Page 67 of Hearts on the Table
“We can ask,” she agreed, but she was shaking her head as if she didn’t hold out much hope. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the rest of my night with her, either. Her mother’s face popped up on her phone, and I knew we were done.
“Crap. I have to take this. Do you mind getting the car?” Lainey lifted her phone with her fingertips, looking warily at her mother’s face on the screen.
“You sure? You want to leave?” I didn’t like the idea, but I hated her feeling uncomfortable even more.
“Yeah, sorry, I…yes…Hi, Mom, how are…no, I didn’t see your calls, sorry. I was away from my phone.”
I escaped the restaurant without much fanfare. When I pulled up to where she stood at the curb, she was still on her phone, looking distraught. She ducked into the car.
“Well, I don’t appreciate you talking with my directors without my knowledge, Mom. No, I didn’t intend for it to go viral. I didn’t even take the video! One of the nurses must have sent it around and Cedar picked it up.”
She nodded and muttered, “uh-huh” as I drove back to my place. I could hear snatches of her mother’s voice coming through her speaker. Lainey crossed her legs and arms, clenched up.
“No, I don’t need media training from your team again. This is going to blow over…Because I want it to blow over. I’m not making this any bigger than what it needs to be.”
She shook her head, glaring out the window. “No. I’m not leaving the rest of my fellowship to do a media tour with you…Because it’s my career and I want to finish what I started!” A massive sigh. “Taking me out of the OR would make me miserable…Well, tell Kathleen I’m not doing it. I’ll give them a sound bite or a quote or something.”
On and on her conversation went like that. She didn’t make any moves to get out of the car when I pulled into the garage, so I sat with her while she tried to wind down the call. Her mom sounded excited. Lainey sounded like she’d rather drive a nail through her eye than contemplate more media exposure.
“Okay, that’s fine. Have them email me whatever and I’ll sign off on it…Yes, I’m sure. No interviews.” Her mother’s voice rose excitedly. I caught the words “Harvard” and “New York Presbyterian.” Lainey’s fingers clenched.
“No. My life ishere. I don’t want to move to the East Coast.” She flung her hand out, dropping it into my lap. I wasn’t sure she knew she’d done it, but I scooped her fingers up like they were a lifeline. Just a few hours ago she’d been wrapped around me, naked. Now I was just glad to have her hand. The night had taken a truly bizarre nosedive.
“I’m not leveraging a viral video that has nothing to do with my surgical training to get a job in a different state. I know I had help getting into Cedar the first time, but I can do this by myself now.”
Her voice sounded steely. I couldn’t really do anything for her except stroke my thumb over her hand, but I hoped it came across as supportive. I listened as she hurried her mom off the phone, promising to schedule a call with someone named Lawrence later tonight. She practically flung her phone into her bag when it was done.
“I feel like I should apologize.” For what, I wasn’t sure, but I knew for certain that the day was completely ruined and I’d had something to do with it.
“You have nothing to apologize for. Even whoever took that video and sent it to Cedar couldn’t have foreseen this would happen.” She leaned over the console, sliding her other hand up my leg.
“I’m sorry it ruined our date. I was looking forward to this all week. At least we had a good day together. Didn’t we?” She fluttered her eyelashes. My gaze dropped to her mouth, remembering what she’d looked like on her knees…
“Yes.” We’d had an excellent time together earlier today.
“I knowIdid.” She smiled when our lips brushed. We’d been doing this almost nonstop for the better part of twenty-four hours. We’d gotten a rhythm down now. I knew when she wanted to tilt her head. She knew when I wanted to get deeper. It was heaven, kissing her.
“I was looking forward to an encore performance.” I nodded towards the door, already planning how we’d salvage our night together. We’d start on the couch because I wasn’t sure we’d make it to the bed, let alone the stairs.
“I wish I could,” she groaned, giving me a few more pecking kisses. “But my mother’s PR team is in a frenzy. I have to talk with her communications person to draft a statement they can give to the media. And NPR wants a sound bite in time for Morning Edition tomorrow. I’m just going to head home.”
“NPR?”
She was already heading out of the car, checking her phone. I could see the screen lighting up with notifications all the way from here. Within minutes, she’d grabbed her bag from inside, loaded up her car, and was driving away.
I stood in my garage wondering what the fuck had just happened.
Chapter 25
Sam
There’s nothing quite so ominous as getting called into your boss’s office first thing on Monday after the girl of your dreams ghosted you over the weekend. It's even more nerve-wracking when you’re stopped approximately every three feet by someone wanting to congratulate you or take a selfie. Our video hadn’t just gone viral. We were everywhere. Global.
“Hey! Dancing Doctors!” An Ortho bro stopped to administer some complicated high-five, fist-bump combo I barely kept up with. A pair of nurses snapped a picture with me before I could stop them. I wasn’t even at the elevator yet.
I opted for the stairs. I was sweating when I hit the tenth floor, but at least the trip had been quick, with limited interruptions.
“Reese! Man of the hour!” Caplan slid his phone into his suit pocket and clapped me on the back, steering me into his office, where I stopped short at the sight of Lainey’s ghost-white face.
