Deadly Dosage by Cheryl Richards Page A

where?” I
said, still waiting for her reply to my question.
    “CJ’s Boutique. They’re
opening soon at the mall and are looking for an assistant manager, so I
applied. I like their clothes.”
    “I thought you got huge tips
at Hot Pants.” 
    “Well, yeah, but the manager
has his eyes on me and it’s annoying. I figured I better get another job,
because he’ll fire me if I turn him down.”
    “You could threaten him with
harassment,” I said with a twinge of sympathy.
    “Yeah, if I hadn’t already
slept with him to get the job.” She bent down to check out my shoes.
    Okay then. What do you say to
that? The woman has no morals; I was sure of it. “Good luck with the
interview.” Not that she needed any. I pulled a gold scarf from my dresser
drawer and handed it to her. “Here. It goes nicely with that dress.”
    “Thanks, Sun. If I get the
job, I’ll let you use my discount.”
    “In that case, knock ‘em dead.
My wardrobe could use some sprucing up.”
    “No kidding,” she said taking
my dress and scarf out of the room with her.
    I shook my head and finished
my ironing, wondering if she’d still borrow my clothes after she got this job.
     
     
    Some days go on forever, and today was no exception.
Four hours of entering ancillary charges made my fingers ache. I swear a
quarter of the family members called me with stupid questions and one suggested
I was stealing her mother’s money and giving it to another resident. That
happened to be Mabel Zirkowski’s daughter, and I had a difficult time trying to
prove over the phone that I wasn’t giving money to a resident named Edna,
because Edna didn’t exist. By the time I ended the call, I thought Edna was
real.
         Tomorrow I would be billing Medicare, so I had to
be sure everything was entered and correct. Phyllis demanded that it be done
before noon, so payment would arrive in two weeks. I never disappointed her, not
that she’d let me.
         The phone rang and I picked up the receiver.
“Summer Kramer.” I was too busy for pleasantries.
         “Sunny!” she sang.
         “Hi, Spring, listen I’m a little busy…”
         “You’ll never guess why I’m calling?”
         She was right. Once more, I didn’t care. I had
tons of work to do.
         “Why?” I kept typing while I waited.
         “I’m getting married!” she screamed with
happiness.
         I stopped typing. “What?”
         “Married.”
         “Seriously, Spring? When?” I said sincerely
shocked. Spring never talked about marriage, just her job. “When did Nino ask
you?”
         “Last night. He met me in Charleston, SC, that’s
where we are now, and proposed in the cutest little Southern restaurant in the
historic district.” She sounded deliriously happy. “You should see this
diamond!”
         “I’m really happy for you. Are you coming home
soon?”
         “Nino’s flying in tomorrow but I have to work, so
I’m returning Saturday afternoon.”
         “Does Autumn know yet?”
         “No, I called you first. Don’t tell her.”
         “No, of course not. Hey, I planned to do
something with Autumn Saturday, what if we pick you up at the airport?”
         “My car’s there. What if I meet you at mom’s at
7:00 that night? We can all go out to dinner and celebrate.”
         “Sure.”
         “Well, sis, I’ll let you go. Lots of calls to
make.”
         “Okay, bye. Say hi to Nino and have a safe trip
home.”
         “Will do. Love ya.”
         I hung up, with renewed energy. Her high spirits
were intoxicating.
         The phone rang again. Let me guess, Autumn is
getting married too. A double wedding.
         “Summer Kramer, how may I help you?” Back to
professional pleasantries.
         “Mornin’ Sunny,” Lloyd said.
         “Lloyd, hi,” I said sweetly, “what’s up?”
         “I’ll be there in thirty minutes, and I thought
if you