Page 95 of Just One Kiss

“I spoke with a doctor in East Lansing this morning.” Josh looked at Carly. “Sorry, he called back when you were sleeping so I answered.”

“Oh?” Dr. Roby clicked his pen and stuck it in the chest pocket on his white coat.

“He said it’s outdated thinking that ICDs prevent athletes from participating in sports. We’ve got an appointment with him in a couple of weeks.”

“Josh—” Carly could feel her promotion slipping straight through her fingers.

“Very good,” Dr. Roby said. “I’ll be in touch to check in, and you let me know if you have any other questions.”

He seemed to force a smile before leaving the room.

The door opened seconds later and David, dressed in a pair of khakis, a button-down, tie and white coat, walked in. She imagined David standing in front of the mirror at the gym, carefully combing and gelling every hair neatly in place.

Carly ran her hands through her own hair as if that could somehow make her seem more put together and not at all like a person who’d just woken up five minutes ago.

David’s eyes jumped from Jaden to Josh to Carly, and then he turned awkward. “Good morning. I came to check on the patient.”

Jaden said nothing. Josh said nothing. Carly quickly stood and moved toward him, while Josh took her spot on the opposite side of Jaden’s bed.

“That was nice of you,” she said. She looked at her own attire, a pair of flannel Christmas pajama pants and an old gray T-shirt. “I look like a mess.”

He smiled at her. “You look cute.”

She could practicallyfeelher son and his father rolling their eyes.

“Do you want to step out into the hallway?” she asked.

He nodded toward Josh and Jaden, then turned and led Carly out of the room, but once they were out there, she realized she didn’t have much to say.

“Heard things went well,” he said. “I would’ve been by sooner, but I worked late.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It’s nice of you to come by,” she said.

David nodded, seeming to search for another conversation topic, and she didn’t fault him for coming up empty. The situation was strange, what with Josh in the next room and her attention now solely on her son’s recovery.

“I should probably get back,” she said.

“Of course.” He took a step away from her. “Should I call you?”

She pressed her lips together and looked up at him. She’d been lamenting Josh’s inability to follow through, and she had a feeling that would never be an issue with a man like David. He was, now that she thought about it, the exact opposite of Josh. He was focused and driven and reliable. He could bring much-needed stability to her life, and she couldn’t deny she’d been craving that.

Josh, on the other hand, couldn’t keep a simple promise and show up when he said he would.

Though, an argument could be made that his reasons were well intentioned. But that wouldn’t justify the anger she was so desperately trying to hold on to.

“I’d like that,” she said.

He reached out and put a hand on her arm, patted it twice, nodded and walked away, leaving Carly feeling like she’d just been dismissed by a rich uncle.

25

Text message from Dara Dempsey to Carly:

I’m so sorry, Carly. I’m not supposed to say anything, but I guess they’ve hired my replacement. They went with someone external. I don’t know what happened. I really thought you were a shoo-in.

* * *

The smell of coffee lured Josh from slumber.

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