Page 26 of Endurance
She nods with sympathy. “I can understand that and if I didn’t see such great potential in you, I wouldn’t care. However, when you are working in a professional career, the company you keep can affect all that you’ve worked for.”
I look down, picking at a hangnail on my index finger and ruing the day I met Tanner Harris. I’ve been a doctor for many years and have made some questionable choices regarding the company I kept. It was how I let off steam. It was how Indie and I lived our Tequila Sunrise mantra. But never has it turned into something I was forced to discuss with my employer. This is mortifying.
Right when I’m about to come clean about everything to Dr. Miller, she begins speaking again. “The company you keep can also advance your career.” Her eyes narrow with a conspiratorial glint. “Connections, networking, funding. It’s all equally important in this field.”
Frowning, I say, “I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.”
“I’m sure you’re aware of our Foetal Surgery Foundation benefit coming up in two weeks.” I nod. “This is the event that gets us money for research and training. The funding helps me hire fellows like you. It’s what keeps this specialty growing so that we can continue to identify abnormalities and create minimally invasive procedures to correct them. To save babies, Dr. Ryan.”
“Of course,” I reply, my voice urgent with understanding.
“Finding donors gets harder and harder every year, but a contact in the world of professional football could be wonderful for opening doors. England loves their soccer!”
I smile politely as her unsubtle meaning becomes clear. It reminds me of exchanges I heard between my parents whenever a boujie family came into our lives.
“You’d like me to try to get some of Tanner’s contacts to attend the event.”
She purses her lips. “It would turn your lemons into lemonade, hon. And it would help the good work we’re doing here.”
I swallow once, feeling a heavy sense of foreboding wash over me. “I’m sure I can arrange something.”
She beams. “Oh, Dr. Ryan, that would be wonderful! This year’s event is sure to be the best one yet!” She gets up and twirls toward her filing cabinet. “Now, we’d better get a move on. You’re scrubbing in on a urinary tract obstruction today.”
“SO LET’S HEAR IT.HOW’Dit go?” Camden asks as I stride out of my bedroom, scratching my abs and beelining for the coffeepot.
“How’d what go?” I grumble, pushing the messy snarls of hair out of my face.
Having longer hair has made me far more sympathetic to women. It’s high fucking maintenance, and it’s not lost on me that I can no longer just roll out of bed and head out for the day. Now I have to tame the mane on a daily basis.
But at least I’m not identical to Cam anymore.
“How was the other night? I’m looking at the pictures right now.”
I pour my coffee and exhale, shuffling over to his seat at the breakfast bar. Without asking, I snatch his mobile from his hands and flop my elbows down on the counter, lazily scrolling through the photos. Santino had sent me some links but I didn’t want to click on them. Knowing my brother is trolling the net has me curious, though.
I’m relieved to see there are no shots of Belle chucking the wine in my face. And there are no shots of us going inside the hotel to visit Sedgwick. The photos also aren’t a glowing review of our fake relationship. We are clearly in the midst of a quarrel, but the kiss that comes after the sequence of fighting shots looks somewhat redeeming. The best shot is one of us back in the restaurant when she’s eating her dessert. I’m laughing at something and her eyes are practically twinkling with delight staring back at me. If there wasn’t photographic proof, I’d hardly believe we looked at each other that way.
“Harryn?” I groan. “They came up with a couple name for us already? This is fucking ridiculous.” I pause and try the word out a few more times in my head. “Harryn is the best they could do?”
“It’s probably your beard,” Cam says over a mouthful of cereal, like a twelve-year-old boy with it dribbling down his chin. “What did you expect? You’ve been whoring yourself around London like a champion stallion for the last few months and now you’ve been seen with the same woman two nights in a row. They see wedding bells in your future.”
I scoff, “This arrangement is going to be the death of me.”
“Why do you say that? Belle’s not so bad. I thought you fancied her once upon a time.”
“I did. I still do…a bit. But as a shag and bag type.”
I hand his mobile back to him and hitch myself up on the counter, grabbing my coffee for comfort.
“I see.” Camden stands up from his seat and stretches, a purple bruise colouring the inside of his bicep just below his ink—a result of his match yesterday, I’m sure.
“Congrats on your goal the other day.”
He gives me a small smile. One that looks polite and slightly uncomfortable. “It’s no big deal.”
I frown, watching him walk around me to the sink and placing his bowl inside. “Of course it’s a big deal. This is your first season with Arsenal. You’re killin’ it, broseph.”
“Yeah, but still. It’s just a game.”
