Page 27 of The Do-Over
“Okay,” she said. “All boats afloat.” It was her personal code, the way she referred to a good day on the job, a day when none of her patients were in dire straits.
Carlo nodded. “Glad to hear it.”
“How’s the restaurant?”
“Nonstop fires,” he said with a grin. “But you know I can handle this place.”
She nodded. She did know. “Mom and Dad?”
“Knocked off early.”
“They’re lucky they have you.”
“What are you thinking for dinner tonight?” he asked her. “Maybe tacos?”
“Tacos sound good,” she said. “Extra cilantro.”
Carlo laughed. “It’s not my first time cooking for you. I know what you like, kid.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
He cuffed her shoulder gently and disappeared into the back of the restaurant to cook up her dinner.
Thea’s phone buzzed, indicating a text message. She pulled it out.
It was from Stephanie. “Are you home?”
“At the restaurant,”Thea texted back.
“Can I come meet you?”
Thea sent her friend a thumbs-up. It wasn’t unexpected to hear from Stephanie at the end of a busy day, but it was always a pleasure. Seeing a friend would help Thea to transition out of nurse mode, which was a good thing. Even though all of her patients were doing well, she didn’t want to spend the whole night worrying about them. That was a good way to drive yourself insane.
Carlo came back out of the kitchen with a plate of tacos. “You’d better fix up another one of these,” Thea told him. “Stephanie’s coming.”
“Stephanie, huh?” Carlo said. “Guess I’d better hold the margaritas.”
“You’d better bring me one,” Thea corrected. “I can still drink.”
“You’d do that right in front of her?”
“Better believe it.”
Carlo chuckled. “All right,” he said. “And I’ll get you two some chips and salsa too. She likes that, right?”
“Everyone likes our salsa.” Thea pointed to the painted words on the window—the best salsa in Deer Ridge.
“That always strikes me as kind of funny,” Carlo said.
“Does it?”
“Well, yeah. The best salsa in Deer Ridge, Iowa. A place not exactly known for its wide variety of quality Mexican cuisine.”
“Our salsa would be the best in any city,” Thea said firmly. “It’s just that we happen to live here.”
“Maybe we should open up a location somewhere else,” Carlo said.
It was a conversation they’d had many times, and Thea was never sure whether or not it should be taken seriously. Regardless, her answer was the same. “I like Deer Ridge,” she said. “We’re all doing well here. There’s no reason for us to go anywhere else.”
