Our Last Chance (Heart of Hope 1)

She cocked her head and her eyes studied me. “Is it true you and him once had a romance going?”

I’d have thought that would be out by now since Eli didn’t do anything to hide his hatred of Nick. “What did Eli tell you?”

She laughed. “I can’t repeat that. I suppose it would be weird to have your best friend know your sister intimately, but still, if you and Nick were happy.”

“It was just a short time in college. College fling.” I waved my hand like it was nothing, even though it hadn’t been nothing. At least not to me.

“That’s probably just as well. The last lawyer was sacked for sleeping with Tiffany Lucas in an ambulance.”

I snorted. “Yes, I hear there could be a lawsuit for wrongful termination.”

Peggy shrugged. “It’s ridiculous, if you ask me. This town is too small to keep single people apart simply because they work together. Except for Nick, who clearly has no plans to settle down, there aren’t a lot of good prospects for Tiffany.”

“Nick has an aversion to marriage?” The minute I said it, I regretted it. I didn’t want Peggy to think I was interested in Nick’s private life.

“He hasn’t found a woman he wants to see more than once.” She laughed. “Except Joyce Maynard.”

“Joyce Maynard?” Jealousy spiked in my gut even as my brain told it who Nick saw wasn’t my business.

“She moved here about five years ago to open some sort of yoga or wellness center. It never came to anything and I think she just teaches at the local gym. Anyway, that woman is in here all the time with some ailment or another and will only see Nick.” She shook her head. “I suppose she thinks she’ll wear him down.”

“So they’re not an item?”

“Not yet. She has all the assets, if you know what I mean. Then again, Nick is a true professional. He’s not going to have a fling with a patient.”

“That would be even harder to monitor. This is the only place for people to go for medical treatment.”

She shrugged. “You know what I mean. He’s not going to take her out to the ambulance or a supply closet.” She stood. “Speaking of Nick, I should get back to work.”

When I stood, she gave me another hug. “Hey a group of us are going to the Ole Miner tonight. Why don’t you join us?” The Ole Miner was one of the local bars.

“Maybe I will.”

When Peggy left, I went back behind my desk to sit. In the course of a few minutes I’d seen Nick and had discussions about him that had made my heart clench and my hormones race. How was I going to work every day with him with all that going on? I had to hope that my response was because I hadn’t seen him in a while.

Still, it was a strange response. It wasn’t like I’d been celibate since he and I broke up. I was pretty sure though if Chris or Patrick walked in here right now, I wouldn’t have the same response I’d had with Nick. Maybe it was just because he was my first. My first crush. My first sexual experience. My first love.

Deciding that thinking about it only highlighted it, I opened the top file on my desk and got to work.

3

Nick

When it came to being a doctor, focus was one of the most important skills second only to knowing medicine. Especially in the emergency room, where often there were life and death decisions made in a split second. I couldn’t be distracted by thoughts like how fucking fantastic Mia looked in her pencil skirt and matching tailored coat. She was always a curvy woman, but today, she had the epitome of the female form.

Her hair was still long and full, and my fingers itched to dig into her locks like they had years ago. Her blue eyes were dark and stunning against her pale skin. They also looked as uncertain as I felt when we met in the hallway. I gave her a hug because it seemed like the thing to do, but it felt awkward. That was until her lush body was aga

inst mine and that familiar scent of hers filled my senses.

I had to push that all aside as I treated a baby with a fever followed by several hiking accidents, a fall down a staircase, a urinary tract infection, a kid that swallowed a marble, and a possible heart attack that turned out to be a panic attack.

After my shift, I headed to my house to change and go for a run. My home was rustic and small, but it sat on the edge of the lake nestled in the woods. It was perfect, especially since it was only me living there. My parents had offered to sell me their home, the one I grew up in, but that was a family home, and I didn’t need the space. Not now. Maybe not ever.

I headed out onto the deer trail in my shorts and running shoes, taking in the crisp clean mountain air. I ran about four miles and then topped off my run with a dive into the lake. It was summer, swimming weather, but the lake was filled with snow water, so even at the height of summer, it was brisk.

Once I was done with my swim, I headed inside my place, grabbing a beer as I headed to the shower. I washed and dressed in my favorite pair of well worn jeans and a white t-shirt. I went to my deck, sitting to enjoy the early evening as I called Mia’s dad, Jim Parker. I tried to get over to his place at least once a week, but I had to do it when Eli wasn’t around since he never forgave me for being with Mia. Tonight, I knew he’d be home soon, so I opted to call Jim.

“Nick,” Jim’s jovial voice came over the phone. “How many did you save today?”