Damn, that trip to Wild River had been such a huge mistake. She’d been okay with her life until she’d experienced an alternative. She hadn’t been able to miss what she hadn’t known existed.

She hit Like on the photo and forced herself to shut down the app.

Checking her watch, she hesitated before calling downstairs to her father’s office.

“Dr. Sheraton’s office.” His assistant, Kam, sounded as though she were counting the final seconds until she could go home to be with her family. It was almost eight o’clock. Her father should have let the woman go at noon... But he’d never put emphasis on the holidays. Not since her mother died. Neither of them did. There were no decorations in his home, no Christmas CDs in his car. He didn’t send out greeting cards and his assistant bought her own gift. The holidays were just two days they had to get through—nothing special.

Unfortunately, they did mean something to her this year.

“Hi, Kam...is my dad still here?”

“Yes, he is. Can I place you through?”

She suddenly wasn’t exactly sure why she was calling. “Um...no... I’ll come by.” She needed the elevator ride to figure out what to say.

Not that it had helped her before.

In fact, she wasn’t eager to enter the space where Reed’s scent seemed to linger, haunting her, so she took the stairs instead.

Five minutes later, she made up her mind that she would invite her father to go somewhere, anywhere, for Christmas Eve dinner. At this point, she’d settle for Chinese takeout. It may not be traditional...but they had no traditions anyway. She just wanted to be with family.

When her mother was alive, things had been so different. Every year they’d gone out the week before Christmas to cut down their own tree. They’d decorated in traditional holiday colors, the old handmade ornaments stirring warm and comforting memories... And they’d watch Christmas movies together every night, taking turns selecting the titles. Her mother always loved the overly sentimental made-for-TV ones and her dad used to tease her about it, then they’d catch him tearing up at the end, as well. Of course, he’d blame his watery eyes on the scented candles...

Could they ever get that family connection back?

Kam wasn’t at her desk when Erika reached her father’s office.

Good. Maybe her dad had finally sent the woman home to her family.

Knocking on his door once, she turned the knob and entered.

She came up short seeing several doctors on the clinical trial team sitting around her father’s desk, studying the latest reports.

Had she missed a meeting memo? She didn’t remember seeing one scheduled on her calendar. Damn, had she messed up again?

“Was there a meeting today?”