“Yes. It’s tensing when I move.”

“Exactly. I don’t want you doing any other upper-body work right now. It might feel like you’re losing ground, but it’s worth it so you can heal overall.”

She took the ball back and placed it on the table next to him. “Now you can just lie back and relax because we’re going to do some heat therapy. The hard part is over.”

Matt reclined on the table and let out a heavy sigh. “You promise?”

There was something inexplicably vulnerable about the way he looked up at her just then. For the first time, he looked like a shadow of his old self, the playful and mischievous boy who’d lived to play tricks on his sister and cause trouble, but who’d looked as innocent as an angel when it was bedtime. It made Penny feel good to see that part of him hadn’t been buried completely.

Penny couldn’t resist stroking her hand over his brow. “I promise. Now close your eyes.”

Although he looked surprised at the gesture, he closed his eyes obediently and let out another heavy sigh. The stress lines on his forehead flattened out after a few moments.

“The hard part is over,” he whispered.

Penny wished she could make the same promise to herself.

*   *   *   *   *

AFTER HER LAST patient of the day left on Monday evening, Penny leaned her head on the reception desk where Georgia was sorting a stack of patient files.

“Are you okay?” Georgia poked at her arm. “You’ve been mopey like this all day.”

“Can you blame me? First, there’s the situation with Matt. I really want to help him, but what if I can’t? Then there’s Scott. I told him I’d meet him at the bar after work. I know we need to talk, but part of me wishes I could avoid it for a while.”

Honestly, it was probably a mistake to meet at a place where so many of her coworkers liked to hang out, but Penny would have agreed to just about anything to get him off the phone before Matt’s appointment. It shouldn’t be weird talking to him in front of Matt. He was her boyfriend, even if they were fighting.

“You need to just put that man out of his misery. I know the proposal was not exactly ideal, but this is bordering on cruel and unusual punishment,” Georgia said.

“I know. It’s just that I know this is going to be a difficult conversation. I envy you sometimes,” Penny admitted. “You’ve been married to James since college, so you got to skip the whole dating rat race. No matter what happens, you know he’s there for you. You guys may fight, but at the end of the day, you’re still a team.”

“We work well together and that’s important, but that’s not why I married him, Penny. If all I needed was a teammate, I could have married one of my girlfriends and gotten sex on the side.”

Penny shook her head. “I didn’t mean to imply you’re like roommates. I know you love him.”

“I’m not offended. I just want you to understand. I’m not with him because he’s great at handling money and keeps my shopping binges in line. I’m not with him because I need help. I’m with him because I want to be. I want to snuggle with him after a hard day and wake up each day with him. I’m happier when we’re together. I’d still be married to him even if he wasn’t so organized and smart.”

“You make it sound so easy. That connection is what I was hoping I’d one day feel for Scott. I thought it would come with time, but it didn’t.”

“It’s not easy, but it is simple. Love isn’t complicated, Pen. It’s all the other stuff that’s complicated. Money, careers, in-laws. The love is the easy part. Do you love Scott?”

Penny looked down at her hands. She’d twisted the rubber band she was holding into a knot. “I guess the fact that I even have to think about it says it all.”

Georgia patted her shoulder. “You know what you need to do. Go talk to him.”

Penny went back to her office to gather her things. She took a minute to brush out her hair and wind it back up into a neat bun. She left her white coat hanging over the back of her chair. Georgia waved as Penny left the building.

The bar across the street had an official name, but no one ever used it that she knew of. It had always just been “the bar.” When she walked in she immediately spotted Scott sitting at one of the tables on the far right. It was good that he’d gotten a table. Their sure-to-be-awkward conversation wasn’t one she wanted overheard.

He stood when she approached. “Hey, I already ordered you a beer.”

“Thanks. I need it.”

He slid the bottle across the table and she took a sip. The cold liquid sliding down her throat shouldn’t have felt so good after being out in the icy wind, but it cooled the blush in her cheeks.

Breaking up with someone was never easy.

“I’m sorry about dinner.” Scott grimaced. “I went about that entirely the wrong way. What woman wants her marriage proposal announced at the same time as a job transfer? I didn’t even get down on one knee.”

Penny took another sip of her beer. “It’s okay. I apologize for being so cold afterward. I was upset, but I could have handled it better, too.”

He smiled at her across the table and she wondered why he couldn’t be the one. Why couldn’t she go all mushy when he smiled at her? Why didn’t she want to go to sleep with him every night and wake with him in the morning? It would be so much easier if she did.