“Addyson?” Kassie called her name.
“Uh, yeah?” Addyson replied, turning around.
Kassie laughed. “I’ve called your name three times, and you stared at your chart and smiled like a loon. Something tells me it has nothing to do with what you’re reading,” she teased.
“I’m picking up Zeus this afternoon. Jake says he’s healing great. In a few days, he’ll be running like nothing ever happened,” she informed her. “Thank you again for the check. I bought a couch and a recliner. Tonight. I’ll order a new kitchen table. Do you know how much the security system costs? I wanted to repay Serenity Securities. I can’t believe they installed it in one day.”
“Oh, I’m happy to hear you get to bring Zeus home. Jake’s amazing with animals. I ended up in the woods by myself and ran into a coyote in the dead of winter. Rollo saved me, and they bit him. If Chase hadn’t come along when he did, I hate to think of what might have happened. I worried myself sick.”
“Oh, that sounds scary,” Addyson said. “What made you go into the woods all alone?”
“Pure idiocy,” Kassie said, chuckling. “Have you seen Catherine?”
“No. I haven’t seen her for at least two hours. Did you need something?”
Kassie grimaced. “No. I’m babysitting her today. I gave her strict instructions to stay on the sofa and work on her laptop. Of course, she doesn’t listen,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Hmmm. It seems to me it takes one to know one,” she mused.
Kassie grinned. “Yeah. We’re great at getting into trouble together. I promised Leo not to let her pick up anything heavierthan a marker. If you see her, will you let her know I’m searching for her?”
“Absolutely, I leave in another hour. The new admission has settled in, and I’ve ordered his medication from the pharmacy. Did you want me to make rounds on the other floors before I leave? I’m almost done here.”
“If you don’t mind,” she said, biting her lip. “I don’t like Catherine running around after yesterday’s spell.”
“Go. I’ve got this,” Addyson assured her.
“Thanks. I hope all goes great with Zeus,” Kassie said before turning around in search of her friend.
Addyson checked her phone, hoping Liam texted her. When she didn’t see anything from him, she paused. Why didn’t she text him?
Hi. I hope your training with Apollo went great today. Did you want to stay for dinner?
She saw three dots, but he didn’t reply. One of the new nurses approached her, making her slide her phone back into her uniform.
“The patient in 202 says he’s still having pain. Doctor Winters has already increased his pain medication. What do I need to do?”
“Contact Dr. Winters. He’ll reevaluate his patient,” she told the nurse.
When she walked away, she glanced at her phone to see if Liam answered her.
Thank you. I’ll meet you at Jake’s. Let me know when you’re on your way.
Disappointment filled her. The text felt…formal. It didn’t fit Liam at all. He made her laugh, take chances, and encouraged her to come out from the rock she hid under. As a patient, she saw him every day and denied her attraction to him. As a lover, it felt as if she knew him forever. Their bodies melded together asif they came from the same mold. Did he not feel the same way? She bit her thumbnail and recalled him taking his finger in her mouth. His hot tongue glided against it as he sucked it, making it pulse, which grew from her finger and down to her center.
Shaking her head, Addyson slipped her phone into her pocket. She hurried to check the other floors. When her shift ended, she’d meet Liam and bring home her baby, Zeus. What more could a girl ask for?
* * *
Kassie let outa relieved sigh as she found Catherine sitting on a bench outside, eating a bowl of fresh-cut fruit.
“Did you forget how to use your phone?” Kassie chastised.
“I’m fine. I needed time alone to think,” she admitted. “Having Leo home has confused me even more.”
“What did Leo do now?”
“The laundry,” she admitted. “Then, he washed the dishes, vacuumed, and made me breakfast before driving me to work.”
