Page 35 of Break My Fall

“You think God wants us to grow old and grumpy and then adopt a redhead who will turn our world upside down?”

“It could happen.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Nope.”

“Love you, Mo.”

“Love you.”

She walked to her door, and right as she opened it, she heard him say, “I could give his computers a virus...”

“No!”

“Offer stands.”

She went inside, and while she wasn’t happy, at least she’d stopped crying. She was loved. Dearly and deeply. But Mo and Cal, her parents, her family, all of them loved her, but they didn’t have a choice. Not really. And because they didn’t have a choice, it didn’t count.

She wanted someone to choose to love her.

But that someone wasn’t going to be Grayson Ward.

TEN

Meredith woke up the next morning with a headache, puffy eyes, and a renewed determination to live the life she’d been given without trying to force it to take a different shape.

She made it until ten a.m. when Lucy, her office manager extraordinaire, leaned into the room where she was finishing up a filling. “Dr. Quinn, when you’re done here, you’re needed in your office.”

Meredith looked up, and Lucy mouthed “police chief.”

Meredith nearly dropped her instruments. “Ten minutes.” She was proud of the way her voice didn’t waver.

She wasn’t proud of the way she took her time and ten minutes turned into fifteen before she walked into her office and faced Gray. “How can I help you this morning?” She hoped her cheery voice and bright smile would distract him from any thoughts he might have about last night.

Unfortunately, he didn’t respond immediately. He studied her face. She’d read about the idea of “studying a face” in books and never appreciated how disconcerting it was to be on the receiving end of such focused attention.

“How are you?”

“Good. And you?”

He frowned, and it was like a little thought bubble popped up over his head. She could tell he wasn’t happy with the way she was deflecting. Too bad.

“I’ve been better. Are you planning to be here all day?”

“Yes.” Where was he going with this?

“Good. Could I borrow your car?”

“If I’d had time to imagine every possible thing you could have said to me, borrowing my car wouldn’t have made the list.” She tried for amused surprise, but based on his expression, she didn’t quite manage it.

“I need to take your car to your dad’s shop.”

“Why?”

“Because he found a tracking device on the van.”

Meredith started to say something. Stopped. Tried again. Gave up and took a seat behind her desk. Gray didn’t seem bothered by her response, and he waited patiently for her to focus. When she did, she asked the first thing that popped into her head. “Why would anyone want to track me?”

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