Page 14 of Not My Finest Hour

“Are you feeling better, or do you need to take a sick day?”

“I’m feeling fine today. Thanks for asking. I think whatever it was is out of my system now.” I can’t get over how easy it is to carry on with this lie—and how much I hate having to do it.

“As long as you’re feeling better, that’s all that counts. And don’t worry about the seminar. I’m sure there will be some kind of summary online that I can read later.”

“I’m sorry again that I wasn’t able to take notes for you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kim looks down at her watch, her eyes bulging slightly. “This morning is really getting away from me. What time is our first patient?”

I open the scheduler on the computer and look at when the first patient is due to arrive. “Nine o’clock,” I say, noticing that only gives us a few minutes to get the office ready.

“Then I guess I’d better get ready,” she says with a smile. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” She gets halfway down the hall before yelling back to me. “Write down the hours you were there last night. I want to make sure you get the overtime that you’re due.”

So not only did I not complete the task at hand, I’m still going to get paid for the time I put in. I feel terrible.

I sit down at my desk and before my seat even has a chance to get warm, Alexis breezes through the door. “Dahlia, do you have the coffee ready yet?” she asks, then looks over at the coffee maker. It’s turned off but still has coffee in the carafe, probably from Kim this morning. “Ugh,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “How old is that coffee?” She gives me just a split second to respond, and when I don’t, she says, “Never mind. Just bring me a cup whenever you have more ready.” She vacates the area and heads down the hall, back to her office where she shuts the door harder than necessary.

What was that all about? Does she think I’m her assistant now too? If that’s the case, I might have to have a talk with Kim because that’s not what I was hired for. I’m here to run the office and take care of patients and make sure their needs are met, not fetch Alexis her coffee. But just to make sure I don’t have to deal with her again, I take the carafe to the sink at the back of the office, dump out the old coffee, and start a new pot. Thatisat least in my job description.

Ten minutes after I sit down, a text message pops up on my screen. I don’t know why, but I immediately thought it was going to be from Justin. A small part of me was hoping that he’d realize his mistake last night and want to attempt a relationship with me after all. But I should’ve known better. He and I are done, and there’s no point in thinking about something that isn’t going to happen. It’s actually a text from the group chat between Chelsea, Lorelei, and me.

CHELSEA:Girls’ night tonight?

It seems like forever ago that I was last out with my friends, but in reality, it’s only been a few days. A lot has happened since then, and it would be nice to unload some of my feelings onto them, and maybe drown them away with a few drinks. A night out tonight sounds perfect.

ME:I’m in

LORELEI:Me too

CHELSEA:Sushi tonight? There’s a place in Wallingford I want to check out

I’ve never been a big fan of sushi, but that’s largely because I haven’t had much exposure to it. Growing up, we never really went out to eat because my mother was such a good cook and always felt like she could make something better herself. But sushi was out of her wheelhouse, so we never ate it. I didn’t have sushi until I was in high school and my friends took me out to try it. It’s good, but not my favorite. However, if my friends want sushi tonight, I’m down for it.

ME:Sushi sounds great

After meeting at my place,we all carpooled together in Lorelei’s car to the sushi restaurant. I guess when Chelsea suggested a sushi restaurant, I was expecting something a little flashier since that’s more Chelsea’s style. But this place is located in a strip of stores, and if it weren’t for the faded green awning telling us that this is a sushi restaurant, I would’ve thought it was just another retail store like the others in this strip. When we step in, the interior looks dated and drab, but the food must be good because the place is packed. We manage to find a small table in the corner and a server greets us almost immediately.

We place our drink orders, a beer for each of us, and the server waits while we decide what to eat. Because my exposure to sushi is severely limited, Chelsea orders a chicken teriyaki plate for me. She says it’s something I’ll be more familiar with and might actually eat. Once our beers are placed in front of us, Lorelei starts in with the inquisition.

“Okay, Dahlia. You’ve been really tight-lipped about the guy from the bar you went home with the other day. What’s going on with him?” Lorelei’s dressed down tonight in a sweatshirt and skinny jeans. Even her hair is taking the night off because she’s pulled it up into a messy bun. She must’ve known this place wasn’t fancy, and it’s a shame no one told me because I dressed up in a nice sweater and jeans.

“Geez. At least let me take a sip of my beer first,” I say with a slight eye roll. Slowly, I pick my glass up off the table and bring it to my lips. I take the longest, most exaggerated sip just to make them wait.

Chelsea, who is also wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, lets out a sigh. “Come on. Lorelei and I have been wondering because you’ve been strangely silent about the whole thing. Normally, you’re more forthcoming with information.”

“There’s really nothing to tell. It was a one-night stand that didn’t go any longer than one night. I had hoped it would turn into something more because I really liked the guy, but it wasn’t meant to be. Whatever happened with the bodybuilder?” Now that I’ve told them about the outcome with Justin, it’s time for them to spill.

“I left the bodybuilder at the bar,” Chelsea says. “All he wanted to talk about was his workouts and how much he could bench press. Never once did he ask me about my life.”

“That sucks,” I say with a frown. “It seemed like you two were having a good time.” I take another sip of my beer, then turn my attention toward Lorelei. “And how are things going with Justin’s friend?”

“Still going,” Lorelei says with a grin. “We’re going out again tomorrow.”

“Good. At least one of us had some success with men,” I say.

Our food is placed in front of us, and Chelsea offers me a piece of her tuna roll, but I decline. “You’re still not telling us much about your one-night stand. Why isn’t it going to go any farther than the one night?” Chelsea asks while shoving sushi into her mouth.

“Justin is studying to be a doctor, and he’s in his residency. It turns out, he’s a resident at my doctor’s office, so we can’t be together because it would go against the code of ethics that doctors take.” I leave out the fact that Justin is studying to be a gynecologist and that he almost had to partake in my Pap test. My friends already think it’s weird that I see a male gynecologist, and something tells me that if they knew Justin was studying to be one, they’d probably tell me I’m better off without him.

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