Page 25 of Once Upon A Second Chance

Bijou chooses that moment to trot in with one of Richard's socks in hermouth.

We both stare.

"...That's my dog now," he decides.

I snatch the underwear away. "Ground rules!"

He's laughing as he pulls me in, forehead resting against mine. "Slow," he promises. "Consistent. So boring Mrs. Delaney will fall asleep during surveillance."

I poke his chest. "And you're getting tested."

"Jesus—"

"Safety first, Mr. Post-Divorce Rebound!"

Richard's laughter shakes through both of us. But when he kisses me—slow, sweet, nothing like last night's frenzy—it feels like a real beginning.

Somewhere outside, Mrs. Delaney's sprinklers mysteriously shift direction.

We ignore it.

The clinic parking lot is suspiciously full for a post-tornado Tuesday.

I kill the engine, gripping the steering wheel like it might anchor me to reality. Richard's truck sits two spaces over, still streaked with mud from yesterday's chaos.

This is fine. Totally professional. No one knows.

"Liar," Lena's voice chirps in my head.

The second I push through the clinic doors, Darlene's eyebrows shoot into her hairline. "Well, don't you look refreshed."

I nearly choke on my own tongue. "A combination of triage tent adrenaline and a good night’s sleep," I mutter, beelining for the break room.

Richard's at the coffee machine, looking disgustingly put-together in dark scrubs. Our eyes meet—heat, memory, his mouth on my—

"Morning," he says, voice carefully neutral.

"Morning." I grab a styrofoam cup like my life depends on it.

He leans in just enough that his sleeve brushes my arm. "You smell like your shampoo."

The coffee pot slips from my grip. He catches it effortlessly, pouring for me with that stupid smirk.

Across the room, Nurse Patel's eyes dart between us like she's watching Wimbledon.

Lena corners me in the supply closet, her grin feral. "Spill."

"There's nothing to—"

"Penelope Morgan." She brandishes a tongue depressor like a weapon. "You walked in here glowing, and Dr. McYummy keeps smiling at nothing."

I collapse onto a crate of gauze. "We slept together."

Lena's gasp could shatter glass. "Thank God—"

"Shhh!" I clamp a hand over her mouth. "And then we... agreed to try dating. Slowly."

She peels my fingers away. "Define slowly."