Page 39 of Unhinged

Like that would happen. She hadn’t had a vacation in almost six years, and it didn’t look like that was going to change any time soon. She couldn’t afford to just leave her patients for a week or more. Andrew traveled all over, attending seminars, sometimes speaking. It suited him, but she preferred to stay home during her time off. A glass of wine and some TV or light reading was infinitely better than jet-setting all over the place in her mind.

He led her inside the house and strode down the hallway to the guest bedroom on the main floor. Flipping on a light, he allowed her to enter first. The room was lovely, the walls a pale blue with cream linens. Everything looked expensive and high quality, but cold and impersonal. She’d seen hotel rooms with more personality.

She offered him a small smile. “Thank you for letting me stay tonight.”

“You know you’re welcome to stay here any time.” His dark brown eyes bore into hers, and guilt turned to lead in her stomach. She couldn’t deal with this much longer. He would only continue to make advances, gradually try to wear her down and convince her to go out with him. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the energy tonight to deal with it. She aimed for polite gratitude, but the smile felt tight and foreign on her lips. “Well, good night.”

“Good night.” He remained frozen in the doorway for another moment, looking very much like he wanted to say something else.

She placed a hand on the doorknob, hoping he would take the hint. Something flashed quickly across his features before he nodded. “See you in the morning, then.”

He took a step backward, eyes locked on hers as he reluctantly retreated into the hallway. Before he could come up with another reason to stall her, she closed the door and flipped the lock into place. She walked to the large bed and flopped back on the fluffy mattress with a sigh of relief. She really shouldn’t be here tonight, but it was better than being at home, all alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.

And the last thing she wanted to think of right now was what had happened at the health center. She’d replayed the evening over and over while she’d sat in the waiting room at the hospital, agonizing over different outcomes. People said hindsight was 20/20, and she couldn’t help but run different scenarios through her mind.

She’d wasted twenty minutes checking emails that could’ve waited while some monster had been stalking Audrey. She should have called her right after her last appointment. Then maybe Audrey never would’ve been in the man’s path. If she had gone down sooner instead of waiting, maybe she could have prevented it. Worst case, she could’ve intercepted him and frightened him off before he’d hurt Audrey. Maybe if…

There were too many outcomes to contemplate. Pushing off the bed, she strode into the bathroom and twisted the handle on the shower. Water flowed out, and steam rose into the air. She rolled her shoulders, pushing the stress from her muscles. Scouring the cabinets, she turned up a travel-sized bottle of shampoo and a small bar of soap. Stripping out of her clothes, she climbed into the shower and stood under the warm stream of water, allowing the invigorating spray to pelt her skin.

Fatigue pulled at her, and she quickly soaped her hair and body before rinsing off and wrapping up in a fluffy towel. She couldn’t bring herself to care about her hair and fell into the large bed naked, knowing sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Hannah tossed and turned for several hours and finally woke just after dawn, feeling more tired than she had when she’d gone to bed. She donned her clothes from the day before and made her way to the large kitchen.

Andrew and a pot of coffee greeted her. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she pasted on a smile. “Wonderfully, thank you.” She gestured to the coffee pot. “May I?”

“Of course.” He nodded to a cupboard to the left of the sink. “Mugs are in there.”

She retrieved a cup and filled it with coffee, then took a long sip as she leaned against the counter. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room as she drained her coffee cup, studiously avoiding Andrew’s intense gaze. She waited with bated breath, hating the silence but dreading another conversation with him. Finally, she cleared her throat. “Would you mind stopping by my house before we head to the office? I’d like to change first.”

“Absolutely. Are you ready?” She nodded and set her empty mug in the sink. “Let me just get my things.”

They stopped by her house just long enough for her to change and do a quick makeup job, then made their way to the health center. As Andrew pulled alongside the brick building, he reached across the console and took her hand.

“If you need anything, I’ll be here.”

She smiled, fighting the urge to pull away. “Thank you.”

She put her hand on the door handle, but he spoke, stalling her once again. “Please be careful.”

Her heart softened as she turned back to him. His eyes were serious, his face sincere, and guilt ate away at her insides. Andrew was a good guy—wealthy, sweet, caring. On paper, they made sense—they were almost a perfect match. She wished she could feel more for him.

She squeezed his hand. “I will.”

Climbing from the car, she made her way into the building. Catching a glimpse of Luke across the lobby, she felt heat climb up her neck into her cheeks. Had he seen her get out of Andrew’s car? Oh, God, what would he think?

Unable to look at him, she averted her eyes and hurried to the bank of elevators. She could practically feel his gaze burning into her back, and she stabbed the button to summon a car. The elevator to her left pinged almost immediately, and the doors opened. She stepped inside and raised her eyes just in time to meet Luke’s intense gaze before the doors slid shut. Was that disappointment she saw in those stormy hazel depths? Anger, maybe?

She let out a shaky breath and slumped against the wall, tipping her head back and closing her eyes. She never should have gone home with Andrew last night. There was something between Luke and her—the way he looked at her, the way he’d held her. It meant something. Maybe she’d give it a couple of days, try to approach him and smooth things over.

A quiet ding sounded as the elevator doors whooshed open, depositing her on the fifth floor, and she ambled down the hallway to her office. Fiona’s face appeared in the doorway, and the older woman yanked the door open with a small exclamation before pulling her into her arms.

“Thank goodness you’re okay!”