Page 99 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

I nodded again. Piper had been unexpected when I came here, but everything within me screamed we were meant to be together.

‘As soon as I returned to Ivy Falls, Nora knew there was something off about me. We had a serious talk about what we wanted for our futures and agreed we were headed in different directions.’ He smiled. ‘Sylvie and I were engaged a year later.’

‘That’s a nice story,’ I said.

‘Ford, I’m not your father or your mentor, maybe not even your friend, but I hope you’ll let me tell you one thing about life from my experience.’

‘Could I stop you?’ I chuckled.

He gave me that smirk again. ‘For thirty years, I’ve taken care of the citizens of Ivy Falls. Some of them have had long and beautiful lives like Greta Vanderpool. But I’ve also had to give some devastating diagnoses. Seen some young lives sadly cut short.’ His voice went quiet. ‘You have all these important plans and commitments, which I admire, but along the way you need to consider if those plans are fulfilling enough. If all those achievements are worth celebrating alone.’ His gaze flicked to all the frames on his shelves. ‘I can tell you from experience that none of my triumphs would have been as meaningful if I didn’t have Sylvie by my side.’

‘But what if,’ I scrubbed at my pulsing temples, ‘she’s made it clear she wants something else?’

‘Has she?’

‘When we first started spending time together, that’s what she told me.’

‘Like you, do you think her feelings have changed?’

‘Not sure.’

A sharp knock on the door kept me from saying any more. Janice stuck her head in the room and let out an irritated huff. ‘While I’m sure you are both enjoying your bonding time, we have an overflowing waiting room of patients who need to be seen.’

‘All right. Thank you for keeping us on the straight and narrow,’ Dr Sheridan chuckled.

‘It’s what you pay me for,’ she said with a sharp chirp.

She was a drill sergeant, but a drill sergeant we respected.

‘Well,’ she grumbled. ‘You two are still sitting!’

We moved from our chairs and Dr Sheridan slapped a hand on my shoulder. ‘Let’s go take care of our town, shall we?’

Our town. The words lodged in my throat like a dry piece of meat. I’d never expected to feel connected to this place. To these people. Now I wasn’t sure how I would ever say goodbye.

I started for the door when my phone buzzed with a text. The throbbing in my temples morphed into hammers banging against my skull.

‘Problem?’ Dr Sheridan asked.

‘Yes, sir. It looks like I won’t be able to stay after all.’