Page 106 of One for the Road
They stood, waiting, as I ran my tongue over my teeth, needing something to quiet the turbulent storm building inside me. “I’m selling the surgery,” I told Callum, staring him square in the eye. “I interviewed a guy today who’s the perfect replacement.”
The clock ticked several times before he finally spoke. “Why?”
Wasn’t that the big fucking question?
“Did you know Dad got me into medical school?”
Callum frowned, obviously confused about where this was going. “Yeah, I remember he made a few calls.”
I scoffed bitterly.Of course he’d told Callum. “Well,Ididn’t know. Didn’t find out until the end of my first term when I failed on a practice lab report.My professor called me into his office and said, ‘I pulled a lot of strings on your dad’s behalf, you better not show me up, kid.’” The words were etched into my brain, clear as day. “The same happened with my first job too. The second my interviewer said, ‘I’m an old school pal of your dad’s,’ I knew the job was as good as mine.”
I’d spent weeks prepping for that interview. Rehearsed my answers in the bathroom mirror until I could recite them like a script.
“I thought I’d let it go . . .” I continued. “But as I got older, I couldn’t stop competing with him. Killing myself to make partner as some kind of evidence that I could have done it all without him.” My gaze slid to Juniper. “It didn’t matter who I hurt in that process.”
Her lips pinched.
“So . . . let me get this straight. Dad dies, leaves his practice to you and with one fell swoop he’s stolen the opportunity for you to make partner on your own too?” Callum concluded.
“Essentially.” I nodded. I couldn’t tell him about all the shit that had gone down before I left Glasgow. Or that I was thinking of packing medicine in altogether.
“Is this new guy – the doctor you interviewed – is he good?” he asked.
My hands curled into fists. “He’s a little by the book, but more than qualified.”Unfortunately.
“So how does Isla factor into all this?” Juniper asked.
“She knows,we – we are—” I broke off, unable to admit aloud that it had been fake between us. Because it was real. Exquisitely real. For me at least.
At a loss for what to say, I settled on, “Neither of us wanted anything serious.”
“And now things feel serious?”
“I can’t breathe when I think about her.”Which is all the fucking time. I tugged at my tie again, certain it was strangling me. “Does that sound serious?”
Callum smiled softly, like he was watching a baby deer walk for the first time. “It sounds like you need to talk to Isla. Find out what you both want.”
Andaskherwhat?Do you want to be my girlfriend?
No. Absolutelynot.
“Isla doesn’t want a serious relationship after all the shit with her ex,” I said. “She’s been clear from the start that Teddy is her number one priority.”
I was completely on board with that. Teddy should be her priority.
I wanted Isla to bemypriority.
Juniper laughed. She sounded happy.Happy for me or happy because I was miserable?“Okay,” she said. “Here’s what you’re going to do. Beg.”
“Beg?”
“Beg,” she confirmed.
My mouth hung open.Could it really be that easy?
“Women really aren’t as complicated as men like to make out. Literally all we want is a nice guy who isn’t a ‘nice guy’, who can provide ample orgasms and isn’t an emotionally closed-off bridge troll.”
“Every day you flatter me, sweetheart.” Callum kissed the side of her head.
