Stephanie checked her watch and sighed. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes, and then I’m taking you home.”
Matt was thankful she’d given him any extra time at the clinic. “It’s a deal.”
Lynda grinned. “And I have to see a pregnant cat who’s started eating socks. Enjoy the donuts.”
After Lynda and Stephanie left his office, Matt sat quietly for several minutes, processing everything that had happened. He thought about what Lynda had said—she’d called him herpartner, not only in work but in everything that mattered. Those words had meant more to him than she realized.
With a heartfelt sigh, he picked up a report and knew they’d be okay. But as he sat there, his gaze fell to his left hand, to the gold band that had circled his ring finger for nearly thirty years. The ring that had become as much a part of him as breathing.
Leaving the folder on his desk, Matt slowly twisted the wedding band. It came off easily—perhaps too easily. He’d lost a little weight over the years, and his hands had grown thinner. He held the ring in his palm, studying the worn gold that had once been bright and new.
“I need to talk to you, Maria,” he said quietly to the empty office, his voice barely above a whisper. “I think it’s time.”
He closed his eyes, and for a moment, he could almost feel her presence in the room—that gentle strength that had sustained him through so many years.
“You told me I shouldn’t spend my life alone,” he continued, his thumb running over the smooth surface of the ring. “You made me promise that I’d find happiness again. I fought you on that conversation, remember? I couldn’t imagine loving anyone the way I loved you.”
Matt opened his eyes and looked down at the ring again. “But you were right. You always were. This isn’t the same as what we had—it’s different. But it’s real, and it’s good.”
He could almost hear Maria’s voice in his mind, that gentle teasing tone she’d use when she was trying to make him see reason. She’d probably tell him he was being stubborn, that he’d already waited too long.
“Lynda makes me want to try again,” he admitted. “She makes me remember what it feels like to look forward to tomorrow instead of just getting through today. I know you’d want that for me.”
Matt opened his desk drawer and carefully placed the wedding ring inside, next to a small photo of Maria that he kept there. His finger felt strange without the familiar weight but also somehow lighter.
“I’m not forgetting you,” he said softly, touching the photo. “I could never forget you. But I think it’s time to make room for someone new. Time to stop holding onto the past so tightly that I can’t reach for the future.”
For the first time in fifteen years, Matt was ready to move forward. Not away from Maria’s memory, but toward something new, something that honored what he’d lost and what he might find.
He closed the drawer gently and picked up his tea, feeling a sense of peace settle over him. Sometime in the future, he’d tell Lynda how he felt and take the next step into whatever was waiting for them.
CHAPTER 30
Amonth later…
Lynda stepped backto admire the antique oak bookshelf sitting against the living room wall of her new house. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the bay window, making the wood grain glow. She could already imagine her favorite novels filling the shelves.
“That looks perfect there,” Kathleen said, wiping dust from her hands with a dish towel. She’d been helping Lynda arrange furniture all morning, despite Lynda’s protests that she could manage on her own.
Isabel emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with three glasses of iced tea. “The movers did a good job. Everything arrived in perfect condition, and they were so careful with your grandmother’s china cabinet.”
“I was terrified something would happen to it during the move,” Lynda admitted, accepting a glass gratefully. “It’s been in our family for over a century.”
The three women settled on Lynda’s newly arranged sofa, surrounded by half-unpacked boxes and the comfortable chaosof a move in progress. Through the open windows, they could hear the gentle lapping of the lake and the distant sound of children playing in a neighbor’s yard.
“This house suits you perfectly,” Kathleen said as she looked around the spacious living room. “It has so much character, and that view of the lake is spectacular.”
Lynda followed her gaze to the large windows that framed Flathead Lake. “I still can’t believe how much my home in Denver sold for. The market there has exploded in the last two years.”
“How much extra did your house sell for?” Isabel asked curiously.
“Almost seventy thousand over my asking price,” Lynda said, still amazed by her good fortune. “There was a bidding war between three families. The realtor said properties in my neighborhood are selling within days of being listed.”
Kathleen’s eyebrows rose. “That’s incredible. What will you do with the extra money?”
Lynda set down her iced tea, her expression growing thoughtful. “I want to put it toward the wildlife rehabilitation center. With the insurance money covering the basic shelter rebuild, this could fund the specialized facilities we dreamed of. We could have proper isolation units for different species, a flight training area for raptors, and maybe an even bigger educational center.”
“Matt must be thrilled,” Isabel said with a smile.
