Dr. Bonebrake chuckled. “Try fifteen minutes the next time. There are plenty of free apps you can download onto your phone. People rest their bodies, but they forget about giving breaks to their minds. Anyway, you are good to go. I’ve got a prescription that doesn’t require a pharmacy. Avoid stress. Your body will thank you.”
“That’s good advice, and I promise I’ll do my best to follow through with it,” I said. “By the way, do you like baked potatoes?”
“Love them,” he said.
“Come look for me at the food festival,” I said, handing him my business card. “Lunch is on me.”
“Never pass up a free lunch or a baked potato,” he said, grinning. “I’ll see you there. Thank you.”
I smiled, feeling a sense of relief from the news, then walked toward the reception area to share the good news with Lucas.
Lita gestured toward the door. “He’s outside. He had to make a phone call.”
I thanked her, then walked outside, trying not to listen to his conversation as he leaned against his car.
“Okay, thanks,” Lucas said. “I’ll keep you updated.” He disconnected the call and looked up. “Rolando and Savannah are available to help you today with whatever you need.”
“Wow . . .” I blinked. “How did you get them to do that?”
“There was no arm-twisting involved. Rolando volunteered. Then Savannah overheard him talking to me and said she wanted to help as well.”
“Honestly, I could use the help,” I said. “That was really sweet of Savannah, considering she doesn’t even know me well.”
Lucas nodded. “She’s always been like that. Very generous.”
“And gorgeous, too.”
He studied me, then chuckled. “You want to know why we broke up, don’t you?”
I wrinkled my nose and admitted, “It had crossed my mind.”
“That was one-hundred percent my fault,” Lucas said, surprising me. “I was so obsessed with making something happen with my career that I completely neglected her. So I was an idiot.”
“Hey—we all make mistakes,” I said, trying to console him. “Believe me, I’ve had my share.”
It was funny, because Lucas was doing the exact opposite with me; he was obsessed with making sure I was okay, and completely neglecting his job.
We left his car in the parking lot of the clinic and walked across the street and into the reception area of Axel’s repair shop.
Axel glanced up at us, then hung up his phone, a concerned look on his face. “I was just about to call you.”
I didn’t like the tone of his voice. If he told me he wasn’t finished with my truck, I was going to scream.
I hesitated, studying him. “Why do I have the feeling you have some bad news for me? Please don’t tell me the truck isn’t ready.”
“Oh, I’m afraid it’s a lot worse than that.” Axel frowned. “Your truck was stolen.”
I grabbed onto Lucas’s arm as I staggered, immediately thinking of what Dr. Bonebrake had just told me.
I’ve got a prescription that doesn’t require a pharmacy.
Avoid stress.
Your body will thank you.
It was much too late for that.
This was the worst possible news I could have received.