Forgotten First Kiss

“You’re a great coach, in the meantime.”

“You know this about me?”

“Look at the evidence.” I pointed at all the cards drawn by her tumblers. “And for the record, I always thought you’d make a great mom.”

She gave a long sigh. “It’s weird to not know and be stuck wondering why I never found that marriage and motherhood path.” She gave me a pointed look. “Any chance you’d enlighten me as to why not?”

Because I’m your best match and you couldn’t see me? “You’ll figure it out.”

Danica’s look pierced me to the very center.

I resumed reading.

Not long after, Mark contacted me with a message. Everything looks above board except this. He’d drawn a red circle around a provision. They’re asking her to hold them blameless if a medical condition worsens due to negligence. I’ll prepare a document for this by tomorrow.

“What did he say?” Danica craned her neck to see Mark’s message. “What’s wrong? I can tell by the look on your face something isn’t right.”

“Mark will handle it.”

“Whoever he is, it’s nice to have Mark on my side.” She wasn’t speaking about Mark. She was looking at me. Man, this was working out a million times better than I could ever have imagined. “What do you do for a living, Jeremy?”

Before I could answer, a doctor came in and began the process of making final assessments before discharging her. I mentioned that the hospital would be hearing from Danica’s lawyer about a mistake in the paperwork. Dr. Holden’s eyes narrowed. “Is there a problem?”

“Just an oversight, I’m sure. Easy to iron out.” I waved it away, but Holden suddenly became more solicitous of Danica’s comfort. “Let’s line up a wheelchair for your trip to the car. You’re her husband, I presume?”

“No. But I’m her ride home.” My response shouldn’t have disappointed me as much as it did. Someday I’ll say yes to that. “I’ll bring the car around front, you bring her to the curb.”

And Holden did. Personally. “Thanks for choosing us, Miss Denton, for your care.” He shot me a nervous look. “You’re Jeremy Hotston.”

“I am.”

He looked at his phone, as if to check the time. “Hotston Properties. Medical practice broker.”

I gave a solitary nod. He’d recognized me. He’d heard of my company. Which I assumed meant he would assume the business came with high-powered lawyers like Mark. “I’m sure between us, we can correct any documentation oversights.”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “The administration will be anxious to get any errors straightened out.” He skedaddled.

My truck wasn’t a lifted version, but it also wasn’t built for a woman barely five feet tall. I held the door open for her.

“Is there a handle or something?” She looked a little helpless. “I swear, I really am a gymnastics instructor. Or so they tell me—so I should be able to make this leap.”

“Alley-oop.” Although I hadn’t planned on acting like her knight in blue denim, I took both sides of her waist and hoisted her aboard. Then, I took the seat belt and reached it across her torso and latched it, my arm resting against her hip.

Danica’s eyes met mine. A connection snap-crackle-popped like rice cereal in its first contact with milk. Her face flexed, as if swallowing back some huge emotion.

“All safe now,” I said.

She nodded, keeping our gazes locked. “Yeah. Safe.”

I shut the door and parked the wheelchair just inside the sliding doors. Then, I climbed into the driver’s seat and headed out. “Do you want to go home, or would you rather go by the gym? Classes for the pre-school kids are in the mornings, so the school kids would be now, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“Honestly, it’s just a guess.” For once, I told the whole truth. “It’s okay if you’re feeling more like heading home.”

“No!” She touched my arm. “Going to the gym might help jog my memory.”

I rerouted, even though doing so might jeopardize everything I’d accomplished so far.