Page 51 of One Sultry Summer

“Of course. Let me wrap up a few things here and I’ll be over.”

“I can watch Emily for you as well.”

“No need, she’s at Jenny and Jared’s house for the evening.”

“Oh, in that case, honey, I don’t need you, but Valerie does. She’s had a rough day. She needs someone who will listen to her or just give her a hug. I know you have feelings for her, and she could use those big shoulders of yours.”

My heart drops worryingabout what’s happening to Valerie. “Don’t worry mama, you can count on me.”

“Thank you sugar britches.”

“You’re welcome, mama.”

The line disconnected, and I wondered what happened to make Valerie upset. I tried to speed through documenting in the charts, but by the time I was done, it was eight o’clock and I hadn’t eaten yet. After I locked up the office, I swung by a drive through and ate in my car. Then I hit the road, and prayed I wasn’t too late.

Chapter 19

Valerie Masterson

After not hearing from my employer, Phoenix Construction, I decided to do more research to find out what it would take to build a hospital for the town of Skybrook. Most hospital costs are generally shared between the state and local government agencies. However, if this is going to be a non-profit hospital, money can be obtained from donors.

First thing I need to do is to talk to Mayor Hughes and see if we can apply to the state for assistance. I pick up my phone and make an appointment with her secretary. I know this is going to be a slow process, but I still want to try to get the ball rolling. Hours, and many phonecalls later, my voice was raspy. I went downstairs to get some hot tea and honey.

I lounged in the lobby, sipping tea in a comfortable chair, and gazed at the bluebonnets outside. The striking colors blended well with the afternoon sky. After a few minutes, my phone rang, and the caller identification read Steven Graves.

“Hello?” My voice remained raspy and showed no signs of improvement.

“Valerie? Are you okay? Are you ill?”

I tried to clear my throat and speak again, however, there was no change. “I might be coming down with something.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Listen, I know it’s been a crazy couple of days for you and Devin. I’d like the two of you to take some time off and recuperate. We can dive back into this at a later time.”

“Sir, did you review my proposal?”

“I did.” He paused for a brief moment, and Ihad a sneaky suspicion he would shoot it down. “At the moment, it’s not profitable for Phoenix Construction to build a hospital.”

“Mr. Graves, with all due respect, I couldn’t disagree with you more. Did you know it costs anywhere from twenty-five million to seventy-five million to construct a hospital in Texas depending on how many beds there are? Also, you can hire construction workers here locally to boost the economy. So, it’s a win-win all around.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Honestly sir, after this town was hit with a tornado, they need this. Driving a long distance to the nearest town with a hospital is utterly ridiculous. And waiting for ambulances to show up and take people to said hospitals takes even longer. If you could have seen the faces of these people as they pulled together after losing their homes or loved ones, you’d understand why I’m so adamant about the need for a hospital.” I took a breath and continued. “Mr. Graves, if you can’tfind it in your heart to reconsider, I would like to formally submit my resignation.”

“Valerie, I think you’ve become emotionally involved and you may want to reconsider.”

“Maybe I am emotionally involved. I’ll tell you right now, it’s not because I’m a woman, it’s because I’m a human being. I’ll send you my letter of resignation in the morning, Mr. Graves. Good day.” I was frustrated because I couldn’t slam the phone down in his ear.

Behind me, everyone else in the room who had overheard the conversation, gave me a small applause. Their support gave me a renewed sense of determination. I turned around, smiled at them, and said, “Thank you, everyone.” I could feel the heat on my cheeks of embarrassment from raising my voice to my former boss.

Was I crazy? I was being impulsive and acting without thinking. But somehow, their support reassured me that I was doing the right thing. I knew I had to stand up for what I believed in,even if it meant taking a risky step, like quitting.

I’m sure the adrenaline will wear off later tonight, then I’ll fully understand what I’ve done, and panic will eventually set in. For now, I’m going to celebrate the victory of standing up for what is right.

My throat still feels very raw. I should have this looked at, if not better by tomorrow morning. I take a sip of tea, which has become room temperature, and let the honey coat my throat. Behind me, I could hear a group of familiar female voices.

“Valerie, there you are. We stopped at your room to see if you wanted to eat dinner.” Rae’s outfit was a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with the saying that read. ‘I like my men, how I like my coffee. (Sliding off the roof of my car).’Her strawberry-blonde hair was braided into a loose ponytail. She looked relaxed and comfortable enough to look like she was a local.

“Do you want to eat out, or eat here?”

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