okay?”
“Yes. Sorry. You caught me off guard, that’s all.”
He sighed. “Didn’t mean to,” he said, regretting having mentioned it.
She swallowed. “You and I have something in common.”
“How so?”
“You never got to say goodbye to your mother, and I never got to say goodbye to my son.”
“Stephanie…” In that moment, he wanted to put down the phone, to crawl inside, and come out the other end. He wanted nothing more than to console her. She had lost a child. “I’m sorry if I—”
“That’s okay, Phil. I need to get off the phone nowanyway. I’ll see you at work,” she said, not giving him a chance to say another word.
Confused, he scrubbed his face. All he wanted was an uncomplicated romance, but having lived thirty-five years and dated for twenty of them, he knew there was no such thing.
When Stephanie arrived at work on Monday morning, all the nurses were abuzz with news about the yacht decorations. Gaby had used the office petty cash to purchase six small fake Christmas trees. “They all came complete with lights!” she said animatedly. “Now all we have to do is anchor them on the yacht.”
“Great!” Amy said. “And I found my grandmother’s decorations from the old country, and my lederhosen still fit!”
Another nurse chimed in. “I’ve got a bunch of Philippine Christmas lanterns we can use for one of the trees, too.”
Stephanie did her usual fading into the woodwork rather than join in.
Claire appeared, honey-blonde hair pulled back into a long swishy ponytail and green eyes bright with excitement. “Sounds great, guys. Bring everything this Saturday for the decorating party.” She saw Stephanie and waved her over. “You’re coming, right?”
Stephanie had been keeping a safe distance from the clinic employees. Why get too involved when she was only going to be around for a couple of months? What was the point? Up until this moment she’d planned to blow off the Christmas yacht party, but how could she say no and not appear to be antisocial?
“Um, sure.” And, besides, it would give her a chance to see Phil in a perfectly safe environment, onewhere she couldn’t get swept off her resolve to keep a distance.
“Great! I’ll send the directions to your email.” Claire glanced at her watch and strode for the stairs to her second-floor office. “Talk later.”
Well, hell, she’d already had sex with Phil, why not get to know everyone else a little better, too?
The nurses continued to rabbit on about decorating the yacht and what fun it always was as Stephanie smiled and made her way toward her office. After spending an ultra-quiet weekend, she had to admit that she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the clinic, and with the official invitation now she looked forward to the plans for the coming weekend.
When later that morning Phil loomed in her doorway, her gut clenched. It was the first time she’d seen him since they’d made love. Her heart stumbled over the next couple of beats. He looked amazing with his hair freshly washed and combed straight back. She’d come to notice that however it fell, it stayed, and it always looked great. He’d probably expect further explanation about her weird reaction on the phone on Friday night. She wasn’t ready to give it.
“Hey,” he said, obviously waiting to be invited in.
“Hi. What’s up?” Did her face give her hopeful thoughts away? Was he here to invite her out to lunch or, better yet, a quiet dinner with just the two of them—like the one she’d so looked forward to last weekend? If he did, she hoped he’d keep all conversation superficial.
He carried a large specialty coffee drink in each hand and placed one on her desk. “It’s a pumpkin latte. Thought you might like it.”
“Thanks.” Why did the thoughtful gesture touch her so? Why did it feel so intimate? Before she’d gottenstrange on the phone the other night, they’d embarked on a new line of communication. The man had opened up
“Yes. Sorry. You caught me off guard, that’s all.”
He sighed. “Didn’t mean to,” he said, regretting having mentioned it.
She swallowed. “You and I have something in common.”
“How so?”
“You never got to say goodbye to your mother, and I never got to say goodbye to my son.”
“Stephanie…” In that moment, he wanted to put down the phone, to crawl inside, and come out the other end. He wanted nothing more than to console her. She had lost a child. “I’m sorry if I—”
“That’s okay, Phil. I need to get off the phone nowanyway. I’ll see you at work,” she said, not giving him a chance to say another word.
Confused, he scrubbed his face. All he wanted was an uncomplicated romance, but having lived thirty-five years and dated for twenty of them, he knew there was no such thing.
When Stephanie arrived at work on Monday morning, all the nurses were abuzz with news about the yacht decorations. Gaby had used the office petty cash to purchase six small fake Christmas trees. “They all came complete with lights!” she said animatedly. “Now all we have to do is anchor them on the yacht.”
“Great!” Amy said. “And I found my grandmother’s decorations from the old country, and my lederhosen still fit!”
Another nurse chimed in. “I’ve got a bunch of Philippine Christmas lanterns we can use for one of the trees, too.”
Stephanie did her usual fading into the woodwork rather than join in.
Claire appeared, honey-blonde hair pulled back into a long swishy ponytail and green eyes bright with excitement. “Sounds great, guys. Bring everything this Saturday for the decorating party.” She saw Stephanie and waved her over. “You’re coming, right?”
Stephanie had been keeping a safe distance from the clinic employees. Why get too involved when she was only going to be around for a couple of months? What was the point? Up until this moment she’d planned to blow off the Christmas yacht party, but how could she say no and not appear to be antisocial?
“Um, sure.” And, besides, it would give her a chance to see Phil in a perfectly safe environment, onewhere she couldn’t get swept off her resolve to keep a distance.
“Great! I’ll send the directions to your email.” Claire glanced at her watch and strode for the stairs to her second-floor office. “Talk later.”
Well, hell, she’d already had sex with Phil, why not get to know everyone else a little better, too?
The nurses continued to rabbit on about decorating the yacht and what fun it always was as Stephanie smiled and made her way toward her office. After spending an ultra-quiet weekend, she had to admit that she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the clinic, and with the official invitation now she looked forward to the plans for the coming weekend.
When later that morning Phil loomed in her doorway, her gut clenched. It was the first time she’d seen him since they’d made love. Her heart stumbled over the next couple of beats. He looked amazing with his hair freshly washed and combed straight back. She’d come to notice that however it fell, it stayed, and it always looked great. He’d probably expect further explanation about her weird reaction on the phone on Friday night. She wasn’t ready to give it.
“Hey,” he said, obviously waiting to be invited in.
“Hi. What’s up?” Did her face give her hopeful thoughts away? Was he here to invite her out to lunch or, better yet, a quiet dinner with just the two of them—like the one she’d so looked forward to last weekend? If he did, she hoped he’d keep all conversation superficial.
He carried a large specialty coffee drink in each hand and placed one on her desk. “It’s a pumpkin latte. Thought you might like it.”
“Thanks.” Why did the thoughtful gesture touch her so? Why did it feel so intimate? Before she’d gottenstrange on the phone the other night, they’d embarked on a new line of communication. The man had opened up
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