Hotshot Doc(92)

“Bailey.”

She smiles. “Can I be honest with you, Bailey?”

I nod, bracing myself for some salacious piece of gossip that will tear through my heart.

“You seem like you’re too sweet for Matt.”

Funny. Most days I think it might be the other way around. No one at New England Medical Center would believe me though. In this building, he walks around like a hulking beast with a short fuse and a ferocious growl. They have no idea of the man he truly he is.

“Matt’s told me a little bit about your relationship,” I venture, curious to see her reaction.

“Oh god,” she groans. “I was a real bitch there at the end. I hope he didn’t paint me too poorly.”

I smile. “Not at all. He actually puts a lot of the blame on himself.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” She leans back in her chair and nibbles off a bite of chocolate. “We were both young. We wanted different things.” Her gaze shifts and she studies me as if contemplating her next words very carefully. Then she continues solemnly, “Matt’s not ever going to change. Work will always be his mistress and you’ll always have to look the other way. When we were married, I tried to keep myself busy. I volunteered at the library and got a part-time job. I never wanted to be a nag when he didn’t show up for dinner or missed my calls. I really toughed it out for a while, but in the end, I just couldn’t see what the allure was for him. I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t prioritize me over his job.” She shrugs. “But he worked himself ragged then. Maybe he’s different now.”

I think of the spare pillow and blankets in his office and laugh. “He’s not.”

Her mouth twitches in disappointment. “I’m not trying to warn you away from him, honestly. Matt just always seemed slightly out of my reach even when we were married, like I always loved him a little more than he loved me. It drove me crazy. I guess I just want to be sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

I look down at my hands and let her words settle over me. She’s not exactly telling me anything I didn’t already know. I half-expected her to launch into a tirade about all his idiosyncrasies like ex-spouses do when they’ve been pushed well past their limit. Here’s another thing: he never put the toilet seat back down after he went to the bathroom! And is it that freaking hard to load your dish in the dishwasher instead of leaving it in the sink?

This warning about a man who is devoted to his work is exactly the version of Matt that tugged on my heartstrings in the first place.

“It’s funny, I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but it makes perfect sense for him to fall for someone like you.” I jerk my gaze back to her and find that she’s been studying me intently. “You’re beautiful, obviously, but it’s more than that. You seemed so competent in that operating room earlier. I stood in the back of the gallery and watched the way you two worked together, almost as if you were one person instead of two.” Then she laughs, thinking of something. “And God knows you won’t have to worry about spending enough time together. That surgery lasted forever! I was tired just watching it.”

I smile and just then, a deep voice calls her name near the entrance of the building. She turns and waves cheerfully. Meanwhile, my heart lurches in my chest. I lean forward so I can peek one eye around the wing of the leather chair and watch as Matt veers from his route toward the elevator bank and makes his way over to us. My eyes widen. My heart starts racing. Should I lean back and pretend I don’t see him? Make a mad dash for it?

With the subtlety of a freight train plowing straight into me, Matt’s attention swoops in my direction. The surprise on his face vanishes. His blue eyes cloud over and now I swear he’s taking even faster, longer strides. The ball of tension I’ve been living with all week is back and bigger than ever.

He reaches us and comes to stand beside my chair, gripping the top edge. I peer up at him from beneath my lashes but don’t say a word. From this angle, his jaw looks especially chiseled.

Victoria is actually the first one to speak, and her voice is light and amused when she explains, “I’ve just been chatting with your surgical assistant, Matt.”

The look he aims down at me cuts me deep. Furrowed brows, sad eyes—it’s like he thinks I introduced myself to her as his surgical assistant and nothing more.

“I also told her we’re dating.”

Well…we were.

Relief floods his gaze before he turns to Victoria.

She’s beaming at us.

“You two make a striking pair in your matching scrubs,” she says, waving her hand up and down us. “Though I have to be honest, I already told Bailey she’s way too good for you.”

He smiles tightly and shakes his head. “Well, let’s hope she doesn’t listen to you. I hear pregnancy brain is a real thing.”

She tosses her head back and laughs, and I sit like a statue, suddenly uncomfortable to be sitting here with them. Maybe I should give them a moment of privacy. I shoot to my feet and my sandwich hits the ground with a dull smack.

Oh, right, my lunch. My stomach lurches in protest at the sight. I couldn’t finish it now if I tried.

Matt’s hand hits my shoulder and his grip is just the slightest bit too tight. The message is clear: he doesn’t want me to leave, but I need to. I want to give them the chance to talk, and I want to absorb what Victoria just told me. I want to gather myself a bit before I have to speak to him in full, comprehensible sentences.