Made For Another (Caroline Dawson Series - Book 1) (8 page)

"Hey Sarah, I was looking for you." There was her guy, smiling down at her.

Sarah's heart leapt in her chest. She was having the same reaction as yesterday, only now he wasn't even holding her!

"Can you schedule your lunch so the time matches up with mine?" He asked her. "Say,
11:45?"

"Sure. I get a half hour, does that work?"

He squeezed her hand. "Thanks, see you then. Right now I need to replace some knobs on that portable air conditioning unit on the second floor." He turned and walked off towards the elevator.

~ # ~

Apparently, Sarah had been right. The rumor mill was rampant.

She'd been getting stares all morning from the nursing staff and other volunteers. And of course there were the folks who pretended not to stare, but she
could feel their eyes watching her even as she went about her normal duties.

"Does everybody know?" she asked Clara.

"Just about. You know this place. They don't have the details, of course, but after that ruckus yesterday, pretty much everybody here has heard that you were assaulted. Frankly, we're all pretty surprised to even see you here at work today."

Sarah raised her eyebrows, "Well, I would certainly have preferred to stay home after everything that happened. But I never really thought about calling in sick."

Clara laughed, "That's because you're still a sweet young thing who thinks this is a dream job."

Sarah shook her head. "No, really. It never occurred to me."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about."  Clara handed her the log sheet for the afternoon.

~ # ~

Sarah still felt like there was a spotlight on her. No one had come right out and asked her about what happened, but they all seemed to be watching her. 

She had briefly sketched out the events for her friends on the nursing staff, and they had been suitably sympathetic. She hoped enough details would filter out to the rest of the staff that they would be satisfied and she could go back to being relatively anonymous.

Sarah and Bradley sat in the corner by themselves and away from everyone else during their lunchtime. For the past two days they had held hands and seemed to be lost in their own little world. Since everyone knew about the rescue, their lunchtime meet-ups only led to more rumors.

"Bradley, when are you leaving for
San Francisco?"

"I'll take off early tomorrow morning," he told her. "I should be back in about a week.  I hate to leave, and I can't wait to take you out. Do you think your Aunt Carrie will have her analysis done by the time I get back?"

"Probably. I'll be seeing her tonight. She's usually pretty quick with these things."

"Well good then. Not that I'm worried, but I know it will make you feel better."

That was something that she loved about being with him - that he was always looking out for her. It gave her that strong, settled feeling - like everything was going to be okay.

"Oh Bradley, you know I'll miss you. It'll be strange to not to see you here at work. I wish you didn't have to go - do you really have to?"

"Yes, I do. There are a couple of things I have to take care of down there, and my folks are expecting me. But I'll do my best to get back quickly."

Sarah wasn't looking forward to the next week. Now that she knew how she felt about him, it would be personal torture waiting for him to get back before they could explore their budding relationship.

But, she reminded herself, there was still the Aunt Carrie test. And even though she hadn't gotten the results yet, she suspected this guy would be well worth waiting for.

Carrie looked over at Sarah sitting in her favorite chair. She was talking in an animated fashion, waving the note she held in her hands. This was not the same young lady who had come to her last week, worried and concerned.

They had spent the past twenty minutes talking about the assault at the hospital. Carrie had been alarmed when she heard how Tony had managed to corner Sarah so easily. But she was grateful that someone had stepped in to protect her niece.

She'd been worried that something like this (or worse) might happen! Thank goodness the girl was okay. Now Sarah was back with a new sample.

Carrie was always happy to help, she enjoyed all the fascinating things that she learned from people's handwriting.

She thought it was interesting that some people mistakenly suspected she could read minds. In reality it was just a skill she had honed over the years after her training at the Metropolitan Handwriting Institute.

Even worse, some people thought she was constantly evaluating every bit of writing she came across - as if she had the time or interest for that!

In point of fact, she made it a practice not to consciously read any handwriting that she saw, unless there was something obvious that jumped out at her. She saved the analysis part for those times when it was necessary or important, or for when she was being paid.

Carrie found it endearing that Sarah trusted her so much. They hadn't really known each other very well before she'd moved to the California coast, but it appeared that they were becoming good friends.

Carrie glanced down at the note Sarah had just handed her.

This time Sarah had given her a sample from someone who was bright and open and friendly. This one was a lot different from that last person's handwriting she had analyzed for Sarah.

"Sarah, is this a new beau?"

Sarah had a sheepish grin. "Well, it's the guy who saved me at the hospital. He's a really nice guy, and yes, I like him a lot. He asked me out and I want to go, but after what happened with Tony, I told him he had to pass the "Aunt Carrie" test first."

Carrie laughed. It was nice to be appreciated again.

"Tell you what Sarah, this time I want to see how well suited the two of you are."

"You mean you can tell that from the handwriting?"

"Yep. So I need a sample from you, too."

"Aunt Carrie, this is beginning to sound like hospital talk - samples and all." Sarah grinned at her.

"That's a good one, Sarah. You'll catch on to the joy of punning yet!" Carrie smiled.

"When I compare both of your samples, I'll be able to see if you have areas of obvious conflict. If any show up, then you'll know what to watch out for and what you might have to work out. I also want to see if there are major reasons why the two of you shouldn't spend more time together."

"Aunt Carrie, are you playing matchmaker?"

"Not really," Carrie laughed. "It's more like I'm acting as a screen or filter. Obviously I can't tell you who to be with, but I can certainly tell you who
not to be with."

"Like Tony," Sarah said shaking her head. "I don't want to go through that again. Okay, tell me what I should write."

Sarah found herself humming as she greeted customers in the gift shop. This was one of two days a month when she stocked the shelves and waited on the family and friends of patients.

She enjoyed her shifts when she was assigned to work in the shop. It was a mixed blessing in a way. She was faced with both the joys of new babies and the sadness of acute injuries or impending death. It was all part of life, and she was glad the shop was there to help.

This morning she was humming because she knew Bradley would be coming back in a couple of days.

Her Bradley. She smiled when she thought about that. She was old enough not to act like a school girl with a first crush, but it had all happened so suddenly that she still found herself feeling giddy as she got used to the idea. Especially if he really was her soulmate.

Too bad he'd had to leave so quickly, but she of all people knew that family obligations - especially previously planned ones -  took center stage. At least for now. Still, she was anxious to see him again and find out where their brand new romance would lead.

"Where are your new baby cards?" a woman with obviously dyed-red hair asked her.

"Right here with the flowers and balloons," Sarah showed her to the corner, then went back to stocking the shelves at the other end of the shop.

Bradley had passed the Aunt Carrie test with flying colors, and she couldn't wait to see him again. Aunt Carrie had insisted on comparing both Sarah and Bradley's handwriting - doing what she called a "compatibility study",  which just meant she had looked to see how well they might do together.

Sarah was still amazed at the process of how you could tell so much from another person's writing. It wasn't like a psychic reading, although some people might think so.

Aunt Carrie claimed she could only report on what actually showed up in the handwriting, and that she couldn't make assumptions about things that weren't evident.  Just because something wasn't there, didn't mean that the trait was non-existent, just that it wasn't showing up in the writing that was available. And that was why Aunt Carrie couldn't guarantee that Bradley would be her perfect match.

Sarah was relieved when she'd found out that this time there were no warning signs, and she had loved hearing all the fine qualities that Bradley's handwriting had to offer - including that he was bright and generous.

Aunt Carrie told her that with his high self-esteem (that was how he crossed his t's at the top of the stem), along with his persistence and sense of responsibility, he would be someone who could take his time going after a goal, but would make sure he did it right. Sarah liked that.

While he hadn't seemed to her like the typical janitor - he was, after all, gorgeous and young, not like the old man school-janitor-types she remembered from junior high - she knew he did a good job, and it was obvious that he was conscientious.  She guessed that's where the persistence and responsibility came in.

In fact, he did such a good job around the hospital that most people hardly noticed him at all. There was never any litter, and things seemed to get fixed pretty quickly. That was something else Aunt Carrie had noticed - that his small r's looked kind of square at the top, which meant he was mechanically inclined.

Sarah's father had always been able to fix anything, and she admired that ability. It was a sexist cliché, she knew, but she expected a man to be able to fix things. Score another point for Bradley!

But best of all: No Red Flags! Not like with Tony. She grimaced, feeling an involuntary shudder at the thought of how close she'd come.

There was that one thing, though.

"This guy can get totally focused on what he's doing. Almost to the point of blocking out everything else. This might cause you to sometimes think that he doesn't care about you or what you're interested in," Aunt Carrie had warned her.

"Where is that?" Sarah wanted see it on the paper.

"See how compact his writing is? That shows the focus. Notice that the dots over his i's are small, round and dotted almost directly above the letter? That indicates both a precision and attention to detail. With these characteristics he might not only be focused, but could end up being nit-picky in certain circumstances."

"Well, that's not bad, is it?" she had asked.

"Not bad." Aunt Carrie had laughed, "Just single-minded. You're much more emotionally responsive than he is - which is probably a good balance for him - but he may be too exacting for you at times. So it's good for you to remember that he has an inquisitive, scientific mind, while you are more of a caregiver. He will appreciate your caring, when it's directed towards him or some place he thinks is worthwhile, but he may also try to stop you when you try to go off and save the world."

"I want to save the world?" Sarah asked. "Where does that show up?"

Aunt Carrie laughed again. "That's just a figure of speech. See how your handwriting is larger than his, and how it slants to the right? You're more likely to feel what's going on for other people emotionally, and to respond to what they are feeling. You are a nurse, after all. That's definitely a helping profession."

"True enough. I do get too worried about what's going on for other people." Sarah told her.

"You also tend to believe them too much. See these big loops in your y's and g's? The loop is a sign of imagination. When imagination happens in the downward loops then it indicates gullibility. "

Sarah considered for a moment. "I guess that's part of why I gave Tony a second chance, even when he was too pushy with me the first time. When he apologized, I ignored what had just happened."

Carrie just smiled.

"And I guess being with someone who is focused, responsible and what did you say - less emotional? - might be a good thing for me."

"Sarah, this guy isn't necessarily less emotional. He's just less emotionally
responsive - that means he might not get sucked in by a sad story as quickly as you, or that he might not show his emotions as readily. The fact that he's focused means he can feel things quite intensely. They don't always get expressed as openly as your reactions, that's all. He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve."

Sarah knew from the kiss at the car that this guy was special to her. So, if he hadn't been swooning over her this last week, it didn't necessarily mean he didn't like her as much as she liked him. Maybe he was just not expressing it yet. That made her feel better. Plenty of time to build on what they started when he got back into town!