Sarah jumped when Finch put his hand at the small of her back. She’d been so caught up in speaking with the young girl in the wheelchair that she hadn’t even noticed he’d finished at the registration desk.

Now that he was here, she felt herself relax into his presence. As awkward as things often were between them, she’d come to appreciate the way the air hummed melodically, the way her heart sped up before she’d even fully realized he’d returned.

Finch leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “I have an idea. Play along.”

She nodded and gave little Sara a hug goodbye. “It was so nice to meet you, Sara without an H. Lucky, wave buh-bye.”

The Golden Retriever did as instructed, eliciting giggles from both the patient and the nurse pushing her chair.

She smiled to herself at having made a new friend. As much as she enjoyed working with the elderly, there was something very special about sick children. The juxtaposition of innocent potential and the grave awareness of one’s own mortality sent chills through her. Still, little Sara seemed so full of hope, as if death weren’t even an option for her.

She said a silent prayer that this would prove to be true, that the sweet child would grow up to have and appreciate every experience life had to offer. Never mind that Sarah had chosen to forego many of the standard rites of passage herself.

“Bye, Sarah with an H!” the little girl called as she and her nurse continued their journey down the hallway.

Finch motioned for Sarah to join him back in front of the registration desk, and she did so without question. What kind of plan had he cooked up in the brief moments they’d been apart? She looked forward to discovering whatever his creative mind had concocted.

“Look,” Finch told the woman sitting there. “I know you couldn’t help me, but we were hoping we could help you while I’m here.”

The receptionist’s eyes widened, but her mouth remained pressed in a flat line. “I’m not sure I follow, and the hospital definitely doesn’t take bribes.”

Finch laughed a bit too spiritedly for the situation. “You thought?” He shook his head as the chuckle faded away. “No, I’ll be back about that later with the proper forms. But my friend here is a therapy dog.”

He motioned to Lucky and suddenly Sarah understood. He needed a distraction. For what, she didn’t know, nor did she really want to find out. Sarah played by the rules, plain and simple.

Finch, on the other hand, continued with gusto. “He usually works with the elderly, but he just loved meeting that little girl. Perhaps you saw?”

The receptionist smiled, for the first time looking genuinely happy to be in their company since they’d arrived. “It was very sweet,” she agreed.

“Would it be okay for us to stop in for a quick hello at the children’s ward? We did drive all this way, and we would love to put some smiles on faces while we’re here.” He regarded the comely woman with a smile, the same smile that made Sarah’s heart twist and leap with nervous anticipation. No woman in her right mind could resist that smile.

And sure enough…

The receptionist hesitated, and a coquettish expression overtook her features. “I don’t know. We don’t have a therapy dog on the schedule for today, and besides, we’ve never worked with you before.” She turned to Sarah with a much sharper, accusing tone. “How do we know you have the proper certifications?”

“Do me a favor,” Sarah said, recognizing that the situation was headed in a very different direction than Finch wanted. “I’m a nurse at the Redwood Cove Rest Home. Lucky works with me there. Give them a call and they’ll tell you what you need to know. We can wait while you check with the nurses on your ward, too.”

Sarah took a step back and Finch followed suit.

“We’ll just be in the waiting room. Whenever you’re ready,” Sarah informed them both.

Finch pumped his head in agreement. “We’d so love to see the kids. Wouldn’t we, Lucky?”

Lucky thumped his tail and let out a soft bark, eliciting smiles from both the receptionist and Finch.

“What’s your big plan?” she whispered to him once they’d taken a pair of seats at the far end of the waiting room.

His voice came out so quietly she had to strain to hear it. “I asked about my grandmother and Eleanor, but I can’t get records for either without jumping through a bunch of hoops.”

“Okay, so where do Lucky and I fit into this?” she asked, dread beginning to pool in her stomach.

Then his smile lit up again. This time its full force was directed squarely on Sarah. “Too much red tape. I’m going to see if I can find someone who has scissors.”

She turned away from him and tried to think logically. Despite how much she wanted to solve this mystery, there was the right way to do things… and then, apparently, there was Finch’s way.

He placed a hand on her arm, drawing her gaze back in. For a moment, she knew how Adam must have felt when Eve offered him the forbidden fruit. But it only took a second to find her center again. “No, Finch. This is wrong. You’re going to get us thrown out of here.”

“So what if I do? We’re at a dead end anyway. Might as well see if we can turn this around. Besides, the kids will be so happy to see Lucky.”

Well, now what could she say to that? She did want to help the children, but…

“I really don’t know,” she stalled, trying and failing to think up a more cogent argument. “There’s gotta be another way.”

That was when the receptionist appeared at the edge of the waiting room and motioned them all over. “We’re ready for you now,” she said without taking her eyes off Finch for a single second. “You can go on back.”

So much for talking him out of it…

Finch didn’t love that he’d needed to resort to using the sick kids to pull one over on the hospital, but really… what else could he do? Sure, he’d call his attorney once they got back home, but would his corporate lawyer even know where to begin in order to get him the proper clearance? It’s not like Finch had anyone in his family he could ask for help, either. The only family he had besides Eleanor was either dead or—apparently—missing.

He trailed behind Lucky and Sarah as a resident nurse led them to the children’s wing. Despite the unplanned nature of the visit, the children and staff were both all too happy to meet Lucky. They soon learned that a Bichon Frise named Frankie visited the ward on most Fridays, meaning they already had protocols and procedures well in place for therapy dog visits.

With all the focus rightfully on Sarah and Lucky, Finch had no trouble slipping away. The problem came in deciding where to go and who to talk to. At first, he tried to find someone within the children’s ward itself, but he quickly abandoned that idea, not wanting to embarrass Sarah—especially given her disapproval of his rule-bending plan.

Ultimately, he turned to the cafeteria, figuring an off-duty healthcare worker would be more amenable to his advances than someone rushing to tend to their patients.

Once there, he zipped through the food line and loaded various lunch items on his plate in order to appear as if he belonged, then wandered between the tables waiting for someone to cast an inviting look his way.

You can accomplish anything with a smile, his mother had taught him long ago. It was a lesson he never forgot, especially in moments of need.

And, sure enough, it didn’t take long to find a kind-looking woman wearing scrubs that stood out bright and blue against her dark skin. When she glanced up from her meal tray, he saw that she, too, wore an arresting smile and had pointed it directly at Finch. She also appeared to be about his age.

“Mind if I join you, doctor?” he asked, holding his tray at waist height while awaiting her response.

“Sure thing.” Her smile widened and she kicked out the chair across from her, motioning for Finch to join. “Thanks for not assuming I’m a nurse just because I’m a woman.”

“You have a very doctor air about you,” Finch said, biting into the sandwich he’d picked up without even noticing what kind it was. Egg salad, as it turned out. Not the worst thing in the world.

“I’m Nakeesha,” she said between bites of a pear. “And you are?”

“Finch.” He extended his hand and she accepted with a quick shake.

“Jameson, right? I thought you looked familiar. And I always thought the media was unfair to you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” He smiled again. If not for his new infatuation with Sarah, Nakeesha would normally be the type of woman he’d ask for a date. It had been such a long time since he’d had a romantic encounter of any kind, and he couldn’t imagine breaking his unlucky streak with anyone but Sarah Campbell, even if she didn’t like his plan.

They ate in silence for a few moments while Finch worked up his nerve. This whole thing would be much easier if he could genuinely flirt with Nakeesha, but he’d just have to settle for being friendly instead.

“Listen, I was hoping you could help me out with something.”

Nakeesha dropped her half-eaten pear back onto her tray and raised her eyebrows as if she already knew what he planned to ask. How he asked for this favor would be extremely important now.

“It’s kind of strange, but I just found out that my grandma may have been switched at birth.” Finch didn’t like to lie but figured this version of his story would be better than explaining she’d actually been kidnapped due to hospital negligence. Nobody enjoyed having someone come into your workplace and tell you that you were bad at what you did. Finch had experienced enough of that on his own to know that he should avoid treating others to the torment and accusations he’d endured.

Nakeesha didn’t seem shocked by his revelation. Her demeanor remained cool and collected. Was this something that happened more often than anyone wanted to assume?

“Oh, interesting,” she said. “What makes you think that?”

“It’s a very long story.” He laughed, feeling encouraged when Nakeesha joined him.

He moved forward casually as if what he were about to ask for wasn’t hugely illegal. “I need to review some records to be sure, but I’m getting nowhere with administration. Is there any way you could…?”

“Help you skirt the rules and access private records? No way.”

Uh-oh. He needed to save face and quick if there was to be any hope of securing Nakeesha’s help. “I’m not trying to do anyone harm. I just have to know what really happened with my grandma. You understand, don’t you?”

The young doctor shook her head. Her eyes grew wide, but she said nothing.

He spoke quickly now, desperately, stumbling over his words. “I can get the proper clearance, but I really don’t want to wait if I don’t have to. I’m sure you have a lot of student loan debt. I could help with that, if you help me with this.”

Nakeesha pushed her chair back and jumped to her feet. “Unbelievable,” she shouted, encouraging those seated at nearby tables to scowl at Finch alongside her. “I never believed all the bad things they said about you, but maybe I should have. I know you had fun with your little website, but that wasn’t real life. This is. And in real life there is no instant gratification, so go home and do the work. Also, might I suggest you not try this little stunt on anyone else before you go, or you’ll never see those records—but you could see the inside of a jail cell.”

Yikes! That had gone way worse than expected. Maybe Sarah had been right. Maybe he should have listened…

Finch fumbled his tray as he stood. “Nakeesha, wait, that came out wrong.”

“Uh-huh. Sure, it did. I’m done here anyway, which means we’re done.”

He watched as she wove through the tables fueled by her anger toward him. So much for Plan B…