Page 32 of The Ampersand Effect

Grier chuckled, standing to brush sand from her shorts with her free hand. “You don’t scare me.”

“Three days, Grier.”

“What would I do without you?” Grier said, a smile cracking through the salt-dried remnants of her tears.

The following day, Grier arrived at work determined to put an end to her fruitless pining. No sooner had she hung her jacket in her office than she heard the door snick shut behind her, and two sets of footsteps scuffle across the floor.

She turned to find Alix and Maren already perched on her couch—eyes wide, leaning forward, expectant. Her resolve evaporated. She collapsed into one of the guest chairs opposite them, fighting the sting of tears.

Alix and Maren exchanged a look before Alix asked the obvious question. “What the hell happened?”

“Nothing,” Grier said bitterly.

“Tears don’t come from nothing, honey,” Maren soothed.

“No. Nothing happened. That’s the beginning and the end of it. Nothing isgoingto happen. I woke up to an apology text yesterday morning. She can’t. No further explanation. I couldn’t even bring myself to respond.”

“What the hell?” Alix practically yelled. “After your tour I thought maybe you were embellishing the storyline a bit—I mean, it sounded too hot and heavy to be real. But watching the heat literally rippling between you two on Saturday night? Yourchemistry was fucking palpable. Now shecan’t? Can’t what? You’re not proposing! Jesus. What kind of line is that?” Alix was red with frustration.

“That’s all she said? Shecan’t?” Maren probed gently.

“All she wrote was,‘I can’t. I’m sorry.’ The last thing she said to me—right before she kissed my hand like a fucking knight—was that I should call her sometime. Sheinvitedme to reach out. I know I’m a little addled with the flirtations, and sometimes I get ahead of myself, but it’s pretty difficult to misconstrue a direct request like that. She invited. I accepted. And over the next six-ish hours, she changed her mind.”

Grier folded forward, resting her head in her hands. The tears had dried, but her heart still ached.

“Fuck her,” Alix snapped. “You don’t deserve this shit.”

Maren shot Alix a look of distaste; she wasn’t one to write people off so quickly. “I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt—but she does have quite a lot of ground to cover after this. I don’t like seeing you so sad, Grier.”

“I don’t even knowwhyI’m this sad. There was nothing between us but shameless flirting. I can’t figure out why I’m so hurt.”

“She led you on!” Alix harrumphed from their seat.

“This was the first real hope you’ve had for a partner since Nora, honey. That’s no small thing,” Maren offered kindly.

“I think you’re right. Hope is a real bitch, isn’t she?” Grier offered a forced laugh, watching her friends nod in solidarity.

She walked to the mirror on the sidewall of her office and began fixing her makeup. Grabbing her lab coat from the rack, she turned back to her friends for hugs. “I need to start checking on patients. I’ll see you later.”

Alix stood to hug her lightly, then grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back to meet her eyes. “For what it’s worth, that dress was made for you. I’m not sure how the captain didn’t pullyou into the coat closet to rip it off you.” Shrugging, they said, “Her loss.”

Grier blushed and gave Alix another quick hug through a soft giggle. “Thanks, Alix.”

“My turn, honey.” Maren pulled her away from Alix and into a tight embrace. “I’ve got a light day. I’m gonna check your schedule and block you for a massage. That sound good?”

“That sounds amazing, Maren. Thank you.”

Grier trudged through her morning, allowing the smiles and laughter of her patients and their families wash over her. By the time she stepped into Jonah’s room, she realized that her smile was no longer forced—it was relaxed and true.

“Dr. Savage! Look!” Jonah exclaimed as he took several careful steps from the bed toward his mother. Grier walked over to Molly as she watched.

“I can walk again!”

“Jonah, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day!” Grier’s grin widened as she met Molly’s eyes, a shared relief passing between them. “I saw in your chart that you’ve been doing PT, and that the surgeons have taken you off the watch list. I’m so proud of you!”

“Alix has been pushing me,” Jonah said proudly. “Sometimes I fall, but they always help me back up. I told them I wanted to work really hard and that they should keep pushing me, because I want to fly helicopters one day—and I need both my legs to do that. Right, Mom?”

And just like that, the lump returned to Grier’s throat. Tobin was going to be harder to shake than she’d hoped.