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announcement of the birth of a child. Maybe they hadn’t decided to tell the world about their bundle of joy. It wasn’t her place to judge what they decided to share. The wedding announcement had been enough for her to finally let go. After that, she couldn’t look in on him. She’d refused to have her heart break all over again with each update of his happy life.
    It was selfish. She was more than aware of that, and as much as she wished him happiness, she couldn’t live it and remain sane. So she took the final step and cut the cord. Never had she pictured meeting him again and in a new town. She expected him to build his happily ever after in a big city or, at the very least, their hometown. Not a small town on the other side of the state. For now, she would deal with Claire and her concerns for Matt. It gave her something other than her problems to concentrate on. Thank God for small favors…
    “It means if it goes well he’ll be the Matt we know and love—” She paused and stared into Claire’s eyes. “—but if it doesn’t, he’ll never be the same again. He’ll have to learn how to get by without the use of his eyes. Everything he knows will be turned upside down. It’ll leave him cranky and pissed off. Hell, we should expect that regardless.” She smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be up to us to make sure he has someone to lean on and keep him on the path to recovery. Do you think you can do that?”
    She nodded.
    “Good. Now can you do me a favor?”
    Dani handled problems better when she had something to focus her energy on. Somehow, she believed Claire would too. She dealt with her and Matt on a daily basis. She probably thrived on a similar energy.
    “Anything”
    She lifted the stack of papers she’d filled out. “Take these to the administration office. Let them know to contact me with any questions they have.”
    “I can do that.” She took the papers and stood up. “Don’t forget to call Mr. Nettles.”
    “Who is Mr. Nettles?” Ren asked as he walked in.
    Dani stood and crossed the distance of the waiting room to stand in front of him. She searched his face for answers, but it remained passive. Damn it, she couldn’t tell anything from his blank expression. “How’d it go?”
    “Relax.” He lifted his hand and rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. “It went well and we’re hopeful. We won’t know if it was successful yet. He needs time to heal before we can remove the bandages.”
    He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back with small soothing movements. Dani leaned into him and took the comfort he offered before she realized what she was doing. She jerked back once her brain caught up with her body’s instincts.
    “Can I see him?”
    “In a little while,” he replied. His eyes squinted down at her with displeasure. “He’s in recovery. I’ll have a nurse let you know when he’s been moved to his room.”
    He spun on his heels and stormed out of the waiting room.
    What had she done? Whatever it was, she wanted to take it back. The way Ren was looking at her—it did funny things to her heart. The look of disappointment devastated her. She should be happy. Earlier she had been thinking about ways of distancing herself. Why did she have to have all these confusing and mixed feelings?
    “Do you know Dr. Hottie?” Claire asked with a raised eyebrow.
    Dani sighed. “We used to be friends.”
    At one time she’d hoped they could be more than friends. Until she got scared. She watched relationships start and end badly while they were in high school. It ruined a lot of friendships. Dani had thought she was doing the right thing. A friend was forever. A boyfriend, lover, or husband wasn’t guaranteed. She could keep Ren in her life if she kept her feelings in check. Dani wasn’t sure if they could have ever been more than friends. It was her belief that a friendship would last and the other options would only lead to her losing him. She never once