Cassie had invited her to tag along as a tour guide in training, but this adventure, Erika had declined. Camping in the summertime was not exactly her thing—winter camping had zero appeal.

“So, I’ll be gone for five days. Make yourself comfortable...and if you need anything, just call Reed.”

Not even if she was on fire.

Putting distance between them was her plan. If she could stay away from him, she couldn’t be tempted by whatever insanity was taking hold. “I’ll be fine.” She handed her friend the tent and sleeping bag, then wrapped her arms around her body, shivering as she stepped from one booted foot to the other. The temperature had dropped several degrees in the last few days and the thick, heavy clouds threatened snow. Without the mountain sun warming the ground, everything was covered in a thin veil of frost.

Pretty. But cold.

Cassie hugged her quickly. “Thanks for your help. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Bye. Be careful and have...fun?” She couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to do one overnight in the woods in this mind-numbing cold, let alone four.

“You really should try this sometime. You’ll see, it’s not that bad.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Cassie laughed and waved as she climbed into the van and drove away. Erika hurried back up the stairs and inside the condo.

Now what?

She’d eaten breakfast already and cleaned up the kitchen. Another day shopping didn’t appeal to her. She could go to the spa a block away and indulge in some well-overdue pampering, but getting a last-minute appointment might be tough and she wasn’t sure she could relax anyway.

Sitting on the couch, she reached for her laptop and logged in to her remote desktop. The hospital board might be able to force her out of the office, but they couldn’t stop her from responding to emails. She scanned the newest ones first. Several patient results from the lab that she noticed Dr. Penders was cc’d on as well, so no need for her to review... Delete. The announcement for the annual staff Christmas luncheon—delete. She never attended. She never had time. She’d hear the nurses and interns and other doctors laughing and having a good time in the staff lounge, but she’d always breezed past on her way to another emergency. This year, she wouldn’t even be there to ignore the festivity.

An email from Darren caught her eye and she opened it.

Hi Dr. Sheraton,

Sorry, I opened my big mouth and got you in shit with your dad. Hope the vacation is going well. I wasn’t sure if anyone had reached out to you yet regarding the clinical trials, but we’ve received the approval.

Oh, and I decided not to go through with the transfer request.

Hurry back,

Darren

Closing the email, she scrolled through the rest, but there was nothing from her father.

Unbelievable.

She shut down the connection and closed the laptop, resting her head against the couch cushion.