Page 428 of The Doctors Will See You Now

It was the deed to my house.

A house I absolutely adored and one that I wasn’t currently living in.

I had to stop dragging my feet and find an amicable way to get Doreen and Harry the fuck out of there.

Obviously, in a way that meant they didn’t end up homeless. Or didn’t cause them to be angry with me. Or feel sad.

Jesus. I really needed to get things into perspective. They were living in my house—one that I’d paid for. They didn’t necessarily deserve my sympathy, right?

Over an hour later, I stood outside of my three-story brownstone and smiled at the view.

My home. God, she was gorgeous. I pulled the deed out of my purse and slipped it into my back pocket as a reminder. I should be living here now. I should be unpacking my boxes and setting up my home. Stay strong, Charlotte!

With my knuckles to the door, I knocked three times and mentally prepared myself to woman the fuck up and finally take what was mine.

Nick was yours, too, but that didn’t turn out too well.

Fuck, my subconscious needed to chill with the bitchy attitude.

The door opened on a quick swing, and Doreen stood in her slippers and robe, smiling back at me. “Charlotte!” she greeted, and before I could stop her, she set her cane against the door and pulled me in for a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Hi, Doreen,” I muttered into her shoulder.

Eventually, she released me from the bear hug and ushered me inside. “Come in. Come in. Harry will be happy to see you.”

She shut the door behind us with a quiet click and glanced around me as if she was searching for something. “Where’s Nick?”

“Uh…” I awkwardly shuffled my feet across the hardwood floors. “Well…we’re not together anymore.”

“Oh no,” she responded with a frown to her lips. “Are you okay?”

I shrugged. “I’ll be all right.”

“Bless your little heart.” She wrapped one arm around my shoulder, grabbed her cane with her free hand, and led me into the hall. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Once we reached the kitchen, she basically forced me to sit down at the table. “Sit here,” she instructed. “You look exhausted and like you’re in need of a good home-cooked meal.”

“Oh no. I—” I started to refuse the generous offer, but Doreen waved me off with a determined hand.

“Harry!” she shouted toward the living room. “Charlotte’s here, and dinner’s just about ready!”

“Char’s here?” he called back. “Is Nick with her?”

“Nope!” she responded. “They broke up!”

“You’re kidding me!”

“I know! It’s terrible, isn’t it?” she yelled back, and I had the urge to bury my head in my hands. “Now, go wash your hands, Har, and come eat dinner with us!”

She smiled a sad smile before turning away.

“I’ve got the perfect comfort food in the oven, honey,” she announced as she moved toward the stove and opened it. A few seconds later she pulled a pie out with an oven-mitt-covered hand. “Homemade chicken pot pie. It was my mother’s recipe.”

“That smells and looks delicious, Doreen, but I don’t really feel comfortable crashing your dinner.” Sure, I’d once crashed her house entirely, and I still owned the place, but…

She tsked. “Don’t be silly, dear. You’re not crashing anything. I insist you join us.”

Well, I guessed, not but anything. I could crash their dinner if I wanted to. Harry bounded into the room just as his wife set the chicken pot pie on the table.