Page 23 of Back in the Saddle

You could have had all that, too. You did have it.

The muscle in his jaw tensed. Absentmindedly, he took a long swig of beer, letting the fizzy liquid wash down his throat.

‘And it’s all going well with you two?’ Hunter asked.

Mitch beamed at him. ‘Yeah, man. So, well. I’m honestly the luckiest man. Eve’s just amazing.’

‘Glad to hear.’

‘You know, she has some spare tickets to see Lionel in Tulsa in the fall. It’s a one-off event, some kind of sentimental tribute to his grandfather or something. Sounds like it’s going to be quite a show. I could get you a pair, if you wanted?’

Hunter grunted, though he didn’t think Mitch could hear him over the deafening music. ‘Sure, why not? Might take Meg.’

Mitch’s green eyes reflected the pink strobe lights. ‘Or you could bring someone else?’

Hunter’s mouth went dry. ‘Maybe I could.’

They looked at each other but neither said anything else. Mitch appeared pleased with himself. A month ago, Hunter wouldn’t have said that. There was no one he would even consider bringing to a show. But now …

Don’t get ahead of yourself. She might not even text you. And you’re already thinking of asking her to go to a show in the fall. What is wrong with you?

That was an excellent question.

Instead of dwelling on the answer, he reached for his beer again, settling comfortably in the booth and watching the crowd bobbing to a fast song that sounded a lot like some chalk being dragged across a blackboard.

CHAPTER TEN

Caroline

Getting lost on her way to the office had become a norm in Caroline’s morning. The inside of the Rouken Cancer Center reminded her of an elaborate maze she had got lost in on a trip to Austria once. Which was also the first time she had experienced a panic attack.

At least the Centre had semi-helpful signage.

She passed a water fountain by the elevator on the fourth floor and stopped, looking around for the arrows pointing towards the clinical trials offices. The cancer centre connected to the main hospital building via a glass-covered walkway. Outside, underneath the structure, there was a small courtyard with large concrete blocks serving as flower containers. They overflowed with varying shades of pink and violet flowers, surrounded by greenery. Caroline didn’t know much about flowers aside from knowing she loved lilies and disliked roses in her vases. Flowers and gardening were her father’s forte.

She had recognised Ronan’s favourite flower the other week when she’d walked out to grab an iced coffee from a food truck in the courtyard – Supertunia ‘Vista Bubblegum’. The characteristic cascades of bright bubblegum-pink flowers reminded her of stretching on a blanket in the garden of their Aberdeen home, shielding her eyes from the rare sun with a book. Not that the Scottish summers had anything on Oklahoma’s heat in August.

The memories were the only thing she had left. After her mother died, Ronan had sold the house and moved to Dublin. Both her sisters followed in his steps, making Caroline the only member of the O’Kelly family left in Scotland.

She slowed her pace as she reached midway across the walkway. Looking down through the see-through floor, she smiled at the flowers. They weren’t easily distinguishable from this height but knowing they were there, a connection to her father despite him being thousands of miles away, warmed her heart.

She fished out her phone from her pocket, firing a message to her older sister, Clara.

CAROLINE:Do you have time for a catch up? I got to work early and would love to see you. And Vic, of course.

The reply came only moments later as she dropped her handbag on the desk in the office.

CLARA:Sure. Give me five minutes, I’ll FaceTime you.

Caroline smiled at her phone, looking around the empty office. It had just gone 7.30 a.m. Neither of the other research assistantswould come in for at least another half an hour, though it’d probably be more like an hour. After last night’s conversation with Finn, she had struggled to dissociate. When she had finally fallen asleep, her dreams trembled with anxiety. She had woken up after 5 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep.

There were always things she could busy herself with at the office. Research papers to read to brush up on colorectal cancer and melanoma, the main tumours the team at the Rouken Cancer Center conducted clinical trials on. She would speak with Clara and browse through the pub alerts she had set up.

She pulled on a smile and clicked on the incoming call button. ‘Hi!’

Clara’s face popped on the screen. Short chestnut hair framed her face, with an exact replica of Caroline’s green eyes gleaming in the camera from underneath stylish bangs.

‘Hi yourself! All the photos you send make me wish I could hop on a plane and join you.’

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