Page 26 of Hearts on the Table
“You think this is about Nate? Screw Nate. This is about you. You were my person, Katie. And you took everything from me.”
“You were my person, too,” she hiccuped, uneven.
“I wasn’t. I would have picked you every day of the week over him. And Ilovedhim. So much. But I loved you more.” I slapped at the tickling underneath my eye. Must be a breeze in here, or something. “But you know what? It’s fine. We all endedup where we needed to. You loved him more, I guess. Good job. Have him, the condo, Presbyterian, all of it. But now, just as I’m getting my own freaking life together again, you want to come here and steal that, too? How did you think this would go, Katie? That I’d just say good luck, welcome to Chicago?”
“I-I’m so…so sorry,” she wheezed, tears filling her eyes. “You were my person. You were. And I couldn’t imagine life without you. So, when Nate and I…started falling for each other, I convinced myself…that you would be okay with it after a while. I know that sounds so stupid, but I thought we could be stronger than all that. And maybe I still think that now. It’s been so long, Lainey. And I miss you so much. I still miss you all the time.”
“You chose that. You made your decisions, and I am allowed to make mine.”
I recoiled as she reached her hands out. “I know that. You have no clue how much I know that. But…maybe after all this time…It’s been years, Lainey. I thought maybe if you’d found someone else, and had moved on a little, we could have a fresh start.”
“We can’t.”
“R-right. I understand. Of course.” Her head was spring-loaded, bobbing up and down. She ignored the tears running down her face. “Listen, I have no right to a-ask you this, but you’re a-already pissed. Do people here know about…what happened between you and Nate? Between all three of us?”
“How many years later and you still can’t say it, Katie? That you fucked my boyfriend for months right under my nose?”
She hiccuped, trying to control a sob rising in her chest. The movement jostled her top, highlighting her belly.Pregnant.
“Y-yes. That we cheated, and that’s the reason you left your spot at Presbyterian. How many people know besides Dr. Reese?” She sniffed, swiping her wrist across her cheekbone.
“He doesn’t know. No one knows. I left Texas back in Texas.” Where it belonged.
“You weren’t there last night. Reese was so cold to Nathan. Now he’s terrified he’ll never get a chance at Cedar because everyone knows what happened. We can’t commit to moving here if he doesn’t at least have a chance.”
My palm flew to my forehead. “Oh, God. How horrible! You mean he might actually have to face the consequences of his own actions? God forbid.” More tears leaked down her chin. “Well, don’t worry about it. No one knows. I don’t know why Reese was weird with you last night.”Maybe because you acted like a psycho and fled as soon as your ex and ex-best friend crashed the party?Yeah. Maybe.
“Really? Dr. Reese doesn’t know?”
“Yes, really. Nate will have a fair playing field, just like the rest of us.” I kicked at the carpet.Dr. Reese.I didn’t know whether to laugh or give into the prickling behind my eyes or claw her eyes out because I hated hearing her say his name. I hated that she even knew he existed to begin with.
“Thank you. Lainey, thank you so much. That’s…thank you.”
“I hate you.” Katie recoiled at the force of the words. Good. Maybe she’d back away all the freakin’ way to Texas. But I knew that wouldn’t happen, not when she’d already accepted the position here. “I hate you for doing this to me again,” I hissed, staring up at the ceiling once more, this time to keep the traitorous tears from sliding down. “What am I supposed to do now? Where am I supposed to go again? Are you going to chase me around the country or something? Just pick up and move and ruin my life every few years?”
“Lainey, I’m so sorry. Of course not, it was never our intention—”
“Lainey?”
Sam’s low timbre cut through the high-pitched frequency of my distress. Suddenly, I realized I was only partially obscured from my colleagues—those whom my mother needed to impress…those whom I needed to impress.
“You good?” Sam took another step into the little alcove that had become more like a fighting ring. I’d been taking punches since I walked in here.
“Sorry, I’m sorry.” I didn’t know why I was apologizing. But one thing became crystal clear. “I need to get out of here.”
“I’ll drive.”
“Lainey!” Katie whispered after me. Her voice held universes—grief, hope, anger, despair, familiarity. I let Reese’s warm hand on my back lead me out of the hotel.
Chapter 11
Lainey
After a few minutes of blindly riding around in the passenger seat of his car, it occurred to me that Sam deserved some sort of explanation. We’d been sitting in silence since exiting the parking garage, when he’d reminded me to buckle my seatbelt.
He hadn’t asked me why I’d been crying in an alcove with my arch-nemesis. My usually stoic attending was true to form, navigating around the crowded Chicago streets like he was unbothered by the panicking colleague currently riding shotgun.
“She’s…” I cleared my throat, needing to try again. “She used to be my best friend. Her husband, Nate? He used to be my boyfriend. They…got together while I was still with him.”
