Page 103 of Healing the Heart

Chapter 26

Slipping Away

WITH ARRESTS MADE ANDthe case closed, except for prosecution and conviction, they moved out of the hotel and back to Noah’s place. He resumed his clinic work the next day and had surgeries scheduled by the end of the week. Eager to get back to work, and to have something productive to do with what was suddenly a lot of free time, Fiona called her boss and scheduled her return to work on Monday.

When Noah got home, she met him at the door and told him of her decision. He wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea.

“You still have stitches,” he reminded her.

“Yes, but my clothes hide them, and they don’t bother me much at all.” As long as she didn’t twist, bend, or reach over her head, which she did a lot of at work. “I’ve missed so much time, and they really need me back. I promise not to overdo.”

He studied her, clearly skeptical. “Why don’t we wait to make the final determination on Sunday?”

She agreed but didn’t call her supervisor just yet. Barring a major setback, she was going back to work. She had bills to pay, not to mention being bored out of her mind. Especially since she no longer needed a babysitter, and Noah had resumed clinic hours the day before.

She stood by, nervously wringing her hands, as he emptied his pockets into the tray on the console table. He noticed, naturally. Very little got past him.

“Was there something else?”

“Esme called. She and Keiran are going to the club tonight. There’s a live band performing, and she says they’re excellent.”

“And you’d like to go.”

“Yes. I’ve had nothing to do all day, and I’m so bored I could scream.”

He breathed in, sounding fatigued.

“You’re tired,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment. But she knew what it was like getting home after seeing patients all day then having to turn around and go out again. “We’ll do it another time.”

“I didn’t say no, Fiona. You’re getting close to Val and Esme,” he commented. “I approve. You need supportive friends in the lifestyle, and those two, not to mention Eric and Keiran, are good people to have in your corner.”

With her drama finally settled, why she’d need peoplein her corner, especially when she had him, perplexed her.

“I’ll go change,” he said, loosening his tie as he headed for the bedroom.

“What about dinner?” she asked, following to the archway of the hall.

“I had a late lunch,” he called back as he disappeared into his room. He reappeared in a moment, that she might need dinner clearly an afterthought. “Unless you’re hungry. If so, we can grab a bite on the way.”

“No. I had something late too.”

He nodded and was gone from sight again.

Fiona’s shoulders slumped as she stared down the empty hallway. She’d lied to him. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast andwas looking forward to going out with him then to the club. Now she’d lost her appetite and desire to go anywhere.

Gone were his teasing smiles and the playful banter. He still made love to her, but without the smoldering passion of before. It was always good with Noah, who never failed to get her off at least twice. Afterward, he’d hold her as she fell asleep, but they didn’t talk like before. In fact, except for mundane conversation about dinner, like just now, they hadn’t had a meaningful discussion in days.

Something else bothered her. At the meeting, when he said he wanted to move on, she assumed he meant with the case. Or she’d convinced herself that’s what he meant. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Slowly, she followed him down the hall deeply troubled by the changes in him. Even though she no longer felt like being sociable, now she was determined to go. She needed to talk to Val and Esme. If they were in her corner, as Noah said, maybe they could help her sort out whatever the heck was going on with him. Because she felt him gradually slipping away.

THE BAND PLAYED MOSTLYcovers. That’s what the crowd liked. They’d accept a few original songs mixed in. But they preferred dancing and singing along to songs where they knew every word, so that’s what the four-man band gave them. They sat at their usual table with a group of their usual friends, and Noah had danced with her twice.

He held her close and confidently guided her around the dance floor, making her look like she didn’t have two left feet, but without the playfulness of the last time. The spins and dips and smoldering gazes that made everything around them disappear were missing.

Maybe she’d built it up in her mind or imagined a connection between them that wasn’t there. When they returned to their table, Noah ordered a second shot of whiskey. With his beer chaser, it put him at three drinks, one past the limit. Even if she was ready for a session, which she wasn’t, until the stitches on her hip and shoulder were out and the cuts fully healed, there would be no visit to the dungeon for them tonight.

Still, in her mind, there had always been the possibility. But when the barmaid set his whiskey in front of him, and he tossed it back, he effectively slammed the door on the playroom. It seemed to ring in her ears with finality.

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