"Is Ross coming today, Laura?" Kate asked as she set down her fork, her tone casual enough to mask the slight eagerness in her voice.
Laura looked up from her plate, shaking her head. "No, Mom. But he said he'll be here tomorrow."
"I see…" Kate murmured, her eyes flickering down for a moment.
She tried to keep her expression neutral, but a subtle trace of disappointment crossed her features.
Why did her heart sink at such simple news?
She didn't know why Ross lingered in her thoughts the way he did.
Maybe it was the faint, intoxicating scent of his cologne that stayed on her skin long after he left.
Or perhaps it was the warmth of his hands during those massages—the way his fingers worked with deliberate care, strong enough to chase away the pain yet gentle enough to make her body feel weightless.
Those massages had become a quiet routine over the past couple of weeks.
Harmless, she told herself. Just a remedy for headaches, nothing more.
