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right. And now, what was done was done.
    â€œI’ve missed you, Mom. I know I haven’t visited as often as I—”
    She dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand. “My son, the brilliant doctor, is off saving lives. What mother can complain about that?”
    Brett ground his teeth. Saving lives, or losing them? He’d given up so much, and for what?
    Sharon looked out the front window and onto the patch of lawn that had once been a thriving vegetable garden but had years ago been reseeded with grass and sighed. “I guess you’re right. You need your own space.” She turned, grinning at him. “Maybe you’ll take pity on your old mother once in a while and share a meal with me?”
    â€œI figured you’d be cooking me breakfast every day,” Brett said, deadpan. “I was counting on a hot dinner, too.”
    His mother’s mouth fell open. “Oh. Oh, I can. I mean, I’d love to! I’m usually at the diner before seven but—”
    â€œMom,” Brett said gently. “I’m joking.” He kissed her on the cheek. “And this is another reason why I’m not moving back into the house. I don’t want you thinking you have to take care of me.”
It should be the other way around
, he thought.
    Brett frowned as emotions brewed to the surface again. He forced them back by ripping the tape on another box and peering inside.
    He’d unpack the essentials—summer clothes, bedding, some of his favorite books—but the rest he’d keep in the spare closet. No reason to pack up twice when he’d be on his way soon.
    â€œWant me to stick around and help you set things up?” his mother asked. “The girls at the diner can hold the fort for a while.”
    â€œNah, I don’t think I’ll bother with it today,” Brett said. Unpacking, in any sense, still made things feel more permanent and real than he wished them to be. He’d been tempted to just pack a single suitcase, but that would have raised questions he didn’t have the desire to answer. And as much as he hated to believe it, he was now officially employed at Forest Ridge Hospital, and though it was temporary, it wasn’t going to change overnight.
    He thought of the position in DC he’d seen on the job posting boards that morning and felt his spirits rise. It was the perfect fit for his skills, and he could keep his apartment and what little social life he maintained in Baltimore. He didn’t mind the commute. Driving cleared his head. He’d get back on track, on the path he’d set in motion all those years ago. And all those sacrifices would be justified.
    â€œWhat do you have planned for your first official night back in town?”
    His first official night back in town. He hated the sound of it. “Mark said something about a cookout tonight at Jane Madison’s house,” Brett said. His brother had also told him that Jane was now engaged to his old buddy, Henry Birch, and so chances were Ivy would be there, too. He hated the thought of letting her down again, but as he’d learned along the way, it was better to nip these things in the bud than give women a false set of expectations. “But I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
    She’d been looking a bit pale, run-down. He didn’t like it. He should stay home. Cook her dinner. Even if that meant scrambled eggs—his specialty.
    â€œNonsense! We have all the time in the world to catch up now that you’re home again! You go and have fun. Maybe you’ll find a nice girl.” His mother winked. “It can’t be all work, you know.”
    Oh, but it could. And it would. Long ago he’d made the decision to put his career above his personal life. He certainly wasn’t going to take that all back now.
    Anna and Mark were both in the kitchen when Kara pushed through the swinging door ten minutes after her shift had