Second Chance Season (Lake in the Clouds #3)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

July

ZOEY STOOD WITH HER arms folded as she stared out of the townhome’s living room window where Houston’s humid summer heat radiated off the driveway. Behind her, Cooper paced the room. They’d been at this for almost half an hour. “I’ve always liked flowers,” she stated. “I worked in a florist shop in high school.”

“So, you’re just going to throw your medical career away?” he asked, his tone incredulous.

Zoey turned around and looked at him. If this were a cartoon instead of life, he’d have steam shooting from his ears.

Cooper continued his rant. “After all these years in school? After all the time and effort and money you invested. You’d quit your career before you even start it and declare you’re going to sell posies for a living? I can’t believe this!”

“Posies and daisies and roses and potted plants.”

He made a gurgling, growling noise and glared at her. “I guess that fits. You’ve become a potted plant. When was the last time you left the house?”

“I’m relaxing.” She sauntered over to the sofa and dropped into it, stretching out her legs. “I’m due. I all but lived at the hospital in June.”

“You were too relaxed to go see Dr. Rios?”

Enough. That’s enough. Zoey folded her arms. “I don’t need to talk to Dr. Rios. I’m not going to see her again.”

“Dammit, Zoey.” Cooper threw out his hands. “Two visits are not adequate for treatment for depression.”

“Oh, so you’ve diagnosed me now, Dr. MacKenzie? Isn’t that special. So, do I need to whip out my HSA card and let you run it?”

He set his mouth in a firm line and slowly rubbed the back of his neck.

Say it, Zoey thought. Say you want to end the engagement.

Silence stretched between them like a big old brittle rubber band about to break. As it had for most of the past month, a heavy sense of despair rolled through her. She closed her eyes and fought it back for a moment before meeting his gaze and speaking with sincerity. “That was snarky. I apologize. Listen, Cooper. Dr. Rios and I are not a good fit. I’ll look for someone else. I know I need to talk to someone.”

He visibly relaxed.

“But I’m still not going to take the job at TCH.” Texas Children’s Hospital had made her a lucrative offer, but she just couldn’t do it.

“Zoey—”

She hastened to add, “You don’t need to worry about the money because after mom’s will is probated and I’m able to sell her house, I’ll have seed money for the business.”

He closed his eyes. “I don’t know what to say to you, Zoey.”

Ask me to come with you to Boston.

That’s where this discussion had begun half an hour ago.

At a dinner last night with a former colleague, Cooper had been offered the opportunity to join a prestigious research group on a three-month project based out of Massachusetts General Hospital. This morning, he’d requested an emergency breakfast meeting with his own partners, during which he secured an extended leave of absence.

Then he came home and told Zoey he was moving to Boston early next week. An invitation to join him had been conspicuously absent.

So, Zoey had rolled out the idea she’d been nursing about owning a flower shop because it had seemed like the thing to do at the time. She knew she was lashing out, but she couldn’t seem to help it. Zoey was burned out and frustrated with her job. With her life. And here they were—with a great big elephant in the room that neither of them seemed to want to mention.

Well, screw it.

“What about the wedding?” Had she not been watching Cooper closely, she’d have missed his slight hesitation before he said, “It goes on as scheduled. I already told Larry I needed to take off that Friday. I’ll fly to Colorado Thursday night and back to Boston on Sunday.”

I won’t cry. I will not! She couldn’t keep the bitter note from her voice as she asked, “So, what? You’ll attend the honeymoon over Zoom?”

“There’s that snark again.” Cooper’s brown eyes sparked temper as he crossed to the accent table beside the front door. He scooped his keys and wallet from the wooden tray where he habitually left them and deposited them in his pocket. “We push the honeymoon to October after the project is done. I’ll still have my two weeks of vacation, and it sounds like your schedule is flexible.”

Now who was tossing snark?

“Lovely.”

Temper stormed across his expression, though he kept his tone calm and only the slightest bit accusatory. “This is an amazing opportunity for me. I thought that you, of all people, would understand and be supportive.”

It was a verbal throwdown. Of course, he would play that card. He’d been holding the marker for three years, ever since she’d received the fellowship match and asked him to move to Houston. The surgical booties were on the other feet this time, and they both knew it.

“I do understand, Cooper.”

She understood that she needed to do some serious thinking. Perhaps so did he. Their relationship road had grown downright rocky, and for the first time in years, she nurtured uncertainty as to just where their road led.

Zoey reached deep down inside herself for a smile. She pasted it on her lips and strained to lift it into her eyes. Her results were mixed. “And I support you. Congratulations. It’s exciting research, and you’ll be a valuable member of the team.”

He squared his shoulders, lifted his chin, and nodded. “Look, I need to get to the clinic. We can talk more about this tonight.”

“Sure.” Though, they probably wouldn’t. That was their pattern of late, wasn’t it? They hadn’t had a real honest discussion since her mother’s funeral.

She listened to the squeak of his sneakers against the steps’ wooden tread as he headed downstairs. She heard the kitchen door close with a louder-than-necessary thunk. Walking to the window, she watched him back his gray BMW from the garage and into the street. She wasn’t surprised when he punched the gas, spun the tires, and sped away.

Only then did Zoey allow the tears to fill her eyes and overflow. She’d cried more in the past six months than she’d cried in her entire life.

They were off the rails, she and Cooper. Their boat was taking on water. Their plane was losing altitude and, well, whatever other bad metaphors she couldn’t bring to mind at the moment.

It wasn’t his fault. She could admit that. Well, except for this Boston business. That was definitely his fault. However, she’d been a basket case for months, even before Jennifer came to Houston. These weeks since her mother’s death and the frantic efforts to complete her fellowship requirements, Zoey had drained her tanks dry.

Except for little puddles of crazy.

She lifted her hand to swipe the moisture from her cheeks and noticed the glint of sunshine on the window glass reflecting off the diamond on her left hand. Turning away from the window, she studied her engagement ring. It was beautiful, a simple and elegant solitaire on a platinum band. The stone was big enough to suggest good times ahead but appropriate for a relationship where student loans ate a big chunk of their paychecks. Zoey had loved it when Cooper gave it to her on Christmas Eve. She’d loved Cooper on Christmas Eve. She believed that Cooper loved her in return.

So how had everything fallen apart six months later? How had the scratch on the skin of their relationship become a seeping wound?

An infection had set in, that’s how. Little uglies of grief, self-doubt, simmering resentment, and neglect penetrated and poisoned. After this morning’s exchange, Zoey wondered if either she or Cooper had the skills to stop the bleeding.

She tugged at the engagement ring. It wouldn’t slide over her knuckle. He’s going to fly in for the wedding. For the weekend. And fly out again. Alone. To Boston.

Forget Tahiti. Forget their plans. Their dreams.

He hadn’t asked her to go to Boston with him.

Zoey’s ring finger began to throb. She yanked hard, and the ring slid off. She threw it at Cooper’s pillow.

Zoey was breathing hard. Her heart was breaking. She needed to talk to someone. She needed a good therapist. She needed a friend.

She needed a mother. She giggle-snorted aloud at that. The story of her life.

If Mimi were still alive, Zoey would call her, but her beloved grandmother had died a decade ago. Dad had tried to fill the void. He was a good father, and he’d done his best when Zoey had wanted mothering, but he’d never been truly comfortable in the role.

Nevertheless, he was who she had.

She grabbed her phone off the bedside charger and dialed her father. He answered on the second ring. “Hey there, pookie. What’s up?”

“Are you busy, Dad?”

“Nope. I’m just heading out to take a walk. What’s up?”

Exercise was always good medicine. There was a nice little neighborhood park about halfway between their homes that they’d used for their meet-ups in the past. “Want to join me at our usual spot in a little bit? Say, half an hour? I could use…” What? Advice? A shoulder to cry on? “… my dad.”

He responded with a mix of delight and concern in his tone. “I’d love to meet you.”

After ending the call, Zoey quickly dressed in running clothes and left the condo. She took the long route, running at a fast clip. Maybe she’d get lucky, and the sunshine and physical exertion would clear her mind, so she wouldn’t need to humiliate herself by pouring out her heart to her father.

She made an effort not to think about Cooper and his research opportunity as she ran, and slowly, her tension eased. She was able to greet her father with a smile when they met.

At fifty, Adam looked the part of a distinguished physician, even in running shorts and a Houston Astros tee. And today, he had a dog with him.

“What’s this?” Zoey asked as she knelt and scratched the darling black-and-white schnauzer beneath his snout.

“I’ve been dog-sitting while his person is at the hospital.”

“Your hospital?” she asked, knowing that would mean a cancer patient.

“Yes. A friend from church. Jack fought the good fight, but he’ll be moving into hospice today.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Me, too. He’s a good man. However, he’s lived a long and fruitful life and says he’s ready to go. Honestly, his only concern is for Freeway.” Adam gestured toward the dog, whose ears twitched at the sound of his name. “He needs a home. I can’t take him. He’d end up dying of thirst or starving to death like I almost killed you.”

Zoey laughed. “Oh, Dad. It wasn’t that bad. You only totally forgot about me a time or two.”

When her father was deep into research mode, he tended to forget about everything. And upon occasion, everyone. Twenty years later, he still felt horribly guilty about the time he forgot her elementary school Christmas program, missing her voice solo, and leaving her to find her own way home. At night.

Zoey didn’t hold it against him. The man was a brilliant researcher whose efforts had made a significant contribution to humanity. What was one grade-school performance compared to that?

Love welled up inside Zoey, and she stood and kissed her father’s cheek. The dog demanded her attention when he plopped himself down atop her left sneaker. Zoey grinned down at him. “Freeway is an interesting name.”

“He was a stray who my friend rescued from the middle lane of a freeway.”

“Oh wow.”

“I think he should have been named Lucky.”

Adam and Zoey both turned to watch a man hitting pop flies to a mitt-wearing boy on the baseball diamond. Beyond the pair, a silver-haired woman walked a black Labrador retriever. “What are you going to do with Freeway the Lucky?”

“I don’t know.” He paused a beat, then asked, “You want a dog?”

Zoey shocked them both when she said, “Maybe.”

At that point, Adam Hillcrest turned toward his daughter, concern lighting his blue eyes. “Ready to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Maybe,” she repeated. She eyed a nearby park bench, intending to sit down, but then veered toward the swing set and sat in one of the black saddle seats. Her father and Freeway followed her. Dad leaned against the swing’s metal frame, folded his arms, and waited. He always did have the patience of Job.

So she let him wait.

It had been years since she’d sat in a swing, but muscle memory kicked in. Zoey swayed back and forth, back and forth. As thoughts of Cooper threatened to intrude, she felt her father’s hands at her back, giving her a push. Suddenly, she was a girl again, swinging higher and higher. She told herself the wetness streaming from the corner of her eyes wasn’t emotional tears but nature’s reaction to the breeze on her face.

Adam pushed her for a good five minutes before Freeway darted away after a squirrel, trailing the leash behind him. Adam went after him, and Zoey allowed the swing to slow and stop. She unwrapped her fists from around the chains, and her gaze settled on her left hand. Her finger looked naked without Cooper’s ring on it. She wondered how long it would take her to get accustomed to the change.

Whoa. Are you really going there?

“Maybe,” she murmured. She twisted full circle in the swing three times, winding the chains, then letting go. She spun like a top and murmured, “Maybe I am.”

Apparently, she’d been doing some thinking when she wasn’t thinking.

The schnauzer and her father returned. Zoey spun herself a second time, then when she finished, her father quietly asked, “What did you and Cooper fight about?” She drew in a deep, shaky breath, then exhaled in a rush. “Cooper accepted a three-month-long research position with the Perry Group.”

“Huh.” Adam took a seat atop the picnic bench nearby. “Out of Harvard?”

“The very ones.”

Adam gave a slow whistle. “That’ll be a feather in his cap.”

“Yes, so I understand. He starts next week.”

With that tidbit of information, her father’s eyebrows winged up. “What about the job here?”

“His group gave him a leave of absence. Like you said, it’s a feather in his cap.”

“No.” He folded his arms. “I meant your job.”

Thank you, Daddy. He’d thought of her. Zoey had needed that little show of support more than she’d realized. She couldn’t hold back the bitterness in her tone as she answered him. “His opportunity doesn’t change my plans. I’m not going to Boston. I wasn’t invited to join him. In fact, I was discouraged from joining him.”

“What!”

She parroted off the points Cooper had made. “He’ll be at the lab all the time. No sense trying to juggle schedules and for me to be sitting around waiting on him all the time. It’d be too stressful for both of us.”

“You’ll be newly”—Zoey saw his gaze drift to her left hand—“weds. Ah, hell, Zoey.”

Just now noticed that, did you, Dad? As tears flooded her eyes once again, he snapped, “Did he break up with you?”

“No. The wedding is still on.” For now. “This is a good opportunity for Cooper, Dad. I’m happy for him. Had he discussed it with me, I would have encouraged him to take it.”

South Pacific honeymoon notwithstanding.

“But he didn’t discuss it with me. He made the decision all on his own.”

“Ah, hell, honey.”

“And then I told him I was quitting medicine and opening a flower shop.”

“You what? You’re kidding me. Right? You’re kidding me?”

“I’m a mess, Daddy. I haven’t been happy for a while. Cooper insisted I talk to a shrink, but the doctor and I didn’t sync.”

“So, the flower shop is just a metaphor.”

“No. I don’t know. Maybe not. I love flowers.”

“Oh, Zoey.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “You’ve had a lot on your plate. You don’t need to quit medicine. You need a vacation.”

“I agree with that. In a few weeks, I could go on my honeymoon. All by myself.”

“Maybe somewhere other than the South Pacific would be good. Rome? Paris?”

“Maybe I should go to a NASCAR race.”

Adam did a double take, releasing her and stepping back. “You’ve lost me.”

“Don’t they have red flags at car races? I’m all about the red flags right now. My whole relationship with Cooper is one great big red flag, don’t you think?”

“Uh, honey…”

Zoey continued. “You’re right. It’s not a red flag. It’s a ball. It’s Cooper putting the breakup ball in my court. That’s what this is.”

“Now, Zoey.” Adam awkwardly patted her arm.

She gazed up at her father imploringly. “He didn’t ask me to go with him, Daddy. He’d played the ‘you owe me one’ card instead.”

Adam sighed heavily. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped between his legs. “In Cooper’s defense—”

“I do owe him,” she interrupted. “He moved to Houston to be with me after he finished his residency instead of going home to Michigan as he’d always planned.”

It was true. Because Zoey’s pediatric residency was two years shorter than Cooper’s orthopedic program, she’d finished her residency a year before he did. She’d planned to remain in Southern California and work until Cooper finished up at Cedars-Sinai. But then she’d won the three-year fellowship in Houston. She’d moved to Houston, and he’d remained in California.

That year apart trying to juggle their professional and personal lives almost killed them both, but they’d made it work. Cooper changed his career plans and shifted his goals in order to be with her. He’d moved to Houston and gone to work with a group of doctors here with the understanding that they’d consider relocating somewhere north sometime in the future.

She’d always felt a little bit guilty about it. He was a northern boy at heart, and he’d spent nine years in Southern California and now two years in Houston when he’d dreamed of returning home. The man had a thing for winter. For snow. Zoey didn’t get it, but she accepted it.

And apparently, the frustrations of the past six months had breathed life back into Cooper’s simmering relocation-north dreams.

“He has to know that I would have said yes and gone to Boston if he’d asked me. It would have been easily doable for me. The start date on the job at TCH isn’t until October, and he didn’t know I was thinking about turning it down until today.”

“Wait. Did you talk flower shop with him? No wonder he’s spooked.”

“He didn’t ask, Dad,” she replied, ignoring the question. “Cooper didn’t ask me to come with him.”

It broke her heart. Her thoughts spun in that constant whirlwind. He hadn’t asked her to go to Boston. She guessed she shouldn’t be surprised. The two of them didn’t talk anymore. They hadn’t really talked—well, except to snipe or argue—since her mother came to town. Zoey shut her eyes against that remembered pain.

Because her eyes were shut, she didn’t see what was coming. Before she quite knew what had happened, her father had deposited Freeway into her arms, saying, “Hug a puppy, Zoey. It’s guaranteed to make you feel better.”

Staring down into the schnauzer’s big brown eyes, Zoey couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you love him?” Adam asked.

The dog licked her face. “He’s a really cute pup, but—”

“Not the dog. Cooper. Do you love Cooper?”

The answer came instantaneously. “Yes, but—”

“No. No ‘buts.’ As a rule, I try to keep my lips zipped when it comes to you and your love life, but you came to me today. So, I’m going to offer you a bit of advice. You gonna listen?”

Zoey nodded.

“You need to stop at the yes. I know that your feelings are hurt, but you didn’t hesitate when you declared your love for Cooper. That is your bottom line, Zoey.”

It wasn’t her bottom line that worried her. It was Cooper’s. He wanted out. Otherwise, he’d have invited her to Boston.

Freeway snuggled into her arms and buried his snout in her armpit. Zoey absently scratched him behind his ears. Maybe she should get a dog. It would keep her company when Cooper was gone.

“Back to this flower shop thing. I’m not a psyche doc, but this one is pretty easy to psychoanalyze. Your education has been your focus for a long time, and now you’re facing an actual career. That’s scary. The thought of running away is appealing to you. That’s scary to Cooper.”

“I won’t argue that point.”

“In that case, I think you need to think about Cooper’s upbringing,” her father advised. “Remember all that he overcame in order to be at that wedding where the two of you met.”

Zoey thought back to that night. She’d been in medical school at UCLA. He’d been a year into his residency at Cedars-Sinai and stood up as best man for a colleague who’d married a friend of Zoey’s. She’d thought him the most handsome man at the wedding, and she’d been flattered when he’d paid her particular attention. When he’d asked for her number at the afterparty and called her Sunday and asked her out, she’d floated on air.

Adam continued. “Growing up poor, scrambling for scholarships, taking on the kind of debt that his education required put him in a different spot than you, who came from a privileged background.”

“I know that,” Zoey replied, her tone defensive. She’d always been sensitive to Cooper’s financial concerns. Plus, while she’d never say it, her father had touched on one of Zoey’s triggers. It was true that she’d been blessed to grow up with wealth, but Cooper had been born into a family with brothers and sisters and two loving, married parents who were married still today. That was a privilege, too.

“I know you weren’t married yet when he followed you to Houston, but y’all were together in a committed relationship. You changed your mind about continuing your education with this fellowship. He moved to be with you. That was a big deal for him.”

“I know that,” Zoey repeated.

“I just think you need to look at this situation from his point of view. He’s put you first. He’s waited on you. Even strong men have vulnerable spots, honey. Maybe he needs you to return the favor.”

“Maybe he does. I wouldn’t know because for the most part, we don’t talk to each other anymore, Daddy.”

Agitated now, Zoey pushed out of the swing and set the dog down. She paced as she explained. “Things have been weird at home ever since I had pneumonia. We just haven’t had any quality time together. I was swamped at the hospital trying to make up for everything I’d missed, and then Jennifer arrived. Now that I finally have time, he’s leaving, and he didn’t ask me to come along. He’s putting off the honeymoon, so we won’t even have that time alone together to reconnect then. And yet, if it takes a honeymoon for us to talk to one another, maybe we’re making a mistake having a wedding at all.”

“You don’t think that.”

“I don’t know what I think, Dad. I—”

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted them. Adam checked the number and grimaced. “It’s the hospital.”

“Take it. I understand.”

Adam connected the call, listened a moment, and then said, “Thank you for the heads-up. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Having ended the call, he gave Zoey a sad smile. “My church friend has had a stroke. He’s in his final hours.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Thanks. I’m headed for the hospital. I don’t want him to be alone.” Adam stared at Freeway with dismay. “I hate to ask, but could you help me out with ol’ lucky Mr. Freeway here? I could call an Uber and go straight there from here.”

“Of course. I’ll take him back to our townhome. Honestly, I can use the company.”

“Great.” He ordered the car and sounded relieved when he shared, “My ride is two minutes away. Look, if something comes up for you or this takes longer than I expect, feel free to leave Freeway at my house. You have a key. He has food and water.”

“That’ll work.”

“And if you think of anyone who would be willing to give him a permanent home, I’d be forever grateful.”

“I’ll definitely put on my thinking cap.” Zoey saw the Uber approaching, and she waved at the driver.

Adam scratched Freeway behind the ears and murmured, “I’m glad I sneaked you into the hospital yesterday for a visit. The way Jack teared up and you whined when we left, I wonder if both of you sensed that it might have been the last one.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Zoey observed. “The bond between a dog and his human can be an amazing thing.”

A few moments later, her dad departed, and Zoey turned toward home with her new four-legged pal.

When her thoughts returned to Cooper, she felt stronger. He’d said they’d talk tonight. She would hold him to it. They hadn’t talked—really talked—in months. That was over.

He’d lobbed the break-up ball to her, hadn’t he? Well, she planned to return it with an overhead smash.

It was almost noon when she finally returned home, found an old pillow for Freeway to use as a bed, set out a bowl of water, and then hit the shower. She’d just finished blow-drying her hair when she heard the sound of activity coming from the kitchen. “That dog had better not have gotten into something he shouldn’t,” she grumbled as she set down the dryer and hurried toward the kitchen.

She discovered that Freeway wasn’t making the noise. Cooper was making a grilled cheese sandwich. Actually, he was making two grilled cheese sandwiches. He’d set out placemats, plates, silverware, and glasses of iced tea in front of their usual spots on the bar. When was the last time they’d sat down together to eat? Zoey couldn’t recall.

“This is a surprise,” she said, taking her seat at the bar. A nice one? She couldn’t tell.

He gestured toward the dog, who was asleep on his pillow. “Who’s your friend?”

“His name is Freeway.” She gave Cooper a brief synopsis of how the schnauzer had come to be in their kitchen.

He nodded and used a spatula to check the bottom of the sandwiches. “Adam shouldn’t have a hard time finding a home for him. He’s a cute dog.”

“Yes,” Zoey agreed as he slid a sandwich onto her plate. “Thank you. This looks good.”

“You’re welcome. I saw your running shoes were missing. I figured you haven’t had lunch yet.”

“I haven’t.” Zoey didn’t have much of an appetite, but she wasn’t about to mention that. This was Cooper’s show.

He placed a sandwich on his plate and then returned the pan to the stovetop. While he opened the refrigerator in search of sweet pickles, Zoey figured, she picked up her glass. She sipped her tea, and her gaze drifted across their living room.

That’s when she spied his suitcase sitting beside the door. She almost dropped her glass. “You’re leaving now?”

Simultaneously, he set the pickle jar on the bar and said accusingly, “You took off your ring.”

They both looked a bit guilty. Zoey sucked in a shaky breath, then explained, “I had a fit of temper. Then I went running.”

Cooper said, “My dad fell this morning and broke his hip. I’m flying home later today.”

“Oh no. Poor Pat. I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll fly from there to Boston.”

Zoey shut her eyes and nodded. I’ll get through this. I’ll do it. I can do it.

Cooper shoved his fingers through his hair. “Before I got the call about Dad, I figured I could come home tonight, and we could hash out why we’ve been… um…”

Um. Cooper was one of the most eloquent people she’d ever met, but he couldn’t find the words to define their relationship. Oh, joy.

“I’ll take a stab at it. In the midst of a cold war?”

He grimaced but didn’t disagree. “I know your world has been stupid hard this year. I’ve been at a loss on what to do or how to help.”

“You held me when I needed holding.”

“You didn’t let me in, Zoey. And you wouldn’t get help. Won’t get help.”

Anger stirred. “Dr. Rios is a class-A bitch. It’s not a good fit. I haven’t exactly had a ton of time here, Cooper. We’re barely into July.”

“I know. I know.” He opened his sandwich and placed a layer of pickles inside it. “But it seems to me that I’m only making it worse. I’ve known you’ve been unhappy at the hospital. You’re grieving your mother, who was awful to you, but she was still your mother. You’re recovering from the insanity that is finishing medical school. You’re working through it all, but you seem to be wanting to do it all on your own.”

“Is that why you didn’t ask me to go to Boston with you?”

“Yes. I thought if I wasn’t around, it might be easier for you. I didn’t think throwing another big change on top of everything else would be good for your mental health. I thought if we had some time apart, it might be healthier for us both.”

He glanced up from his sandwich. “I didn’t anticipate the florist thing. If you are seriously considering quitting medicine, then I don’t understand you at all.”

“And I have never understood how ‘time apart’ helps anything.”

He glanced away from her. “I should have talked to you before I accepted the position.”

Yes, you should have. Zoey squared her shoulders. “I wish you had talked with me. I would have told you that I recognize that it’s a wonderful opportunity. I absolutely think you should take advantage of it.”

“Thank you.” He picked up his sandwich and took a bite. Zoey’s mouth twisted with an unhappy grin. Cooper and his comfort food.

Comfort. She could use some comfort. Some peace. Zoey continued. “If you had talked to me, we could have discussed my going with you.”

“We can discuss it now.”

“No. No, I think that ship has sailed, Cooper.”

“What are you saying?

Yep, he’s a pro at getting the ball back into her court. Does he want me to call off the wedding?

Well, she wasn’t ready to do that. Not today.

“Like you said, I have things to work through. Your instincts were for me to do it by myself. We will go with that.”

He nodded, then picked up his plate and threw his barely tasted sandwich away. Zoey watched him and considered that she could make a metaphor out of that action if she wanted.

They had little else to say to each other as he prepared to leave for the airport. His good-bye kiss was hesitant and without passion. “I’ll call you when I’ve seen Dad. Let you know how he’s doing.”

She nodded. “Please do. Safe travels.”

When the door shut behind Cooper, Zoey’s knees gave out. She sank down onto the ground, and a black cloud of silence surrounded her. At what point Freeway came out from under the bed and crawled to cuddle in her lap, she didn’t know. How long she sat there, she hadn’t a clue.

The first two times her watch vibrated, signaling an incoming call, she ignored it. The third time, she looked. She’d had two spam calls and an appointment reminder robocall from her dentist.

When the watch vibrated again, this time with a text, she looked at it without checking the number. Zoey, you have a DNA match to explore.

Zoey’s arm started shaking. Her stomach took a roll. Oh wow. Did she really want to do this?

She hadn’t given this much thought since her mother died. She’d pretty much blocked the whole thing out. She’d been stupid busy at the hospital up until two weeks ago, and since then, she’d been obsessing about flower shops. And looking forward to her life with Cooper. She’d been in the process of shutting the door on the past and looking to the future.

Look where that had gotten her.

She tapped the face of her watch. The message came up. Hmm. Reading it required that she follow links. Better she did this at the computer.

Zoey rose and walked to the desktop in the condo’s second bedroom. Her chest was tight. Her mouth was dry. She wiggled the mouse, and her screensaver came up.

Moments later, her world changed with a click.

Brooke Prentice. 1st cousin, once removed. 12.5% DNA shared. Parent 1’s side.

Parent 1. Dad, not Jennifer.

The notice came with photos. Zoey’s breath caught. So, those nagging suspicions had something to them. She had seen photos of Brooke Prentice back in January on Willow Eldridge’s desk and office wall. She’d been a bridesmaid at her brother’s wedding.

Zoey dragged her hand down her face. So, Willow was not Zoey’s doppelg?nger. She was a cousin. Zoey and Willow looked so much alike because they were cousins. Once removed, but whatever. Cousins.

How appropriate was that?

The Prentice family, who had been so lovely to work with these past months, shared history with her warm, wonderful father, who had been placed with a warm, wonderful family in a private adoption. Willow had been nothing but warm and wonderful while Zoey worked with her on wedding plans. Her mother and aunt had been nothing but warm and wonderful when she’d met them in January.

Warm, wonderful women. Zoey knew a surge of yearning as strong as any biological urge she’d ever experienced. She picked up her phone and, without giving it a moment’s thought, placed a call to Willow. She answered on the second ring, saying, “Zoey! You and I must be on the same wavelength. I have you on my list to call today.”

“Oh?”

“I have something important I need to run past you. Do you want me to share it, or would you rather discuss whatever you’re calling about first?”

Zoey didn’t really want to talk about the wedding. However, she didn’t know exactly why she’d made the call to Colorado. She could listen. Listening was easy.

She didn’t have to share any DNA bombshells with her wedding planner. Not yet. “Sure. What do you have to tell me?”

“I know it’s awfully late in the day to make changes, but we’ve had an exciting development, and I want you to know about it. Our contractor will have our new Glass Chapel in the woods finished ahead of schedule. If you and Cooper would like to have your ceremony there, we’ll be happy to change the arrangements.”

The yearning still humming through Zoey’s blood intensified. That spot in the woods had been so peaceful and beautiful.

Willow continued. “I can send you pictures—”

“No,” Zoey interrupted, her heart beginning to pound. “I want to see it. My schedule is free right now. I know it’s tourist season. Does the inn have any open rooms? Or if not, do you know of a place where I could stay? I can probably get there tomorrow. It’ll be just me.”

“I’m sure we can find something for you, Zoey. It’ll be wonderful to be able to go over the wedding arrangements in person instead of doing everything over Zoom.”

Zoey shifted Freeway off her lap and rose. Her gaze focused on the dog, she added, “Actually, it will be more than just me. Any chance it can be a pet-friendly room? I seem to have a small dog. He’s a schnauzer, around fourteen pounds. He’s very well-behaved. Honestly, I think he may be a bit depressed because his owner went into hospice.”

“Of course. We are a pet-friendly facility. If worse comes to worst, I’ll take him out to my place. He can pal around with our pups. How long do you think you’ll stay?”

The question stumped Zoey. “Well, today is Tuesday. If I can get there tomorrow, maybe until Sunday? I’ll send you a text when I have a better idea about arrival time.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll get everything arranged on this end. I’m looking forward to seeing you, Zoey. I’m so excited to show you everything we have ready for your wedding. It won’t be long, now.”

Maybe. Maybe not. That remains to be seen.

Willow continued, “So, that’s my news. What did you need to ask me?”

“Oh.” Zoey winced and fumbled for something to say. Finally, she settled on, “It’s nothing that won’t keep until I see you. I’ll shoot you a text when I have a better sense of my ETA.”

They exchanged good-byes and ended the call. Zoey’s heart continued to pound as she stared down at Freeway. “Would you rather fly or drive?”

The dog’s tail thumped against the hardwood floor. Zoey pulled up the airline app and checked available flights. Her choices weren’t appealing. The earliest she could get to Durango was midnight, and then she’d have to drive those high mountain roads to Lake in the Clouds in the middle of the night. That wasn’t happening. She might be unsettled, but she wasn’t suicidal.

“Driving it is.”

Twenty minutes later, she loaded her suitcase and Freeway into her car. Headed north on I-45, she called and left her father a voice mail telling him simply that she was taking a few days of vacation and she’d call him when she returned. She thought about calling Cooper, too, but decided to send a text when she stopped to get gas.

She forgot to send the text when she bought gas.

She forgot to put her engagement ring back on before leaving the house.

Not entirely on purpose.

Maybe a little bit on purpose.

Unfortunately, being a physician specializing in pediatric emergency medicine didn’t mean Zoey knew how to treat emotional wounds worth a damn.