She finally got two full days off. It was a win, win, because that meant her patients were doing well enough for her to step away for a couple days. She was thrilled George was better, and Joseph was stable. She needed the days off, too - desperately.

She hadn’t hesitated when her boss told her to go home and rest. The first thing she’d done was take a two hour bath while reading, then she’d glared at her pile of mail.

She had to pay bills, whether she liked it or not, so she may as well get it over with. She sat down with her checkbook and started ripping into her mail. An hour later, she felt a headache coming on, so she lay on the couch with her eyes closed, and a hot cup of coffee next to her.

As she rested, she couldn’t help but think of Austin. The man was invading her day and night, whether he was actually there or not. She was so high strung, she knew she was going to have to do something, but she couldn’t figure out what.

She reminded herself of all the reasons she didn’t want to have a cheap affair with him, but her body was in a constant fight with her mind. She was in a permanent state of arousal, it seemed.

With frustration, she finally got up and went to the kitchen to find a snack. There was hardly any food in the house since she’d been practically living at the hospital. Her paycheck was gratifyingly large, though, so she was able to pay all the bills while putting away a nice chunk of change for a rainy day.

She may even treat herself to a day at the spa. She knew Cassie would be up for it. It seemed like forever since the two of them had been able to get out with no one else around. She loved being surrounded by people, but sometimes she just needed her best friend and no one else.

She found a can of soup and put it on the stove to boil. While she waited, her mind drifted to the kiss a few nights previously. Just thinking about it had her nipples tightening and her legs clenching together, seeking relief from the pulsing of her body.

She wondered if the cold shower thing worked for women. She’d never needed one before meeting Austin Anderson. The corners of her mouth lifted at her errant thoughts.

When she was thinking about turning the stove off and giving the cold shower idea a try, her doorbell rang, causing her heart to flutter. If he was on the other side, she was throwing in the towel and attacking him on her living room floor.

She neared the door, her heart beating erratically in her chest as she flung it open. She didn’t know whether to sigh in relief, or cry in frustration when she saw Cassie standing there.

“Hey, love. I was so excited to hear you got a day off work that I rushed right over. Max has Ariel, and I’m in desperate need of girl time,” Cassie gushed as she gave Kinsey a quick hug and stepped through the threshold.

Kinsey smiled, her heart slowing to a normal speed, happy to see her best friend.

“I’m surprised you could pull yourself away from your hunk of a husband long enough to remember where I lived,” Kinsey teased.

“Trust me, you’re not far off. I can’t believe how lucky I was to have found him, or him finding me. I don’t care as long as we’re together. It still feels like we're on our honeymoon, even after all this time, and a three month old baby,” Cassie gushed. Her tone softened and her eyes got all dreamy as she talked about Max. Kinsey felt the tiniest bit jealous. Not of Cassie, of course, just that her best friend had been lucky enough to find one of the good men out there.

With a sea of scoundrels, it was hard to find a true prince. Maybe that’s why Kinsey was always so leery to date. She’d been burned more than once by a guy she thought was a knight in shining armor.

“I ran into Austin last night,” Cassie said as she sat down.

Kinsey counted to five in her head. She didn’t want to seem eager for information. She wanted to be casual, not look as if she cared about Cassie’s brother-in-law.

“That’s good, I guess,” Kinsey replied, hoping her tone sounded bored.

“Yeah, he looked kinda miserable. Really hung up on something…or someone,” Cassie persisted, like she had her own secrets. She was killing Kinsey.

“That’s too bad. I hope he feels better soon. Hold on a minute. I need to check my soup.”

“Put your soup away. We’ll go have lunch,” Cassie called.

Kinsey figured she was pulling off her whole indifferent act. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief until Cassie spoke again.

“Then you can fill me in on why Austin looks like crap, and you’re trying so hard to act like you don’t care.”

“Damn,” Kinsey whispered as she turned the burner off. She should’ve known she couldn’t keep anything from Cassie. They’d known each other for too many years. It had been worth a try, though.

“There’s nothing to tell, Cass. You know we had a one-night-stand. Nothing came of it,” Kinsey said. It was much easier to try and deceive her friend if she didn’t have to look her in the eye.

“That’s not what I heard from Max. Apparently you two shared a hot and heavy kiss the other night in a store parking lot.”

“He talked about that?” Kinsey shouted.

“Hey, I’m just the messenger. Don’t yell at me,” Cassie said with a chuckle. “I was eavesdropping on him and Max. He was talking about frustrating women, cold showers, and inconsiderate law officers.”

Cassie deepened her voice, trying to sound like a guy. She wasn’t pulling it off.

“It was just a little kiss. No big deal. Nothing to even talk about. I don’t know why he’s making such a big deal about it. I completely forgot about it until you brought it up.”

“You suck at lying, you know,” Cassie said, making Kinsey jump when she realized her friend had snuck up on her.

“Okay, so the kiss was good. Great, in fact. All of them have been, but that doesn’t mean anything. I could have a great kiss with a dozen different guys, at any club in the city, on a Friday night. I don’t have time to get involved with anyone right now. Besides, even if I did, it wouldn’t be Austin. He’s a known playboy, he’s told me he isn’t interested in commitment of any kind. I just…”

“You just like to lie to yourself. He’s hot, Kinsey. Hot for you – for your body. He’s a good guy, believe it or not. Yes, he’s a bit arrogant, and definitely sure of himself, but he’s got a heart of gold. Don’t let yourself be so scared that you run away when you should just slow down and take what’s being offered. What he wants to give.”

“I love you to pieces, and always will, but it would never work. I know the thought of us being married to brothers was always the dream come true scenario, but that’s not going to happen, so let’s quit talking about Austin and just have an amazing day. I haven’t had two days off in a row in forever. I don’t want to waste them,” Kinsey begged.

“You win for now, but I’m not giving up. I think the two of you were meant to be together. I’ve never seen him so hung up on a girl. And believe me, I see a lot of girls chasing him.”

Kinsey had to fight the jealousy overriding her good sense at even thinking about Austin with other women. Of course he was with other women; he was a playboy, for goodness sake. Still, it made her see a bit of red. Nothing a pedicure and lots of chocolate wouldn’t cure, though.

“I’m starving. Let’s get Chinese food, pedicures and endless chocolate. I’ll treat, but only if you agree not to mention a certain bachelor’s name,” Kinsey said with a fake laugh.

“Deal. But one more final thought. Just make sure you’re not passing up on a great thing because you’re afraid of getting hurt. I almost did that with Max and that would’ve been the worst mistake of my life,” Cassie said with complete seriousness.

“You and Max were meant to be together. The two of you should be on posters for dating services. I swear the gushy looks he gives you are almost sickening. I promise you, though, that I’m not letting life pass me by. I’m just, well, busy. What is it with married people? They’re always trying to marry off everyone else. I guess marriage isn’t as bad as millions of divorced couples believe,” Kinsey said, trying to pull off her joke, but falling a bit flat.

She’d been in relationships before, but just hadn’t managed to find that spark. That little extra something that made her want to go to sleep each night, and wake up each morning next to the same person.

Austin immediately popped into her head. She could see herself waking next to him. That wouldn’t be a heartache in the least. No, she scolded herself again. That was just the exhaustion talking. She’d be over it in a few more days. She was saying it so much, she was almost believing her own lies.

Good.

“Okay, I promise to be good. I know the perfect place for lunch. I just found it when Max and I were out the other day. They have the best egg rolls I’ve ever tasted. Light and flaky skins, just the way I like them,” Cassie babbled as Kinsey grabbed her purse.

“I promised I wouldn’t go out the entire two days off, but even after a couple hours in my apartment, I’m going a little stir-crazy. I’m glad you came over.”

“What are best friends for? We tend to know when the other person needs us. Sometimes, we even know it before the other one does,” Cassie said wisely.

“You’re right as usual. Seriously, thank you, Cass. Thanks for always being there – for knowing what to say, and not to say, and for just being you.”

Cassie gave her a quick hug before they strolled outside. Kinsey was thrilled to see Cassie had a car with a driver - that meant they could have drinks with lunch and while getting pedicures. She felt her stress immediately start to ease. It was turning into a great day, even after her rocky beginning.

Chapter Eight

“Congratulations. You’re doing great, George. You won’t be running marathons anytime soon, but you’re clear to go home,” the doctor said as he signed the discharge forms.

“I feel good, Doctor. Do you have any good news about my brother?” George asked as he looked over at Joseph, who hadn’t stirred in weeks. He could see the strain on Katherine’s face, along with the rest of the family.

“He’s stable right now. He hasn’t gotten any better or worse at this point,” the doctor hedged.

George sighed in frustration. How could he possibly celebrate his own health when his brother was hanging on by a thread. Nothing would ever be the same again if Joseph didn’t come out of the coma.

He had to. He was stubborn and strong and he couldn’t leave his family. They needed him too much. He hated that he couldn’t talk to Joseph, especially since it took a car wreck to make him want to open up about his relationship with Esther. Guilt was eating at him.

“George, I’m so glad to see you’re feeling better,” Esther said as she joined the family.

George’s heart skipped a few beats at just the sight of her. As he looked at Esther, his aching eased. He never thought it possible to find love again, but then he’d never expected to meet a woman like Esther. She was kind, loving, and full of life. He could see them traipsing around the world over the next several years. What thrilled him most of all, though, was the growing love between Esther and his children. He could never even consider marrying again, unless the woman loved his family.