Summer of Love Marie Ferrarella (easy books to read in english TXT) 📖

rejected the thought about using Everett’s cell phone number. She was going to try his office phone number first—and pray that she got through that way.

Tapping out the number on her landline, Lila found herself connected to a recording with a list of menu options.

Feeling unusually short-tempered, Lila nearly hung up at that point. But she forced herself to stay on. This was about the kids, she reminded herself. The kids, not her. She needed to try every available possibility.

After dutifully listening to the selections, she pressed “Number 4 for Dr. Fortunado.”

That connected her to yet another recording, which asked her to leave her name, phone number and a brief message. The recording promised her a return call within twenty-four hours. It didn’t sound reassuring, but she supposed that it was better than nothing.

The second the “beep” went off, Lila began talking.

“Everett, it’s Lila. I’m sorry to bother you like this, but we’ve been hit really hard with this flu epidemic. I’m down two doctors, not to mention a number of staff members. Every backup physician I’ve called is already handling too many patients—if they’re not sick themselves. I’m totally out of options, otherwise I wouldn’t be bothering you. I know you’re an internist and not a family practitioner, but to put it quite simply, I’m desperate. A lot of the people I interact with are down with this flu and I need help.

“If you’re too busy to return this call, I’ll understand. However, I hope you’ll consider it. You can reach me in my office, or on my cell.” She proceeded to recite both numbers slowly. “I hope to hear from you soon, but like I said, if you decide you can’t help, I’ll understand.”

With that, she hung up and desperately tried to think of some other course of action. Maybe she could try physicians’ assistants in the area. The way she saw it, it was any port in a storm at this point.

But she just ran into wall after wall.

Lila was beginning to think that the situation was hopeless.

And then her phone rang.

Snatching the receiver up, she cried, “This is Lila Clark,” as she literally crossed her fingers, hoping that one of the many, many doctors she had called today was calling back to tell her that after due consideration, they had found a way to spare a few hours to work with the needy families.

“Lila,” the deep voice on the other end of the line said. “It’s Everett.”

Chapter Six

As the sound of his voice registered, Lila felt as if everything had suddenly ground to a standstill all around her.

But maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her, or she had just heard incorrectly and thought it was Everett calling her. Someone else might have said that wishful thinking was to blame, but she refused to call it that.

Rousing herself, Lila asked in a small, stilted voice, “Everett?”

“Yes.”

She exhaled a shaky breath before saying his name, as if to make certain that it really was him calling. “Everett.”

Had he gotten her message? Lila wondered. Or was this just a coincidence and he was calling because she hadn’t acknowledged the roses he’d sent her? Taking nothing for granted, Lila replied, “I called you earlier today—”

“Yes, I know,” he responded. “About a flu epidemic you’re having in Austin. That’s the reason I’m calling back. If you still need me, I can be there by tomorrow morning.”

Relief swept over her, drenching her like a huge tidal wave and stealing her breath. Lila was certain she now understood how lottery winners felt.

“Oh, I need you,” she said with feeling, and then she realized how that must have sounded to him. Mortified, Lila immediately backtracked. “That is... I mean—”

She heard Everett laugh softly. That same old laugh that used to make her skin tingle and had warm thoughts flowing all through her, fast and heavy.

“That’s okay, I know what you meant,” Everett assured her. “Are you really that short-handed out there?”

Looking at the mounting stack of calls on her desk, almost all requesting help, she stifled a groan. “You have no idea.”

“Well, you can give me a tour and let me see what you’re up against when I get there tomorrow,” he told her.

She knew that Everett had his own practice and that he was going to have to make arrangements on his end in order to accommodate her, even for one day. It didn’t take a genius to know that that he was really going out of his way for her.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate this, Everett,” Lila began.

Everett cut her short. “I’m a doctor,” he replied simply. “This is what I do.” She heard papers being moved around on his end. “I should be able to get in by eight. Where should I meet you?”

This was really happening, she thought. Everett was actually coming to her rescue, despite the way everything had ended between them the last time they saw one another. Relief and gratitude mingled with a sharp twinge of guilt within her.

“Why don’t we meet at the Fortune Foundation?” she suggested to him. “And we can go from there.”

Lila went on to give him the address of the building, although that would have been easy enough for him to look up if he wanted to. She told him which floor she was on as well as the number of her office.

“I can wait outside the building for you if that’ll be easier,” Lila added.

“That won’t be necessary,” Everett assured her. “They taught me how to count in medical school.”

Had she just insulted him somehow? Afraid of saying something wrong, Lila felt as if she was stumbling over her own tongue. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Lila,” Everett raised his voice as he cut into her words. When she abruptly stopped talking, he told her, “Stop apologizing.”

She took a deep breath, trying to center herself and regroup. None of this was easy for her. Not when it came to Everett. “Um, I guess