Baby love me

re loud popping sounds, making her nervous to the core. Then there was that birthday song, followed by the firing

one on a date, let alone known anyone who would want to put a ring on

lucking dental assistants, she h

ey, the receptionist, asked. "It was your birthday over

." Charlot

Gracey gestured to the staff table where

presents ranging from flowers to chocolate hearts sat on the table,

" Gracey asked. "No," C

one of those," Gracey said, ref

policy of patient care. Do not date your

e the man, then let h

"I wouldn't want him to change practices, now would I? I

I wish you all the best now that you're th

Charlotte nod

more experienced in

or money and owning my own business, but for that love bit...

have to go

grinned at Gracey, as if

cr

ed thirty?" Grac

happ

a nightclub

ep

d..

aster." Charl

how?" Gracey g

hing to discuss how embarrassing it was to spit that spirit onto that man's face and shirt. She couldn't help admiring his baby-blue shirt,

l find out for sure from on

it

She just w

ut about what happened to

stroom and stayed there until she texted her friends to collect her. What a pleasant way to spend her special day. L

e agenda?" Charl

ays. The patients just love you." "

ion. I scheduled him for forty-five minutes just in case you want to do the advance periodontal charting and all that. Then Miss Brown is coming in for a gum graft consul

- six was. She had made it her mission to learn every single term the dental team used. Now she knew the tooth denotation and even told her back in layman's terms that a one- one was an upper right central incisor and a three-six was a bottom left

tients having gum recession tend to wa

11:00, you have Mrs. Beanstalk coming in for her deep scaling. She said she's allergic to adrenaline loca

rested her head on the reception countertop. She w

rlotte were able to rename Mrs. Beanstalk, she would call her Mrs. Muffin because th

wouldn't linger on husbands and babies, beca

er thirty = a bad com

on in her mouth. Or even better, just drown the woman. Gi

we can't go around drowning our patients, now

, Dr. Charlott

me this. Why do all my patien

Probably fate,"

tte said. Maybe fate would lea

o close her eyes and inhale the fresh, clean scent. It smelled of sterile equipme

thing was so peaceful. The tick-tocking of the clock drew her attention. She gave a s

into the door. "Good morning, C

Charlotte replied, sm

y nineteen. She decided at seventeen that she wanted to

ught, for already deciding

efed you on tod

mputer system and clicked on Mrs. Bennett's name. Her

acol for Mrs. Bennett? She might h

"Oh, and bring me the interdental brushes too. I might need them for

ppeared into the storeroom to ret

and soon Mrs. Macy Beanstalk arrived. Today the subject of their conversation wa

ingle baby coming her way." "Why?" Charlotte pretended

ested in her patients' conversation whe

nt a baby, you've got to have th

eanstalk was lying to her. She needed to do some rese

t is." The l

what Mrs. Beanstalk was saying held true? She'd already turned thirty. Not too long now before her body could no l

an idea struck her. Oh, what a perfect solution to her prob

eanstalk, Charlotte thought. Time