Charli had clicked her car’s key fob to unlock her door when her phone buzzed. She answered it, and Lige Whitaker greeted her with his usual Southern charm. “I know you’re busy, but do you mind stopping by my office, Charli? I need to go over something with you.” “Which office? You only have, what? Two?” She couldn’t help but tease her father’s friend a bit. He had a finger in every pie in town, it seemed. Lige, as usual, didn’t take offense. “Three, actually. One at the farm, one at the bank and then one at the hospital, and that’s about three too many. Today I’ve got my hospital hat on, so come on across the street. I guess you’re at your dad’s—I mean, your—office?” “Actually, no, I was downtown. I’ll be there in a bit—five minutes or so?” “Sure.” Five minutes later, Charli poked her head into the small office Lige kept at the hospital, just off the conference room.
