In a few weeks’ time, Stephen had settled into the routine of Dr. Harvey’s office. He and Hope tried not to get in each other’s way during the day. In the early afternoons, Dr. Harvey would leave early to spend time with her family, and Hope and Stephen would have the office to themselves. Stephen asked Hope to review the schedule for the next day’s patients with him so he could learn the names and details about his patients.

Hope was only occasionally annoyed when Stephen was around. She learned that he was responsible and level-headed, and many of Dr. Harvey’s regular patients warmed up to him quickly. But he also was a stickler for treating all of their patients kindly and charitably and didn’t have much patience for the no-nonsense way Hope dealt with visitors.

“Hope!” Stephen exclaimed after the last patient of the day had left the office. “Mr. Harris said you told him you thought he had gained weight since his last visit!”

“He did gain weight since his last visit.” Hope was confused. Why did it matter?

“That’s not very polite,” Stephen pointed out. Sometimes, he didn’t know what to do with his whip-smart assistant. She was highly intelligent and capable, but her interpersonal demeanor could use some work.

“It’s not my job to be polite.” Hope shut the drawer she was filing papers into.

Stephen sighed in exasperation as they heard a loud knock at the door.

Hope walked over to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open. “What are you doing here?”

Edna Petunia stood in the doorway, holding a freshly-baked apple pie. “Is Dr. Harvey still here?”

“No, ma’am, she’s left for the day. I’m Dr. Stephen Bennett, and I’m her apprentice. What seems to be the trouble?” Stephen’s voice was warm and reassuring.

Edna Petunia whistled. “Why, if you’re not the spitting image of a man I knew back in Seattle. Is there any chance you’re related to Lawrence Bennett?”

Stephen nodded. “That’s my father, ma’am.”

“Why, that’s right. And you even have your mother’s eyes. Hyacinth, right?” Edna Petunia marveled at how much Stephen looked like his parents.

“Wait a minute. How do you know his parents?” Hope looked back and forth between Edna Petunia and Stephen.

“I used to work for Iris when we lived in Seattle. I knew all of her sisters and the men they married. Oh, the stories I could tell you about your father!” Edna Petunia winked at Stephen.

Stephen blushed and looked down at his feet. “I’m confused. Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No, I just came to bring this pie over for Iris. She always loved my desserts.” Edna Petunia held up the pie tin in her hands. “But you can have some if you want. You look like a man with a healthy appetite.” Edna Petunia reached over and patted Stephen’s stomach without batting an eye.

Stephen took a step backward, feeling completely bewildered. Who was this odd woman, and why on earth was she touching his stomach?

Hope stifled a giggle. Sweet, kind Stephen was no match for Edna Petunia. Still, she felt like she needed to help him. “Stephen, this is my adoptive mother, Edna Petunia.”

Recognition gleamed in Stephen’s eyes. “Oh, so you’re the famous Edna Petunia I’ve heard so much about?”

“You can’t believe all the stories they tell about me!” Edna Petunia sighed dramatically. “But truly, would you like a piece of pie? It’s fresh out of the oven.”

“I’m starving. I’d love a piece,” Hope chimed in.

Edna Petunia went to the supply closet and found a few plates and forks. She used one of the forks to slice a few portions of pie onto the dishes and passed them out to Hope and Stephen.

“This is our little secret, do you understand?” Edna Petunia said solemnly. “If Iris Harvey finds out I brought my homemade apple pie over here, and she didn’t get a piece, she will not be happy.”

“I won’t say a word,” Stephen promised.

Hope was busy chewing her pie. “Edna Petunia, I’ll never learn to bake the way you do.”

“Nonsense, Hope. With a little elbow grease, you can bake anything you set your mind to,” Edna Petunia scoffed.

Stephen shook his head in amazement. The more he learned about Hope’s family, the more he was convinced that they were all remarkable.

Once they had all finished eating their pie, Hope gathered the plates and washed them off in the small sink near the exam room.

“I should be going now,” Edna Petunia announced. “Dr. Bennett, it was wonderful to meet you. I’m throwing a birthday dinner for my husband this Saturday evening, and I’d be honored if you would attend. I believe Iris and Francis are going to be there.”

Hope stared at Edna Petunia with a puzzled look on her face. “I thought it was going to be family only.”

Edna Petunia smiled. “Iris and Francis are close enough to family, and Dr. Bennett here is their family, so that all works out, now doesn’t it?”

Hope frowned. “Not really—”

Edna Petunia stood up and walked toward the door. “Dr. Bennett, I don’t take no for an answer. Ever. We’ll see you on Saturday, young man.” She exited the building with her pie tin in hand.

Stephen exhaled. “Wow. Is she always like that?”

Hope grinned. “Always.”

* * *

Hope felt like the next few days blurred together. She, Edna Petunia, and her sisters prepared for Cletus’s big birthday dinner that weekend. Hope and her sisters had bought him a thick leather history book that they thought he would like. It didn’t make much sense to anyone else in the family, but Cletus loved long non-fiction books—the bigger, the better. Under Edna Petunia’s direction, they had baked cookies, cakes, and other goodies for the celebration. Edna Petunia was also preparing an enormous pot roast for the occasion.

At work, Stephen continued to get on her nerves. He was always finding reasons to comment on the way Hope spoke to patients or asking her to explain things to him. She respected the work he did as a doctor, but she was frustrated at having to spend extra time explaining herself and her actions to him.

“Hope, could you do me a favor and tell me more about why Mrs. Robertson is on a payment plan?” Stephen asked one day after lunch.

Hope, exhausted from staying up the evening before decorating for Cletus’s party, finally lost her temper. “Stephen, I can’t keep going over these things with you! I’ve got so much work to do here!” Hope cried.

Dr. Harvey overheard this as she came out of her office. She saw how frustrated Hope looked and how worried her nephew looked. “What’s going on out here?”

“Nothing.” Stephen tried to act nonchalant, but Dr. Harvey saw right through his act.

“Stephen, you’ve been working a lot lately. Why don’t you go home early today? I’ll finish and lock up.” Dr. Harvey put a hand on her nephew’s shoulder.

“What? No, I couldn’t do that. I’m your apprentice. I’m here to learn,” Stephen protested.

“Stephen, don’t worry about that right now. Your mother would have a fit if she saw how hard I’m making you work. Go home and get some rest.”

Stephen looked like he wanted to say something else, but he simply nodded, grabbed his medical bag, and exited the building.

Dr. Harvey turned to Hope. “I’m sorry, Hope. There are a few things I should have explained to you before Stephen started working here.”

Hope was intrigued. “Like what?”

“Well, Stephen hasn’t had an easy time since going to medical school. My sister and her husband brought him up well; he’s a smart young man with a good head on his shoulders. But he ran into some trouble in medical school,” Dr. Harvey began.

Hope leaned forward. “What kind of trouble?”

“Stephen went to the same medical school I went to in Seattle. There was a young woman he was friends with who worked as a secretary at the school. She found herself expecting a child out of wedlock.” Dr. Harvey’s face was twisted in a pained expression.

“You don’t mean to say that Stephen—”

Dr. Harvey put her hands up. “No, no! Nothing like that. But you know how people talk. It turns out that the man who had fathered the child was abusive and cruel. Stephen’s friend worried that if he found out about the baby, he would hurt her. So he allowed people to think that he was the father of the child.”

“Why would he do a thing like that?” Hope burst out. “That’s just plain dumb.”

“Well, at the time, he thought that was the only way to protect his friend,” Dr. Harvey said gently. “The town grew very upset, and his reputation was destroyed. People said they didn’t want to have him as a doctor since he didn’t have good judgment.”

“Why didn’t he just tell the truth?” Hope questioned.

“He felt he couldn’t. He was so concerned about his friend. He even agreed to marry her, according to my sister. But then one night, she just disappeared. Stephen never heard from her again. But it was too late. The town had already given up on Stephen. None of the doctors wanted him as an apprentice.” Dr. Harvey looked out the window. “What I’m trying to say is Stephen’s had a very tough time in his life. It would really be helpful to me if you could take it easy on him.”

Hope took a deep breath. “I understand, Dr. Harvey. Thank you for telling me all that.” Hope felt sorry for Stephen. It couldn’t have been easy to do all the things that he did and face the public shame and humiliation. She vowed to try to be a little nicer to him. As long as he didn’t get in her way.

“Thank you for listening. You know, Hope, I’m lucky to have you around.” Dr. Harvey patted the top of Hope’s hand. “Now, why don’t you get out of here a little early today, too? You deserve a break. I know you’ve been preparing for Cletus’s birthday dinner.”

Hope laughed. “The way Edna Petunia talks about it, you’d think it was the birthday party of the century.”

Dr. Harvey joined in. “If I know Edna Petunia, it certainly will be.”