by Tina Beckett
When she glanced up at him, she saw that a muscle was working in his jaw. Surely he didn’t agree with Corinne’s parents. “My uncle actually did very well for himself. I think maybe their contempt spurred him to work extra hard just to show them what he was made of.”
“And did it work? Were they at least sorry for coming between them?”
“I don’t know. He and Corinne were broken up by that time, so it didn’t really matter. It was kind of ironic, because as far as I know she never married either.”
“They never got back together?”
“She broke my uncle’s heart. I think he found it hard to trust anyone after that. He poured himself into his job, instead.”
He muttered something she didn’t catch. “Sorry?”
“Nothing. Just I can understand that. You spend a large chunk of time thinking you know someone, only to find out you don’t, when it really matters.”
He could have been talking about her and Austin. Maybe he was, in fact. “I know what you mean.”
“Your ex?”
“Yep. I think everyone must have an ex they can look back on like that.”
“I think most of us can.”
“You’ve had a serious relationship?”
One of his brows went up and he leaned back against the sofa. “It depends what you mean by serious. I’ve never been engaged, but I was dating someone I expected to someday marry.”
She hadn’t known that about him. What had happened to break them up?
“I wasn’t engaged, either,” she said, “but five years sure seemed serious, at the time.”
“I would consider that a serious relationship too.”
She sighed. “My mom always hoped to be a grandmother. I don’t know if that will ever happen, now. Do yours feel the same?”
“Doubtful. My parents were always about looking young and healthy.”
She remembered his attitude when she’d asked about his parents before and didn’t want to push it. But the little glimpses he’d let her see of his parents didn’t impress her. In fact they sounded just a little bit like Corinne’s parents. Sasha doubted that she would have measured up to their expectations, either. Not that she needed to worry about that. Still she was curious.
“You said you doubted they were proud of you when I asked earlier. Have they ever come here?”
“No. I haven’t seen them since I moved to Saint Victoria.”
Wow, that shocked her. “I would think they would have wanted to come and see The Island Clinic, since you founded the place.”
He laid his arm over the back of the couch. “I don’t think they’re really interested.”
His parents weren’t interested in what he’d accomplished? That was just strange. She knew they were wealthy, because the rumors were that Nate had started the clinic using the money from his trust fund. It had been a hefty amount. He’d had a helipad built for Saint Victoria Hospital, after all.
“If that’s true, then I’m sorry.”
“It’s true. And don’t be sorry. I’m doing what I want to do. That’s all that’s important to me, right now.”
So his relationship with his folks didn’t count as important? Sasha couldn’t imagine being estranged from her family. But not all families were like hers. Some were like Corinne’s, destroying their child’s chance for happiness. And from what it looked like, they’d had no regrets about it.
Could Nate’s folks really be that bad?
“I get it. I’m doing what I want to do, as well. What makes me happy. Fortunately I’m doing it with my mom’s blessing.” Her mind went back to her uncle. “So if the chemo treatment works, how long will he have? My uncle, I mean.”
“I figured that’s who you were talking about. It’s hard to put a number on it. But if we achieve an early remission, he has a chance of living ten years, maybe more.”
“That’s longer than I thought.” She relaxed in her seat a bit. She’d been thinking one or two years max, so to hear it could be longer was a relief.
Maybe she should call Corinne. How would Sasha feel if someone she’d cared deeply for had a terminal illness and no one told her?
Not very good.
And yet, should she interfere? She saw the woman periodically at the store and they smiled at each other, but neither of them mentioned Art. She figured it was their business. It still was. But she’d been hurt to find her uncle had kept his condition from his own family. Well, she could decide about that later.
First she had to tell her mom about it. Or rather, they did, since she’d promised Art she wouldn’t say anything about it right now. And she needed to keep that promise. Art didn’t need any added stress at the moment.
She found her mind drifting for some reason and came to with a start when she realized her head had fallen back against the backrest of the sofa. She must have drifted off. It must have been because of the late night she’d had at the hospital last night. She’d been called in unexpectedly and had worked until after one in the morning. “I’m sorry. I really should go.”
“No.” He stood. “Why don’t you stay and take a little nap. You’ve had a shock. I have some work to do behind my desk, so you’ll have complete quiet.”
She should just get up and drive back to Williamtown, but she was totally exhausted, even though it wasn’t even noon yet. She didn’t want to nod off on the drive home. But how did she feel about Nate watching her sleep? Not as embarrassed as she might have been, if she were wide awake. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. Positive.” He went over to a closet and retrieved a pillow and a light blanket, smiling when he noticed her glance. “I sometimes sleep in here if I get tied up for too long. Pop your shoes off.”
He set the pillow on the end of the couch that was nearest his desk. Sasha did as he asked and toed off her shoes, leaving them beside the sofa. Then she lay down and stretched out her legs, immediately wishing she hadn’t when his scent rose up from the pillow against her cheek. He had slept on this very pillow, his head cradled in its softness. But other than jump up and race out of here, she had no choice but to pretend she didn’t notice.
Nate shook out the blanket and draped it over her. “Okay?”
She wasn’t sure it was anymore, but she needed to do her best to pretend she was just fine. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I worked later than I expected last night, but I still shouldn’t be this tired.”
“Like I said, it was probably the shock of seeing Art in that room. Just rest. And then maybe we can sit down and talk a little more about the gala.”
“That sounds like a plan. And I want to check in on my uncle in a while anyway before I leave.”
“Okay.”
With that, Nate ducked out of sight and headed back to his desk. Somehow it was comforting to know he was not far away. Would be clicking away at his computer or something.
For the first time in a long time, she let her muscles relax and snuggled deeper into the blanket—the one that also carried Nate’s scent.
And she let herself drift away.
CHAPTER NINE
“I CALLED YOUR father for a consult. I hope you don’t mind.”
It took Nate’s brain a second to compute the meaning of the words. A quick wave of anger rose inside him. Totally unjustified, but it foamed and frothed in the background anyway. He’d been thinking of seeing Sasha curled up on his couch a few days ago, and hadn’t been able to erase the image from his skull. She’d been sweet and totally relaxed, one arm hanging off the cushions, the other one tucked under her head. And that snore...
Well, it wasn’t exactly a snore. More like a tiny snuffle that periodically pulled his attention from his paperwork.
Not that it was ever fully on his work.
“I’m assuming this is in regard to Merriam Blankenship’s upcoming reconstruction surgery.”
A surgery Sas
ha was supposed to come and watch tomorrow. It would be the last day she would be working at The Island Clinic.
Dr. Seldridge nodded. “I’ve been here since the day this place opened, and I feel in some ways that the newest procedures have passed me by. Ones I might have heard about if I’d stayed in the States.”
“I’ve always told the staff to take some time off, if needed, to go explore new protocols or take a furlough.”
“I don’t think I’ve been here long enough to warrant that, but I sent over the pictures of the surgical site and—”
“You withheld the name and blocked out features of her face, I’m hoping?” He could see his parents deciding to somehow use this to further their own practice.
And how cynical was that? In days gone by he would never have even had such a thought. But now? He himself had been the target of them trying to expand their horizons. And when he hadn’t cooperated? They’d cut him off. But he didn’t want to tell Frank any of that. There was no need.
“Of course. They offered to come over and consult in person, but I turned them down, saying it was a sensitive case.”
When Frank had first started that sentence, Nate had tensed so hard his jaw ached. How he’d longed for his parents to come and visit his clinic. At first. Until it was obvious they were simply not interested. Or they were angry. But three years was a long time to harbor that kind of grudge.
He knew from experience. Because he’d done the exact same thing.
“I think you made the right call. Mrs. Blankenship came over here for the exact reason that she didn’t want anyone to know about the surgery.”
“I did get her permission to ask Jackson...your father.”
Nate smiled. “I know who he is. And thank you for getting permission.”
“I really want her to have a good outcome.” Frank dropped into one of the chairs flanking Nate’s desk.
“I do, as well. Was the call able to reassure you?”
“Yes. Your dad said he would take the exact multipronged approach that I planned to. He seemed very interested in what we do here.”
He decided to ignore that last sentence. “I never had any doubt that your approach was the right one. It’s why I worked so hard to bring you here.” As uncomfortable as it made him to know that his father had probably heard Nate’s name mentioned in conversation, he couldn’t fault Frank for calling him. In his place he might have done the same. He held not only a person’s looks, but their livelihood in his hands. And while it was true, you couldn’t always work miracles, plastic surgery was one of those specialties where people seemed to expect just that. He’d heard that time and time again from his parents. It was part of what had turned him off to going into plastic surgery. Their conversations about who had done what, or who had done a terrible job on someone’s face or body had rubbed him the wrong way. The emphasis wasn’t on the quality of life, or helping people, but about outdoing their fellow surgeons.
Nate had interviewed his prospective staff members carefully, for just that reason. He did not want that kind of competitive spirit at The Island Clinic. He wanted the focus to be wholly on helping their patients and supporting Saint Victoria Hospital.
He hoped even Sasha was beginning to see that. Everything about his clinic was geared toward that, from the huge bronze statue of a little girl out front, her hands outstretched with a sign at her feet promising We Are Always Here to Help, to the clinic’s five-star restaurant that not only fed the rich and famous, but also provided free meals to family members of patients who couldn’t afford to pay.
Frank had definitely fit the profile of what the clinic looked for in a doctor. Even his calling Nate’s dad bore evidence of that. He wanted a good outcome...for the patient, not for himself. That was why he had called Jackson Edwards.
“So you’re not upset I called him? I felt like I needed to tell you.”
“I’m not upset.” It was true. He’d been pretty angry when he first realized what Frank had done, but now that he’d had time to really think it through, he agreed with the decision. Hadn’t Nate even thought about calling his parents to do the exact same thing Frank had? And if he had, he wouldn’t have blamed Frank for being upset at him for going around him, since Frank was the specialist.
And he was very glad his parents weren’t coming to Saint Victoria. As he’d watched Sasha sleeping on his couch, for a split second he wondered what it might be like to have a life like other people had. To be able to love and be loved and not wonder if there was some kind of motive underlying those expressions of love.
And who would this mythical person be?
Sasha’s face flashed across his mind’s eye.
No. Frank’s confession just brought home all the reasons why he didn’t trust love. Didn’t trust his own ability to read people. Because he’d been so very wrong about his parents. One thing he hadn’t been wrong about, though, was moving to this island. This felt more like home than anywhere he’d ever been. Even when Sasha had looked at him with suspicion that first day. Because it just made him want to show her and anyone else that his motivation wasn’t to puff himself up and make himself look important. He didn’t care how he looked. He just wanted to do good.
“Everything still a go for the surgery tomorrow? Mrs. Blankenship is more optimistic?”
“I don’t think that I would use the word optimistic. But she’s no longer in a state of panic. She knows that if she left the tumor, it would eventually spread farther and kill her. I think her husband convinced her that all he cared about was having her with him.”
Nate’s chest tightened. He’d never experienced that type of love. Not from his parents. Not from Tara or any other woman.
“Good.” Nate glanced at the other doctor. “I have Sasha James coming to observe tomorrow, is that okay?”
“She’s the one who came in and calmed Merriam down?”
“Yes. I wanted her to see how we do surgery here at The Island Clinic.” He smiled, remembering the day he met her. “When I first met her, she was a little less than impressed by what she thought we were doing here.”
“Why?”
The question was fair, but Nate could see the other side of it. With wealthy people flying in and off the island for quiet, private procedures, it could seem like they were using the island just for privacy and to make money. He believed she was changing her mind. At least he hoped she was. He wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to him, but it did.
Because they’d had sex? Maybe. But it was more than that, although he didn’t really want to examine it too closely.
“I think some people might see the Merriam Blankenships sliding in and out of the hospital and think this is just a money-making operation.”
“Really? I think that statue out front makes it pretty plain that’s not the case.”
“She’d never even visited the clinic up until a couple of weeks ago. I’m hoping the gala will bring more people in to see what we’re about—what we’re really about.”
There was a little part of him that hoped maybe Sasha’s mom was going to rub a bit of the gilt off the trappings and make The Island Clinic a little more...homey? Was that the right word? Not quite. Maybe inviting.
He hoped Sasha herself would be able to convince those who still thought they were here for nefarious reasons that it wasn’t that at all. Nothing was more convincing than a person who had herself been convinced.
At least he hoped that was true. And with Sasha’s mom and her “small army” of local vendors heading things up, this fund-raiser would be even more spectacular than if they served truffles on alabaster plates.
As if he’d read Nate’s mind, Frank said, “I think you’re doing the right thing having this catered locally.”
He’d been hearing that from person after person. “I’m hoping everyone else sees that as a good thing, as well.”
Frank p
aused. “Speaking of Dr. James. Is she involved, do you know?”
“In the gala preparations?”
The surgeon shook his head. “No, I’m talking more in terms of romantic involvement.”
Nate’s mind froze in place for several seconds. When he could think again, the word yes hung on his lips only to be swallowed back. She wasn’t involved.
He knew that how? Because she’d slept with him? Because she’d had a terrible experience with that Austin person?
She wouldn’t have a bad experience with Frank though. He was sure of that. The plastic surgeon was a good man.
But damn, Nate did not want him to ask her out. At all. Someone was bound to at some point, but at least if that happened, he probably wouldn’t know who it was. Would just hear about it in some roundabout fashion. Wouldn’t have to watch Sasha come over to The Island Clinic and...kiss someone.
“I really don’t know. You’ll have to ask her that question.”
“Maybe I will. Just thought I’d ask and see if you knew anything.”
Nate could always tell him he’d had wild sex with her just down the beach from the hospital. But he was pretty sure Sasha would kill him if he breathed a word of that encounter to anyone.
So why didn’t he want her dating Frank?
He had no idea. But the faster he got the other doctor out of his office, the better. Because the last thing he wanted to talk about with another man was Sasha James.
* * *
Nate dropped into the seat beside her.
Sasha’s insides knotted the second she saw him. She was a little surprised that he’d opted to observe the surgery with her. Surely he had more important things to do than to babysit her. But who said he was there to do that?
She’d been at the clinic on and off over the last week, but had barely seen Nate since she’d fallen asleep on his couch. She’d come to sit with her uncle when he’d had his infusion, but Nate hadn’t appeared that day, either. She’d wondered if he was avoiding her, in fact. And yet here he was suddenly appearing at Merriam’s surgery.