Once More With Feeling by Brenda Bancroft

Author:Brenda Bancroft
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

eleven

Selecting appropriate clothing for a funeral cast a pall over Carli’s morning. She was helplessly quiet as she signed the sales receipts and tucked the originals in one of her new purses. The salesgirl asked Carli if she preferred wearing the last outfit she’d selected prior to choosing a subdued, basic black, classic dress that would be appropriate for funerals.

“We can wrap up what you’re wearing if you’d like to begin enjoying your purchases immediately,” she offered.

“I’d like that,” Carli decided.

Minutes later she stepped from the dressing room and rejoined Jasper, who arose from the wing-backed chair where he’d been reading a magazine.

“What do you think?” she inquired.

“Exquisite,” he pronounced. “Very stylish. But without it destroying your own natural style. Becoming, indeed!”

“Thanks, Uncle Jasper. Do you think I need to do something about. . .my hair?”

“Absolutely not!” he stressed. “It’s perfect the way it is. Many women wish they had such a crowning glory!”

“This was easier than I thought,” Carli said as the store’s delivery person stowed packages in the trunk of Jasper’s BMW.

“I’ve enjoyed the morning.” He glanced at his watch. “Now it’s time for us to collect Sharon and have lunch.”

When Jasper pulled into the parking lot he skirted the rows of vehicles and nosed into the staff parking lot adjacent to an employees’ entrance. Minutes later Sharon Hathaway stepped outside, grinning and waving when she saw the pair waiting for her in Jasper’s car.

“Where to, girls?” He asked after Sharon had piled in.

“We’ll let Sharon choose,” Carli invited. “Lunch is on the Dennises.”

Although they could’ve gone to a fancy restaurant that Sharon might not have felt she could afford on a nurse’s salary, she chose a quiet dining establishment known for its good food and a cozy ambiance conducive to intimate conversation.

Service was superb, the meal was succulent and flavorfully prepared to perfection. Conversation was as if the trio had been friends for years instead of a matter of a few days.

“What time do you have to return to work, Sharon?” Jasper inquired.

A light pink suffused her features.

“Actually, I don’t have to return this afternoon. It’s not every day that I make such entertaining lunch plans. Since I have plenty of personal leave accumulated, I decided to use a bit of it and put in for the afternoon off.”

“Where I worked back in Virginia, we had to ‘use it or lose it’.”

“We can let it build,” Sharon said. “Actually, we have a rather good benefit plan.”

As they discussed such common, everyday topics, Carli realized how enjoyable the run-of-the-mill working girl chitchat was for her.

“Shall we return to the hospital and visit with Austin?” Jasper suggested. “Then if you two would like to slip away for awhile, I’ll spend the afternoon with him.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sharon said. “I’d like to check in on him, even though I’m not on duty.”

“Ditto!” Carli agreed.

The three returned to the hospital and progressed to Mr. Dennis’s private ICU suite. Out of habit, Sharon Hathaway slipped behind the counter of the nurses’ station and glanced over the staff’s charting of the patient care given.

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