After a fitful night's sleep, Clint was wide awake at 5:30 am and out on the road by six o'clock. He pushed himself hard through his favorite four-mile course in order to break this obsession about Lauren going out with Dr. Hansen. By the third mile he found some relief and by the end of the run which he finished in a half-mile sprint, he felt like his old self. He knew the endorphin high would only last a few hours, but any break from this adolescent heartache was a godsend.
By the time he got out of the shower, he could smell the scent of bacon wafting into his bedroom. After he finished dressing he walked into the hallway and could see Lauren in the kitchen standing over the stove. As Clint made his way toward the breakfast table, he stifled the first hint of a return of those awful—
feelings
. "Coffee?" Lauren asked cheerfully. Before he could answer she said, "You were out early. How'd you sleep?"
Clint poured himself a steaming cup of black coffee, took a sip, then lied, "Not bad. How about you?"
"I couldn't sleep all night! All I could do was think about going out with Rick. I mean, can you imagine a guy like
him
being interested in a girl like
me
?" It was Clint's turn not to be able to respond before Lauren chattered on. "I mean, he's gotta be like 30 years old AND a doctor. Okay, he's a dentist but that's still a doctor, right? I mean, why would we like call him
Doctor
Hansen if he wasn't like a
real
doctor? You know what I'm saying?"
Clint fought off the annoyance Lauren's repeated use of the word "like" stirred up inside of him. And who says "you know what I'm saying?" Instead of telling her what he was really thinking he said, "Who wouldn't be interested in a beautiful young woman like you, Lauren? You're irresistible."
Lauren put down the tongs she was using to turn the bacon and ran to the table where Clint was sitting. She practically jumped into his lap and threw her arms around him. "See? That's why I love you so much, Mr. Pierce. You're like the Dad I never had." Lauren jumped back up and returned to her duties as breakfast chef. When she started humming, Clint thought he might crawl out of his skin.
Somehow, he managed to put away the eggs, bacon, and toast Lauren had made along with a second cup of coffee. Lauren had a single piece of dry toast and half a small glass of orange juice. "Oh, don't forget. I'm getting my splint off this morning at 10 o'clock." It was a splint anymore, per se, but the final thing—whatever it was—had to come off and her nose given a final check.
Clint was putting his plate into the dishwasher when he finally heard what she was saying. "Right. Ten o'clock. Sounds good."
"Hey. Are you okay?" Lauren asked with genuine concern.
"Me? Sure. I'm fine. Just a little preoccupied, I guess." A second lie and it wasn't even 8am. Nice.
It was ten minutes before ten when Clint pulled into the parking lot of the medical/dental clinic which was home to not only the outpatient medical clinic where she was being seen but Dr. Hansen's office, as well. He and Lauren walked right passed the dentist's office on the way to her appointment. He got Lauren checked in, paid the $150 fee for her office visit, and took a seat in the waiting room.
As he was mindlessly flipping through a golf magazine—a game he rarely played in rainy, wet Seattle—he heard a familiar voice say, "You couldn't even stop in and say hello?" He looked up to see Lorraine standing in front of him with a pretend scowl on her face. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you walking right past me like that, Cling Pierce?" She raised her eyebrows for emphasis.
"Well, yes. Uh, no. I mean....gee, I'm really sorry, Lorraine. I haven't been thinking too clearly the last day or so."
"Oh. I get it. Someone isn't happy about someone dating someone else, is he?" Lauren said as she sat down next to Clint.
"What? You mean Lauren and Rick? Nah. Come on. Why would that bother me? And why would I be interested in her? She's only a kid, Lorraine."
"It's okay. I get it. I had a crush on Dr. Hansen the first month I worked here and he's a LOT younger than me."
"Crush? What in the world are you talking about? I don't have a crush on Lauren. She's Kara's age. Sort of. I mean...."
Lorraine interrupted him. "Clint. I've known you a long time. I see the way you look at her. It's okay. I'm not judging. She's a beautiful young woman. Why wouldn't you be attracted to her?"
Clint put the magazine down and stared at the clock. It was ten after ten. It seemed like he'd been sitting there for hours. "Clint?" Lorraine said interrupting his train of thought. "I really didn't mean anything by what I said."
"Oh. Umm. It's okay. You're right. I'm guilty as charged. I guess maybe I just thought that there might be more to it than me just care of a fellow lonely soul. But you're right. I'm almost old enough to be her grandfather."
"Nonsense! That's ridiculous," Lorraine countered. "Her Dad? Sure! Grandparent? No way. Besides, a guy like you is bound to attract a lot of women—of all ages, I'm sure." Lorraine looked away as she said that and then she looked right back into Clint's eyes. "I mean you're not half bad lookin', Clint."
Before she could prattle on, Clint blurted out, "Do you want to have dinner with me tonight, Lorraine? You know, while our crushes are out with each other on a
