurses that could help care for his ten-year-old grandson. I recommended you. James says you're the best he knows. And, speaking of Jimmy, he told me that you would never go for this, but I think we're about to prove him wrong.”
Jimmy? He hated to be called Jimmy.
“I'm on vacation.” I answered, angered by her nerve. Who was she to volunteer me for any assignment? We weren't friends. She was just someone that a former patient of mine recommended to me. Now, I wish I'd never brought her into my life.
“Oh, but they are really nice people and little Cash is such a good boy. He's tons of fun.” Kitty said.
I couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask. “When did you start dating James? Last I heard, he was happy being single and when did you decide that you wanted to be called Katherine and...”
Ruby interrupted before I really got going. “Kitty, this is a lot to take in right now. How about we head on out of here and let Mercy get settled in for a bit?”
Kitty looked like
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