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And Tyler believed her.I couldn’t shake that thought. The way he spoke to her, I felt certain his words were sincere. I wondered if he would feel the same if he knew my story.

I realized I was going to draw unwanted attention to myself just standing here, so I forced myself to walk back to the central desk. I groaned as I typed a mistake. I blew out a breath and rubbed a hand over my tired eyes.

“Long day?”

I looked up. Tyler was logging on to the computer next to me. He seemed engrossed in his notes.

“No more than usual.”

“You were great with baby Emma,” I offered as we moved to the large desk.

He glanced at me. “I had a good team with me. It was what any other doctor would do.”

I shook my head. “Yes, but I liked how good you were with her mother, making sure she understood it wasn’t her fault and not just explaining the problem.”

He stared at me with bemused eyes. “A compliment, Miss Mitchell? Should I have audiology check my hearing?”

I rolled my eyes. “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile, Dr. Cranston.”

He laughed, and I hated how it made my insides flutter. “Look, Tyler, I’m—”

“Hey, Tyler, you ready?” a feminine voice called. I looked up to see a woman smiling at Tyler. She was another doctor in the ER. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but she managed to make it look more elegant than hurried like mine always did. I wanted to hate her at that moment, but from what I had witnessed, she was a nice woman. “We better get a move on if we want to have time to eat.”

He nodded, but his eyes remained on me.

He couldn’t have missed the missed my flinch at the sound of the other woman’s voice.He’s not doing anything wrong. You’re the one who told him you weren’t available. At least his taste has improved.

“Enjoy your lunch, Doc. She’s right. You better‘move on’so you don’t miss out. I’ll see you around.” I hurried away before he could see how my eyes welled up.

I turned and walked away, but not before I heard him say quietly, “I’m not the one who walked away, Jen.”