She’d thought about reaching out to Cassie to let her know of her decision, but she’d decided to wait. She was scheduled to start at the hospital in mid-January, which gave her only two weeks to get her condo on the market and find someplace to live near the hospital in Wild River. There were several places she was hoping to look at, but she needed to resolve things here before she made any more plans.

Her chest tightened and she pressed her palm to it.

Anxiety over the unknown was always worse than the reality.

She had to hand in her resignation and get it over with. Maybe her father wouldn’t even care. They hadn’t spoken since Christmas Eve when in one moment, he’d crushed her career hopes and her dreams of reestablishing the relationship they’d once had.

It broke her heart that they weren’t close. More so now than ever before. Falling in love with Reed had opened her up to all kinds of emotions she’d successfully repressed for years.

And she’d fooled herself into thinking that if she worked hard enough, did what her father wanted, lived her life like he lived his, they could be close again.

She’d been wrong. She might have opened her heart, but her father’s heart had been buried with her mother. She couldn’t bring either one back.

Leaving her office, she made her way through the hallways of the hospital. The triage station had New Year’s Eve decorations hanging above the desks and she knew the nurses had noisemakers, confetti and a bottle of champagne hidden in the kitchen for midnight. She’d never participated in the countdown with them before, but she just might this year.

Better late than never, she thought.

She’d do things right from the start at Wild River Community. Get to know the staff. Dr. Smyth would be there for the first few weeks to help her make the transition, and she was grateful the older man had offered to delay his retirement. His support continued to be something she could depend on.

Kam was away from her desk when Erika got to her father’s office. She scanned the hallway. She’d been hoping to gauge her father’s mood from his assistant...kill a few moments with idle chitchat.

Just get this over with.

Knocking on her father’s office door, she waited.

She could hear him talking inside, and a quick peek through the open blinds revealed he was on the phone.

She refused to leave and come back...because she might not get the nerve again.