Healing Dr. Fortune by JUDY DUARTE Page B

the stroller next to one of the tables, in the shade of a tree. Then she set out their meal: the sandwiches, fresh fruit, iced tea and cheesecake. Since Jeremy only had an hour before he had to get back to the clinic, they took their seats and began to eat.
    It was easy to talk to Kirsten, who was a good listener. And before he knew it, he was telling her about his morning, about an elderly patient with a broken hip and a boy who’d fractured his arm during morning recess.
    She leaned toward him as he talked and listened intently while he shared details that might be boring to someone else.
    As the sun shone down on them, as a cool breeze whispered through the leaves in the trees, he realized it would be nice coming home to someone like her every day. But it had only been days since they’d met, so it was way too soon to be thinking about things like commitments and the future. And for that reason, a change in subject was in order.
    â€œHow’s your brother’s job hunt going?” he asked. “Does he have any interviews scheduled?”
    â€œI’m afraid he hasn’t had much luck at all.” She set down her sandwich and reached for an apple slice.
    Jeremy couldn’t say that he was surprised. A man’s attitude had a lot to do with finding a position with a solid company.
    â€œI might be wrong,” he said, “but your brother seems to have a big chip on his shoulder.”
    â€œYou’re right about that. He really hasn’t been a happy person for a long time.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI’m sure it has to do with the bad choices he’s made, but he won’t do anything to correct them. And to make matters worse, he seems to think that I look down on him.”
    It would be hard not to, Jeremy thought.
    â€œDon’t get me wrong,” Kirsten said. “I love my brother and want the best for him. But he seems to have a little gray rain cloud following him all the time. And he can’t seem to steer clear of it.”
    â€œHe’s old enough to know when to get out of the rain,” Jeremy said.
    â€œI know. I just wish he would work as hard as I did to overcome the strikes we had against us while growing up.”
    â€œWhat kind of strikes?” Jeremy asked, sorry to hear that Kirsten’s childhood hadn’t been as happy as his had been.
    â€œOur dad left home when I was fourteen.” She glanced down at her half-eaten sandwich, then back to Jeremy. “It was tough on me, but Max was only twelve at the time, and he took it especially hard. He acted out as an adolescent, getting into more than the usual amount of trouble, and eventually, he dropped out of school.”
    The teenage years could be tough, Jeremy realized, even under the best circumstances.
    â€œOur mom had to work two jobs to support us, so I looked after Max and helped him pick up the pieces of his life.” Kirsten rewrapped the untouched half of her sandwich and put it in the cooler. “Well, at least I tried to.”
    Jeremy had a feeling she was taking too much personal responsibility for her brother’s failures, and he hated to see her do that. Unable to help himself, he reached out and placed his hand on her forearm. “Max is a big boy now, Kirsten. And as much as you’d like to, you can’t keep bailing him out.”
    â€œYou’re right. But I also know what he’s been through in the past, so it’s hard not to be sympathetic.” As her gaze met Jeremy’s, he could see the very heart of her in those expressive blue eyes.
    Did Max have any idea how lucky he was to have Kirsten in his corner? Jeremy wasn’t so sure.
    â€œWhen my mom died in a car accident five years ago, Max was just getting his life back on track. He’d started attending the adult school, planning to get his GED. But after the funeral, he turned to his friends for support.”
    He read into what she was really saying; Max had turned away