Page 26 of The KING Review

She leans back in her chair, eyes narrowing as she crosses her arms. I thank the merciful heavens that she’s wearing a hoodie, so I can’t see how the gesture pushes up her generous chest.

“Mercury retrograde,” she says, as if that explains everything.

I can’t help my snorted laugh. It definitely doesn’t surprise me that she’s into astrology, and I kind of hate myself for finding it endearing. “It’s not that.”

She tilts her head, giving a soft hum. “Okay. But you’re saying that like you know what it is. So, what is it?”

I frown, but the consideration to lie to her passes with little recourse. I don’t think I could get away with it even if I tried. It seems that Neve Hart is already far too good at reading me.

“It’s changeover day,” I admit.

She quirks a brow. “Changeover day?”

I sigh, my chest deflating as I sag back in my desk chair. The gas prop squeaks under my weight. “It’s the day I—” I break off, clearing my throat. I don’t even know why I’m telling her. “It’s the day Sera goes back to her mom for two weeks. Changeover days always suck.”

“Sera,” she repeats, face morphing to understanding laced with sympathy—but no pity. “Your daughter?”

I just nod.

“All right.” Neve is still holding her pad, tapping her pen on the wire binding. “And what are you doing on those days to try and make it easier on yourself?”

Jesus. She sounds like my therapist—like, my real therapist.

“I—” My mouth hangs open for a beat, then two. Neve watches me expectantly. “No, I don’t need to do anything. I just need to…” I shrug, dropping my gaze. “Get over it. I expect to have a shitty day on changeover day.”

The clip of Neve’s laugh is disbelieving. “You’re not serious.”

I look up. She’s leaning forward now, visibly incredulous. “Yes, I’m serious.”

She shakes her head, almost laughing. “That’s not how that works. You know that, right? You need to take care of yourself on those days—today. Self-care isn’t optional, Grant. Especially when you’re dealing with something heavy like that. You can’t just push through it. That’s how burnout happens.”

I look away, staying quiet. None of what she said is untrue, and I think that’s why it pisses me off. The sound of paper rustling makes me lift my eyes back to her, where I find her flipping the page of her notebook and scribbling something.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m writing you a prescription,” she mumbles.

I bark a laugh. “You can’t write prescriptions.”

She glances up, flashing a small smile. “Not yet. But let’s pretend, okay?”

Lord fucking help me, this woman is going to annihilate me.

Neve finishes writing and tears off the page quickly, passing it to me. Our fingers brush as she does, and a shiver runs down my spine. God, I feel like a teenager around her. It makes me want to touch her again, even if it’s just another brush of hands.

I force myself to focus, unfolding the piece of paper.

Rx FAO Grant King

Self-care – anything to make things gentler on you

Prescribe as needed every two weeks on changeover days

Prescriber: Neve Hart

I flick my eyes back up to her, and she’s beaming, clearly pleased with herself.

“I don’t even know what this means,” I say flatly.