“Bold.” Derek tapped out the message and clapped Easton on his shoulder. “Good to have you back. I hope we can catch up soon.”
“Will do.”
Jayne emerged moments later, scarf tucked neatly around her neck and an unmistakable sparkle of curiosity in her eyes. She wasn’t holding cocoa but the familiar warmth of her presence made the lobby feel even cozier.
“I take it this is Derek’s idea of multitasking?” she glanced from one man to the other.
Easton stepped forward. “It’s good to see you, Jayne.”
She clasped his hand firmly. “Always a pleasure, Easton. Come walk with me? I’ve got a few quiet minutes before chaos finds me again.”
He gave a small nod. “Lead the way.”
They stepped into the corridor that led to the staff tunnel, and he adjusted his stride to match hers.
“It’s strange,” Easton observed. “Some things have changed.”
Nanny J hummed. “We added some things here and there.” She paused, then tapped a finger lightly against her temple. “But the spirit’s still the same. This place was never about fancy equipment or matching sheets. It’s about found family. A safe place for people who feel like us.” She smiled sideways, and her intelligent eyes sparkled behind her thick-rimmed glasses. “That hasn’t changed.”
He nodded slowly, gaze forward again. “It’s why I came back.”
A moment passed before Nanny J said gently, “Taking a sabbatical wasn’t an easy call for you.”
He shook his head, exhaling through his nose. “No. I’ve always been the fix-it type. My hands—” He flexed them unconsciously. “They know what to do. In the OR, there’s a rhythm. You fall into it and everything else disappears. But after Wilbert…”
He trailed off, staring ahead into the tunnel. Nanny J waited.
“I couldn’t make the rhythm come back,” he said finally. “He was my friend. And my patient. And for all my degrees and sterile technique, I couldn’t save him.”
She reached out and tugged lightly on the hem of his coat. They walked a few more steps in silence, the corridor gently sloping downward.
She tugged lightly on the hem of his coat again, slowing him to a pause. She turned to face him more directly, and she scanned his features.
“You look tired.” She pursed her lips. “Worn thin.”
He offered a weak smile. “You’re good for my ego.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re still gorgeous and you know it. But your eye bags have eye bags, your color’s off, and I’d bet my next manicure you’ve skipped more meals than you’ve had this week.”
His mouth twitched—almost a laugh, almost a grimace. “That obvious?”
“To me?” She tapped her temple. “Very.”
Then she continued, lighter but no less sincere. “No sense beating around the bush. Moses would say something profound like grief’s like wildfire. If you don’t let it burn where it needs to, it’ll smolder and ruin everything anyway.”
Easton huffed a laugh. “I may have… deprioritized a few things.”
“Mm. And now you’re taking six months here to recharge?”
“Something like that. Six months as a Daddy-in-Residence. A working sabbatical, if you will.”
Her smile widened. “Good. The Littles will eat you alive.”
He shook his head and chuckled. They wouldn’t be that bad.
Walking in silence again, the air shifted as the corridor leveled out and light streamed in from a side window, catching the gleam of frost outside.
As they almost reached the end of the tunnel, Nanny J remarked, like she was mentioning the weather. “Funny timing, though.”
