The Rescue Doc's Christmas Miracle

by Amalie Berlin

Danielle shook her head. ‘You wanted to go in the summer so you’d get to see the midnight sun. If we reschedule, then it’ll be another year before we can go away—and you really, really need a break. Especially as you’re taking up your new job in a couple of weeks.’

  Her promotion to senior registrar, which was bittersweet because Evan wasn’t here to be pleased that her hard work had paid off. ‘I’m fine,’ Hayley said.

  ‘This is supposed to be the Year of Saying Yes, remember,’ Danielle said. ‘We said we’d do it so we’d have fun instead of being miserable.’

  ‘I’m not so sure it’ll be much fun, going to Iceland on my own,’ Hayley said.

  ‘But you’ll still get to see the whales and the geyser and the glacier—tick all those things off your bucket list. You need a break, Haze. Go and have a wonderful time. And I’ll talk to the travel agent to sort everything out this end.’

  ‘It’s not fair that you’re missing out,’ Hayley said.

  ‘We can plan something else when my foot’s healed,’ Danielle said. ‘We could maybe go to Vienna in November for the Christmas markets. We can eat lots of gingerbread and drink the best hot chocolate in the world.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Hayley said.

  ‘Definitely,’ Danielle insisted. ‘And you can send me a ton of photos from Iceland.’ She smiled. ‘If I were you, I’d stock up on the fun now—if you were serious about running that charity race for me, you’ll be in strict training for the next two months.’

  ‘Two and a half months, less my week in Iceland,’ Hayley pointed out.

  ‘The couch to 10K running programme is supposed to take about twelve weeks,’ Danielle said thoughtfully, ‘but you do dance aerobics twice a week, so you’re not really starting from couch level.’

  Hayley did dance aerobics simply because Dani had pushed her into it two weeks after Evan’s funeral, making her leave her flat instead of hiding within the four walls and wishing that her fiancé had never, ever become a firefighter. And Hayley had to admit that the combination of the music and the movement had made her feel better, if only for a little while. For the same reason, she’d forced Dani to keep coming to the class with her after Leo had walked out on her.

  ‘OK. You sort out the training programme and I’ll do it.’

  ‘You,’ Danielle said, reaching over to squeeze her hand, ‘are the best friend ever.’

  ‘No, that would be you,’ Hayley said. ‘And you can sit still while I sort out some lunch for you. Even you can’t juggle a tray and hot coffee with crutches.’

  ‘Try me?’ Danielle said.

  ‘Behave,’ Hayley ordered with a grin.

  ‘Yes, ma’am. And you’re right—I can’t hold coffee with crutches,’ Danielle admitted, and fished in her purse for some money. ‘Thanks, Haze. Just grab the first sandwich you come to—I don’t mind what it is.’ She paused. ‘So you promise me you won’t cancel the trip?’

  ‘It’s the Year of Saying Yes,’ Hayley said. ‘So I’ll go.’ Even though a solo trip felt daunting, Hayley knew that her best friend was right. She did need a break. And maybe ticking some things off her bucket list would help her move on.

  She’d always miss Evan, but she knew he wouldn’t have wanted her to spend the rest of her life on her own. So she was going to say yes. And, in accordance with their agreement, she was going to date the next man who asked her out.

  Copyright © 2017 by Pamela Brooks

  ISBN-13: 9781488020834

  The Rescue Doc’s Christmas Miracle

  Copyright © 2017 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Amalie Berlin for her contribution to the Christmas in Manhattan series.

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