Emma’s face turned red, and she shrugged. “Maybe.”

Lauren and Kiara snapped to attention.

“You do!”

“With whom?”

Emma scrunched her nose. “I’ve been flirting with this guy at the gym for weeks, and last week he finally asked for my number. We’ve been talking on the phone for at least an hour every night, and he asked if he could take me to dinner.”

“Emma, that’s great,” Lauren exclaimed. “Tell us about him. Is he funny? What does he do for a living? Is he cute? Does he have a nice squat?”

Kiara groaned, and Emma nodded vehemently. “He certainly does.”

Emma filled them in on everything she knew about him, and Lauren hoped things went well for them tomorrow night. She hadn’t seen Emma this excited about a guy in…well, ever.

“I can’t wait to hear how it goes,” Lauren said. “I’ll expect a full rundown on Friday morning.”

“Right back at you,” Emma said.

“Andrew has an appointment Friday, we could just ask him,” Kiara joked.

“Don’t you dare,” Lauren sputtered.

Emma shook her head. “I’d never ask my patient about their love life. That would be awkward as hell.”

Lauren agreed. She looked between her friends, worry etched between her eyebrows. “But promise me you’ll take good care of him, okay?”

“We always do.”

Andrew: Whatcha doing?

Lauren: Standing in the spice aisle at the grocery store.

Andrew: Getting stuff for tomorrow night?

Lauren: Yep. Prepare yourself for the most average homemade meal you’ve ever tasted.

Andrew: I can’t wait.

Lauren: Me neither.

Andrew: The spice aisle, huh? Is it chili in there?

Lauren: A little, but I can dill with it.

Andrew: (you already used that one on me but I’ll let it slide)

Andrew: Good. Curry on.

Lauren: It’s about thyme I found someone who loves puns as much as I do.

Andrew: We’re mint to be.

Lauren: I clove you so much.

Andrew: I clove you, too.

…

On Valentine’s Day, a beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived with Lauren’s name on it. It wasn’t signed but had a terrible hand-drawn picture of what looked like a deer and the words, “I’m so fawned of you.”

She would keep it forever.

She left work early to pick up Andrew and head to the Valentine’s party at Children’s Hospital. She sent him a text message when she pulled in and put the car in park to wait.