Regret Came Too Late

Grace sat in her car, unsure what Paul meant by "Don't make hasty decisions". Was he referring to her love life or something else entirely?

The day had thrown too many shocks her way, which made her feel drained. While driving home, she passed Henderson Group and spotted Ethan outside.

His head was down, and from that distance, she couldn't read his expression. Grace pulled over and flashed him a smile. "Mr. Henderson, are you heading home from work? Do you need a lift?"

Ethan glanced up, then looked away. "Yeah."

Something about him seemed off. She got out to help him into her car when it hit her-unlike Ethan's car with high-tech equipment, hers didn't have an automatic ramp.

Well, this was awkward. He kept his head down and asked, "Am I being a burden?"

Guilt washed over Grace as she rolled up her sleeves. "Not at all. It'll just be a little awkward. Let me help you in first, then I'll fold up the chair."

"Okay."

When she lifted Ethan, she realized just how heavy he was. She thought his legs had been getting better and would allow him to walk a little. Why did he seem worse now?

pressed against her, her face flushed with effort. Around Ethan, she

his wheelchair. It compacted down to the size of a small stool, which hardly took up any space in the back. She placed it

moved, the marks beneath her collar became

missed this as she got behind the wheel. In the rearview mirror, she noticed the slight smile

rarely saw emotion

because someone finally doesn't mind

people probably just wanted something

made genuine connections scarce. A twinge of sympathy hit her before he asked,

hit the brakes hard, discomfort flashing across her face. She had been trying not to think about those few hours earlier because it was too

embarrassing. If she said no, he would think she was

she said yes-well, she hadn't even seen the guy's face

that a hook-up, someone as straight-laced as Ethan would probably judge her. He probably did not

an awkward pause, she gripped the steering wheel. "I'm still

back, visibly perking up. "Good. A healthy relationship can make you more productive at

about work performance. Grace remembered Yancey's rumors about him and couldn't help smiling. Even if he were the last man on earth, Ethan probably