“Not the natural kind. It looks like someone drugged him and he almost died.”
Holden’s heart beat faster. Was Clara in danger? Shit! He shouldn’t have left her alone. “Jesse…Clara’s alone.”
Clara steppedout of the shower, steam thick in the air.
She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Hadn’t been able to wipe it off her face since she’d woken.
Holden loved her. He loved her, and he wanted to be with her. Not for a night. Or a month. Forever.
Her heart sang at that thought.
For so long, this was what she’d wanted, but after she’d told him how she felt three years ago, she’d thought it wasn’t going to happen.
She pulled on jeans and a cropped tee and was about to make the bed when a knock sounded at the door. Not the front door, but the acupuncture studio door.
She frowned. She didn’t have any appointments. Everything was closed the day of the street party because that’s where everyone went.
Moving into her studio, she looked through the peephole to see Briar.
Her brows flickered. She shouldn’t open the door. But what was she going to do? Yell through the thing?
With a deep breath, she cracked the door open. “Briar. What are you doing here?”
The other woman frowned and looked at her watch. “Eight thirty? Sorry, I’m fifteen minutes early.”
Clara shook head. “I’msorry, I think you must have your days mixed up. We’re closed today.”
“No. I booked for Saturday at eight thirty.”
That wasn’t possible. “Do you have a confirmation email?”
The other woman pulled out her phone and started scrolling. “I do. I only booked it last night. It says…” She stopped. “Crap. It’s the thirteenth ofnextmonth, not this one.” She looked up, rubbing her brow. “Look, is there any chance you could fit me in? Normally I wouldn’t care, but with everything that’s going on at the hospital and Malcolm…I really need something for the stress.”
Clara opened her mouth to say no—of course, in the nicest way possible—when tears gathered in Briar’s eyes.
“Please,” she said softly. “I kind of feel like my head’s underwater right now.”
Guilt pricked at her chest. “It’ll have to be a short appointment, though.”
Relief filled the other woman’s face. “Thank you!” Briar stepped inside.
“To make it quick, we don’t need to do the usual sit-down-and-chat first,” Clara said. “I know what points to do to help you relax and de-stress. Why don’t you lie on the table, and I’ll check your pulse.”
“Sure.” Briar slipped off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, and Clara lifted her wrist. “Why do you check the pulse?”
“To assess the flow of energy and balance in your body. It helps me understand your overall health and identify any areas that may need attention so I can create the most effective treatment plan.”
Briar scoffed. “Bet my energy and balance aren’t feeling too good.”
“It’s a bit irregular. It could be from stress or something else.”
“Bucket loads of stress.”
Clara turned and prepared her needles before facing Briar again. Minutes later, once they were all in, she turned the soft music on, dimmed the lights, and set the buzzer by Briar’s hand. “Press that if you need me.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
