Hearts Like Hers by Melissa Brayden

Author:Melissa Brayden [Brayden, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635550139
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2018-01-17T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

It was ten past two in the afternoon, and Autumn was late for her doctor’s appointment. It was possible she’d been putting off leaving Pajamas until the last possible second, not exactly looking forward to the experience. The idea of sitting alone in that waiting room again had her psyched out. But if she was actually going through with this thing, and she most definitely was, she needed to pull herself up by the bootstraps and get it the hell together. She was a strong, successful, independent woman and always had been.

Today was no different, damnit.

She pushed open the door to the shop, ready to take on the world, just as Kate pulled the handle to enter.

“Whoa,” Autumn said, meeting Kate’s eyes and smiling in reflex. “Sorry ’bout that. I guess I was in my own world.”

“That’s okay,” Kate said. “You’re leaving?”

The disappointment gave Autumn’s spirits a boost. “Yeah, I have a thing.” She hated herself for being vague, and corrected course. “A doctor’s appointment.” She sighed. “I have, unfortunately, a doctor’s appointment.”

“Unfortunately?” Kate asked.

“Did I say that? Yeah, I guess I did.” She dropped her focus to the ground and back up with an explanation. “They make me nervous. Not something I completely enjoy, not that it has to be a party, you know.” She had no idea what made her confess these details to Kate, who seemed afraid of nothing. She must think Autumn was a total incompetent.

“You should take a friend with you,” Kate offered gently.

“Yeah, maybe so, but people have lives, you know? Jobs, plans. I don’t want to bother them. I got this.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“What? No, no, no. That’s silly. You don’t have to do that. Above and beyond the scope of your friendship requirement.”

“Right. But I’m going.”

Autumn paused, touched by Kate’s unflinching generosity but guilt-ridden for her part in this. “Why would you do that? Surely you have a million other options for your day than sitting in a boring, sterile doctor’s office.”

“Wouldn’t matter. I’m doing it because I like you, and I don’t want you to be there alone. C’mon, I’ll drive.”

And before Autumn could so much as utter a syllable, Kate turned and headed toward the parking lot of the complex, keys jingling from her fingertips.

“You kind of just do what you want, don’t you?” Autumn called after her.

“Is that a problem?” Kate called back.

“Not at all,” Autumn mumbled to herself, and followed Kate to her truck with a smile tugging. In a welcome turn of events, Autumn felt that tingly little sensation that hit when things were going well, when you’re lighter and looking forward to something. She zeroed in on the appropriate word.

Happy.

That’s exactly what it was.

Knowing that Kate would be there with her this afternoon had instantly calmed her worked-up nerves and made her feel supported and cared about, in turn, making her happy. She almost wanted to say the word out loud. Happy. How remarkable that something so small, so everyday as a friend going with her to a doctor’s appointment, could bring about such a mood transformation.

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