“Hmm.”
“What, ‘Hmm’? What’s ‘Hmm,’ supposed to mean?”
“Okay, Chlo, let’s conduct a reality check. You’ve found a job you like. You’ve found a guy you like—more than like—hell, you’re living with the man and, from all accounts, the sex is off-the-charts amazing. Are you sure you want the New Mexico assignment? It seems like things are working out for you right there in San Clemente.”
Her heart stopped tap dancing because her chest suddenly felt way too tight—almost too tight to breathe. “I’m sure,” she managed and then added in a strained whisper, “The thing between Michael and me…it’s not real.”
“Looks pretty real from where I’m standing. Putting the fake engagement aside, he’s bringing you flowers and taking you out for romantic dinners.”
Sweaty palms made it hard to hold the phone. She swiped her hand down her pink, satin cargo Capris and switched the phone to her dry hand. “He’s being sweet. Yes, we get along, and yes, we’re…enjoying each other…while I’m here, but that’s as far as it goes. That’s as far as it can go.”
“There’s more going on between the two of you than either of you wants to admit. Or maybe it’s just you who doesn’t want to admit it.”
“There is nothing to admit.”
“Do you even realize your voice softens when you talk about him? You get very quiet and I can practically picture you sitting there, daydreaming.”
“We’re friends. Okay, friends with benefits. Excellent, but extremely temporary benefits. He knows it. I know it. End of story.” Did she sound panicked? Maybe, based on the concerned look the receptionist was giving her from the other end of the desk. “I’m not ready for anything more.”
“Sometimes exactly what you need comes along, whether you’re ready or not. I remember the first date I went on with my husband. You know what happened a week later?”
“No idea.”
“We got married. Have a nice weekend.”
…
Michael stared at the computer screen and watched blobs form, merge, and flow like some sort of bizarre black-and-white lava lamp. One minute the image looked like a bat, then a balloon, then a topographic map of the Alps. What it bore absolutely no resemblance to, as far as he could tell, was a human spine.
But apparently Dane disagreed. He tapped his gold pen against his highly glossed cherrywood desk, and stared at the screen. “I am a goddamn miracle worker, if I do say so myself.”
Michael squinted, but still couldn’t discern anything from the abstract images mutating on the screen. “Where’s the miracle?”
“Right here.” Dane froze the image and drew an air circle around an area on the lower part of the screen with the pen. “This is the disc you herniated, but you’d never know it, looking at the site now. No swelling. No bulge. Nothing pressing on the nerve.” He turned to Michael. “You’re not still feeling any twinges, are you?”
He shook his head. “None. Not for days. I feel one hundred percent.”
“Great. I’ll write up a report and shoot it to your CO. As far as I’m concerned, you’re good to go.”
Michael relaxed the shoulder muscles he hadn’t even realized he’d tightened. He sank back into Dane’s guest chair. “Thanks.”
Dane swiveled his computer screen back around to face him. “I can’t take all the credit. You did the exercises and took it easy on your back—sort of. And I’m sure Chloe’s magic hands played an important role too.”
“Yeah,” was all he said. Thinking about Chloe’s magic hands, and every other magic part of her, reminded him that their time together was limited unless he managed to work a little magic of his own. His current battle plan tested his patience, because moving slowly made him all too aware he was working against the clock.
“Uh-oh. Trouble there?”
“No. Just the opposite, actually. You know how Chloe feng shui’d the apartment, because all the positive energy was getting flushed down the toilet?” He laughed, feeling a little self-conscious, and ran his hand over the back of his head. “Well, suddenly, my back feels better. Next thing you know, she’s got a job at a spa down the street from the apartment, and she loves it.”
“She found a job locally? That’s great…or maybe not,” his friend frowned as he considered the implications. “I guess her sticking around kind of complicates things, given the engagement and all.”
His smile flatlined. “It’s a temporary job. She’s still planning to leave in a couple weeks, when the next travel assignment starts.” A couple weeks. Tick-tock.
“Ah. Still got the big, ugly breakup on the horizon.”
Michael stared out the stingily small window in Dane’s office and watched the breeze ruffle the fronds of the nearby palm trees. “Maybe.”
“You know, I don’t want to criticize, but for a guy who just got great news about his back, you look pretty tragic. Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”