Page 38 of The Reason I Married Him
“It was clear as day. So to make it up to her, I started working on the chicken coop. The plans were out in the open, no one wasworking on it, and I felt like I could be useful, so I was. I got all the framing done for the outdoor part, and tomorrow, I plan on setting up the fencing.”
“Did she see you working on it?”
“Yeah. She didn’t look happy.”
“I wouldn’t think that she would.” We pass The Hot Pickle, and I consider grabbing a sub for dinner after I’m done at the pharmacy. It smells amazing like they make their own fresh bread. No doubt that they do. Almond Bay isn’t just any regular small town. They seem to be more on the upscale side. Like what small town has a soap store?
“Won’t stop me from working on it tomorrow.”
“That’s if she didn’t finish it tonight,” Hayes says as we cross Nutshell Drive and run right into a sizable white-and-purple building with a Pharmacy sign. Farther down the building is another sign that says Doctor. It makes me chuckle.
“Wait.” I pause as his words register. “Do you really think she would finish it tonight?”
“Out of spite, yes,” Hayes says and opens the door to the pharmacy for me.
Clean, white, orderly, this place screams drugstore. A cooler along the wall holds a variety of drinks, while the aisles contain shelves with everything you might need when it comes to being sick, ranging from medications to crutches to tissues. There’s even a chicken soup aisle, electrolytes, and soft foods. Smart.
“Hey, Abel,” Hayes says as we walk by a tall man in a pair of khaki pants and a rolled-up, checkered button-up.
“Hey, man,” Abel says as he glances over at me. “Wait, is this the infamous Wyatt, aka W.J. Preston, who Ethel is nearly fainting about every chance she gets?”
“She got to you too?” I ask.
Abel nods. “Dude, she has visited everyone on Main Street at this point.” He holds his hand out. “I’m Abel, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I say, liking how easygoing he is. A doctor who just goes by his first name is rare where I’m from.I certainly see why Hayes has settled here.
“Did you come in for something specific?”
Hayes places his hand on my shoulder and says, “Someone went a little hard out on the farm and is now starting to hurt from it.”
Abel chuckles. “I understand that completely. Let me hook you up.” He moves through the aisles, bringing us to the pain relief section.
“So are you the pharmacist in town as well?” I ask him.
“Ehh, just doctor, but I own the pharmacy. Our pharmacist is out for the night, and I cover on occasion. I was about to leave, though. You caught me at the right time.” He reaches for a gel cap ibuprofen bottle, then he moves around to the other side of the aisle. We follow him. He pulls a roll-on bottle off the shelf and hands it to me. “This is a form of Icy Hot but has CBD oil in it, which will be way better for those aching muscles.”
“So do I just bathe in this when I return to my room?”
He laughs. “That sore, huh?”
“The fact that my back is already tensing up tells me things won’t be good in the morning.”
“Maybe we need to get you some electrolytes as well. Do you have a water bottle?”
“I do.”
He walks us over to the drink section and asks, “Do you like lemon lime?”
“Love it.”
“Then this is for you.” He pulls out three tubes of Nuun Hydration electrolytes in the lemon-lime flavor. “Have a coupleof these a day. Just fill up your water bottle and drop one in. It will help, and if you really want to soak the sore muscles, I can grab you some Epsom salts so you can take a bath.”
“Ehhh, sitting in a bath, just staring at my dick doesn’t do much for me.”
Both of the men laugh. “Dude, look at your phone or something,” Hayes says.
“When I tried that, I dropped my phone in the water. I have butterfingers. Not a good idea.”
