Page 13 of The Soul Never Forgets

“The office closes at five o’clock. You’ll have to come back during office hours when you have an appointment.”

“My name is Caroline Beaumont. I have an appointment. He asked me to come in today after work. He’s aware that it would be a little after five before I could make it.”

“I think there’s been some kind of confusion, ma'am.” She tosses her purse into her car and closes the door. “Come inside, and we’ll figure out what’s going on.”

She flicks her hand in the direction of the chairs in the waiting room. “Wait here while I speak with Dr. Wescott.”

The waiting room is dark and quiet. It lacks the stress-reducing music normally playing overhead. It’s a very different room from the calm, relaxing atmosphere that a patient experiences during normal business hours.

The receptionist returns a moment later. “Dr. Wescott will see you now.”

She leads me down the hallway to his office, and Dr. Wes is sitting behind his desk when I enter the room. His eyes meet mine, and I feel the vibration of his soul from across the room. It’s buzzing with heady delight.

The receptionist stands at the doorway looking all out of sorts. “Should I check Miss Beaumont in?”

“No, none of the usual stuff will be necessary. Thank you, Cathy.”

“Should I leave the door open?” It’s a question but it also feels like a suggestion.

“Either is fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”

A moment passes before the woman realizes she’s been dismissed. She whirls around on her heels and leaves, the door remaining open. I can’t help but feel like it’s a silent message intended for me.

Dr. Wes smiles and gets up from his desk. He walks around to the seating area, his notepad in hand. “Hello again.”

“Hello.”

“I appreciate you coming in today. I’m glad you were able to make time in your schedule.”

“I’m happy to be here.” Very happy.

He gestures to the facing sofas. “Will you be choosing face-to-face today, or would you like to try something different?”

“Face-to-face. I like the eye contact.” There’s no way I would choose to miss out on seeing his reaction when I tell him about our past lives.

He taps the side of his head two times. “Noted.”

Lifting the legal pad, he flips to the next page. “Did you have a nice day?”

“It was good. I started a new restoration today and that’s always fun.”

“What’s fun about the start of a new project?”

“It’s when I get to choose the style and design of the house, which is more fun than stripping thirty layers of paint off of a two-hundred-year-old door.”

“I’m sure the end result is satisfying but” —he blows a raspberry— “the process of making it beautiful must be tons of work.”

“It’s hard work but all part of the job. I’ll let you in on a little secret though.” I lower my voice. “I have employees who do most of the work for me.”

“Having your own crew must be nice.”

“It is. I employ twelve people, and I’m hoping to hire three more as soon as possible. We’re drowning.” I had to turn down two jobs just this week.

“Drowning is a good problem to have. It means your work is in high demand.”

He’s in high demand. I’m in high demand. We make quite the pair.

“We’re booked out for fourteen months.”

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