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"Handy, since you got the job you wanted"

"Actually," she said, "you have no idea what I want"

"Then tellthere, so big and sure of hih to take on the weight of his entire world

Which he’d done

And what had she done? Exactly as he’d accused her--she’d blindly followed a path set out for her, not spending ti up for what her own hopes and dreaht be

That shamed her Embarrassed her to the bone She had no idea how to tell hi she’d ever been good at and start over That what she really wanted was to keep this little make-believe world she’d created for herself So she said nothing at all and went into the kitchen "How aboutmore cupcakes?" she asked Toby

"Oh boy!"

The front door shut, and Grace felt twinges of unidentifiable e else, so that left her sto fun now?

Chapter 24

Chocolate is cheaper than therapy, and you don’t even need an appoint to keep his mind on his patients, which wasn’t easy Why had he picked a fight with Grace? Because she’d integrated herself into his life so that he could no longer iotten a job he wasn’t even convinced she wanted and would be leaving? ItAnd if she took the Seattle job, she wouldn’t be far

But that wasn’t the point The point was that it wouldn’t be the sa fault He called Riley and asked if she was free to watch Toby so that Grace could leave if she wanted to Riley promised to head over to his house, no worries

Josh spent the next five hours working, and at the end of his shift, all he wanted was to crash Mallory caught up to hi a little frazzled "Got a minute?" she asked

The ER had been a hway, the usual heart attacks and hangovers, and a mob of strep throat infections She’d kept up with him every step of the way "For you, always"

She sood friend instead of him"

"Tell hihed, but he couldn’tbeat; then her smile faded "Oh, Josh You didn’t"

"What?"

"You screwed it up?"

He shook his head "What makes you think that I screwed it up?"

"Because you have a penis"

Josh let out a breath "Maybe there was nothing to screw up"

"Oh et so dumb?"

"Dumb?"

"Yes, dumb! You fell for her, Josh, I know it We all know it It’s all over your face It’s all over the way you act with her"

"I don’t act any different with her than I do with everyone else," he said

"Really? So you pay all your babysitters a thousand dollars a day?"

"A week," heon him some more "I mean, I can’t understand how you can’t see it Have you looked at yourself in that pic on Facebook? Or noticed how much more relaxed you are these past weeks?" She smacked him on the chest "Relaxed, Josh You! Hell, you even sold your practice so that you could have a private life So wake up and smell the damn cupcakes--you’re crazy about her You even let yourself depend on her You, the King-of-Depending-on-No-One!"

"I pay her to be dependable"

"Yes, well, you’ve paid me on occasion to work in your practice when you were short an RN," she re it by your pool like a pair of teenagers?"

"She told you?" he asked in disbelief

"No, actually Anna did," she admitted "And then both Amy and I pounced all over Grace for details--which she wouldn’t give, by the way You knohy that is, Josh?"

He wasn’t afraid of much, but even he knew to be afraid of Mallory when her eyes were crazy like they were now, so he said nothing

"It’s because you don’t give details when you’re falling" She drew a deep breath and studied hiround in case she decided to hit hi, she hit hard

"Let me just say this I love you, but if you hurt Grace in any way, I’ to--" She huffed a minute "Well, I don’t knohat Depends on what you did"

Again with the assumption it was hie of his nose "Look, it’s late I’m tired You’re tired Did you need aiot I wanted to know if you could pick up a shift at HSC this week"

"Depends on when Grace leaves and if I have sohed and got quiet, very quiet "I keep telling o, you know?"

He did know He knew because he’d been doing the saave hiut ache

And a heartache

Which proved Mallory’s point, of course He was crazy about Grace, and he really had absolutely no idea how she felt In the beginning, he’dher the favor