Holy cow. She had actually done it. When she’d first started working out and eating healthier, she hadn’t thought it possible. Who knew accountability and consistency would work so well?

Adam did, that’s who.

“Shut up,” she whispered to herself.

“What was that?” Dr. Fowler asked, not able to hear as well as he used to.

“Nothing. Sorry, I had a tickle in my throat.”

“Do I need to take a look?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I’m fine. But if you could, I would like to know what the bad news is.” She still needed to know what else she was dealing with.

He smiled. “The bad news is that I won’t be your doctor anymore. Dr. Caldwell is taking over all of my cases, and from now on, you will have to make all your appointments with him.”

“That’s right. I heard you were retiring.”

He nodded. “Dr. Caldwell is a fine doctor, and you won’t be disappointed. In fact, I’d like to introduce you to him before you go.”

Panic shot through her. “Uh, that’s okay. I’ve actually already met him. So there’s no need.”

“I see. All right, then we are done here. You are free to leave.”

“Thank you again. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around town, but just in case, good luck with your retirement. I hope you enjoy it.”

He nodded and left the room, leaving the door wide open. So Preslee grabbed her purse and strolled out the door toward the front desk. As she was checking out, she noticed Michael coming out of the back room, so she ducked her head. The moment they gave her the visit summary and her debit card back, she shot out the door and ran to her car.

When she’d first met Michael, she hadn’t thought anything of the resemblance between him and his brother. Probably because it was common for siblings to have similar features. But now that she’d seen him again, she couldn’t believe how much he looked like Adam. And that only made her want to cry.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Adam settled his bulk in a chair and shoved papers away from him. The last thing he felt like doing right now was paperwork.

Kurt reached for the papers and pulled them over in front of him. “Still grouchy, I see.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Come on, man. I’ve never seen you like this before. It’s been a month. You can’t keep moping around. I know it sucks, but you have to move on. You can’t keep hoping that she’ll come around.”

“I can’t let her go,” Adam said, rubbing a hand through his unruly hair. “I love her.”