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“But you’re not?” I asked.

She took a deep breath, looking thoughtful. “I guess not. Sam, he’s…a nice guy, mostly harmless, I think.” She tilted her head and bit her lip. “And he was very helpful with Mama.”

“She seemed tired but better than she has coming home from the hospital in the past.”

“Yeah. Just Sam’s ‘doctor’ title, or maybe just the fact that he’s a man, got him a lot further with the doctors on Mama’s floor than you or I ever did. They put her on a new cocktail they thought would help her.”

“Cocktail…meaning a mixture of medications…meaning more than one…meaning—”

“We won’t be able to afford it, I know.” She let out a sigh. “And maybe it won’t even work any better. But Dr. Nolan, Sam, he paid for the second medication even though I told him not to.” She looked at me almost guiltily. “It was for Mama, though, so I let him.”

“It was the right thing to do, Mar,” I said. I knew she wouldn’t do it again, though. And like she’d said, maybe the new combination of medication wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Lord knew we’d been through enough medications that did nothing at all for Mama—some that even made her worse. Some that had terrible side effects.

I eyed Marlo. “So, Sam…I think he really likes you.”

She made a scoffing sound. “Sure, for now.”

“Marlo—”

“No, listen. He’s a nice guy and good-looking…but he’s a successful man. He doesn’t even belong here. Not really.” She paused. “But he did help make the time there go by more quickly, so for that, I’m grateful.”

“Thanks for taking this turn,” I said. “Missing Christmas…”

She looked over at me sadly. “I had company at least, though. You, you were all alone in this trailer.” She grabbed my hand. “I figured you spent it reading. Were you okay?”

I looked down, my cheeks heating.

“What’s that look?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but hesitated.

“Tenleigh.” Marlo’s voice held a warning note as if I better start speaking and fast.

“Well… I wasn’t exactly alone. And I wasn’t exactly here.”

“What? Where the hell were you?”

She already knew Kyland had walked me home from the Christmas show that had gone so horribly wrong. I hesitantly told her everything that had happened before that, how I’d first met him just recently even though we were in school together and lived so close, what had happened at the library, the play… She was my sister, my best friend. I told her everything.

When I was finished, she studied me for a moment. “Wow, Tenleigh. I certainly missed a lot when I was lying around in that waiting room.” She paused, seeming to consider all I’d told her. “And at least he’s been honest with you about where you stand. At least you know he’s leaving. He’s not trying to trick you into something and then take off like most of them do.”

I nodded. I couldn’t deny that had been our collective experience thus far, but something inside of me still wanted to argue against it. Something inside of me still wanted to believe some men were good and honorable. And sometimes they stayed.

Only Kyland wouldn’t stay. He’d made that exceedingly clear.

“Can you handle it, Ten?” Marlo asked softly.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But there might be nothing more to handle. You know, Christmas is lonely, and we have this attraction…” I ran a finger over my lips remembering the feel of his mouth on mine. “It might have just been the timing of everything, you know? That might be the extent of my nonrelationship with Kyland Barrett. We didn’t make any promises and we didn’t make any plans.” I sat up straighter. I’d be fine, though. I always was. I’d be fine because I had no other choice.

Marlo smiled and squeezed my hand. “I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to go lie down with Mama,” she said, standing up, yawning. “I barely got any sleep at all in that hospital waiting room. Although it sounds like you didn’t get much either.”

After she’d shut the bathroom door behind her, I sat on the couch alone again. After a few minutes, I grabbed my book and lay back. I had trouble concentrating, thoughts of Kyland swirling through my mind, a feeling of melancholy overwhelming my heart, and the words I’d said to Marlo condensing and repeating in my mind: No promises, no plans.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tenleigh

Something roused me from sleep. I blinked and sat up, registering a soft tap on the door. It was utterly dark. What the heck?

The tapping came again. I pulled the quilt around my body and said very quietly against the door, “Who is it?”

“Kyland.”

My heart flipped. I pulled the door open. There Kyland stood in his coat and hat, his hands shoved in his pockets, and a look I couldn’t read on his face.