“You might regret that,” Jane warned. “Scarlett is an Uno expert.”

Something tugged in Nik’s chest. Pete had kept an old pile of games on the shelf at the Grassroots Café, and Nik and Jane used to play Uno for hours at their table in the corner. Over the years, their matches had grown increasingly competitive. Three out of five: Winner buys coffee. Loser has to declare the winner is the smartest, most beautiful person they’ve ever met.

When Jane had been the winner, Nik had delivered his penalty with a goofy grin and a laugh to hide his true feelings behind the words.

Did Jane think about those old competitions when she was playing with her daughter? He sat on the chair next to the bed and pulled it closer, shuffling the cards. “You in, too?” he asked Jane, with a hint of a challenge in his voice. “We’ll wait for you to come back.”

She hesitated, glancing at Scarlett, who had rubbed away the tears and was smiling now. “Of course I am.” Jane raised her eyebrows. “Same old rules?”

Nik looked at Scarlett with his head cocked. “Loser has to declare the winner is the smartest, most beautiful person they’ve ever met?—?”

Scarlett giggled and nodded.

Nik shuffled the cards, his eyes drifting to Jane’s. “Yep, same old rules.”

TWENTY-THREE

Jane watched her daughter sleeping in the hospital bed. A bright green cast covered her arm from wrist to elbow, the billowy fabric of her hospital gown enveloping her small frame. Scarlett had eaten dinner and finally fallen asleep an hour ago, and Jane wished that she could do the same. She shifted on the vinyl couch that would be her own bed for the evening, and though her whole body ached with exhaustion, her mind was whirring with the events of the day.

Her thoughts inevitably drifted to Nik.

He’d looked so shocked when he’d first walked into the exam room and discovered that she was Scarlett’s mother. But despite being blindsided, he’d been nothing but kind and compassionate, showing so much care for Scarlett, and to Jane when she was panicking over Scarlett’s head injury. Maybe that was just his job. He was clearly good at it. But later, it hadn’t been his job to hang out with them playing cards, cheering Scarlett up and taking Jane’s mind off the situation. He’d done it because that was the kind of person he was.

Nik had been so good with Scarlett, teasing her about the card game, making her laugh with his sad faces when he lost a round. Scarlett had gazed up at him with adoring eyes. It was an expression she used to reserve for Matteo, but which had become less frequent as she grew older and began to understand who her father really was.

Over the years, Jane had imagined what it might have been like for her daughter to grow up with a man like Nik instead of Matteo. But it had only ever been a late-night fantasy that she never allowed herself to entertain in the light of day. Seeing them together, seeing how natural Nik was with Scarlett, Jane’s heart ached with that old longing.

Jane glanced from her sleeping daughter to the clock over the TV. It was after eight, and Nik had probably gone home by now. When the nurse had come in to take Scarlett for her cast and admit her for the night, Nik had left to finish his paperwork. Jane knew it was better than having him hang around. The more he stayed here, getting to know Scarlett and making Jane feel like she wasn’t alone, the harder it would be to leave in a few days.

So, when the curtain in front of the door rustled, and Nik stepped into the room, Jane didn’t want to admit how glad she was to see him.

“How is she feeling?” Nik whispered from the doorway.

Jane stood on shaky legs but stayed where she was, on the opposite side of the room. “They gave her some meds for the pain in her arm, and it seemed to help the headache, too. She ate dinner and fell asleep about an hour ago.”

“Good.” Nik nodded. “I think she’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

Jane glanced at the clock again. “You’re here late. I thought you would have gone home by now.”

“I was on my way, but…” He shrugged. “You looked exhausted when I saw you earlier, and the nurse said you hadn’t eaten, so…” Nik held out a paper bag. “I remembered you like Thai food.” He gave her a crooked smile.

Nik had been running around taking care of people all day, and then he’d played five rounds of Uno while they waited for the nurse. He certainly didn’t have to go out of his way to feed her. He must be exhausted, too. Jane took in his messy hair and the way the dim overhead lights of the hospital room highlighted the dark smudges under his eyes. “Have you eaten anything?” she asked.

Nik shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ve got something in the fridge at home.”

Jane crossed the room, taking the bag and peeking inside. She found a plastic container of pad thai and a handful of napkins and plastic silverware. “There are two forks here, and I’ll never eat this all by myself. Do you want to share?”

Nik hesitated, his gaze sweeping over Jane’s face as if he wasn’t sure what to make of her. Finally, he nodded. “That would be great. Thanks.”

The paper bag in Jane’s hand crinkled, and Scarlett stirred.

Nik nodded toward the door. “There’s a family waiting room across the hall. It’s probably empty this time of night. Let’s go over there.”

Jane followed Nik across the hall to a small room with a coffee maker, vending machine, and a vinyl-covered couch. She settled at one end, placing the food carton on the coffee table while Nik sank into the cushions on the other end.

He reached out to take the fork she offered him. “I realize you turned me down for dinner tonight, so this wasn’t meant to be me worming my way in.”

Jane shook her head. “I would never think that.” She bit her lip. “I guess now you know the reason I said no.” She pulled the lid off the food container and stared at the swirl of noodles so she wouldn’t have to look at Nik. “It’s complicated.”