Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
In the living room, I took a seat in the overstuffed chair by the fireplace, and Celia sat on the couch where I had fallen asleep the night before. I told her to put her feet up on the coffee table, and she thanked me before stretching out her legs.
“How far along are you?”
She placed a maternal hand on her swollen abdomen. “Five and a half months, now.”
I nodded, then took another sip of coffee.
She took a deep breath. “God, that smells so good.”
“What? The coffee?”
She smiled and nodded.
“I thought caffeine was okay.”
“Some say yes, some say no. I figure it’s better not to tempt fate at thirty-six.”
“You’re thirty-six?” I asked, amazed.
She laughed. I could tell she didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help it. “Yeah. How old did you think I was? Forty?”
“No,” I told her honestly, “I thought maybe twenty-eight, thirty at the most.”
“Oh, really?” I had caught her off guard. “Thank you.”
There was silence then, and she finally fixed her gaze on me, not in a mean way, just straight in the eye, really looking at me. “I’m sorry. Truly. It wasn’t my intent to seduce your partner.”
“So why did you?”
“First off, I had no idea he was involved with anyone. There was no ring, and he didn’t announce it.”
“Sure.”
“And second, I’ve never met anyone like him.”
“In what way?”
She thought a moment. “Gorgeous, smart, funny, dedicated, gentle… I went to the conference to recruit him for the Dedham Foundation, and I totally blew it.”
“Yet that’s where he works now in private practice.”
“Yes.”
The plot thickened. “So you both work at Dedham.”
“I don’t work there yet. I’m a consultant. I work as a cardiovascular surgeon now. I’m a resident, but I also do advisory work for the Dedham Foundation. After the baby’s born, I plan to join the board there, as they’ve offered me a seat.”
I nodded.
“They used to be a pharmaceutical company, and then they expanded to research and development, and finally to what they are today, which is a privately funded facility for rare diseases. It’s an incredibly prestigious company that subsists on private donations from elite benefactors.”
“But then why solicit Breckin? He was an ER doctor. He liked being in the trenches and helping out regular people,” I said flatly. “He doesn’t do snooty fundraisers and fancy-shmancy hundred-dollar-plate dinners. He’s a Democrat, for crissakes.”
She chuckled, the sound unexpectedly soothing. “Here’s the thing: they need some in-the-trenches people. They need the perspective of the working doctor.”
“I see. So how did his name come up?”
“By accident, actually. Fenton Deveraux, who sits on the board of directors at Dedham, had to take his daughter to County about a year ago. They were in an automobile accident close to Fisherman’s Wharf, and due to the weather, they couldn’t helicopter Marissa to Los Angeles to her regular doctor. Breckin was on duty, and right off the bat, he identified the rare blood disease she has. Mr. Deveraux was all prepared to give Breckin her full medical history, and so when he didn’t have to, he was stunned.”
“He’s an impressive doctor.”
“He is. And since then, Mr. Deveraux has been really interested in the caliber of the hotshot young doctors we have in our public hospitals. He’s impressed and has made a point of saying again and again how Dedham could benefit from an influx of new talent. He wants to specifically scout and hire the best, and for him, that began with Breckin.”
“Makes sense. So you went to the conference to plead Dedham’s case.”
“I did.”
“But?”
She took a breath. “But, when we started talking, I was suddenly sixteen all over again. I’m not proud of what I did, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t just see him there and decide to go over and seduce him. I went to him to talk about Dedham. I remember introducing myself, and I had all the literature with me, the facts and figures I wanted to show him.”
“But?” I asked again.
“But then we started talking, and I started to notice things.”
“What things?”
She scrutinized me. “You really want to hear all this?”
“I do.” I took another sip of my coffee.
“Well, like how warm his eyes were, and how funny he was, and how charming. How I could just sit there and talk to him and how easy and natural it was.”
“Sure.”
“I realize now that the ease and warmth he exudes is mostly due to you.” I waited silently until she went on. “He’s so very in love. He’s not on the prowl at all, not looking to impress anyone, just content and himself with everyone all the time. He has no hidden agenda, and he isn’t trying to get everyone he meets into bed, so he isn’t careful, and he holds nothing back. He spreads this warmth and tenderness, and it’s so…” She trailed off then, snapping her head up to look at me, afraid she’d said too much and offended me.