Page 30 of Dark Princess Emerging

He gathered up the tray and the bag of sandwiches and carefully arranged his features into an easygoing smile. He crossed the few feet that separated the café from the clinic.

Gertrude deserved his best self, not the brooding version that appeared when he felt weighed down by past hurts.

Using his hip to push open the clinic's glass door, he entered the space that had become one of his favorite places in the village.

"Rob!" Gertrude's face lit up with that smile he'd come to live for. "Can you give me a minute? I need to finish something for Jasmine."

"Sure." He set down the tray and bag on the side table, settling into one of the waiting room chairs. "Don't take too long. The coffee is getting cold."

"I won't." She blew him an air kiss before disappearing into Jasmine's room, her blue scrubs making a soft swishing sound as she walked.

Rob watched her go, marveling at how something as simple as an air kiss could make him feel more cared for than all of Lynda's grand gestures ever had. Because Lynda's gestures had always come with strings attached, with expectations and subtle manipulations he'd been too blind to see at the time.

Shaking off those thoughts again, he focused instead on his plans for the near future. He'd finished his final project for hisold company, tying up all loose ends neatly. He could start his work in William's tech heaven, but he wasn't sure whether it was prudent to start a new job before his transition.

Maybe he and Gertrude could spend a few days together and go on some real dates or even a mini vacation.

The thought made him smile.

Between her work at the clinic and his need to finish his old project, they hadn't had as much time together as he would have liked.

"Okay, I'm back." Gertrude sat down beside him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Jasmine is getting discharged today, but since she was in a coma for so long, Bridget wants her to come in for a few Pilates sessions to strengthen her muscles."

Rob couldn't quite hide his disappointment. "I was hoping you could take some time off now that the clinic is empty of patients. I'm done with the project I needed to finish for my previous job, and I thought I would take a mini vacation before starting my induction process, transition, and work for William."

Her answering grin was mischievous. "How about a vacation right here in the village? Hildy is spending the night with the humans who were implanted with the gods' trackers, making sure that they are okay, so she's only coming back tomorrow."

Rob loved the sound of that.

He'd spent a couple of nights with Gertrude, and they had been the best sex he'd ever had, but the idea that Hildegard was sleeping in the next room over had bothered him even though the houses in the village were built with the best soundproofing money could buy.

"So, we have the house to ourselves?"

"Yup." Gertrude's eyes sparkled. "And I'm cooking dinner."

"Oh, sweetheart, you say the nicest things." He leaned in, capturing her lips in a kiss that held all the words he couldn't quite say yet.

When they parted, they were both slightly breathless. "The coffee's getting cold."

"Don't care," he murmured but reached for the cups anyway.

As he handed her one, their fingers brushed, sending little sparks of electricity through him. Everything with Gertrude felt like this—natural and exciting at the same time, comfortable yet thrilling.

"So," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. "About a vacation. What did you have in mind?"

"Honestly? I just want to spend time with you. No interruptions, no work obligations, just us. But I'm open to suggestions. We can do anything you like."

She smiled sheepishly. "Do you like gardening?"

"Never tried it. Why?"

"My herb garden has been neglected while I was in the keep, and it needs work. I was planning to take care of it now that I have more time, but perhaps we could do it together. I can teach you."

Of all the things she could have suggested, that was probably the one he liked the least, but did it really matter what they did as long as they did it together?

All he wanted was more time with her.

"I'd love to work in your herb garden."