Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)(10)

“There is that.”

I’d adopted Lieutenant Dan when Amy and I were together. He was my dog, but we’d shared him pretty equally, and Amy loved him just as much as I did. I half-expected her to ask for partial custody, but luckily she didn’t fight me on it. She didn’t fight me for much, come to think of it. There was nothing to fight over. We’d never lived together, didn’t have kids.

I looked up at Gibson over the menu. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something. There’s a doctor here, Briana—Zander, I think you’re treating her brother?”

“Dr. Ortiz,” Gibson said a little warily. “Is she giving you problems?”

“No. She said something to me about you pulling strings for me? She seemed upset about it. Do you know what that’s about?”

He blew a breath through his lips. “She’s up to replace me when I go. I mentioned to her that I’ve put off retiring to give the staff a chance to get to know you before we vote on the next chief. She was not happy with me.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded. Well, that would do it.

“I have no interest in the position, Gibson.”

He looked surprised. “No? I just assumed you’d take a stab at it. You took a pretty big step down coming here.”

“My chief days are over. I came here to simplify my life.” And was failing miserably…

He let out a sigh. “Okay. Well, I can respect that.”

“Seems a little unfair to delay the vote on my behalf,” I said. “I can understand why she’d be frustrated.”

“Eh, it wouldn’t have mattered,” Gibson said dismissively. “No shade to you, I’m sure you’d put up a heck of a fight, but it’d be a landslide in her favor no matter how long I waited. Her team loves her and she’s a hell of a physician.”

“Then why bother putting off the vote?” I asked.

He picked up his menu and started to look it over. “I don’t like the optics of her running unchallenged. It takes validity out of the win and I don’t want anyone whispering under their breath that she got it because there was no one else. It’s not fair to her and it’s not a good way to enter a position of leadership.”

Zander bobbed his head. “So you put her up against an obvious front-runner—and let her obliterate him.” He looked impressed. “I like it.” He nodded at me. “Fucked up for you, but I do like it.”

I also liked it. Not the me losing part, but the reason for it. At least it had been well intentioned.

“As noble as it sounds, I’m still going to have to opt out,” I said.

Gibson nodded. “Noted. Well, I’m sticking around anyway in case someone else brave enough to challenge her surfaces. And honestly, I’m happy for the extra couple of months. I’m not ready to leave yet. Quitting after twenty years is a lot. And spending all that time with Jodi? I don’t know if I’m ready for it.”

“You’re not,” Zander said. “Trust me. I look forward to my husband’s curling trips all year so I can get some peace.”

Gibson shook his head over his menu. “I suppose you don’t take a job like this one if you’re happy at home. Unless you’re in your position. I’d imagine Amy didn’t care, since she saw you at work anyway.”

“She cared,” I muttered. I didn’t elaborate. “And anyway, I didn’t really want the chief position then either. I was sort of pushed into it by the team. It’s not really my thing.”

Gibson waved me off. “If they pushed you into it, it’s your thing. You’re diplomatic, fair, and you don’t lean toward drama. They respected you. Briana’s the same way, actually. Though a little bit more of a bulldog.”

Zander raised a finger at a server to call her over. “Briana will make a good chief—if you ever get the hell out of here.”

Gibson chuckled.

“How’s the anxiety?” Zander asked me. “Not easy being the new guy.”

“It’s been okay,” I lied again.

“Starting a new job has gotta be like your own personal hell,” Zander went on. “The grown-up version of standing up in front of the class and introducing yourself.”

I scoffed. It was exactly like that. Only I was naked too and my dog ate my homework.

Luckily our server came over before I had to get more into it. Zander ordered one of every appetizer for the table, so the guys didn’t order any entrées, but I got a salad. I’d try what came, but I wouldn’t fill up on fried foods and sodium.

When my mental health was struggling, I had a strict self-care regime. The second I started to notice the glitchy, staticky feeling creeping in, I made a concerted effort to exercise and get enough sleep. I cut out alcohol, processed sugar, and carbs, tried to eat more whole foods. Journaled. It all helped. And right now I needed all the help I could get. I was teetering on some precipice, trying not to fall. Amy and Jeremiah, my family, my new job—all of it prodding me to the drop-off.

The guys’ cocktails were delivered, and I got my club soda and lime. They went into stories about their patients as I sat back and enjoyed the distraction. I was glad I came. I needed this. A reminder that there were people who liked me.

Interactions like this one didn’t wear me out. They knew me. They didn’t take it personally if I slipped into silence and just listened. They didn’t give me a hard time about not having any alcohol, which is something I never did either, to anyone. You never knew what someone’s reason was for not drinking.