Last Chance

by Natalie Ann

  “I don’t fight often, Riley. But I can and I will. I can get my point across without yelling, if that is what you’re asking. I don’t give in often, not if I believe in what I’m saying. Not if it’s worth taking a stand.”

  “You did tonight. You got your point across.” Was she worth it to him? Was that what he was trying to say? Or should she read between the lines?

  “And yet we weren’t fighting but talking. Just talking honestly. There is a big difference.”

  She kissed his chest. She found she liked being against him right now. “There is. I’m learning it. It’s sort of demoralizing to know that I’m learning this at twenty-nine years old.”

  He ran his hand down her head and over her shoulders, then down the curve of her spine. “Everyone has to learn at some point. It doesn’t matter when you learn it, as long as you do.”

  “Do you think I’m crazy?” She really couldn’t think of another way to ask this without saying much more. It seemed the time to do it and have it come off a little lighthearted at best.

  “Hardly. I think you’re just confused. You’ve had a lot of upheaval in your life in the past three months. Didn’t you say you made a quick decision to move? Not too many people can do that and land on their feet. Not too many people make a decision like that without a significant reason.”

  “You’re a pretty smart man,” she said, not liking how he’d pieced so many things together that she’d told him. Then again, she’d slipped and said more than she wanted with him to begin with.

  “I have to be. I’m the chief.”

  She laughed. He could make her laugh at the oddest times. “You’re going to be so good for me,” she said.

  He held her tight—more like a cuddle—and surprisingly, she wanted it. Needed it.

  “I think you’re going to be pretty darn good for me too.”

  ***

  Trevor eased out of bed a few hours later. He hadn’t fallen back to sleep until he knew Riley was settled for the night.

  She’d stayed close to his side until she drifted off, then she rolled over and put some space between them. He was good with it. Good with snuggling up or having space. He kind of liked that he got to do a little bit of both.

  Needy women tended to wear him out.

  Then there was Riley. She’d be the complete opposite of what he’d deem as a needy woman. Yet deep down inside of her soul, he had a feeling there was an insecure girl lurking around the corner.

  One that she’d probably shoved in a closet and told to stay put. Never to venture out, not even to peek once in a while.

  Last night, though, he had a feeling someone was coming out of hiding. That hard outer shell of hers had a tiny crack in it. Now the key was how to not shatter it.

  He made as little noise as possible, felt around on the floor for his jeans and slipped them on, then made his way to the bathroom. The shower could wait, but his teeth couldn’t.

  He wasn’t much of a gambler, but he’d bet he could find a spare toothbrush in Riley’s drawer.

  Once he was in the kitchen, he flipped a light on and got to work making breakfast. He had two hours before he had to get to the office. Plenty enough time for food and a trip home to shower and change.

  While the omelets were cooking, he started to open cabinets at random looking for a service tray. She had to have one; she had everything else.

  “Making yourself at home?”

  He turned and smacked his head on the open cabinet door. “I was trying to find a tray to bring breakfast up to you.”

  “Really,” she said, walking forward. Her hair was all over the place, her face had some leftover makeup smudged on it, and she was wearing his shirt. She’d never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment.

  “Yeah, but since you’re here, let’s eat while it’s warm.”

  “First things first,” she said, walking up and wrapping her arms around him. He smelled a hint of mint just before she placed her lips against his. “Thank you for last night.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  She giggled. A sound that was still foreign coming from her, even though he’d heard it a few times. “I meant our talk. It opened my eyes and made me see things. Good things, I’m happy to say this morning.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” he said, kissing her again. If he wasn’t careful, it might not just be her that felt like she might be breaking.

  “Breakfast looks and smells fabulous. I’m starving.” She grabbed a plate and filled it up. “I know we don’t have much time, so I was hoping that we could eat fast, then maybe shower together?”

  “Sounds like a terrific way to start the day.”

  Firm Belief

  Riley had gone about her day with a smile on her face. Her staff noticed, even her patients. When they commented, she only replied back with, “Got to advertise the end results here.” Everyone laughed and shrugged it off, or so she hoped. If there was one thing she’d learned in her short time in Lake Placid, it was that nothing stayed a secret for long.

  Her morning had gone by fast, one appointment bleeding over into her lunch hour, but when she made it to her office and checked her phone, she’d seen Trevor had just sent her a quick message. Nothing important, no questions, just a short note that she was on his mind while he headed to court.

  There was no need to text back; she knew by now he wouldn’t answer anyway. She’d catch up with him later, knowing that his little message widened her already big smile for the day.

  At the end of the day, she pulled in her garage, then walked out to the mailbox to get her mail. She was still getting used to having an outdoor mailbox, or a mailbox in general.

  Once she was in the house, she put her purse and keys on the little counter in her kitchen and walked to her office, sorting the papers in her hand. Advertising…junk. Bills…into her desk drawer.

  The last thing she looked at was an envelope forwarded to her dated almost two weeks ago, no return address, but postmarked New York City. Which was odd, because almost every piece of mail had a return address on it now. Her brain told her it was nothing, but her gut wasn’t listening.

  She ripped it open, but it was empty. Nothing at all. Did someone forget to put their paper inside? Was it a mistake?

  Or a message…that she was still reachable.

  She took a deep breath, then another. Closed her eyes and repeated the breathing routine she’d perfected for months. It was helping, she knew it was. She was making a big deal out of nothing.

  When she was calm enough, she was going to just toss the envelope, but instead she put it in another drawer. Next thing she did was call Trevor.

  Did she want to tell him? Sure. Was she going to? No way. No reason to.

  It was innocent.

  Just an empty envelope forwarded to her.

  It could be anything.

  Only she had a bad feeling it wasn’t just anything.

  “Hey, there,” Trevor said when he answered the phone.

  “How was your day?” she asked. Just hearing his voice was doing wonders for her. Better than her breathing techniques, for sure.

  “Uneventful. Yours?”

  “The same,” she lied. “So no feuding neighbors to deal with today?”

  He laughed, and she loved the sound of it. “Nope. I spent my day in court giving testimony for a domestic violence case. Some things get to me more than others and that is one of them.”

  “Were there kids involved?” she asked. As any medical professional, she was trained to look for the signs.

  “Unfortunately, yes, and they didn’t escape their father’s vicious ways, either.”

  “He’s in jail, I hope.”

  “Not now. He was. He posted bail and it just pisses me off.”

  His voice had taken on another tone, a sharper one. She wished she could see him now. To see the signs of him not being so laid back and calm.

  “How did he manage to get out?” she asked.

  “The wife talked
down the abuse. Said it was all a mistake. A misunderstanding. All the medical records and testimony that were given didn’t help. If she isn’t willing to go through with the charges—even though a few days ago she said she would—there’s nothing I can do at this point.”

  “Now what?”

  “Now I hope I don’t get another call from their home, but chances are I will.”

  “You can’t save everyone, Trevor.”

  “Nope. I don’t try anymore. I just try to do my best and follow the law to the letter. I’ve got a firm belief that good always outshines the bad, it’s just not always in a timely fashion.”

  She laughed a little. “That’s a good way of putting things. A good way to look at life.”

  “It’s not always good to focus on the bad. At least I try not to.”

  “I should take that advice myself,” she said.

  “I don’t picture you as the type of person who focuses on the bad. Or if you do, you find a way around it.”

  “I like how that sounds even better.” He was good for her self-confidence right now. Better at putting her mind at ease without even knowing he needed to.

  “How does this sound? What are your plans for the weekend?”

  “Funny thing you asked,” she said. “Max is having a little get-together for his staff and some friends at the lake before the fireworks show. I was hoping that you’d join me. Join us. It’s not like you’re going to be a stranger to most of them there.”

  “Are your parents still going to be in town?”

  “They are. You’ve met my father already. Even made him laugh, I’ve heard.”

  “I haven’t met your mother,” he said.

  “Piece of cake. If you can get through my father, you’re golden. You aren’t afraid to come, are you?” she asked, humor in her voice. “Because we know you’re the chief.”

  He laughed. “I’ll be there. Just give me the time. I’m not officially working, but I’m on call for the entire weekend, so I may have to leave; otherwise I would pick you up.”

  “So I guess no spending the night at my place?” She was already looking forward to another night with him.

  “What would you say if I asked you to stay at my place for the night? If I’m called away from the party, I sure would like to come back and know you’re there waiting for me.”

  “I think that is very doable. I’d like to see your place. Do I need to bring a spare toothbrush?” she laughed, enjoying the flirty little banter they always lapsed into.

  “I’ve got a spare that you can use, or have. But I’m guessing it won’t be up to your standards.”

  “No worries. I’ve got it covered,” she said. “What are your plans tonight?” she asked. She wasn’t ready to hang up the phone right yet.

  “I’m going to finish up some paperwork, then grab a little food and go home and catch the rest of the baseball game. How about you?”

  “I didn’t know you were still at work. Sorry to bother you.”

  “You’ve been bothering me for weeks, Dr. Hamilton. Don’t think anything of it.”

  She didn’t take offense to his statement, not when there was a lot of laughter and a hint of heat to it. “I’ll probably exercise, then eat a salad and do some research.”

  “So what type of workout do you do to get a body like that?”

  She’d never been asked that before. Most guys just commented on her body, but never asked how she got it. Not that it mattered, but she always felt they thought she looked the way she did because of her father or brother. That she’d paid for the body she had.

  “I forgot to show you the basement of my house. I’ve got a little gym down there. Treadmill, weights, yoga mats. I’ve got it all. I do it all. No reason to get in a routine.”

  “You’ll have to show it to me sometime.”

  “I don’t think my weight setup is going to be enough for you. If I haven’t said it before, I like whatever you do to get your body too. So keep it up.”

  He laughed, a loud booming sound. “Maybe we can work out together sometime and you can see exactly what I do. I’ve got my own setup at the house. Probably not as pretty as yours, but it gets the job done.”

  “Gives me something to look forward to this weekend,” she said.

  “Is that the only thing you’re looking forward to?”

  “I’d like to see the color of your bedroom,” she said, teasing. “I mean, you made such a big production over wanting to see the color of mine. What did you think of it?” she asked.

  “It was nice,” he said quickly.

  “What color was it, Trevor?” There was silence on the other end.

  ***

  The color of her room? What the hell. How was he supposed to know? He was too busy trying to undress her, then taste her, and finally dislodge her luscious mouth from his anatomy.

  He tried to think back to all the colors she had in her hand that one day. Gray…that was downstairs, so chances are she wouldn’t put it upstairs too. Blue…her kitchen was a shade of blue, so maybe it was best to eliminate that as well. “It was green.”

  She laughed softly. “What shade of green?”

  “I’m a guy. Green is green, regardless of the shade.”

  “I’ll let you off the hook then. You got lucky with your guess.”

  “Luck had nothing to do with it,” he argued. Good reasoning and logical thinking won the day for him this time. He heard her moving around right now. Cabinets opening and closing and a chopping noise. He’d prove to her he was good. “Chopping your salad right now?”

  “You’ve got good hearing,” she said, laughing. “I am. I’m starving. I didn’t have much time for lunch.”

  “Do you have any truffles left? You could have had a few of them.”

  “I have almost all of them left. My life isn’t stressful enough for them to be gone by now, and I only eat chocolate when I’m stressed.”

  “Then I’ll let you go and eat dinner.”

  “I should let you finish up your paperwork so you can go home and do the same. But the funny thing is, I’m having a hard time hanging up the phone right now.”

  “Why is that?” he asked and found himself smiling. He felt like he was in high school again, sitting on the phone with his latest crush just listening to the silence, but not willing to hang up.

  “Beats the hell out of me. What do your detective skills think?”

  “What I think is I’m growing on you.”

  “I think you’re right once again. But this time I will let you go so you can get home and watch your game.”

  He hung up the phone a minute later and sat back. She was growing on him, too. Enough that he’d noticed a change in her over the call.

  Her voice started out a little forced. At least her tone. Like she wasn’t as happy as she was trying to be. But after a few minutes it changed and it was almost like he could picture her relaxing.

  Since she admitted to not eating any chocolate, it couldn’t have had anything to do with work. The question was, what happened between the time she left in the morning to when she called him?

  Embarrass Me

  Saturday came slower than Riley thought, or even hoped. She couldn’t remember the last time she was looking forward to seeing a man this much.

  She and Trevor had been talking on and off for the past few days, but they hadn’t had a chance to spend any time together other than one quick lunch yesterday. Even then, it wasn’t anything more than him showing up with sandwiches and the two of them finding a spot to sit out in the shade behind her office.

  Did her staff talk about it? Yep, they did. Too damn bad, in her eyes. It wasn’t a secret at this point. Not that they were trying to make it into one. So why not just throw it out there in everyone’s face?

  Her staff seemed to be a little more open to the changes going on in the office, and she sincerely hoped it didn’t have anything to do with her dating the chief of police. That would be ridiculous and completely backwards thinking.
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br />   She should remind herself that it was for the greater good that everyone was sliding into the new ways and not butting heads with her. Especially since Dr. Fielding’s last day was this week. She was sorry to see him go on one level, but happy on another.

  It was officially her practice now. She had the final say. No more staff running to their previous employer when they were upset. No more him telling them he couldn’t help them, either. He’d been supportive and helpful to her, but he made sure to firmly plant himself in the Switzerland zone.

  It was all on her. Finally. What she’d worked so hard for. The long hours. The stressful nights. The juggling of funds. The convincing of everyone it was the right place to be.

  That was wrong. There was no convincing of everyone. Just one person when she said she’d wanted to move. One person who said he wasn’t leaving the city life for some small town in the backwoods.

  Not that Lake Placid had even been on her radar a year ago when she brought this up to Jason.

  No, it was probably one of the only times he’d actually voiced his opinion. He wanted to stay close to the city. He’d be willing to move, but not more than an hour out.

  There were plenty of small towns she could open a practice up in, he’d told her. And he was right. But it wasn’t what she wanted, and as much as she told Trevor she wanted someone to argue with her, she wasn’t giving up her dream.

  A dream of moving out of the fast lane. A dream of the quieter life that she got glimpses of when they visited her grandparents in the South.

  She didn’t want to go in that direction, not that far away. She just wanted to be somewhere so far removed from what she’d always known, but close enough to visit if need be.

  And now she was. She was in Lake Placid and had the keys to her own practice. Monday morning, bright and early, a new sign would be delivered announcing her name out front.

  Then when the dust settled, she was going to look into putting an addition on. The closest pediatric dentist was two hours away in Burlington. She’d be able to generate a lot of business if she could bring someone here, even if it was part time.