couldn’t wait. It couldn’t come fast enough. She would be so seriously glad to hear that plane take off on Friday and know that he was on it. So, he’d go back to wherever. She’d finish her three months here, then go back to Atlanta. He’d become a distant memory. A handsome, dashing, charming arrogant soldier who’d swept her off her feet. And possibly at some point in the future, perhaps in a couple of years, she could laugh when recounting her brief fling with Lars Reinhardt. It had been fun and silly and wildly romantic. But in the end, she’d had the good sense to put the necessary boundaries in place. One day she’d tell her girlfriends about the man who’d been built like a god and who thought they could possibly be in love after a few days. One day, she would. But for now, she was counting the hours and the very minutes until he left.
The days weren’t so bad. They were so busy. The nights were nearly unbearable. Knowing he was on the other side of the wall. Knowing she only had to open the door. Knowing he wanted her. Knowing the magic to be found in his arms. But it was easier this way. He’d changed things up and that’s when she’d cut things off.
She heard Nelson unlocking the waiting room door and the chorus of greetings as patients filed in. There was nothing else to do but jump into the day with a smile.
Delphi walked into the waiting room and immediately noticed that everyone was wearing a button or a badge. A tingle ran down her spine. What was going on? And then she got close enough to actually read the button.
Really? She was momentarily speechless. Everyone, and she meant every single person in the waiting room, was wearing one. She did a double take. Even Nelson?
He held up his hands in a gesture of peace and surrender. “I can’t argue with the messages. The dragonflies and the earth delivered the message.”
Delphi marched back down the hall, a suspicion niggling at her. Sure enough, Skye had one on her lab coat.
“Et tu Brute?”
“What can I say, Delphi? I knew when you came over to the house on Friday night.”
“How could you know? I didn’t even know then. I don’t even know now. I mean, I do know now. I’m attracted to him. I’m grateful to him and maybe I fancied myself a little bit in love with him but this is nothing more than a holiday fling. It won’t stand up to the test of time.”
“How are you so sure?”
“I don’t even know his favorite color. What if he leaves the seat up in the bathroom?”
“Give me a second.” Skye picked up the phone and punched in a number. Someone answered almost immediately on the other end. “Morning, Merrilee. Is Lars anywhere around? No, I don’t need to talk to him. You can just ask him for me. I need to know his favorite color and if he leaves the seat up or down in the bathroom. Sure. I’ll hold for a minute.” Skye held up a finger indicating Delphi should give her a minute. “Merrilee’s checking now. Yeah? Okay. Thanks.” She hung up the phone.
“His favorite color is orange and, yes, he leaves the seat up. So, there, now you know. What else?”
“I’m not wild about the color orange,” Delphi muttered. “And who could live with a man who leaves the toilet seat up?”
“I totally understand. Those are both deal-breakers. They’re both good, sound reasons to throw away the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
Skye had always favored sarcasm. “I didn’t know that’s how you saw it. You never said anything.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“I know Mrs. Watkins is waiting in room one—” with her button on “—so we don’t have much time. But do you really think he’s the best thing that ever happened to me?”
“Of course. I don’t say things like that if I don’t mean it. Actually, I don’t say anything I don’t mean. It’s a waste of breath and time.”
“But how?”
“Because I saw how you two were at the wedding and then at the reception. He looks at you the way Dalton looks at me. And you look at him the way I look at Dalton. And then there’s the fact that you were positively glowing until you found out about the twins. And then you got all freaked out because how could he possibly be so important to you,