Playing With Fire. Kayla Perrin

but damn, I get it now. Bloody hell.”

      Zienna didn’t smirk the way she normally did when her friend used her latest British curse. Instead she said, “Bloody hell is right. I just about died when Wendell walked through the door.” Looking even sexier than he did four years ago...

      “I can imagine. It took you years to get over him.”

      Hearing her friend say those words gave Zienna pause. Because with that statement, she had summed up what Zienna’s big issue was with Wendell’s reappearance. It had been incredibly hard to shake him from her system, and though she was getting close with Nicholas, there was definitely a part of her that feared seeing Wendell again was going to erase all the progress she’d made.

      And there was an even bigger issue. “What do I do?” she asked. “Nicholas knows that Wendell and I used to work together, but do I tell him about our relationship? Or do I say nothing at all? And if I tell him, is he going to be okay about it, understand that Wendell and I were over a long time ago? Or is it going to cause undue grief? I have no clue what to do.”

      Alexis was silent as she contemplated Zienna’s dilemma. After a moment she said, “I think you tell him. Tell him before Wendell does.”

      Zienna’s eyes bulged. “You think Wendell will tell him?”

      “Maybe not intentionally, but there’s no guarantee he won’t let it slip.”

      “Oh, God.” Zienna groaned. “Are you sure? I just... Telling him could open a whole can of worms. Create an issue for him and Wendell, for one thing. And maybe even cause him to feel insecure. You remember how iffy Nicholas was during the first couple of months we were dating. He liked me, but didn’t entirely trust that I was into him.”

      “I remember. He couldn’t understand why someone as beautiful as you would be single.”

      “And I’d said the same to him. He’s gorgeous, successful.... Things are finally easy between us. And now this.”

      “Maybe you shouldn’t say anything, then.”

      Zienna paused. “But if I don’t tell him, and Wendell does—”

      “It’s going to be much worse,” Alexis finished for her. “Nicholas is a big boy. He knows you weren’t born yesterday. So what if you dated Wendell years ago? He can’t hold that against you.”

      “True.” She was silent a moment. “But I don’t think Wendell would tell him. I mean, what has he got to gain from something like that? They’re best friends. And if not best friends, at least very good friends. Wendell has to know better than to open his mouth.”

      “I still think you should tell him,” Alexis said. “There are too many variables.”

      Zienna drew in a deep breath. “And it kind of gets worse.”

      Alexis eyed her warily. “What do you mean by that?”

      She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing. It’s just...I’m not sure what Wendell wants.”

      “You’re totally confusing me.”

      Zienna was confused, too, which was part of her problem. It was one thing to find out that Wendell was Nicholas’s best friend. But what he’d said to her had undeniably added to her anxiety. “Wendell asked me if my relationship with Nicholas was serious. And then...then he said that he wanted to get together to talk, clear the air.”

      “Shut up.”

      “What am I supposed to make of that? That he wants to pick things up where we left off? Or did he just not know what else to say? Maybe he feels bad because of how he ended things with me—and the fact that I just learned he was a cheater.”

      “You’re not gonna do it, right? You’re not going to meet with him to talk?”

      “No,” Zienna said emphatically. “Definitely not. I don’t want to talk to him. I want nothing to do with him.” She paused. “But...I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a small part of me that wouldn’t mind hearing what he has to say. If for no other reason than to give him a piece of my mind when he’s finished. Because that’s what I wanted to do when I saw him last night. I wanted to scream and yell and slap him, and tell him what an asshole he is. All that crap about not wanting to get married and not wanting to hurt me, when he was really seeing someone else. But I couldn’t react. I had to pretend as though him coming into the restaurant hadn’t affected me one bit.”

      “Zienna...” Alexis’s tone held a hint of caution.

      “What? I’m not stupid. I’m over Wendell. But that doesn’t mean I’m not mad at him.”

      “Unless you want to flirt with danger, then you need to drop it and stay away from him, period. And maybe what you’ve just said is the biggest reason why you need to tell Nicholas about your history with Wendell. Tell him the truth, and he’ll make sure the two of you stay apart.”

      “Don’t misunderstand me,” Zienna said. “I’m just telling you what would be nice—in a perfect world.”

      Alexis made a face as she regarded her. “It took you a long time to get over Wendell.”

      “And I am. I am over him.” She sighed softly. Alexis knew her too well. “Maybe you’re right. Nothing good will come of me giving him a piece of my mind. In fact, the best revenge will be him seeing that I’m happy. That I’ve moved on. And perhaps the fact that it’s with his best friend is even better.”

      Alexis continued to regard her with a narrowed gaze, and Zienna could see the wheels churning in her mind. “What?”

      “Just be careful. Come clean with Nicholas, because it’s not like you did anything wrong. But come clean so there’s no issue that can come back to bite you. And unless you still want something with Wendell, I’d stay away from him.”

      “You’re right,” Zienna said. At least regarding her advice to stay away from Wendell. But she wasn’t so sure about telling Nicholas that she and his friend had once been lovers.

      For the time being, Zienna had done the most important thing, and that was to get this troubling news off her chest. Speaking with Alexis had allowed her to think clearly, and now that she had, she was starting to realize that her past with Wendell would be an issue only if she made it one. Because certainly Wendell wouldn’t say anything to hurt his friend, would he? Not when he knew how much Nicholas liked her.

      As she left Alexis’s apartment so that her friend could get another hour of sleep before getting up for work, Zienna felt a lot better. No, she wouldn’t say anything to Nicholas. Their relationship was going well, and she couldn’t see Wendell doing anything to jeopardize that.

      So if he wasn’t going to say anything about their past involvement, there was no reason for her to. She had stressed over Wendell’s reappearance for several hours, but it was suddenly apparent that she had done so needlessly.

      Because the fact that he was back in town wasn’t going to affect her relationship with Nicholas.

      Not at all.

      4

      Zienna finished reading the medical questionnaire her newest patient, who was sitting on the examining bed, had filled out, describing the pain he was experiencing. Before he’d arrived for his appointment she had studied the files that had come from his physician—over two cups of very strong coffee, since she needed the caffeine to help her stay awake after her largely sleepless night.

      “So, let me sum up what I understand from what you’ve told me and what I’ve read in your file,” she said as she placed the clipboard on her desk, then moved to stand in front of him. “You’ve been dealing with pain in your right elbow for nearly two years, which you attribute to your work as a machinist.”

      Ed, a heavyset man in his mid-forties, nodded. “Yep.”

      “And