ire immediately mped her legs together. "I must have bumped it! You know how steep the stairs at Southmont Abbey are."


    She wasn''t wrong. The Aurelian Abbey in Southmont was ancient, and its ny- nine steps were perilously steep, almost at a forty-five-degree angle. The stones were locally sourced and unpolished, with sharp edges that easily scraped the knees of pilgrims.


    Her exnation was usible enough that Noreen didn''t question it further, focusing on cleaning the scrapes on her other knee.


    ire let out a silent sigh of relief. At the same time, she mentally cursed a certain pervert. Of all the ces to kiss, did he have to choose there? So weird.


    A sh of a memory-of a steamy bathroom, of tangled limbs-made her cheeks burn. That man was an absolute beast in bed. Then again, it might have been the soup his grandma made them drink. Whatever the reason, her legs were still trembling.


    "Wrap your knees in stic wrap when you showerter. Don''t get them wet," Noreen instructed. As she looked up, she noticed the flush on ire''s cheeks. "Why are you blushing?"


    "Because I''ve got a thing for you, obviously," ire blurted out.


    Thankfully, Noreen was used to her friend''s outrageous remarks and didn''t think twice about it. "Just remember to keep the wounds dry."


    "So, can I sleep with you tonight?"


    "Hard pass."


    ire clutched her heart dramatically. "Noreen, you''re so cruel."


    Noreen''s only response was to decisively shut her bedroom door. In the empty


    living room, ire let out a long, shaky breath. That was close.<fnce3a> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on find?novel</fnce3a>


    ...


    The next day was a weekend, but Noreen was up early. She had to take her mother, Rosalind, to the hospital for her six-month post-op checkup. ire had offered to go with them but when Noreeno knocked on her door that morning, there was no response. She was probably exhausted from the past few days.


    So Noreen let her sleep, picked up Rosalind, and drove straight to the hospital.


    "You know, I cane to these checkups by myself," Rosalind said. "You finally have some time off, you should be at home resting. You''ve gotten so thintely."


    "I''m not tired." And even if she was, it was the happy kind of tired.


    Rosalind watched her daughter''s face carefully. Seeing that Noreen was genuinely thriving in her busy life, she finally rxed. She had been worried that Noreen wouldn''t be able to move on, which was why she had tried to set her up on dates. Some people needed time to heal; others needed a new love. Of course, sheter found out how unreliable that particr man was and had given the matchmaker a piece of her mind.


    Noreen knew what her mother was worried about, even if she didn''t say it. "I''m busy now, but I''m also fulfilled," she said softly. "And not every loss is a loss."


    Hearing that, Rosalind finally felt at ease.


    When they arrived at the hospital, Noreen found a seat for her mother and went to queue up for registration. The checkup involved many tests and required an overnight stay.


    Just as Noreen got her ticket


    number, a nurse approached her. "Miss Gilmore? Mr. Harcourt has


    arranged a VIP room for you. You


    can take Ms. Gilmore straight


    upstairs to check in. There''s no need to register here."


    Noreen''s heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Harcourt?"


    The nurse smiled. "Yes, Mr. Wade Harcourt."


    Noreen visibly rxed. "Thank you."


    For just a second, a very specific face had shed in her mind, and the feeling it


    brought was deeply unsettling.