He waved that off. “I’ll talk to Rene for you. He’ll write you a check to keep the clinic going.”

“Does this Rene guy know the town uses him like a checkbook?” She shook her head. “I don’t want to merely keep the place open for emergencies. I want to practice here. I can’t do that if I don’t have patients. I’m uncertain Doctor Hamet has any intention of helping me past cashing the check I wrote him, so I have to consider my sister’s advice.”

“What did Lisa tell you to do?” Armie asked.

“She thinks I should do what worked for her. She said I should go to this Rene guy and ask him to fake date me because if people think I’m interested in one of the town’s guys, that will somehow prove I’m interested in them. Like spending every dime I have on a clinic that helps them and working my ass off isn’t proof. Nope, I need to prove my loyalty by humping one of the guys. It’s typical when you think about it.”

He didn’t see anything at all typical about that, and he was going to have a talk with her sister. “You are not going to prostitute yourself for that clinic.”

“I was going to fake prostitute myself,” she corrected. “And I wasn’t going to fake sleep with anyone. It’s going to be a very old-fashioned fake courtship.”

“That’s the most ridiculous idea I ever heard.”

“I said the same thing,” she agreed. “So you want to do it?”

“What?”

“Fake date me so people will think I’m one of them. Remy thought it should be you and since you already kind of asked me out, it might not be the worst idea. You said you were willing to show me around. Maybe I should wait and see, but I don’t want to waste time. I can’t have too many more days like today. I know I’m supposed to be patient, but that’s not my strong suit. Maybe it’s because it’s late, but the whole fake-dating thing is starting to look like a viable option. We could make a schedule for a week or two and then reevaluate as to whether or not the plan is working.”

Fake date her? Make a schedule?

Of course, fake dating could lead to real dating. It might be a way to get to know her. Or it might be a complete disaster. It was ridiculous because there was a perfectly fine solution sitting right in front of them.

“Absolutely not. You’re not going to pull a fast one on this town. I know they seem like country bumpkins, but these are smart people. They would figure it out. The reason it worked for Lisa was because it was real. She was madly in love with Remy and everyone knew it.”