Page 9 of Axe-identally Married
Cole gave me a gentle nudge. “So you’re filling in for him?”
I nodded.
“For how long?”
“Forever. Even if he makes a full recovery, he’s in his sixties and was planning to hand the practice over to me eventually. I thought I’d have a few more years for training and for enjoying life somewhere other than Lovewell, Maine, but here I am.”
“And you’re a real doctor already?”
A hint of irritation sparked through me like it did every time someone discounted me. I’d faced this question regularly since taking over the medical practice in town.
“I’m board certified in internal medicine,” I said slowly. “And completed X and Y.”
“Sorry.” He winced. “I wasn’t trying to offend you. You’re so young.”
“I’m fully qualified. And Dr. Walters came out of retirement to help out.”
A shudder racked Cole’s body. “He’s still alive?”
“Yes,” I said. “And still as charming as ever. But he’s a damn good doctor. He’s only in three days a week, but it’s a big help to me.”
“Sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Vegas is a great place to cut loose.”
I nodded. “That was my plan. But.” I pressed my lips together, working through a way to explain my thoughts to someone like him. “My friends…” Sighing, I shook my head. “Things are different now. Lila is off living in Boston, going to grad school, engaged and living her dreams.” I was happy for her. She deserved it all. But all this change was unsettling. “And Magnolia is globe-trotting. Dating someone new. Wheeling and dealing and lending me a house.”
“You feel left behind,” he said softly.
A dull pang echoed through my chest. That was exactly it.
He held my gaze for a long moment, and understanding passed between us. “Welcome to the club,” he said, lowering his head. “Want me to teach you the secret handshake?”
I smiled, grateful for the levity he’d brought to the conversation. “Is it complicated?”
“Nah. Mostly shaking your fist at the universe and moping.”
Strangely, a little bubble of joy erupted inside me. “Ooh. I’ll be great at that.”
“So,” he said, sitting back on the bench, “in celebration of your induction into the left-behind saddie club, let’s have some fun.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Nothing in particular. But if you want to get a little wild and forget about your troubles for a day or two, Vegas is the place, and I’m an excellent wingman.”
Huh. The sensations that continued to spark inside me were damn confusing. The last person I expected to hang out with inVegas was Cole Hebert. But he wasn’t wrong. We were the two odd men out here. We’d both been left behind by our people.
I pushed my hair behind my ears, hit by the strangest urge to open up to him. “I thought I’d have a few years in New York with my friends. We had plans. Well, I had plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“To get more training and become an awesome doctor, obviously,” I said. “But also to start living for me. Develop my friendships, find hobbies, have the kind of experiences everyone lives through in their twenties.”
“But you’re thirty.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” I glared at him, though there was no heat behind it. He was just stating the obvious. “But I spent my twenties in med school, then completing an internship and residency. I put everything I had into my career.” My shoulders slumped at the thought. “I’m grateful. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been counting down to the moment it would finally be my turn to get a little wild. Make some mistakes, be silly, figure out who I am beyond medicine.”
He nodded, his eyes softening.
Why the hell I was telling all my innermost thoughts to the hockey bro who’d screwed over my best friend was beyond me, but I felt at ease with him.
