Sophie's Path Page 6

  CHAPTER SIX

  JACK COULDN’T BELIEVE he was nervous about his meeting with Indian Lake Hospital’s president, Emory Wills, but the butterflies in his stomach were about to drown in roiling acid. This deal had been over six months in the making. Katia had initiated the conversations with Emory and the hospital board, but as their inquiries and demands grew and their list of needs expanded, Jack felt it imperative that he take the reins in the negotiations. Katia had been present for most of the meetings so far, but a scheduling conflict had caused both Jack and Katia to do some quick shuffling. In the end, they decided that Katia would proceed with an extensive presentation to a group of local farmers that was nearly as important to Jack as the hospital’s insurance policy.

  Jack shook his head. When Katia had suggested last year that he move his insurance company from Chicago to Indian Lake to save on rent and other Illinois taxes, he’d actually scoffed at her. No more. How could he have known that this small community would be vital and progressive in some ways, while its appearance was that of another era? On the whole, Jack liked Indian Lake more and more by the day.

  The receptionist in the hospital’s admin wing was clearly above retirement age, and she appeared to handle a bevy of phone calls and issues with seasoned practice. As her hand flew over the phone intercom and dial pad, he noticed a large diamond wedding ring set. It wasn’t the kind of thing Jack noticed ordinarily, but for some reason, he’d begun paying more attention to just about everyone and everything since he’d moved to Indian Lake.

  Especially since the accident.

  This was the first time he’d been back to the hospital since that night. He’d seen his doctors, as prescribed, but in their clinic offices. It was strange, almost eerie for him to be here, thinking about business...or at least trying to thing about business. He kept seeing flashes of Aleah’s face from that day. Her eagerness during the seminar, asking intelligent questions of the speaker. Later, seeing her laugh and joke with Owen in the car. Then came the pandemonium in the ER as the doctors tried to save her. Sophie’s stricken face as she delivered the news that Aleah had died.

  Jack told himself he’d never forgive Sophie for not saving Aleah, but already the grooves in that record were wearing deep. If he hadn’t pushed Aleah to go to Chicago... If only he’d signed her up for the webinars online that she could have studied on her own, in her free time...

  If only he’d seen the other car coming at them. But he’d been laughing at one of Owen’s jokes. He’d glanced in the rearview mirror and in that split second, he’d missed it. He’d missed seeing death driving smack into them.

  Jack’s head pounded with pain, but he knew it had nothing to do with his concussion. It was stress. He was thinking too much.

  Feeling too much.

  He should be grateful for the medical care he’d received.

  His ankle had healed nicely, and except when he turned a corner a bit too abruptly, he didn’t notice it at all. The bruises around his eyes were a memory, but the scar over his eyebrow and those on his arms would take months, maybe years to disappear. It was just as well. They would remind him always of Aleah and what he owed her.

  As his memories of the accident whipped up a fresh batch of guilt, Nate Barzonni walked up, accompanied by another man. Jack rose to greet them.

  Nate grasped Jack’s hand and then squeezed his forearm. “Good to see you, Jack. You’re looking well.”

  “Doing well,” Jack replied.

  Nate turned to his left and said, “Jack, this is Dr. Roger Caldwell. It’s his ablation unit that you’ll be insuring for us.”

  Jack smiled brightly. “Pleasure, Doctor. I’m impressed with your work and with your team.”

  Dr. Caldwell beamed. “I’m very proud of my group—especially Nate. We were lucky to get him.” He smiled at Nate.

  Nate gestured toward a group of chairs out of earshot of the receptionist then leaned toward Jack. “As you know, Jack, I worked with Katia to put this proposal together. I want to make sure President Wills doesn’t flinch over a single aspect. So, I’ll introduce you and give him a little background. That kind of thing.”

  “I appreciate this, Nate. Katia has told me that Emory has been here since she was in high school and that he has a penchant for only doing business with Indian Lake natives. She would have been giving this presentation, but when he changed the meeting on us, she couldn’t be in two places at once.”

  “I understand,” Nate said.

  “You can go in now, Dr. Barzonni. Dr. Caldwell.” The receptionist looked at Jack with steady green eyes. “And guest.”

  Jack bit his lower lip to keep from laughing. It was his guess the woman had been in her position for decades. She was as protective as a mother lioness with her cubs. Employees like her were rare these days.

  Jack wondered if he could hire her away from the hospital.

  They entered the president’s office.

  Jack had expected something more grand, but then he was used to Chicago hospitals and private clinics. The room was the size of a suburban living room. Big enough for a desk, three side chairs and a small sofa against the far wall. The furnishings were dated. The pictures on the wall reminded Jack of cheap chain motels.

  Jack chided himself for mentally criticizing the man’s taste—or lack of it. Jack hadn’t done much better himself. Katia had decorated the office beautifully, sure, but he had yet to put out his family photographs on his desk. They were still in a box. To say nothing of his condo. The last time he’d bought fresh flowers was at Christmas, which were unexciting cedar sprigs and holly that had lasted nearly till Super Bowl Sunday.

  “Jack,” Emory Wills said, shaking Jack’s hand. “It’s good to see you again.”

  They all sat in the chairs surrounding Emory’s desk. Nate spoke first.

  “Emory, Roger and I wanted to join this meeting today because we both support Jack’s proposal. I’m here to vouch for Jack as a friend as well as a businessman. Though he’s new to town, I met him through my wife and her friends. I believe that Jack and his company truly have the best interests of the hospital in mind.”

  Jack kept a warm smile on his face as Nate spoke. Ordinarily, Jack was not a suspicious man. He made a habit of taking people at their word. He’d liked Nate since the first time they’d met, but in light of Jack’s accident and his experience in the ER, Jack wasn’t completely sure if Nate wasn’t trying to dodge a bullet for the hospital. Was Nate’s effusiveness sincere? Did he really think Jack’s company could help Indian Lake Hospital? Or did Nate feel guilty about the way Aleah died? What was his true motivation?

  Jack still had questions about Aleah’s treatment that he hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss with Nate.

  The irony of all ironies was that Jack was presenting the hospital with a massive malpractice insurance policy at the very time when he believed he might have cause to file a lawsuit of his own. Still, he couldn’t bring suit if Aleah’s parents didn’t agree. At this point, they’d not returned any of his phone calls. They’d been perfunctorily polite at the funeral and burial, but that was all. It was as if they blamed Jack for the accident. Jack still hadn’t received the complete police report, though he’d talked to Detective Trent Davis, the investigating officer that night in the ER. Actually, Jack had placed a call to Detective Davis that very morning requesting a meeting. He hadn’t received an answer.

  Jack didn’t like loose ends. He was the kind of person who would dig through dozens of insurance products to find the best policy for his clients. Even Barry said he took his responsibilities too seriously, but Jack didn’t care. He was a serious guy.

  The Indian Lake Hospital was Jack and Katia’s top pick for clients. Katia had signed Austin McCreary and his new antique car museum six months ago, and that sale had stabilized Jack’s company in Indian Lake. Two months back, Jack had put
together the package for Katia to present to the hospital, which would cover the buildings themselves. However, the high-tech equipment that Nate and Roger Caldwell used was insured by another provider. Jack had studied their current coverage and discovered that he could save the hospital thousands of dollars a year. Jack was here to discuss a comprehensive equipment insurance policy with Emory. What he had not proposed yet was a new malpractice policy, which would bring the entire hospital into Jack’s sphere of responsibility.

  The hospital was an enormously important coup for Jack. With a bit of persuasion, Emory might be agreeable to recommending Jack’s company to other hospitals and medical clinics throughout the region, possibly the entire state of Indiana.

  Jack and Katia had spent over a hundred hours on their presentation for a package that Emory would be negligent, at the very least, to turn down.

  “As you know, Emory, my company already covers the building and campus. I’ve talked to you about the equipment policy, which is what we sent over to you a few weeks ago. So I’m here to address all your concerns.”

  Emory tapped the file folder that bore the Carter and Associates logo against his desk. “I’m impressed, Jack. As I was with the policy you put together for us last winter for the campus. Your meticulousness is commendable, and I like the fact that you look out for my dollars as much as I do.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Jack replied, feeling the warm glow he always did when a sale was going well. He’d get that hot rush of excitement once he heard Emory’s pen scratch his signature on the last page, but not before. Emory’s pause was longer than Jack liked. Was he rethinking the proposal already? Just how many objections was he going to raise? Jack’s heart was in his throat, pounding out anxiety-riddled thumps. Jack had been too close to the finish line on deals just like this one and walked away empty-handed. Small town. Big city. The deals were virtually the same. It all came down to a few dollars and cents in the end.

  “Jack,” Emory said in a tone that put Jack’s instincts on alert. The other shoe was about to drop. No deal could be made without bumps. He just hoped it wouldn’t be a rut.

  “Yes?” Jack waited. He reminded himself to make sure his smile wasn’t overly wide.

  “There are a couple provisions that I’ve highlighted here.” Emory turned a group of pages toward Jack for him to peruse. “If you’ll note, you broke out Dr. Caldwell’s lab and surgical unit from the rest of the hospital. Why is that?”

  Jack nodded. He had this one. “The ablation unit is brand-new and most of the insurance companies were asking for a very high premium. I was looking for something more...” Jack drew out his pause. “Affordable for you.”

  “Excellent,” Emory replied. “Then the second point is the timing of the first premium. We can’t do this.”

  Jack gulped but hoped no one noticed. “Sir?”

  “The board is prepared to switch over from our current carrier at the end of this year but not before. I realize that if we went with you right now, we’d save over twenty grand. However, there were some, er, allegiances from the board—that is to say, one of our members—”

  “Is a very old friend of your present insurance agent. I know that, sir,” Jack finished for him, hopefully alleviating any embarrassment on Emory’s part.

  Nate and Roger exhaled with relief. Just as he’d thought. They’d known about this complication. It was a good thing Jack believed in background research. He was prepared for this delay. He didn’t like it, but he would have to accept it if he wanted the business.

  Jack continued, “I can prepare the paperwork to be executed for a December thirty-first date. How would that be?”

  Emory’s bushy gray eyebrows shot up as he grinned widely. “That would be just fine, Jack.”

  Jack picked up his leather briefcase and put it on his lap. “Now that we’re agreed on this first order of business, I wonder if I might make another proposal to you, Emory.”

  Emory glanced at Nate and Roger, then back at Jack. “Do they need to leave?”

  “Not at all.” Jack withdrew a thick, three-ring binder with his company logo. “Though I don’t have access to your current policy, I took the liberty of preparing a proposal for you because I believe that no matter what you are paying now, I can save the hospital more money.”

  Jack handed the binder to Emory, who flipped open the cover and gasped. “This is malpractice insurance.”

  “That’s correct. It’s my guess that your current agent also provides this service for you. All I ask is that you review my product and see for yourself if I can’t provide a larger umbrella at a lower cost.”

  Emory had already been rifling through the pages and checking out the tabs as Jack spoke. He pinned Jack with his eyes. “I will look at it, but that’s all I can promise.”

  “I totally understand, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

  Emory rose from his chair, signaling the end of the meeting. He held out his hand. “I’ll be in touch, Jack.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Jack replied before leaving the room with the two doctors.

  * * *

  SOPHIE STOOD IN the middle of the reception area dressed in her street clothes. It was the first time Jack had seen her since the accident. Her hair had been pulled back that night, but now it just skimmed her shoulders in dark, luminous waves and she’d pinned a piece of it over her right ear with a massive coral and rhinestone barrette. There were coral hoops in her ears that matched her cotton sundress. On her feet were beige espadrilles. She was tanned and her skin glowed.

  Jack couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  Sophie hadn’t noticed him at all. She went straight to Nate.

  “Dr. Barzonni,” she said, handing him a group of faxed papers. “The office just got a call from the reservation clinic. There’s been an emergency. Here’s the patient’s information for you to review. They said you’ve treated him before.”

  Nate peeled back the top sheet. “Tom Running Bear.” He started speed walking toward the elevators with Sophie right at his side.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Call the clinic. Tell them I’m on my way. I’ll call my wife and tell her where I am. Could you call my mother and tell her I won’t be coming out to the farm for dinner?”

  “Absolutely. What else?”

  “My cell?” He patted his pockets.

  Sophie handed him an iPhone. “You left it on your desk. I also filled up your Hummer.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “You left your car keys on your desk, too.” She sank her hand into her straw purse and flipped the keys to him. “Good luck.”

  The elevator doors opened and Nate jumped in.

  Roger Caldwell said his goodbye to Jack, then he excused himself and took the stairs, telling Jack it was part of his cardio routine.

  Sophie turned and spied Jack for the first time. “You, er, look good. I mean, well.”

  He walked toward her.

  “No problem with the ankle, I see.” She smiled slightly, but it slid off her face as her eyes met his.

  Jack saw trepidation and question in her face. Rightly so. He still wanted answers, but he knew her explanation wouldn’t have changed from what she’d delivered to him before.

  “Ankle is good.” He tapped his head. “So is the noggin’. No more checkups for a couple months, I’m told.”

  “Good. So, you’re fine. Well, I gotta go,” she said but didn’t move. Her eyes tracked over to the president’s door.

  Jack thought she’d stopped breathing. Her back went rigid and her eyes were wide. “Why are you here, Jack?”

  “Business,” he replied icily. “My business.”

  Not a muscle on Sophie’s body flinched. It was as if she’d turned to stone. She didn’t blink or breathe. “Business with the president?�
��

  “Yes, and now we’re finished for the day,” he said, moving around her and pressing the elevator button.

  He let his eyes slide to Sophie’s sleek, tanned legs. When she pirouetted to face him, her calves flexed just like a ballerina. He wondered if she had taken ballet when she was a little girl. He remembered going to his sister’s recitals and making fun of her pink tutu and feather headdresses. He didn’t think he’d make fun of Sophie.

  “Jack,” Sophie said his name just as the elevator arrived and the doors whooshed open.

  He got in and shook his head. “Don’t.”

  The door closed, leaving a stunned and enticingly beautiful Sophie on the other side.

  Jack stared at the ceiling. Though it was the first time he’d been with Sophie since Aleah’s death, he hadn’t thought of his assistant at all.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SEEING JACK SHOT Sophie back to the night of Aleah’s death in the ER. Since then, she’d learned from the police report that the driver’s name was Greg Fulton. He was from Chicago. Never married, though he was from a large family of five brothers. He’d lost his job in the steel mills as an engineer a year and a half ago and had fallen headlong into the drug scene.

  Knowing only those few facts about Greg amped up Sophie’s empathy.

  Sophie believed the hospital should do more to help addicts like Greg. Sophie booked a meeting with Tanya Stewart, the Indian Lake Hospital administrator who headed up four different hospital-related community health projects. Each project had a three-letter acronym and each was impossible to remember without looking at her notes, which exemplified the ineffectiveness of all the hospital’s outreach programs.

  “Thanks for seeing me,” Sophie said, standing as Tanya entered the windowless office in a rush of air, her long paisley-print silk jacket trailing behind her. Tanya plopped into her chair, carrot-red hair bouncing around her face like coils.

  “What can I do for you, Nurse Ma...”

  “Mattuchi. Sophie Mattuchi.”