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I snort, tossing my head back with a laugh as I sling my bag over my shoulder. Just like old times, I offer him my arm, and he takes it without hesitation.

“Come on. Let’s go find your lovely wife before she misses you too much,” I say, giving his arm a light pat.

He snorts. “That woman’s had enough of me. She’s the one who told me to go find somethin’ to do.”

His grip tightens slightly, and I slow my pace without needing to be told. Donnie’s always refused a walker—says he’s “old, but not that old.”

After I punch in the door code, we step inside, and that familiar ache tightens in my chest—regret rising up like smoke.

Being here makes me realize just how much I’ve missed—not just my hometown, but the community of Sunset Haven. The bond you build here is different. Deeper. More like family than coworkers and patients.

At the hospital, I see a hundred new faces a day.

Here, it was the same forty faces—faces I came to know, love, and care for. I built relationships here. I belonged here.

With a quick goodbye, Donnie shuffles toward the dining room where his wife, Geri, is seated at a table surrounded by women, her smile as radiant as ever. When she looks up and spots him, her face lights up even more. Then she notices me and waves.

I lift a hand in return and start toward her, but a hand on my shoulder stops me.

“I’m so glad you made it!”

Freida—my old boss and the reason I’m here—pulls me in for a quick hug.

One glance and I can tell not much has changed. Her hair’s still in that politician-perfect style, makeup flawless and thick like always. In all the years I worked here, I never saw her looking anything but perfectly put together.

“Yeah, sorry—I lost track of time and?—”

“It’s no problem!” she says, cutting me off. Freida doesn’t mean to be rude—she’s just always on the move. I’m not sure she’s ever sat still for more than five minutes.

“Come on. Let’s go chat in my office.”

Before I can say another word, she spins on her heel and heads toward her small office just off the dining room.

As I follow, I glance around.

Nothing has changed.

The white tile floors, the maroon-and-green wallpaper, the wooden handrails lining the halls. The residents’ doors are still decorated with crayon drawings, photos, and handmade signs.

Through the large windows, I catch a glimpse of Levi, the maintenance guy, out at the picnic tables. He’s telling a joke to a nurse—her smile confirms it.

He and I always loved sharing jokes with each other. I just liked making him laugh.

Levi’s laugh has always been one of my favorites—deep and hearty, the kind that bubbles up from his belly and infects everyone around him. The day he retires, this place is going to lose something irreplaceable.

God, how I’ve missed working with people like that.

Freida closes the office door softly behind us. I sit, crossing my legs in the chair opposite her desk, my purse resting in my lap.

“So, how have you been?” she asks, settling into her leather swivel chair.

“Busy,” I reply with a small laugh. “I?—”

“Oh, I bet you are,” she interrupts again. I force a smile.

“Those hospital hours can be brutal. I have a friend—well, not so much a friend anymore—who works in a hospital down in Texas. She’d tell me the worst stories. The hours, the things she’d see… I don’t know how y’all do it. But I guess there’s a job for every person, and a person for every job.”

She gives me a tight, uncertain smile. “Do you like it there?”

I hesitate for a second.

“I do,” I say. It’s not a full lie, but definitely not the truth either. I’m a terrible liar, and Freida can spot B.S. from a mile away.

She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing with quiet sympathy.

“Oh, Wren, I’m?—”

“What was it you needed me to come by for?” I cut in quickly before she can start questioning or dig deeper into the matter, and I get entangled in a web of lies. I still have no idea why she would need me to come here to help her with something or why I agreed to it.

Probably because you’re the world’s biggest people pleaser.

“Oh. Right. Well…” She straightens a stack of papers that don’t need straightening.

“I thought this would be better said in person,” she begins, holding my gaze. “I’m just going to be honest—we’re severely understaffed. And I heard through the grapevine that maybe…you weren’t loving the hospital job.”

Her brows rise in hopeful anticipation.

Wait— what?

How could she know that? I have literally not spoken my feelings or thoughts about any of that to a single person. Not even my best friends.

“How did you hear that?” I question, frowning. My fingers tighten around the strap of my purse.

“Well, some of the girls here are friends with nurses up at your hospital. They just said you seemed…unhappy. I’m sure it’s nothing, but if there’s even the tiniest bit of truth to it, I’d love to offer you your job back.”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure?—”

“With a raise,” she adds quickly.

Temptation stirs in my chest.

Being closer to home again. Working in a place I love, surrounded by people I trust and admire. Doing the work that once gave me so much fulfillment.

It all sounds so right .

But the guilt nags at me. I chased my dream—and it led me to the very hospital that inspired it. The place where my mom spent her final days. Walking away from that after only two years feels like failing her. Like failing myself.

Then again…if I’m not making the difference I set out to make…if I feel more drained than fulfilled, doesn’t that matter too?

“I’ll think about it,” I finally say. “When do you need an answer by?”

“End of the week would be great,” Freida says, her tone softening. “I know it’s quick, but we could really use the help. It’s been rough lately. No one lasts longer than a month anymore, and honestly…the place hasn’t been the same without you.”

She glances out the window, where a few curious residents pretend not to be watching us.

“You’re really missed around here, you know. Not just by the staff. The residents still ask about you.”

I turn slightly in my chair and wave to the familiar faces practically pressed up against the glass.

We wrap up the conversation and talk through a few more details before I finally stand.

“I’ll give it some thought,” I tell her.

“That’s all I ask,” she says with a big smile, opening the door and letting me pass.

Freida was always a fair boss—direct but supportive. When I left, I felt like I was letting her down. But after today, I know she never held it against me.

After a round of hugs and cheek kisses from a few sweet residents, I finally make it out to my car.

Conflicting thoughts chase each other through my mind like a storm. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so uncertain about anything.

I start the engine, roll up the window, and blast the A/C.

Before pulling out of the parking lot, I check my phone.

My heart does a little flip.

One missed call from Carson.

And beneath it?—

Carson

You ready for lunch, Tink?

A smile spreads across my warm cheeks before I can stop it. The fact that he is willing to text me always gives me a giddy feeling. I need to ignore it, but it’s hard to do when the man loathes texting and refuses to do it.

I quickly type back.

Headed back that way now. Where are we going?

His reply is instant.

Carson

My place.