Page 20 of The Love We Deny
He accepts this with a nod, stepping back to tug on Emmett’s shirt now, asking him to play a game while I drive Will back home. I hold the door open as he straightens up, stepping past me into the cool night.
After he’s in his motel room and I can see the light flick on through the curtains, I pull out my phone and stare at Jess’s contact.
I press call.
It goes straight to voicemail.
Chapter 6
Karen has been a patient for about three years.
I met her for the first time when she brought her son in for a check-up before the new school year. He’s a sweet kid. Shy at first, moving to a new town and all, but he’s come out of his shell the last few years.
She’s a single parent, tough, capable. A good mom. Moved here alone after what Jess told me was a nasty divorce, leaving everything she knew for a fresh start in our little town.
I’ve seen her cutting hair at the local salon where Addie gets her eyebrows waxed once a month, and she always says hello.
I head to the waiting room and call her name.
She stands, smoothing the front of her shirt that I can’t help but notice is cut lower than what I would expect my patients to be wearing. “Hi, Dr. Murphy,” she says, her voice warmer than usual, her smile a bittoobright for someone at the doctor’s office.
“Hello, Karen.” I hold the door open, and she passes close by me. Too close, maybe, but I’m probably reading into it. I lead her down the hall to exam room one and pull up her chart on the laptop while she settles onto the exam table. “How are you feeling? Anything new since your last visit?”
“Oh, I feel great,” she says, with a wave of her hand.
“Good.” I scan her chart, noting that everything from her previous check-up looked good, other than slightly elevatedblood pressure. But she’s young and otherwise healthy, so probably stress.
Mine isn’t much better these days.
I turn to face her, finding her already watching me move around the room with an easy smile. “I’m glad to hear it. Let’s go through the usual, and we’ll get you out of here.”
“There’s no rush, you know I’m always happy to see my favorite doctor.” I strap the blood pressure cuff around her arm, ignoring her comment. I can feel her eyes on my face the entire time.
“How areyoudoing?” she asks while I write down the numbers.
“I’m fine, thanks,” I lie for the third time today. But she doesn’t take the lie for what it is.
“You seem tired. Are you eating enough?”
I look up from the chart, fully aware that she’s doing the thing people have started to do after my divorce. Asking with pity and concern about my overall well-being now that my wife has up and left me. The soft eyes and the gentle voice.
“I eat fine.”
“It’s just, I went through a divorce too, you know? And I know how hard it was to remember to eat when I didn’t have someone to eat with.” She pauses. “I’m sorry, is that too personal? You seem like you’re managing so well, but I know what it feels like.”
She reaches out to put her hand on my shoulder, but I move before she can, grabbing my tools. “It can be hard, but I’m dealing the best I can,” I say, moving on swiftly. “Any more of those headaches we discussed?”
“They’ve mostly gone away.”
“Good. I’m going to take a look.”
She tips her chin up while I check her eyes and ears, remaining quiet until I step back. “So,” she continues when I go back to my laptop. “Are you dating again, or…”
She smells like something floral. It’s not unpleasant. Karen is a nice-looking woman. Brunette curls falling past her shoulders, big brown eyes, a nice smile. Maybe I would have been flattered by her interest if I hadn’t spent the majority of my life with the same person.
But there’s no place in my heart for someone else.
When I don’t respond, she forces a laugh. “Sorry. Probably not the best thing to ask my doctor.”
