Free Unchained Memories by Maria Imbalzano

rose in a vase with water or it will die.”
    The twinkle in his eye made her grin. Clearly, all coherent thought had deserted her. “I don’t have a vase. But I can put it in a coffee mug. I’ll be right back.”
    As she passed him he pulled her back, his hand sending sparks to every pore in her body.
    “That’s okay. Let’s go. I came to take you out of here. Are you hungry?”
    “Starving. How did you know I’d still be here?”
    “I took a chance. I tried to reach you at home, but the phone rang off the hook. Your cell went unanswered as well. So I walked over from the hospital on the chance you’d still be slaving away. I needed some fresh air anyway.”
    All she heard was he’d been trying to reach her. Could that be a choir singing in her head? But voices from down the hall interrupted her concert.
    Charlotte grabbed her purse and Clay’s hand. “Let’s go.” She pulled him out of her office, through the reception area and out the door, her adrenaline pumping. All she needed was to run into Brad with Clay in tow. It hadn’t been three hours since Brad had warned her about warm, fuzzy feelings for doctors from Nassau General.
    As soon as they reached the sidewalk, she pushed the anxiety away and inhaled. It was a glorious night in April, with mild temperatures and no rain in the forecast. A perfect night for strolling down Nassau Street, with its upscale boutiques and eclectic mix of eateries. She loved the diversity of the small town made up of university students, business men and women, and the locals. It made for great people watching in addition to window shopping.
    “What are you in the mood for?” Clay asked as he turned his gorgeous smile on her.
    Him. She wanted him. And he was here. With her. But why? After last night, she worried about their chances of seeing each other socially.
    When she didn’t immediately answer, Clay said, “We’ll just walk until you decide. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
    Instantly, her mood deflated and her feet dragged to a halt. So there was a reason for his visit. She nodded, not trusting her voice to hide her disappointment.
    “We got off to a rocky start last night. After all these years of not seeing each other, I didn’t want to let it go like that. Perhaps we could call a moratorium on all things career related. Just talk about...other things.”
    She allowed herself to breathe. This was good. “Okay. I’d like that.” Although, how in the world they’d accomplish that was beyond her. Their work was their life. But if they really tried, she was sure they could find something to chat about.
    “Good.” He nodded and started walking again. “Since you’re starving, maybe we better get something quick. How about a burger at Kenny’s Grill?”
    “Sounds wonderful.” She couldn’t help the smile exploding on her face. As if the thought of a hamburger made her insanely happy. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice, or at least acknowledge, the real cause.
    They entered the brightly lit restaurant and grabbed a booth, ordering without needing to look at the menu. The diner-like atmosphere of clanging plates and shouted orders, while frenetic, did nothing to dampen Charlotte’s spirits. Doing something ordinary with Clay allowed her to hope for at least a casual friendship if it couldn’t be more.
    Now, for something not work-related. “If I remember correctly,” Charlotte began, “you were close to your brothers and sisters. Are you still?”
    This seemed a safe enough subject, one that wouldn’t take them to forbidden territory.
    “Yes. John and Jim opened an accounting firm together here in town. John’s married and has two kids, and Jim’s living with his girlfriend, also an accountant. I think they’ll tie the knot soon.”
    He took a long swallow of iced tea, then his eyes met hers and the world stopped. Charlotte’s breath hitched as his gaze brought her into his cocoon, noiseless, solitary, romantic, melting her