Page 56 of The Forever Formula
I dialed his number, but there was no answer. I was going to have to give up for tonight.
Maybe he just needed more time to cool off. I’d find him soon enough, and we’d figure this whole thing out.
Hopefully.
25
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Rachel
Noah could hold a grudge. I hadn’t known that about him.
A few days passed, and he managed to ignore all my texts. I was feeling entirely tilted off my axis, but I wasn’t about to let another man dominate my world. Kodiak Canyon was going to be my home now. It was time to get on with life.
With the renovations I could manage myself complete, I worked upstairs in the loft while a company sanded the hardwood floors. I hadn’t opened my laptop in forever, it seemed. My email, mostly junk, had really piled up. After sifting through it, I clicked the message Megan had sent me with a link from a nurse who had written a detailed blog on how to start a home-care business.
The steps seemed manageable. First thing was to apply for a business license, set up a website, and get a phone number.
I spent most of the day on the setup tasks. When my phone pinged, I leaped up and crossed to grab it from the bed. Hopeful it was Noah, I let out a little sigh of disappointment before recovering. After all, it was my old friend Stephanie asking if I was free for lunch.
My stomach growled in response, and we made plans to meet in thirty minutes downtown.
Parking Grandpa’s old red truck—I had gotten much better at driving it, for the record—I couldn’t help the smile on my face. The lunch spot was loaded with happy memories. I’d skipped classes to eat lunch here, hanging out over a single plate of fries for hours. Those poor waitresses ... I’m sure we tipped like crap and spent next to nothing all night. I made a note to myself to leave a bigger than usual tip to make up for it a little.
“Rach!” Stephanie shouted and hopped up to hug me.
The waitress showed up to get my drink order before we could even sit down. I ordered a diet soda and then turned to Stephanie.
“You off work today?” I asked her.
She blushed. “We only work a few days a week. The perks of owning your own business.” She lifted her glass of iced tea victoriously.
“I think I’m about to join those ranks,” I said, and filled her in all the details about my travel-nurse plans.
“That’s actually great to know, because Nathan’s grandma is getting to the point where she really does need someone to stop by and check on her from time to time. As soon as you’re ready, we’ll be your first clients.”
This community continued to remind me how important it was to have a network of close friends who looked out for you.
“I’d be happy to stop by anytime she needs me,” I said, and I really meant it. I didn’t have a family of my own anymore. The people of this community were my family now.
Stephanie sipped her tea thoughtfully. “Businesswoman to businesswoman, let me give you some advice. Don’t do things for free, even for friends and family. If they love you, they should be happy to pay for your hard work.”
My face scrunched up. “I’d feel bad charging friends and family.”
Stephanie waved her hand in the air as if to swat the thought away. “Nonsense. Anyway, in this town, everyone is friends or family. So, you’ll need to get over that quickly.”
I chuckled. She was right, of course.
It would be important to take my work seriously and make sure the business paid for itself. After all, there were license fees I’d have to cover, medical supply costs, gas and mileage ... I’d know more when I had time to figure out the costs.
“Now I have to show you my beautiful baby. I know I’ve becomethatmom, but I just have to get it out of the way.” She pulled out her phone and held it out to me.
“You have a baby? I absolutely have to see.”
I took the phone and flipped through the photos of a beautiful baby girl, blue-eyed with blond curls and big chubby cheeks. She was cute enough to be a baby model.
“Stephanie, my word. She’s gorgeous.”
