“No,” she said softly, forcing a smile for my benefit. She reached her hand across the table to rest it on top of mine, comforting me like she used to do when I was a child. “Focus on yourself right now,” she said. “You need to get better.”
Chapter8
Peyton
Day two.
I stared at the name and phone number on the patient sheet, fingers trembling as I held the paper there, wondering if there was any way I could avoid this and keep my job simultaneously. Seeing Korbin yesterday had been a trip down memory lane that I had avoided for so long, and I had been relieved when he’d walked out yesterday without seeing me again. For a split second, I’d been terrified that he’d come in for PT and I’d be treating him.
As if things could possibly get worse.
Turns out they could.
“Hey, lady,” Maggie said, coming up behind me with a gentle nudge. “How was your first day yesterday? Were people nice?”
“Great,” I told her honestly, fingers tightening around the patient sheet until it crinkled and cracked. “It only took me a few minutes to fall into the swing of things. I feel good. Everyone has been super helpful.”
“Excellent news.”
“Hey, uh, Maggie,” I said as she started to turn to grab her next patient file.
“Yeah?”
I looked at the paper with his name again, brow furrowing, anxiety tugging at my chest. “Is there any way I can get my next patient reassigned?”
Maggie stopped what she was doing to turn to look at me, taking the sheet that held Korbin’s name from me.
“Why?” she asked. “Do you know him?”
“I do,” I said softly, and suddenly Maggie’s eyes lit up as though she could suddenly recall every uneventful event in her life.
“I remember,” she said, and the tone of her voice rose a notch as she recalled old memories, thrilled with herself. “You and Korbin Butler,” she continued softly. “That was one for the books, huh?” she smiled to show me she was teasing, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile back. Korbin had ruined me, and he’d done it easily.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “It sure was. I thought I’d put that past behind me.”
Maggie stared at me for a long, tense moment, looking thoughtful. “That’s why you didn’t come home,” she said suddenly. “He’s why, isn’t he?”
“I don’t want to get into it, Maggie,” I said, grabbing the patient's file from her to drop it into the desk. “Can I please get him reassigned to a different therapist? Is that possible?”
“No.” Maggie folded her arms across the chest and shook her head at me, pursing her lips just like she used to do when I was a child and had done something to irritate her. “It was a trillion years ago, Peyton, so you’ll have to get over it. I imagine you’ve dated more than half a dozen guys since then. It’s time to move on.”
“To be fair, I’ve only dated three guys since leaving Eagle River,” I told her. “And none of them lasted because they didn’t matter to me. I’ve been single for over two years now.”
Don’t forget about Jake,the little voice in my head scolded me.You had a great time with him.
Maggie sat down in the empty office chair next to me with a soft sigh and a head shake. “You’re wasting your good years,” she said, reaching a hand out to rest it on my arm. “And you can’t still be stuck on Korbin Butler, Peyton. I know what he did to you was rough, but it’s time to move on.”
“I’m not still stuck on Korbin,” I insisted, and Maggie grinned, making me flush.
“Good,” she said. “Then you should have no problem treating him, right?” She stood from the chair, grabbed her patient file, and turned to leave, but before she did, she turned back to me. “Maybe this is the closure you need.”
As much as I doubted this, I said nothing as Maggie walked away. I shook my head, staring again at the name on the sheet as a million memories bombarded me at once, making me feel physically ill. I pulled my cell phone out of my front pocket and texted Rem, wishing I had my best friend here right now to coach me through this.
Miss you,I texted.I need you right now.
Above the front door, the bell tinkled, and I looked up just in time to see the man from yesterday—the guy driving Korbin around—come into the office, followed closely by none other than Korbin Butler. As I watched the two men step into the building, it was impossible not to notice the pained expression on Korbin’s face. He moved slowly, which was a contrast from the man I knew, who walked, jogged, and moved with such persistence and flawlessness. Now, seeing him struggling, I almost felt…bad.
Get a grip, Peyton,I thought to myself.Don’t ever forget what he did to you. You left home for a reason.
