Page 23 of The Exception

Quinn giggled, and Sonya shot Trav a glare but it didn’t wipe that grin away. If anything, it made it go even wider, putting his dimples on full display. Sometimes she really wanted to punch him right in his handsome face, but that would probably be frowned upon with her being his preceptor and all.

“So, I have news…” Quinn said, grabbing Sonya’s hands and literally pulling her back into the conversation.

Sonya looked into her friend’s eyes and her heart dropped. The soft look, the perma-smile, the barely contained squeal… it could only mean one thing.

No. Not this. Not today.

“Alex proposed!” Quinn announced with an excited little bounce.

“Congrats,” Trav said, but Sonya wasn’t quite ready to celebrate the news. Of course she was happy for Quinn and Alex. They were adorable and good people too. But it was just too soon. Now she had to try to muster what was left of her enthusiasm for weddings to demonstrate an appropriate reaction to Dr. Jackson’s engagement.

“I’m so happy for you,” she said, and if her response was a little low-key, Quinn didn’t notice.

“Now I understand why he asked so many questions about what I liked about your ring at your engagement party,” she said.

Quinn held her hand up to show off her emerald cut diamond ring that seemed to reflect every bit of light in the hallway, making it shimmer like it had its own spotlight. The ring wasn’t a duplicate of the one she’d given back to Marcus in any way, but it reminded her of a time when she’d been like Quinn—in love and hopeful for a future that ended up not being real.

“It’s… beautiful. He did good,” she whispered.

“Yeah, he did,” Quinn said in a mushy voice. “So how was your trip? It must be tough having a pilot fiancé who whisks you away on romantic vacations all the time.”

She’d been dreading this moment. Telling one person at the hospital about the breakup was the same as telling everyone about it, and being on the subject of the hospital gossip wasn’t on her to-do list.

But maybe it was time to get it over with. The reception celebrating the opening of the new wing was in a few weeks. hen the chair next to hers remained empty, people were going to put two and two together and come up with four, so might as well get it over with before she was the talk of the party.

She straightened her shoulders and said, “Marcus and I aren’t together anymore.”

The smile vanished from Quinn’s face, and Sonya felt Trav’s wide-eyed stare burning her cheek. She’d have to deal with that later. Right now, it was taking all she had just to keep her facade from crumbling.

“Oh… I—I’m sorry,” Quinn stuttered.

Her eyes had taken on the look that Sonya hated. It was a look filled with questions she didn’t want to answer and pity she didn’t need. No matter what anyone else thought, she wasfine. She’d avoided a marriage that probably wouldn’t have lasted. She was more than fine, she wasthankful.

She’d never been good at lying, even to herself. Still, she forced her lips into a thin smile and summoned every bit of confidence she had to inject into her tone.

“It’s fine. It was a mutual decision,” she explained.

From her furrowed brow, that explanation only seemed to confuse Quinn more. But Sonya wanted to set the narrative before people started making up their own.

“Maybe we can get drinks after work one day so you can tell me all about it?” Quinn suggested.

Sonya nodded and Quinn was on her way a second later with promises to text her for details. She lingered for a few seconds rubbing the place where her ring had been, until she remembered that Trav was there.

Get it together, girl.

She forced herself to stand a little bit taller, ignoring the questions she saw in Trav’s eyes.

“Now that you’re hydrated and medicated, I need you to go pick up the supply order from the dispensary.”

“I thought we were—”

“Plans change,” she snapped without meaning to. She’d have to apologize for that later. “I’ll meet you in Frank’s room when you’re done, okay?”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond. She needed to regroup and prep for being the talk of the hospital.

Thirteen

The gym was packed and Trav considered just running on the trail behind the hospital as usual. However, three days of torrential rain had probably turned it into a swamp, and mud runs were something he was glad to have left behind in the army.

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