Page 101 of Hello Doctor

My chest felt heavy. I made this decision so long ago, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to discuss it out loud. “When I married Regina, I made those vows. For richer, for poorer, forever.” I shook my head, looking at my lap. “Forever lasted eight years.”

She tilted her head, waiting for me to continue.

“I can’t make the vows I made to Regina to you. It wouldn’t feel right. Especially not when you mean so much more to me than a piece of paper could ever cover.”

Liv swallowed, and I waited for anger. Frustration. Confusion. Arguments. Instead, she said, “I never thought of it that way.”

I reached for her hand, needing to feel her. To be close to her in some way. “I understand if it’s a deal-breaker to you. But I really do love you, Liv, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Her smile faltered. “I meant it when I said it was too soon to consider marriage.” She put a hand on my cheek. “And I mean it when I say I love you, Fletcher.”

Our lips met, and we kissed, teased, made love in this room she had transformed from four walls with a bed into a home.

49

Liv

I drove into town, wearing my leggings and a T-shirt. I had so much time during the day, and I had half a clue of what to do with myself.

I even worked out this morning. Like, put my earbuds in and walked/ran/stumbled down the dirt road.

I could do the walking part again, but running was pure torture, just like I remembered from high school gym class. I had no idea why Fletcher would run of his own volition. Surely there were less torturous ways to break a sweat.

Then I cleaned. Like, a lot. All the baseboards in the house were spotless.

At this rate, I could have a full-blown side hustle while Maya was in school with no one knowing.

But I called up Della and Henrietta and invited them to lunch. I was so excited to hang out with them in the middle of the day when we weren’t all exhausted from work or had Maya’s little ears to worry about.

Because I had some serious tea to spill.

I walked into Woody’s Diner, full of the lunch crowd.

Miss Rhonda, the hairdresser in town, waved me over. “Liv Griffen! It has been more than four months since your last trim. When are you going to come see me?”

My cheeks got a little pink. “As soon as we get off lunch?”

“Good girl,” she replied with a wink.

Her response just made me think of Fletcher, and I should not be having sexual thoughts in front of a sixty-plus-year-old woman. “See you soon, Rhonda!”

I beelined back to an open booth and sat down, trying not to make eye contact.

“Why are you looking like you’re hiding?” Della said, standing in front of my booth.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Rhonda called me ‘good girl’, and my mind went to dark places.”

Della cackled so loudly several heads turned our way. Ignoring them, she sat across from me, reaching for a menu from the stand. “So you’re either sexually frustrated or your mind’s in the gutter because something happened.”

Walking up to our booth, Henrietta said, “Something happened? With Fletcher?”

As Hen took her purse off and slid in next to me, they both waited for an explanation.

But my expression must have been enough because Della clapped happily. “Oh my gosh! Something happened!”

I nodded, smiling far too wide. “We hooked up Saturday after he took me home from the bar...”

“I knew it!” Hen said. “I swear that man was ready to burn down the building for you.”

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