Chapter 42
Forty-two
Liz
The glow of the Friday afternoon sun warms the side of my face as I skim through the last set of notes from this morning’s leadership presentation, refining them to send to Hudson for the board.
And I’m still reveling in the win—one of those rare days where the work feels like it’s all falling into place.
A knock sounds at my office door, and I look up, expecting Hudson or maybe one of the unit coordinators with a question. Instead, Alaric fills the doorway, one hand braced lightly against the frame, the other holding a familiar paper cup.
He steps in and hands me a London Fog—a creamy tea latte made with Earl Grey, steamed milk, and vanilla—something I splurge on occasionally when the day has gone long.
For a second, I forget how to move. He’s never just appeared in my office like this, and certainly not with something that says he remembered a detail I barely mentioned out loud. I haven’t seen or heard from him in weeks. What is this about?
“Hi,” I manage.
“I thought you could use that,” he says.
I take a sip, and the steam curls up, comforting and familiar. I feel warm all over. “Thank you. I’m surprised to see you, but this is exactly what I needed.”
He nods, pulls out the chair opposite mine, and sits. No hesitation. No hovering in the doorway the way he usually does when he’s keeping his distance. He settles in, knees angled toward me, posture relaxed.
I try to gather my thoughts, but he’s watching me with a quiet focus I’m not used to. It’s disarming—and warming me in a way I didn’t expect.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says.
“You’re not.” I clear my throat. “I was just wrapping up.”
He nods but doesn’t move to leave. And I realize I don’t want him to.
Alaric rests his forearms on the chair arms, attention still fixed on me. There’s no rush in the way he looks at me and none of the usual guarded distance he keeps with anyone who isn’t a patient or one of his sisters. This difference feels deliberate.
“Sorry I missed this morning’s leadership meeting,” he says. “I heard great things about your presentation.”
“Oh?” I try to keep my tone level and resist making a joke about how he hasn’t been so great about attending the leadership meetings for a while now.
“More than great, actually,” he continues. “Your staffing plan is sharp. Practical. And it’s going to make a real difference for mental health, especially if we move toward a new clinic with more practitioners.”
“That means a lot,” I say quietly. “Thank you.”
He nods. “Hudson mentioned that you’ve created a structure that actually supports people instead of just checking boxes. My team’s going to benefit from it.”
His directness sends a ripple through me. He’s always been respectful, cooperative when it matters, but this feels different, like he sees not just the project, but the strategy and the weight I’ve been carrying, the work I love to do.
“I didn’t realize you’d been talking to Hudson about the plan,” I say.
“He brought it up,” Alaric answers. “And I make sure to listen when something concerns my department.”
I nod. “Well…I’m glad it seems useful. The board needs to buy in as well, and Hudson’s throwing me into the fire to present to them.”
Alaric lets out a quiet laugh. “He knows you can handle it.”
The sun shifts across my desk, a bright slash of light catching my screen and my face. I blink against the glare, trying not to squint, but Alaric notices.
His eyes move toward the window. Then he rises. “Hang on,” he murmurs.
He adjusts the blinds until I’m shielded from the light. It’s a small gesture, but I appreciate it. He saw that I was straining and fixed it.
“Better?” he asks.
“Much,” I say.
He returns to the chair, scooting a little closer than before.
It makes me wonder what, exactly, he came here for.
After a moment, the silence feels strangely intimate.
I’m aware of him. He’s clearly aware of me.
And the balance between us has shifted, as if he’s not holding himself quite as tightly.
Alaric glances at my hands wrapped around the tea, and then looks back up. His gaze doesn’t skim over me the way it usually does. He lingers, thoughtful. There’s a pause that feels like he’s choosing his words.
“I didn’t say it earlier,” he finally says. “But congratulations.”
A flutter moves under my ribs. He isn’t someone who throws around praise. “Thank you. It felt good today. Better than I expected.”
“I’m sorry I missed it, though I know you were steady, clear, and you got them to listen.”
I shift in my chair, trying to ground myself in metrics and timelines, but this kind of attention makes it hard to slide back into that safe, practical space.
“You should give yourself full credit for that,” he adds.
“I’m working on it,” I say.
Alaric nods, and I can feel him weighing something. His fingers flex on the arm of the chair, a small tell.
For a moment, it seems like he’s about to say something that could tip the whole conversation into new territory. But whatever it is, he isn’t ready to put it out there.
I let out a slow breath.
When he finally stands, I feel the moment release. I look up at him, doing my best to seem composed. Professional. Normal.
He takes a step toward the door and turns back to me, expression open. “I stopped by your place last night. But I wasn’t sure if you were home.”
I nod, my mind racing to decipher what that might mean. “Depends on what time it was. My brother took me out to dinner.”
He studies me for a moment. “Ahh, okay. It’s great that he’s there for you.”
He’s smiling big now. Why is he so happy about that?
I stand to walk him to the door, and he thanks me for my time, which is a little odd, since he doesn’t seem to have been here on official business.
“Tomorrow, my family has an event at the vineyard to celebrate the start of the season. We do it every year. Would you like to join me?”
I’m supposed to have two coffee dates in the morning tomorrow. I feel a little sweaty just thinking about it. “What time is it?”
“I can pick you up at two,” he offers.
I feel as though I should see where this is taking us. Or I want to, anyway. “Sure.”
“Great, I’ll see you then.”
I step back into my office, feeling a little bewildered.
I’m not sure what he’s up to, but I’m going to go with the flow.
Back at my desk, I try to find the thread of what I was working on before he walked in.
It takes longer than it should, and finally I find my phone and pull up the dating app.
Suddenly, I need to postpone those coffee dates in the morning.