Page 73 of Cherished Lands

I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my face. She was right—we were both running hot after the mediation and everything. This wasn't the time for permanent decisions.

But watching her slip away to answer her phone, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just missed out on something important.

Chapter Twenty-Six

TESSA

My wedding ringcaught the morning light as I sat at Jay and Emma's kitchen island and typed on my laptop. The simple band was a constant reminder of what this marriage was—and what it wasn't. Six weeks had passed since that snowy night when Elliot had asked me to stay married. Six weeks of waiting for him to bring it up again.

He hadn't.

Maybe he regretted mentioning it. Maybe it had been a heat-of-the-moment impulse. Either way, I wasn't going to be the one to say anything.

My phone vibrated against Emma's butcher block countertop.

ELENA

I got it!

I squealed, causing Emma to look up from kneading bread dough.

"What's got you so excited?" She had flour on her cheek. Thesight filled me with affectionate warmth. In two months, she'd become more of a mother to me than my own had been in thirty years.

TESSA

OMG! CONGRATS!

"My best friend, Elena, just got a job at Ashford ER! She's moving here!"

It turned out that Elena's very specific December thirteenth trip had been for an interview. One of the hospital's attending physicians was about to retire, and they'd conducted a thorough search for someone to replace him. And that person just so happened to be my bestie.

TESSA

When do you start?

ELENA

End of May, but I'm thinking of moving sooner. I need to get out of here ASAP.

Emma's face lit up."Oh honey, that's wonderful!"

I was already planning where she could stay while house hunting. "I can't believe she's actually coming."

"Who's coming?" Chase wandered into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot. He'd been showing up for breakfast more often lately, though he usually avoided talking to me.

"My friend—the one you met a couple months ago at Callaghan's—she's moving here. Got a job at the hospital."

Chase paused making coffee and pricked up his ears. He turned to me, eyes sparking with interest. I pointed a warning finger at him.

"No. You stay away. She's going through a messy divorce, and she doesn't need you making matters worse."

He raised his hands in surrender, but there was something about his expression that made me nervous.

The ring of the doorbell saved me from having to threaten him further.

"I'll get it!" I hopped off the bar stool, still riding the high of Elena's news.

The smile died on my face when I opened the door.