Just One Night Together by Deborah Cooke

Twelve

All of thepartners were present at the Wednesday night business meeting at F5F, since Kyle and Theo had flown back for Natasha’s funeral. Damon was a little self-conscious about causing so much disruption, but they expressed their sympathy and asked what they could do to help.

It was just as Haley had said. They really did have his back.

Damon couldn’t even count the number of times they insisted he should have told them.

He’d brought the final plans for the layout of F5F West, and that was the first order of business. They pored over the plans and Cassie planned the opening even as Ty crunched the costs for the construction. After the ideas were discussed and changes decided upon, Damon cleared his throat.

“There’s one more thing I have to tell you,” he admitted.

“The biter,” Kyle said, wagging a finger at him. “Who is she?” Everyone laughed but Damon didn’t answer.

He folded his hands together and his manner made them all sober. “I never told you that I was USMC. I served in Afghanistan.” He swallowed, aware that he had their complete attention. “And I have PTSD.”

Theo gave a low whistle. “That’s a big load to carry alone, even without your mom being sick.”

Cassie moved to Damon’s side and put her hand over his. “What can we do?”

“I’m getting to that.” Damon took a deep breath. “I went for therapy and learned coping strategies when I left the service, and that worked until my mom got sick. The nightmares came back, which I guess is pretty typical, but now they’ve changed. My therapist thinks this is a good thing and something to work with, so he wants me to participate in an intense program. He wants to see if he can take my healing to the next step.”

“Boston,” Ty said quietly.

“Boston,” Damon agreed. “For a month.”

Kyle spun in his chair, then pointed at Theo. “How about you take point on the construction out west? I could stay here and make sure the shifts at the club are covered.”

“No problem,” Theo said, indicating the plans. “With this, we can really get rolling.”

“Maybe we can open by June,” Cassie said. She smiled at Damon. “I’m up for three nights a week in the club for the month, so you can take that program.”

“Thanks, Cassie.”

“I’ll do Fridays,” Ty said. “And don’t forget we have Hunter now.”

“Thursdays and Saturdays are mine,” Kyle said. He grabbed a pad of paper and started to make notes. “What about your personal coaching?” he asked. “I can take them while you’re away, if you update me on each member.”

“I’ve got notes on each one of them,” Damon said. “Goals and progress, strengths and weaknesses, areas to push.”

“Great. It should be easy for me to step in.”

“You won’t miss me at all,” Damon teased, relieved that it had been so easily managed.

“Of course, we’ll miss you,” Cassie said. “You’ll have to call in and keep us updated.”

“No, actually, that’s the thing.” Damon told them the last detail. “They control the environment completely. I need to surrender my cell phone when I check in.”

“Social media withdrawal!” Kyle said and pretended to twitch. “I’d never survive a day, let alone a month.”

“Meesha might drop into a coma,” Cassie said.

“I can take a book,” Damon told them.

“Hard core,” Theo said.

“He was a Marine,” Cassie chided. She met Damon’s gaze steadily. “I think it’s great that you have this chance for a new therapy and that you’re asking for help. I also think it’s awesome that you confided in us.” To Damon’s surprise, she gave him an impulsive hug. “I feel like we’re becoming friends now.”

“Oh, so now you’re going to show him your new tattoo before I get to see it,” Kyle said, coming around the table to clap Damon on the back. Ty shook his hand and Theo gave him a hug. He felt like he had a support network.

One he’d always had, but never dared to use.

It was just the way Haley had said it would be.

“It’s still puffy,” Cassie complained.

“Bull. You just don’t want to show me,” Kyle complained. “Did you get the name of your one true love over your heart?”

“No, that’s your trick,” Cassie retorted. She gripped the front edges of her sweatshirt. “I guess I could show it to you, if you make it worth my while.”

“Isn’t it supposed to bring you love and romance?” Theo asked.

“That’s why she wants to work in the club!” Kyle said. “Where better to meet a hot guy and find romance?”

“If Cassie doesn’t want to show us, she doesn’t have to,” Ty said.

“I think she does want to show us,” Damon said and she grinned at him.

Cassie peeled off her sweatshirt and spun around. “Ta da!” She was wearing her black yoga gear, with her hair tied up in a ponytail. Beneath the sweatshirt, she had on a black tank top that showed her muscle definition to advantage. On her left bicep was the new tattoo.

Kyle peered at it. “Shoes?” he asked, his brows drawn together in confusion.

The tattoo showed a pair of shoes, the kind of Mary Janes with high heels worn by dancers. One was on its side. Behind the shoes were the numbers 2006 and in the middle was a single red heart.

“Not just any shoes,” Cassie said. “Those are dancing shoes.”

“Oh right.” Kyle rolled his eyes. He raised his hands. “Why shoes?”

“Where did you dance in 2006?” Damon asked. “You must have loved it.”

“Aha! At least someone is perceptive,” Cassie said, turning on Damon with a brilliant smile. “Radio City Music Hall. I was a Rockette for one Christmas season and you’re right, I loved it.”

“Get out,” Kyle said.

“Wow,” Ty said. “Isn’t that hard work?”

“Toughest months of my life,” Cassie said, shaking her head in recollection. “I’ve never been so sore, before or after. I’d dropped out of college when I got the job, but I went crawling back in January.”

“With sore feet,” Theo said.

“With sore everything,” Cassie corrected. “Turned out I only missed one semester and I made it up. The second show of the day was always brutal, but we smiled right on through.” She sobered. “It taught me that I could do a lot more than I thought I could, if I didn’t give up.”

“I know that feeling,” Damon said, when once he would have kept quiet. “They call it boot camp.”

They laughed together.

“Tomorrow at two,” Theo said, cocking a finger at Damon.

“I really appreciate you all coming,” he said, his voice tight.

“Of course,” Ty said. “You’re part of the team.”

It was true, although Damon hadn’t believed it fully until now.

He had Haley to thank for this change in his life.

* * *

Brad’s wifeKatie arrived after work and so did Haley’s mom. They all worked together in the kitchen to make dinner together. It was busy, noisy, and fun, and Haley found herself laughing at her brother’s lame jokes again.

Her sister Tiffany breezed in for dinner before her midnight shift to show off her engagement ring. Plans were already afoot for the spring wedding. Matt changed the time of his weekly call to their mom from Kabul so that he could talk to Haley, too.

She was exhausted, not just from the clamor of family but all the innuendo, when she retreated to Tiffany’s old room, which acted as guest room. It might be worth staying in New York, just to have some privacy or time to hear herself think.

The room was still full of Tiffany’s things, even though Haley’s sister had her own apartment. She made a little space on the end of the dresser for her toiletry bag. There were a couple of inches of space in the closet for her suit for the next day’s interview. There had to be six bridesmaid’s dresses jammed in there along with everything else, evidence of Tiffany’s army of friends and her bad luck with bridesmaid’s dresses. Haley couldn’t decide which one was more hideous.

The closet was full, the dresser was full, and the bookcase was jammed. Even Haley’s old yearbooks had been amalgamated into her sister’s collection, along with the Agatha Christie paperbacks that Haley thought had gone to a thrift store or church sale. There was hardly space to move around, but this room had to be the least of Brad’s worries.

On impulse, Haley took the yearbook from her sophomore year of high school from the shelf. She flicked through the pages to the one she wanted to see. It might as well have had the corner turned down, because she knew exactly where it was.

Garrett’s picture. He had the kind of classic good looks that aged well. She eyed his killer smile and her heart skipped.

Would she see him the next day? He had taken over his father’s practice in town, but he might be at the hospital if any of his patients were there.

She wasn’t sure she could bear to see him again.

Haley took a deep breath and ran a fingertip across his scrawled message.

Love you forever.

Well, maybe not quite.

Divorced.

Evidently he hadn’t loved his wife forever, either.

Haley shut the yearbook and put it back on the shelf. She was moving all the plush toys from the bed, marveling that she and Tiffany could actually be related, when someone knocked on the door. She peeked around the door to find Tiffany in the hall.

She waved, her diamond sparkling. “Got a minute? I want to ask you a favor before I head to work.”

“Does it involve a bridesmaid dress with shoes dyed to match?” Haley teased. The truth was that she’d wear anything for her sister, at least for a day, but the contents of the closet were sobering.

Tiffany laughed. “Probably not. Although, you know, a lot of them are still in that closet.”

“I saw. Why don’t you get rid of them?”

“Small town. The bride might see it at the thrift store and know from the size that it was mine, and that I hadn’t kept it for parties after all. I can do without that drama.”

Haley stepped back and opened the door wide. Tiffany came in and pushed the door shut behind her, then bounced on the bed. She picked up a stuffed bear and gave him a snuggle. “How cool that you’re crashing in my old room.”

“It’s neater than I’ve ever seen it.”

Tiffany laughed again. “Two sisters, completely opposite. One a neat-freak and one a tsunami of disorganization. I should drop by in the middle of the night and mess up your stuff while you’re sleeping.”

“You’ll have a hard time finding my stuff in here.”

“True.” Tiffany nodded. “You got the minimalist inclinations in this family.”

“Hardly. Brad and Matt have their share.”

“So, it’s more accurate to say that I’m the family packrat.”

“If the shoe fits...”

Tiffany smiled. “Speaking of which, I want to come to New York to shop for my wedding dress.”

Haley immediately understood. “You can stay at my place, if you want. We’ll both fit on the sofa bed.” And it was possible that they would still be able to move around the apartment if Tiffany only stayed a few days. Haley knew from experience that her sister’s baggage would seem to explode on arrival and her belongings would cover every available surface within minutes.

“Wow, you offered without even wincing.”

Haley smiled. “I’m assuming you won’t stay long.”

“I won’t. But a free place to stay isn’t all. You need to come shopping with me.”

“For your wedding dress?” Haley winced then. The notion of spending thousands of dollars on a dress for a single day always bothered her. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. You need to take five days off, Wednesday through Sunday. I’ll come Tuesday night, we’ll shop for four days and live the wedding fantasy.” Haley groaned. “Then we’ll go dancing and get really drunk on Saturday night before I crawl to the airport on Sunday.”

“We have taxis. You don’t have to crawl all that way.”

“I’ll probably have to crawl to the curb for the cab.” Tiffany nudged Haley. “Maybe I’ll find you a hot date—unless, of course, you’re going to hook up with Garrett again.”

Haley ignored that. “So, this would be your bachelorette party or your last fling?”

Tiffany’s eyes widened. “God, I hope not. You’re my big sister. You can keep me from doing anything I might regret.”

“Like dragging home a hot guy.”

“Exactly that.”

Haley shook her head. “I don’t think three will fit on the sofa bed.”

“An excellent consideration. And in exchange for your good sense and wise judgment, I’ll buy all your meals and transport for the shopping adventure, plus your frilly drinks on our big night out.” Tiffany crossed her heart and held up her fingers. “I promise that I won’t even mess with the organization of your cupboards.”

Haley smiled. “Sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”

“That was exactly the idea.” Tiffany grinned. “We could get commemorative tattoos.”

Haley rolled her eyes. “I’m going to guess that you’ve already picked the dates.”

“No. Look at your shifts and choose a weekend. Sooner is better.”

“So, you’ll know you have the dress.”

“No! So, I know you’ll still be in New York!”

Another reference to her inevitable move. “Come next week,” she said on impulse. “I have it off.”

“Excellent! Let me see if I can get the days.”

“And don’t count on my moving before I even survive the job interview.”

Tiffany waved off the comment. “You’ll ace it. You ace everything. Just think: you’ll be living here in time for the wedding!” She kissed Haley on the cheek and headed for the door before Haley could protest.

Commemorative tattoos. Maybe she and Tiff weren’t really related.

* * *

Damon stoodin the church with the priest and his mom’s ashes and found himself thinking of Haley. It had been two weeks since he’d goaded her into leaving, two weeks during which she hadn’t called or stopped by. Two weeks since he’d heard her voice or felt her touch.

Two weeks in which he’d missed her more sharply than anyone he’d ever lost.

Even his mom.

It had easily been the longest two weeks of his life.

Damon told himself that it was good he’d ended things when he had, before there’d been any chance of him really hurting her. That didn’t change how much he missed her.

Being responsible didn’t seem like such a good thing.

He was starting to hope that the therapist was right and that he might, one day soon, have more to offer Haley Slater than he did now.

For the moment, he wanted to thank her for kicking his ass.

He watched the door, hungry to see her again. He’d let the hospital staff know about the service. It had been in the local paper and because of his mom’s career, the obituary had been picked up by the larger papers. The priest expected a full house, but Damon didn’t care about that.

There was only one person he wanted to see.

Then a guy walked into the church and Damon was so completely surprised that he thought his eyes were deceiving him. Was that Nate Buchanan? It couldn’t be. The man in question waved his right hand, giving Damon a two-fingered salute. His hand was gloved.

Because it was a prosthesis.

Buchanan had come—even though Damon hadn’t answered his messages. Damon was astonished and humbled by his presence.

His throat was tight.

Ty and Shannyn led the F5F team into the church, Kyle and Lauren hand-in-hand behind them. Cassie was with Theo, all of them dressed in black. Meesha, Jax and Sonia had come, as well, which awed him. They came straight to Damon and gathered behind him, like his support staff. Cassie kissed his cheek and Kyle gave him an impromptu hug. Jax shook his hand and Sonia kissed his cheek. Meesha gave him such a hug that it was practically a tackle.

“We can stay with you or step back,” Ty said and Damon indicated the first pew.

“I’d be glad to have you with me,” he said, his voice thick.

The church was standing room only by the time the service began. The priest had suggested that Damon gather pictures of his mom when she was healthy, and Damon had created a collage, which was at the altar. In the middle was a drawing he’d done of her years before, laughing with her usual abandon. He kept his gaze fixed on it during the service, not really hearing the words, filling his mind with memories. There were flowers from friends and the lilies had a strong sweet scent. They celebrated communion, because his mom would have preferred it, and when the service was done, people came to speak to him.

Damon was overwhelmed by their kindness.

His mom’s neighbors were out in force, and several of them promised him casseroles and fresh baking. Some of them had already dropped off food for him. Mrs. O’Toole from the dance academy hadn’t changed much and she gripped his hands as she remembered the days of his mom tutoring little girls. There were younger women who had been those little girls, very few of them dancers now but all of them with perfect posture and their eyes filled with tears. There were ladies from the church and retired professional dancers who he vaguely remembered from his childhood. To his amazement, many of the kids from Zeke’s gym had come to give their condolences to him and he was impressed to see what fine men they’d become.

And last of all, there was Nate Buchanan, a familiar twinkle in his eyes. Damon remembered how this guy could find the silver lining in any thunderhead.

“I’m sorry, Damon,” he said and offered his hand. Damon didn’t know what to do, since Nate’s right hand was the prosthesis. Nate just shook his head. “You can’t break it, bro,” he said.

Damon shook his hand, then met Nate’s gaze. “I am so sorry.”

“Why? It wasn’t your fault.”

“It was...”

“No, Damon, it was not your fault,” Nate interrupted, his tone stern. “You didn’t make the grenade, you didn’t pull the pin, and you didn’t chuck it at us.”

“But Foster...”

“Knew exactly what he signed up for. We all did.” Nate’s gaze was steely. “The best team I ever worked with was you and Foster. I miss him every day, but I don’t regret that we served our country and gave our best. He gave his life doing what he loved, and I don’t think he would regret it.”

“I regret losing him.”

“It’s amazing we weren’t all lost. It was because of you.”

“No. I was the one who reminded him of R.O.E.”

“You were the one who kicked that sucker away. If Foster hadn’t jumped in the same direction because of that enemy fire, he would have been fine.”

Damon frowned. “I don’t remember the enemy fire.”

“Because you took a hit to your helmet. Don’t you remember, Damon? You went down, but you kicked the grenade as you fell. I grabbed you and jumped out of the way. Foster jumped in the other direction. It was just rotten luck that the grenade went the same way he did. It could have been either of us or all three of us.”

“But your hand. That was the grenade.”

“No, that was the enemy fire. Foster took all of the grenade.”

Damon rubbed his forehead, aware that his partners were watching him. “That’s not how I remember it.”

“I know. I see that now.” Nate gave him a look and then a tight hug. “You’ve been blaming yourself, haven’t you?”

“I thought it was my fault. I thought I let you down.”

“Not a chance, bro. You were the rock of the platoon. I can’t believe you didn’t know it.”

Damon shook his head, unable to accept that things had been so different from his recollection. “The therapist said I might be remembering it wrong. He said I should talk to you, but I couldn’t do it.”

“Dumb ass,” Nate said and slugged Damon in the shoulder. Then he looked guiltily at the priest who pretended not to have heard. “That’ll teach me to let you duck my calls.”

“Yea, it will. I’ve learned my lesson.” They grinned at each other. “I want you to meet my friends,” Damon said and turned to his partners. “This is Nate Buchanan. We served together.”

“Ooo-rah,” Kyle said and got a laugh from Damon and Nate.

Damon continued. “Nate, these are my partners at Flatiron Five Fitness...”

“That fitness club?” Nate asked, then turned on Damon. “Wait a minute? Was that you on that billboard? I thought it looked like you, but you were never that big when we served.”

“He’s been working at it,” Kyle said. He touched his own chest. “He had a really good coach.”

Damon snorted.

“Kyle’s absurdly modest, as you can see,” Cassie said to Nate.

Kyle offered his hand to Nate. “Kyle Stuyvesant. Good to meet you.”

“Wow,” Nate said after the introductions had been made. “You really have accomplished something. That place is hot.”

“Have you been to F5F?” Theo asked.

“Are you kidding me? I could never afford it.” Theo produced a day pass and handed it to Nate whose eyes lit up. “You’re kidding me.”

“No, come on down and try it out,” Ty said.

“Thank you!” Nate nudged Damon. “I’m thinking it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to come close to the number of push-ups you can do.”

“Maybe not now, but you can get the jump on some training,” Damon said. “I’m going up to Boston for a month next week.”

Understanding dawned in Nate’s eyes. “You’re on. We’ll square off when you get back.” They bumped fists, then Nate looked down at the card again. “I can’t wait to see this place inside. How long can I stay?”

“All day,” Kyle said. “We’re open six to midnight.”

“Awesome. You’re going to lose money on this day pass.”

“We can do better than that,” Cassie said smoothly. “I just thought of our next promotion.” They all turned to her and she smiled. “We’re going to offer a discount on membership to service men and women, whether they’re active or not.”

“You served: you get the discount,” Theo agreed with a nod. “I like it.”

“Like Disneyland,” Kyle said. “That’ll totally rock.”

“I’ll be saving my pennies,” Nate said with enthusiasm.

“You need to install the app to plan your day,” Meesha said and took charge of Nate’s phone. Cassie explained that he could book into classes online or just check the schedule and the entire group turned to leave the church.

Damon followed the others with the priest. He’d arranged for a small reception in the room the church used for social functions and he could hear conversation already building as he approached. A couple of kids brought the pictures and he couldn’t believe how much better he felt.

All that energy shared by others had really helped.

It was just as Haley had said.

Yet she hadn’t come. He knew why. She’d wanted him to call her, to invite her, to make the next move for once, and he hadn’t done it.

He’d make that right ASAP.

* * *

Haley heardGarrett’s voice before she saw him.

That just gave her time to have a small heart attack and compose her features before he caught up with her. She was leaving the interview and crossing the lobby of the hospital, just starting to think she might have missed seeing him, when she heard him laugh. She didn’t turn around but kept walking, letting him catch up with her.

Her heart was thundering.

The inevitable meeting was upon her and she felt more flustered than she had for the interview.

The interview had gone well. Haley arrived early, thanks to her mom being off and lending her the car, and her own inclination to leave lots of time for wrong turns. She liked the doctor and the head nurse who had spearheaded the program and thought it would be easy to work within the outline of their plan. She felt at ease with them and didn’t think that she fumbled any of the interview questions.

She’d just been wondering what she’d do the rest of the day when she heard Garrett.

Of course, he wouldn’t leave their meeting to chance.

Garrett was big on making his own luck.

She figured she had her mom to thank for Garrett knowing about her interview. He’d probably timed his appearance in the lobby to coincide with her departure. No doubt his plan was to see her after the interview rather than before, when she might be nervous. Garrett planned for all the variables.

“Haley Slater! Is that you?” he called, his deep voice booming through the hospital lobby. Haley was sure that every person within half a mile turned to look.

She pivoted to face him and tried to look surprised, as if she hadn’t been both expecting and dreading this meeting since getting out of Brad’s truck. “Garrett! What a surprise. You’re looking well.”

That was an understatement. He looked fabulous. Garrett had always been tall and handsome, but now he was a successful man. He’d filled out a little and had a touch of silver at his temples. He still had a killer smile and the looks of a movie star. That confidence oozed from every pore. People turned to look at him wherever he went, drawn by some magnetism he possessed. He managed to look handsome, glamorous and purposeful as he strode toward her, a stethoscope around his neck and a chart under his arm. Haley couldn’t keep her body from responding to the sight.

Oh, how she had loved this man. Did she still? Her heart squeezed tightly as he bent to kiss her cheek. She remembered the feel of his whiskers against her skin in the morning, the weight of his hand on her hip as he slept, the secretive little smile he gave her when he was thinking something naughty. She closed her eyes as she caught a whiff of that cologne he wore, the one that still curled her toes, then he looked intently into her eyes just the way he always did. She’d teased him that he could read her thoughts whenever he looked at her like that. It still took her breath away.

Blue, blue, blue. A thousand hues of blue. And that concentrated concern. It was like looking into the sun. Haley’s mouth went dry.

Garrett could still do it. He could still make her feel like she was the only person of importance on the planet and the center of his universe. That look still turned her knees to butter and made her heart do somersaults. Her palms were damp, as if she was sixteen all over again.

Was this kismet?

Haley tried to remind herself that he’d dumped her for Krista and failed.

She remembered instead that he was divorced.

“Haley,” he murmured, his voice warm. His gaze swept over her and filled with admiration. “You look fantastic. How did the interview go?”

Haley blinked. Of course, he knew why she was at the hospital. Her mom had probably told him everything. “Well enough, I think.”

“Well enough,” he echoed, shaking his head. “You and your modesty. It’s like a breath of fresh air. Still an idealist believing the good guys have to win?”

“Doesn’t everyone think that?”

Garrett laughed. “Do you have time for a coffee with an old friend?” He’d already claimed her elbow and was guiding her toward the coffee shop.

Haley felt her brows rise and she said something she would never have said before. “Old friend?” she echoed lightly. “Is that what we are?”

“Aren’t we friends, Haley?” His sidelong gaze was piercing and very blue.

Haley looked down, her feelings mixed. “I think most women would have less than fond memories of a fiancé who married someone else,” she said with care.

“But we weren’t really engaged,” he protested.

“Funny. I thought we were.”

“But that was just between us, Haley. We hadn’t announced it. I hadn’t bought a ring.” He smiled, as if that explained everything, but Haley’s stomach twisted.

She remembered his insistence that they choose the rings after his residency was finished.

She sat down, her thoughts spinning, and he got them both a coffee. He charmed the woman behind the counter and Haley didn’t think he paid for the coffees. She wasn’t surprised that he remembered how she liked hers, because the man had a photographic memory.

Was it possible that Garrett wasn’t perfect after all?

Haley knew that Damon wouldn’t have played word games like that. He did what he said he was going to do—and refused to offer what he couldn’t do.

“Trust you to cut to the chase,” Garrett said when he sat down opposite her. He met her gaze and she noticed that she was bracing herself for him to tell her something that wasn’t quite true. “I made a mistake marrying Krista and we both finally admitted it. The divorce will be final by the end of the month.”

“I’m sorry,” Haley said, because she thought she should.

“Me, too.” His brow furrowed with a concern that Haley knew made the hearts of his patients flutter. Hers did, as well, even though she knew better. “It’s hard for the kids.”

“How many do you have?”

“Two. Both boys. Five and one.”

Haley sipped her coffee, thinking that things couldn’t have been so bad if he and Krista had a one-year old child.

“What are you thinking?” Garrett asked.

“Sounds like part of the marriage was working just fine,” she said, because she had nothing to lose.

“Sex is the easy part.” Garrett shook his head. “The rest was always complicated. I wanted kids sooner and closer together but Krista is so ambitious...”

Haley felt strangely protective of his ex-wife, a woman she’d barely met. “I remember you being ambitious.”

Garrett’s smile flashed. “Point taken. But it’s hard for a marriage to work when both partners want to pursue their career their own way.”

Haley stared into her coffee, hearing what he didn’t say. Once, she would have let the matter slide, but she couldn’t keep herself from challenging him on it. “So, it was okay for one partner to do that, like you, but not okay for her to want to do the same?”

“That sounds like an accusation, Haley.”

She shrugged. “You’re both doctors. You had to know that you had a lot in common. It takes a lot of work and commitment to build a practice.”

“Maybe I wasn’t thinking straight,” Garrett admitted and Haley had the sense that he was annoyed with her. “The point is that Krista and I have parted ways because I made a mistake, and here you are, coming back to this very hospital, which gives me the chance to make things right.” He smiled at Haley and once again, she found herself explaining that her return wasn’t a done deal.

“I don’t know that I’m coming back to this hospital,” she said. “I haven’t been offered a job yet, and even if I am, I’m not sure it will be right for me.”

Garrett laughed. “Of course, it will be right for you. It’s tailor-made for you.”

Haley stared at him. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” Garrett said with a smile. “I told you years ago that you have to make your own luck.”

“But how?”

“I’m on the advisory council. Your mom has mentioned your interest over the years, so when the idea was proposed, I was behind it. It’ll be a great addition to our services. All it will take now is a quiet word or two in the right ears, because you are the ideal candidate, and you’ll be back in town.” He sipped his coffee, completely convinced that everything would fall into place as he intended. Haley stared at him in surprise. “You must want to be close to your family again. Your mom will be glad to have you nearby, especially when you have family.”

“Family?”

“Sure. I don’t mind having more kids.”

Haley was suddenly very glad that she hadn’t married Garrett. He was confident that she would do what he wanted, just because he wanted it. He didn’t even realize that she might want something else.

Or if he did, he didn’t think her opinion was relevant.

Damon was right. She should never have held this man up as an ideal of masculinity.

Brad didn’t like him. Haley would bet that her dad wouldn’t have liked him either. She already knew that Damon didn’t think much of him.

Garrett smiled at her, but this time, his charm missed the mark. “Want to go for dinner tonight? We can catch up, lay some new groundwork for the future.”

Haley put down her coffee hard. “No, but thanks for asking.”

“You think it’s too soon.” He frowned a little then leaned closer, intent on persuading her. “People are going to talk anyway. That’s how it is.”

“No, my answer has nothing to do with your divorce, or even, with you.”

Garrett was startled to silence.

“I’m going to spend tonight with my family, before I go back to New York.”

“But...”

“Would you do me one favor, Garrett?”

“Sure, anything!”

“Please save yourself the trouble of making those suggestions in the right ears.”

He was startled. “But why?”

“If I’m offered the job here, I want it to be because I earned it, not because someone fixed it for me and certainly not so that I owe someone something for it.”

Garrett bristled, insulted and a little put out. He tried to cover it with a smile. “Haley! Your idealism means that you do things the hard way.”

“It’s my way. I like it.”

He shook his head, amused. “That’s not how the world works, Haley. That’s not how successful people achieve their goals.”

“It’s how I achieve mine.” She let her voice drop as she insisted. “Promise me.”

Garrett met her gaze, disappointment in his eyes. “I won’t say a word.”

“I mean it, Garrett.”

He looked agitated. “I promised, Haley!”

She didn’t remind him of promises he’d broken before.

“Thanks.” Haley got to her feet and picked up her bag. “Take care, Garrett. It was nice to see you again. Thanks for the coffee.” Haley pivoted and left the table, knowing that they were both equally disappointed in each other.

If nothing else, their little discussion had opened Haley’s eyes and closed a chapter in her life. She’d been good enough for Garrett until Krista had offered more. She was interesting to him now, because he thought she’d be grateful—maybe even useful.

But Haley wasn’t the same woman whose heart Garrett had broken all those years ago.