they walked slowly side by side to the cafeteria. He didn’t say anything and neither did she. He didn’t look down at her, and she didn’t look up. To say it was awkward wouldn’t do it justice. It went well beyond that. Again, he rolled his eyes. If Millie could see him now, she would say he was acting like a little bitch. He had survived fast-tracked undergrad, med school, and his residency. He could survive Melody Valdez.
Twenty years had separated their lives. He didn’t even know her anymore. The girl he knew when he was just a kid was a woman now. He was a man. Who’s to say the two of them had anything in common anymore? They were strangers.
He stood up straight, puffed out his chest, and gave her a nudge with his elbow. “So, what have you been up to in the last two decades?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood as they approached the coffee station.
Melody reached for a cup and offered him one. “How about some coffee first? Then we can try small talk.”
Jordan took the cup and held it out as she poured his drink and then hers. When they got to the register, he quickly took out a five-dollar bill to pay for them both. Melody didn’t protest, but she did a give him a quiet “thank you.”
It took them a minute to find a place to sit. Without hesitation, Jordan pulled out Melody’s chair for her. For a split second, his heartbeat sped up as he thought about what could have been. He had always imagined growing old with Melody and doing things like opening doors, pulling out chairs, and sending flowers to her at work just because. He had never met anyone else he wanted to do those things for.
“The last two decades, huh?” she asked.
“Give or take,” he responded.
“Where to start,” she said, leaning forward in her seat.
With her closer, he had the opportunity to study her beautiful face. She didn’t wear too much makeup. It was subtle and natural, not that she needed any. He’d seen her when she woke up in the morning, all fresh-faced with her hair tousled in a messy ponytail at the top of her head. She was breathtaking any time of day.
He mirrored her movement and learned in closer to her, getting lost in her eyes and knowing full well it was a bad idea. He should really back away now.
“Why not the beginning?”
MELODY
Oh, no no no. He was getting too close for comfort. She leaned back in her chair and tried like hell to gather her thoughts. Not the ones that were screaming at her to jump in his lap, rake her fingers through his messy, thick mane, and kiss those full lips into tomorrow. Mama Annie and Luna were one hundred percent correct: he was hot as hell. Those scrubs kicked it up a notch, setting her body on fire from the inside out. Hot flashes—she wanted to fan herself. Was she having hot flashes?
No, she wasn’t. She was too young for that. But she wasn’t too young to be revved up by the sexy man sitting across from her. She gave him one last once over—thanking the gods above for giving her the chance to see him again—before she was able to speak.
“Well, I left school and got married… briefly,” she pointed out. “I had Luna and then a year later, her dad decided the husband and dad thing wasn’t for him. When Luna was in first grade, I went back to school, and now I’m an outreach consultant who supports teenaged foster youth. I love my job, and I love being a mom.” She paused for a second. “Luna is so smart.” She smiled, thinking about her daughter. “And she’s a total smart-ass, too.”
“Amusing,” Jordan added. “Seeing as how we’re sitting here having coffee together.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t miss a beat.”
“So, her dad?” Jordan asked. “The same guy—”
She cut him off. “Yes.” Her heart fell with a thud into her stomach. The same guy? Yeah, it was the same one she told him about when she found out about his girlfriend. Why she even mentioned him at the time was ridiculous, but she was hurt and felt like an idiot. If she’d had an ounce of the wisdom she had now, she would have just asked him straight out about what happened instead of making up a fake boyfriend. Luna’s dad wasn’t a boyfriend at all. He had shown