Page 40 of Gareth

Gareth gave a huff of laughter. “Shut up. You’re just jealous that she’s not wanting your attention.”

Jay held up his hands. “No way. She’s all yours.”

“I’m glad she’s been a good doctor, but personally, I just don’t like her.” Gareth frowned. “I will not get into a relationship with her just so I’m married to a doctor. That’s what worked for Mom and Dad, but I doubt they’d want me to marry for that reason.”

“That’s true. They haven’t hidden their thoughts on who we should pursue for a relationship. None of their advice was based on the job a person had.”

“I think they’ll support us letting Nora go as long as we have someone to replace her,” Gareth said. “I’m going to talk with them about the issues we’ve been dealing with.”

Jay took on a surprisingly thoughtful expression. “If it looks like we’ve found some viable candidates, I think you need to give Nora one more chance.”

“What?” Gareth frowned at him. “Why? I’ve already told her several times to back off.”

“I get that, but perhaps if she thinks her job here is truly at risk, she’ll smarten up.”

“But do you really want her to stay on?” Gareth asked. “Knowing that she could slip back into this jealous, possessive attitude at a moment’s notice? None of us want to have to walk on eggshells around her. Already I can see that Aria is wary of her.”

Jay nodded. “But the unfortunate thing is that good receptionists are probably easier to come by than good female doctors who want to move to a small town. And like you’ve said, she does a great job with the patients.”

Anger burned through Gareth at Jay’s dismissal of Aria. “So you’re saying that we shouldn’t care how Aria feels? That because she’s not a doctor, she isn’t entitled to a good work environment here?”

“You know that’s not what I’m saying,” Jay said. “I don’t want her to get pushed to the point where she quits. But when push comes to shove, I have to think about the clinic. Nora’s departure without a replacement would certainly affect the clinic more negatively than Aria’s would.”

Gareth knew Jay was right, but he didn’t want to think about Aria leaving the clinic. In the short time she’d been there, he could see that Janessa had been right about her fitting in. Well, except in relation to Nora.

“You’re going to be the one to tell Janessa that her friend is expendable,” Gareth said as he got to his feet. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate your logic.”

With that, he opened the door and left Jay’s office before they got into an even more heated argument. Janessa spotted him in the hallway and pointed to one of the exam rooms to let him know his next patient was ready.

He gave her a nod before slipping into his office, wanting a moment to settle down so he wouldn’t be distracted while dealing with a patient.

Standing in front of the window that gave him a view of the distant mountains, Gareth took a deep breath. He did that a couple of times while thinking of the men’s group that evening. Spending time with guys who were willing to support and uplift each other was always a blessing, and he knew that they would continue to pray with him about the situation.

When he finally entered the exam room, he felt calmer and more in control. He knew he and Jay would revisit the subject of Nora a few more times before the situation was resolved. But for that day, it was done.

Gareth walked his last patient to the front door, then stood talking with the elderly gentleman for a few minutes before he left. Turning away from the door, he spotted Aria watching him.

“Everything go okay today?” he asked as he approached the desk.

“I think so.” Her brows pulled together for a moment. “At least no one has had any complaints.”

“No one?”

Her frowned deepened. “Well, none of thepatientshave mentioned any complaints to me.”

“That, I’ll believe.”

“Gareth.” Nora’s voice floated down the hallway, and a moment later, the woman appeared. “Are you interested in grabbing dinner? I read an interesting paper in a medical journal that I’d love to discuss with you.”

“Sorry.” Gareth shook his head. “Thursday night is my men’s group.”

“I’m sure they could get along without you for one night,” she protested as she crossed her arms. “I don’t know why you need to get togethereveryweek.”

“Oh, I’m quite sure that theycouldget along without me one night. However, I go because Iwantto be there, not because Ihaveto be there. If I needed to miss a night, none of the guys would give me grief.”

“So miss this one,” she said. “It’s important that we have these types of discussions.”

“If I want to have medical discussions, I have several people I talk to. This evening, however, I’m more interested in talking about God. So, I’m sorry. You’re going to have to find someone else to discuss that paper with.”

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