Page 28 of Love on the Run

“No, not really,” Callie said before she could stop herself.

“What’s wrong?”

She blinked at the enormity of that simple question.“A lot.But nothing that you can help with, so don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm,” was Jake’s only reply.Callie chanced a look, since he was focused on the road. From what she could tell, he wasn’t in the best of moods.Unsmiling, and less at ease than he appeared before.She hoped he wouldn’t take her refusal to talk personally. But, then, how else could he take it?As she gazed at his profile, she caught herself wanting to reach out and touch him.Bad idea, Callie.She resolutely turned her head again to face the window.

When they pulled up to the clinic, it was clear that they were not the only visitors this time. Several cars sat parked in the small lot. Jake opened Callie’s door and led her into the office.

“Looks busy,” he said. “Might be a while.”

“At least I’m not an emergency case this time,” Callie pointed out. She was perfectly content waiting in the air-conditioned office, now that the outside temperatures had started to climb.Or perhaps she was feverish.In any case, she wasn’t going anywhere, so she decided not to worry.

The receptionist nodded when she saw Jake and Callie. “Hello.Just have a seat. Doc will be a bit—one of the Cullens broke his ankle skateboarding.”

Jake nodded, pointing Callie to a seat.She watched the others in the waiting room, particularly the children, several of whom were running around the room playing tag. The receptionist appeared again a moment later. “Jake, Dr. Murphy wants to know if you can come back and talk to Mrs. Cullen about her son.”

“What about him?”

“Come back and find out.”

So Jake stood up again. “Interesting. I’ll be back.” He vanished into the back of the office.

Callie sat back in her chair, idly watching the kids. One of them, a girl with long, shining, rich brown hair, came up to her.

“What’s your name? Are you famous?”

“Callie. Why would you think I’m famous?”

“You’re not from here. And because you’re pretty.”

“Well, you’re pretty, and you’re not famous.”

“But I’m a kid.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not famous.Besides, lots of pretty people aren’t famous, and lots of famous people aren’t pretty. Looks aren’t important anyway. Have you ever heard the saying ‘Pretty is as pretty does?’”

“No. What does it mean?”

“It means how you behave is more important than what you look like in a mirror.”

The girl thought about it. “I’d still like to be pretty.”

“What’s your name?” Callie asked, laughing.

“Jessica,” the girl replied.“I’m eleven.My brother’s going to get into a lot of trouble.” She nodded toward the examining rooms.

“Just because he got hurt?I’m sure he won’t get into trouble for that, sweetheart. Accidents happen.”

“No, he’s gonna get in trouble because he was bad. He was smoking,” she confided to Callie.

“Well, why’d he do something so silly?Isn’t your brother smarter than that?”

“His friends all smoke, so Jeff did it. Mom found a whole pack of cigarettes in his jacket when he fell this morning.He’s going togetit.”

Callie smiled inwardly at the girl’s vehemence. “Your mom doesn’t like that stuff too much, does she?”

“No way. But Jeff says there’s nothing else to do around here.”

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