She gave him a smile she hoped didn’t look as fake as it was. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

There was an awkward pause where they stared at each other. She tried to come up with something witty to say, but that had never been her strong point. Perhaps she should turn and go.

“It’s going okay? The clinic, I mean.” His deep voice betrayed his awkwardness.

Only days ago, he’d been comfortable around her. He’d sat in those chairs waiting for her to be done with work so he could drive them both home. “It’s picking up. I’m happy with it. I’ve done a lot of well-baby checkups thanks to Hallie and Seraphina talking to their friends. I’m in good with the young moms club. And I got Gene to do some blood work.”

“Really? How did you manage that?”

It hadn’t been easy. “I talked podcasts with him and I took him on a tour of how the lab destroys samples so they can’t be taken and left at crime scenes so innocent people can be implicated in murders. I then signed a document stating that I would never frame him for a crime he didn’t commit. I then listened to three hours of how the police screwed up a murder in Lafayette. I’m going to admit, it was a lot, but I don’t have to do it again for a whole year.”

His face split in the most heart-stopping grin. “Oh, I wish I’d seen that. I’m glad it’s going well. I told you this town would settle down and accept you.” He sobered and the light left his eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

Damn him. She wasn’t going there. Wasn’t. “I miss you, too.”

Why had she said that? She knew better, but he was standing right in front of her.

“What should we do about that?” His face had softened, and it was almost possible to forget how cold he’d been to her that day.

Almost. “I don’t know that we do anything about it.”

His jaw tightened and she could see the stubborn will in his gaze. “Maybe we should sit down and talk. Maybe I heard things wrong. It has been pointed out to me that perception and point of view are important things and can be misconstrued. Did I not understand?”