Page 6 of Winter Frost

“Yes, but her mother didn’t bother sticking around because she didn’t want a family. She wanted my family’s money.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” That’s a terrible feeling. I suppose it’s got to suck to love someone so long only to have her rip you to pieces later on.

“Don’t worry about me. I wasn’t in love with her. I needed a wife, and she was the town’s beauty. I worked seventy hours, and it’s pathetic, but I can’t regret it all because I have my beautiful, good-hearted girls that I love.”

“They are wonderful.”

“They adore you.”

“That’s because you exaggerate and act like I’ve worked miracles on you. I’ve only been here one month.”

“And yet, I feel twenty years younger thanks to you.”

“If you didn’t give yourself a relapse, you would still be as fit as you were before.” Goodness that came off too needy. I had to get control of myself before I acted like an ass.

“Are you flirting with me, Lynn?” he asked, giving me a saucy grin.

“I’m tempted to cancel today’s session if you keep this up, Mr. Sager,” I say, trying to create some distance between us again.

“Oh, we’re back to that again.” I give a warning stare. “Fine, I’ll behave. Besides, we’re not a good fit and we both know it.”

“Yes, we do.” I take my tablet out and open it up to start my notes. It’s going to be a long morning. By one, we’re finished for the day, and I say my goodbyes. “It’s been a good session. You should rest up and I’ll see you on Saturday.” I have to move my session because I’m doing a double at the clinic because we have a few people out sick.

“Okay, I’m going to have to wait a day longer to see your pretty face, but I’m sure it will be worth it.” Leaving his home is the hardest part of my day, but it has to be done.

We are supposed to spend three days a week together and on the other two, I work at a clinic in the next town over. He doesn’t know that because it’s my personal business. Today was the first time I let him in. I’m not sure why, but I shared something. Maybe because I wanted to create that barrier between us. We can’t be together because we want different things. He already had a family and didn’t want a new one. I don’t have that in my life.

Still, my heart and head couldn’t shake a future with Evan. It was wrong on so many levels. I could lose my license or be fired at the very least. Not to mention it would go nowhere and I would waste my last good years on a man just like Alex. Good in all ways but one.

My soul is torn, still I need to focus on my tasks. I head out of town and to my apartment near my second job.

Sleep doesn’t come easy to me, but I still wake up early for my long shift at the Rehabilitation clinic.

I arrive at six-thirty and run into the administrator, Dr. Gerald Stewart. “Jackie, it’s good to see you.”

“Same to you,” I say, giving him a smile even though I feel like anything but smiling this morning. I need a coffee IV drip right now or my bed.

“I get a smile from my favorite girl,” the administrator says. He’s always flirting with me and for the first time I’m bothered by it. Normally I didn’t see anything wrong with it because he’s old enough to be my dad, but now with my attraction to Evan, who is only like three years younger than Dr. Stewart, it just doesn’t feel right.

“I’m great, sir. How many patients do I have today?”

“You’re scheduled pretty heavy, unfortunately. We have two nurses out sick.” He hands me the report and I have fifteen patients in an eight-hour shift.

“Great. This is going to take a full day, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry. I’m hoping you didn’t have plans today.”

“Nothing but my pillow.” I walk away and head back to the breakroom and secure my things before we open up at seven.

Thankfully, he doesn’t speak to me again for the next few hours, and I manage to get through the morning without any issues. Lunch rolled around and I packed a sandwich with an apple. I’ll be starving by the time my shift ends, so I’ll be picking up something from one of the fast-food places on the way home today, but for now I eat this and go on about my day.

“That’s not a great lunch.”

“It will do for now. I didn’t feel like meal prepping this week.”

“You’re a young single woman. You should be able to prepare your meals in advance.” You should mind your fucking business.

“Luckily, that means I have time to make my lunch before work and enjoy paying for one meal after work.” I walked away, annoyed by his insinuation. I have time to cook, and I can cook, but it’s not the point and I won’t explain that I don’t like leftovers because it’s not his business. He avoids me for the rest of theday, which is a good thing because I’m not in the mood for his bullshit. When I finally make it out of the clinic, my mind is back on the only place I want to be—with Evan.

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