The coffee shop is directly across from the hospital, so while Aaron and I catch up, I trade jokes and inside remarks with other staff members when they wander past our table.

"Next time I suggest meeting here," Aaron says, sipping his coffee. "Remind me of the Simon Circus."

I chuckle and fist bump one of the other nurses when she stops at our table. "You're done for the day?" she asks.

"Shift is over."

"You haven't been working much overtime the last couple weeks," she says, slurping her iced coffee.

"There's more to life than work." I've got my fingers crossed that in a week, I'm not eating those words.

"Amen to that," she says, holding her cup toward me for a cheers. We bang plastic cups and then she says she'll see me around next time we're on the same shift.

"I feel like I'm with a celebrity," Aaron says.

"You wanna get out of here?" I gather up my keys and wallet. I came here right after my shift ended, and I should get home soon to Rex.

Aaron rises from his seat, and I say hello to another five people before we make it to the door. Once we're outside, Aaron gestures to a small recreational path that circles around a marshy area. "Walk and talk?"

"Why not?" I take a long sip from my coffee. "So, how are things going with Denise? From the rescue organization?"

"We've been out a few times. I don't know what's going to happen there. We're pretty different."

"Opposites attract?" I suggest.

"Do they?" Aaron frowns. "I'm not convinced opposites work long term. We're having fun for now."

"Tayla and I are pretty similar, I think," I say. "We're both in professions where we care for others, our love of animals, fitness. We have a similar sense of humor, most of the time."

"She's still giving you a shot, huh?" Aaron eyes me. "You tell her everything yet?"

"Told her about my dad," I confirm. "Last night, I told her about Jada."

"How'd she take it?" Aaron checks the sign on the path to figure out which route will return to the parking lot.

"Still processing." She didn't kick me out of her house after I told her, so that's gotta be a good sign.

"Man, I woulda thought Tayla'd be on a mission today to ruin GameSetMatch. Taking her money, playing a hand in the ruination of your relationship? I was sort of counting on her to have the backbone you don't seem to possess."

I swallow the coffee and don't directly answer him. Two days ago, I asked Tayla if she'd stop seeing me if she could. She didn't even hesitate when she said yes. The money GameSetMatch will owe her is my only guarantee I'll get another week. "I ruined my relationship by buying into my dad's bullshit and then listening to GameSetMatch tell me I was headed for divorceland if I stayed with Tayla."

"You should have sued them for emotional distress or something. They gave Jada your address and phone number. They lied to you about how they got your information. She harassed you for almost a year."

"I'm still not sure how I got back into their database this time. They swore they removed me after the last woman came knocking." The heat of the sun beats down, and I rub my nose. "I haven't signed up for a single dating website or app because I know they mine those sites for matches."

"If they'd matched you again, and the woman wasn't Tayla, would you have done anything?"

"Like what?"

"Sued them," Aaron says with a laugh. "Or gone to the press. Or something. They're super fucking famous, and they're so shady. Con artists playing with people's lives."

"They've gotten it wrong with me every time but this one. They do get it right. Tayla said Ruby and Dean were matched through them. Ruby is the reason Tayla has so much faith in the process."

"So, you think stories like yours are a minority?"

"Wouldn't they have to be? Their big tagline is their 99% success rate."

"So, is that what Tayla thinks too? You're just a fluke? A glitch? No one else is being matched against their will multiple times?"

"Mistakes happen."

"You've gone soft on me. You do realize if you're going to chalk the other women up to mistakes, the same could be said for Tayla? How's she feel about that?"

I frown. "She's not a mistake." The path has looped back toward the parking lot, and Aaron's car is just ahead of us.

"Well, I'm glad she took it so well. I thought she was going to beat your ass when she found out you'd known all along GameSetMatch was a fraud and didn't tell her. She's more forgiving of that manipulation than I would be." He chuckles. "Listen, I'm having a party for the dealership at The Brew on their rooftop patio Monday night. Record car sales last month. I'm bringing Denise. If you and Tayla want to stop by, you're welcome to join us."

"I'll ask her." I take one last sip of my coffee and throw the cup in the garbage can. "Monday isn't one of our agreed upon nights."

"So, not that much progress then." He laughs.

"More every day." After all, last night wasn't one of our scheduled nights, and she called me.

"You've got, what? One more week of the full court press before she either ditches you or keeps you around for longer right? Think you'll make it?"

I squint into the sun. "I think I've got a real chance."

~ * ~

Sweat drips out of my hairline and runs in rivulets down the sides of my face. When a drop dares to take any other path, I brush it away impatiently. Rex keeps pace with me easily as we navigate the city streets. At seven, Rex won't be able to do these long distance runs for too many more years. Music blares from my earbuds, and when my phone interrupts the stream, I tell it to connect without pulling it out of my running belt.

"Hey," Tayla says, after I say hello. "Where are you?"

I check the intersection as Rex and I cross the street. "Out for a run," I say. "What's up?"

"A run? Are you far away?"

I consider whether I should admit where I am or not. "I didn't do this on purpose, but I'm about six blocks from your place." I put in my earbuds and went on autopilot when I left my house.

I wanted a long run to forget about Tayla training Pixie with Ciro again. He likes her. Who wouldn't? The uphill battle to win her over might be done, but I'm not sure we're on even ground yet.

The light turns at the intersection up ahead, and I signal Rex to stop at the light. Given that Tayla's been all I can think about, I guess my compass pointed to her without me realizing it.

"I just got home, and I was thinking about a late dinner. Did you eat yet?"

I scan the height of the sun and try to calculate what time it is without checking. "No, I haven't."

"Did you want to maybe have dinner with me?" Her voice goes up at the end as though she's not sure she should be asking.

I'm still at the light, even though it's changed once already. "By the time I run home, shower, and get back to your place, it'll be more like a midnight snack."

"You could just...you could come here."

I'm soaked through with sweat. "I smell—bad. You're not going to want to be around me."

She laughs. "I have this new thing called running water. It's all the rage. Comes through pipes. Into your home." She gasps. "It's gonna change your life."

I chuckle. "Point taken. But I can't put these clothes back on."

"So don't." Her tone is a dare.

Christ, I'm standing in the middle of the suburbs sporting a semi because just the sound of her voice is a total fucking turn on. "I'm on my way."

~ * ~

Tayla greets me at the door, and while Rex and Pixie bound around the living room together, she leads me to the en suite. In the bathroom, she starts the water, tugs off my shirt and shucks my shorts and boxers.

"You're very dirty," she murmurs, running her hands along my torso. "Do you need any help getting clean?"

I grin down at her, and she glances up at me, batting her eyes in exaggerated flirtation. "Do you think you're up to the job?" I ask.

"You're not the only one who can rise to the occasion." A sly smile touches her lips as she checks the water temperature. Steam is already pouring over the top.

I wrap my hand in the hem of her shirt and tug her near. "Is this another booty call?"

"If you object, I can stop calling."

Securing her to me, I slide open the shower doors and step into the streaming water with her still fully clothed. "I've got no objections," I say, as she laughs. I smother her laughter with my kiss as the hot water falls around us.

~ * ~

"Haven't seen it," I say as I grab another slice of pizza out of the box, and Tayla flips through the Netflix options.

"Yeah, but it looks awful. An under-funded tiger zoo and an owner in a polygamous relationship." She shakes her head. "Nope, nope, nope. Those poor animals. The system is failing them."

"Not sure the men are any better off than the cats." I offer her some water from my glass.

We debate our options while eating through the whole pizza naked in bed. When nothing appeals to either of us, Tayla turns off the TV and sets the remote on the nightstand. She turns to face me, her head resting on her hand.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" she asks, eyebrows raised.

"Five years?" I grab the empty pizza box and tuck it onto the nightstand on the other side of the king-size bed. "Ideally?"

"Well, yeah."

"With you. Maybe a kid...or two."

"Are you planning to give birth?" She arches her eyebrows.

I mirror her pose and trace a figure eight on the bed between us. "Maybe neither of us has to. All kinds of ways to build a family." I make eye contact. "All right then, where do you see yourself in five years?"

"In a stable, happy relationship. Still a vet. Maybe a kid...or two. Making a difference in my community somehow."

"Is that why you took this shelter dog to therapy dog gig with Ciro?"

She bites her lip. "I plead the 5th."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I chuckle and brush her hair away from her face.

"I sort of contacted him out of spite, maybe?" Her dark eyes flash with mischief. "Ciro is attractive, and we have a lot in common. He was a ridiculous flirt when he dropped off his business card. But I didn't call him until after you showed up at the office."

"Would you have called him?" There are probably a few men, maybe even quite a few men, she's dated in the six years we've been apart. The notion of her dating Ciro, spending time with him, irks me. Whether it's because I've seen him in person or because I know they already have something in common that's important to Tayla, jealousy eats at me every time she says she's with him.

"Eventually, maybe. Not any time soon."

Am I supposed to read into that? If so, what am I supposed to get from her comment? Is he an option if we don't work out?

Grilling her will probably lead to a fight, and since I showed up on her doorstep today, the atmosphere between us has been playful and relaxed. The cloud of indecision hanging over her whenever we were together before has vanished.

"Aaron has the rooftop patio of The Brew rented for Monday night. His car dealership had record sales, so he's celebrating. He asked me to stop by and said I could bring you, if you wanted to come."

"Monday night, huh? That's not one of our nights."

I'm not going to remind her that the last two nights haven't been scheduled date nights and yet we've ended up together. Any reminder on my part might lead to her kicking me out, and my clothes are still banging around in the dryer in the en suite. Naked running is only fun when you're drunk and in college.

"The Brew is a great restaurant, and the view is incredible. You just gotta put up with the company." My lips quirk up into an almost smile.

"A great restaurant, an incredible view, and so-so company." She raises her hand. "I'm sold. Count me in."

I collapse onto my back and give a fist pump. "So-so company for the win."

She laughs and drapes herself across me. "I can think of worse ways to spend a Monday night."

On that we can agree because I can't imagine anything better than more time with her.

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