After entering the clinic two days later, Asher hesitated, pretending to read the local community board posted outside the reception office. His gaze flew over the flyers announcing holiday events and local business cards stuck to the bulletin board, but he wasn’t taking in any of it. From the corner of his eye, he glanced inside the clinic, but other than several patients waiting in the reception area, he didn’t see anyone else inside.
His mouth was dry as he checked his watch. His session was scheduled to start in five minutes.
His leg was feeling much better though, and he could do the exercises just as well at home…
“Going in?” Jane’s voice behind him made him jump. She laughed. “Sorry. I’m pretty good at sneaking up on people,” she said, as she struggled to open the office door, balancing a tray of coffees.
“Let me,” Asher said, holding the door while she entered. Then, releasing a deep breath, he followed behind.
Jane set the coffees down on her desk and removed her dark green winter coat, hanging it on the hook behind the desk chair. “I didn’t know you were still in town.”
He nodded. It was just a week before Christmas, and he’d never hear the end of it if he left now. But man, was it tempting. He hadn’t heard from Emma since she’d taken the Greyhound bus back to Glenwood Falls instead of driving back with him.
He’d been on his way back to the room with a well-rehearsed better apology, when the resort’s front desk attendant had handed him the note she’d left.
Need some time and space. We’ll talk soon.
That was it.
And in the last two days he’d been progressively in a worse mood the longer the time and space continued. He’d texted to make sure she’d gotten home and received a one word reply: yes. And he’d texted to say he was sorry. To which he’d gotten silence.
That morning, he’d struggled with the urge to cancel his appointment. He didn’t want to see her for the first time after their disastrous weekend like this…but this may be the only way he would.
“I’ll be sticking around until after Christmas.” He had four more therapy sessions before they’d think about letting him back on the ice, but he’d go crazy in Glenwood Falls if Emma continued to ignore him.
“That’s nice. I’m sure your family will be happy to have you here this year.”
He nodded distractedly as he heard one of the therapy doors opening. He turned slightly. Not Emma, but the older male therapist that worked there. He nodded in greeting, then turned back to Jane. “Can you let Emma know I’m here?”
She nodded, then frowned, looking at her open schedule on her computer. “Actually, your appointment this morning is with Dr. Masey.”
His mouth was like chalk. “Nope. Emma’s my therapist.” His only therapist. Also the woman he was going crazy without, one he was certain he was in love with and one whose silence was torture.
Jane frowned as she looked at the computer. “Not today. This is weird. A lot of Emma’s patients have been reassigned to Dr. Masey.”
The doctor nodded as he approached. “That’s right. There isn’t a mistake on the schedule. Unfortunately, Emma’s leaving us to pursue her doctorate at the University of Florida,” he told Jane. “So she’s reducing her hours and transitioning patients to me in the next two weeks.”
Asher’s mouth gaped. She’d handed him off? And she was going to Florida for the January semester?
Damn. He hadn’t thought his disappointment and regret over their argument could get any deeper. He was wrong.
“Are you ready to go in?” Dr. Masey asked.
No. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn’t get clearance to get back on the ice unless he successfully completed his therapy sessions and they sent a letter to the team’s doctor and his coach. He swallowed hard, fighting to conceal his feelings as he nodded. “Yes, yeah…Thanks, Jane.”
She shot him a sympathetic look, obviously able to read the situation. No doubt his turmoil was written all over his face. “No problem, Asher. Good luck,” she said.
Following the doctor into the therapy room, he glanced toward Emma’s office. She was leaving Glenwood Falls for Florida. Leaving her past behind…
Damn, but he refused to let that include him.
* * *
“You’re not going to need all of these sweaters in Florida,” Jess said, watching Emma box up her clothing two days later.
Emma stared at the stack of heavy sweaters, leggings, and jeans she’d just packed into the oversized box and sighed. “You’re right…Can I store this stuff at your place while I’m away?” Thankfully, she’d been going month to month on her apartment, so she’d only had to pay one month’s rent to get out of her lease. Her landlord had said it wouldn’t be any trouble renting out the space after Christmas, and it had eased Emma’s guilt over the lack of notice.
Dr. Masey, too, had been willing to accept two weeks as her notice, and he was happy to help her to transition her patients while she was still technically there. He was hoping she’d return to work at the clinic once she graduated, but at that moment, she had no plans beyond the immediate future.
So why she had this sense of dread weighing heavy on her chest, she didn’t know.
Actually she knew exactly why her excitement over the opportunity was slow in coming. She didn’t have Asher’s support in it.
In fact, she wasn’t sure she had Asher at all.
He’d texted twice since she’d left him on the mountains, but she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. If there was a chance he could mess with her mind about her decision or make her doubt her choice, she didn’t want to talk to him at all.
She felt guilty for not telling him that she’d rescheduled the rest of his appointments with Dr. Masey, but he was almost fully recovered. He had only a few more sessions, then he’d be back in New Jersey and back on the ice. His mind would once again be on his milestone game and his future in hockey.
“Emma—are you hearing anything I’m saying?” Jess asked, taping up the box and writing WINTER CLOTHES on it.
Emma blinked. “No. Sorry. Just trying to figure out what the hell to pack.” Her summer shorts and tank tops? Her flip-flops? Her bikinis? For most people, the idea of moving away from the cold winter months in Glenwood Falls would be a dream come true, but she loved her winters…and now that she’d braved several hours on the slopes, the snowboard in the corner of her closet was beckoning once again. She’d miss Colorado.
But she didn’t have to stay in Florida forever.
Jess stood and opened the closet, taking out several skirts and casual dresses. “These would work…”
Emma raised an eyebrow. “I’m going out there for school, not to date.”
Jess ignored her, placing the items into the suitcase she was packing for the plane. Her flight left January 2. Less than two weeks from now. “You can still look nice.”
For Sean? She didn’t ask for fear of starting another argument with Jess. They’d just gotten over the last one.
But in truth, the head of the department was the only part of the program she was wary of. Her heart was a mess, and she didn’t need Sean complicating her life any more. As soon as she met with him again face-to-face, she planned to make it very clear that she was there for the education only.
Reaching into her drawer for some T-shirts, her hand touched the silky fabric of her New Jersey Devils jersey. A lump immediately rose in her throat as she took it out of the drawer.
Ash had given her the jersey with his name and number on the back. Leaving home without it wouldn’t feel right.
Nothing the last few days had felt anything close to right.
Jess’s perceptive gaze didn’t help as she tucked the jersey into the suitcase.
“Have you talked to him?” she asked.
Emma shook her head. The last person she wanted to talk to about Ash was her sister. The “I told you so” conversation would destroy her. She just wanted to get through the holidays with her family, then get on a plane and hope that her study schedule would fill her days and thoughts, drowning out the dull ache in her chest that she was currently suffering.
Approaching, Jess took her hands, forcing her to sit on the bed. “You’re doing the right thing,” she said.
Emma nodded. She knew she was. Being on the slopes had helped her overcome her fear, but it had also helped her say goodbye to her professional snowboarding past. She loved being on the mountains, and they would always be a part of her—a part she was proud of—but she was ready for her new future.
“I’m sorry I was so pushy in this…” Jess started.
But Emma stopped her. “You were right, Jess.” She paused. “About everything.” She hadn’t gone into detail about her argument with Ash, but her early return from the mountains and the fact that she’d had to call Jess to pick her up from the bus station had said enough. Tears burned the back of her eyes, and Jess moved closer to hug her tight. “Asher is something else I have to let go of.”