Another Epilogue
Oaklee
Once the room is ready for the next patient, I step out into the front waiting room and call the patient back. We’ve seen an influx of sick kids, thanks to the colder weather and a brutal strand of strep throat that’s hit the schools.
I run through the process of getting his vitals, including taking his temperature, since his mom reports he’s been fighting a fever for more than twenty-four hours. “All right, Dr. Houston will be in shortly.”
I leave them in the room and drop the chart in the holder before making my way back to the nurses’ station.
I need to send the prescription for Isiah and check the messages for any additional refill requests.
It never fails, Saturdays are flooded with requests the moment patients realize they’ll be without until sometime Monday.
Rounding the corner, I stop in my tracks when I find the vase of flowers sitting by my computer.
The smile is automatic. Not only did he bring my favorite iced coffee, but a vase of pink and white lilies too.
I take the few steps forward and bend over, inhaling the fragrant scent of the blooms. They smell amazing.
Something shiny catches my attention.
I sit down on the chair and reach for what’s hidden inside the bouquet.
The moment I see it, my eyes fill with tears, and I can’t fight the smile.
It’s a small, gold-framed photo, taken last weekend at The Tipsy Lizard.
I’m standing in front of him, leaning against his chest, and laughing at something someone said.
Cade has his arms wrapped around me and he’s laughing too, but his eyes are on me.
He’s watching me laugh, just like I catch him doing a lot. His eyes always seem to be on me.
I dig the frame out of the bouquet and pull out the little stand before placing it next to my computer.
There.
Now I can see him—us together—all day, every day while at work.
It’s surely going to help make my workdays better.
Not that my days aren’t fine as they are.
I mean, I’m not working alongside Lance anymore, so there’s that.
We still work for the same hospital company, so there’s always a chance we’ll run into each other or work together again at some point, but that’s nothing I want to worry about now.
I’ve proven I can be in the same building with his cheating ass for thirty days and not injure him with my stapler.
When I pictured my life here in Cooper Town, this wasn’t what I saw.
Dating Cade, spending my time with his family and our friends, is better than anything I could have expected.
I love living in this small town, and if I have my way, I’ll never leave.
This is where I found myself.
Who I was meant to be.
This is where I found real love.
And it all started with a simple hello.
The End