“I think they got it this time. I promised I’ll answer any questions they have about us. Hopefully, they won’t track down your family and fish for information about you.”
He opened his arms and she let him hold her.
“I’m sorry, Val. Are things at work really hard?”
She shook her head against his chest. “The first day was tough. People stared at me and asked me questions, until I threatened physical damage to anyone who asked if I were your lover, and that seemed to work. Nobody dared to ask anything again.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, knowing she was a strong woman and a great doctor, and he was sure her colleagues and supervisors would know better than to let some stupid gossip spoil her rising career in the hospital.
Karen walked out of her bedroom at that moment, and her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Valerie in Ryan’s arms. He ignored the suspicious stare she gave him, the one Kevin always wore whenever Ryan insisted Val was like a sister. He simply greeted her with a smile, let go of Valerie and asked for a cup of coffee, hoping his request would get that look off Karen’s face.
While the three of them were having hot drinks in the small kitchen, waiting for Kevin to join them for a quiet dinner together, Ryan hoped with all his heart that Valerie had been right and people would soon get tired of them and look for more interesting gossip.
Eventually, after a couple of interviews and a few more days in the tabloids, all the sensation Valerie’s visit to Miami had caused subsided. Just like Valerie had predicted, as soon as another bit of better gossip came up, Valerie and Ryan were finally able to go back to their normal lives.
Chapter 16
Valerie was on her very-much-longed-for coffee break, after an extremely busy morning. The August heat had been doubling the number of patients that showed up at the ER or were brought in by paramedics, and she’d been on her feet since the early morning. She’d been looking forward to a short break, and since she was alone in the staff kitchen, she slumped on the leather couch and had every intention of pulling her legs up on the plastic coffee table and close her eyes for a few minutes. Tabloids, newspapers and different kinds of leaflets were scattered on its surface, and as Valerie moved them into a neat pile to make some room for her feet, her eyes landed on a familiar face.
She picked up the tabloid and leaned back, staring wide-eyed at the page. She should know more than anyone else never to believe in what tabloids wrote, but this wasn’t like the pictures they’d taken of her and Ryan. This looked real... and it hurt.
Ryan had his arm around a tall brunette’s very slim waist, and the woman stared at him in awe. The caption under the picture read: Ryan Wyler and his official girlfriend enjoying a Vegas night.
He’d never kept anything from Valerie before; he’d always told her whenever he was dating someone, even when it had lasted only a few weeks. It definitely didn’t look as if she was only a friend to him; then why hadn’t he told her about this woman? They’d spoken a few times since he’d gone off on tour again, but he’d never mentioned meeting someone, let alone having an official girlfriend. Didn’t he trust his best friend anymore?
The day Valerie had dreaded for so long had finally come: Ryan had a girlfriend, a model nonetheless. Now it would be time for Valerie to take a step back and give him space. He’d drift away little by little and, as he got more and more involved into his new relationship, he would forget all the things he’d shared with Valerie in the sixteen years they’d been best friends. Valerie would be alone, without a boyfriend and with slim options of having a social life outside the hospital.
Valerie’s heart thumped wildly against her rib cage at the thought of losing Ryan, but she’d always known this day would come. It was time she grew up and realized she had no claims on him, no matter how strong their friendship had been. As if on cue, her phone rang in the pocket of her white coat, and when she pulled it out, she smiled at the name flashing on the display. Perfect timing, buddy.
“Now tell me why I should find out from tabloids that my best friend is dating someone,” Valerie said, answering the call in full pout mode.
Ryan’s familiar chuckle on the other end of the line warmed her heart and made her feel a little better. Maybe things between them wouldn’t change, after all.
“I meant to tell you once I came back, believe me. It was strange to talk about it over the phone. But I keep forgetting that I can never go anywhere without some reporters finding me.” Ryan let out an exasperated snort, and Valerie smiled at his humble behavior. He still didn’t seem to realize he was America’s Jazz Star and he couldn’t hide anything from anyone—especially reporters. “Please don’t take it to heart, Val. I’ve only known her for, like, a week or so. I never meant to keep it from you or lie.”
Although she was still a little hurt by his omission, she knew he had a point. They’d only had quick phone calls over the last few days, because they were both either busy or tired. This kind of talk required way more than a two-minute conversation.
“Okay,” she said, standing up from the couch and draining her mug of lukewarm coffee. “I have to go back to work now, but we have a lot of catching up to do when you come home. When are you coming home, by the way?”
“I don’t know. Next week, I think.” He yawned, and she imagined him stretching like a cat on a bed in yet another luxurious hotel room. “Tomorrow’s the last show in Vegas, then we’ll head back to L.A. for a couple of interviews. If nothing changes I should be home on Tuesday.”
“As in, if you don’t decide to get married to the model while you’re in Vegas and spend your honeymoon in Hawaii?” she teased, and he guffawed in response.
“Please, Val, don’t be silly. You know I couldn’t marry anyone who hadn’t been previously approved by you.” She laughed and was glad to know he still remembered their pact, even though they’d come up with it more than ten years before. “Obviously, you’d have to do the same. By the way, what about that guy, what’s his name... um... Jake, was it?”
She blushed and was glad he couldn’t see her. Her annoying Irish complexion always gave her away, but for once she could play dumb and hope he’d buy it.
“Um... What about him?”
“Nice try, Doc. But I’m pretty sure you have a crush on him, or have things changed between you two while I’ve been away?”
Valerie gave an unladylike snort and was tempted to hang up on him.
Jake was a paramedic—a handsome paramedic to be specific—who’d asked her out a couple of times for a drink, but she’d never accepted. Well, technically, she hadn’t had the chance to accept, because she’d always been either working overtime or studying when she was free—but she didn’t think she would go out with him anyway. All the nurses in the ER found him very attractive, and she’d have to be blind or plain stupid to say he wasn’t handsome, but that was about it. She didn’t have a crush on Jake. She didn’t have time for a man right now. She had to study and work hard to obtain her new specialization since she’d practically abandoned the surgical career.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as seriously as she could, even though she knew that those words wouldn’t stop him. “Anyway, I have to go back to work now. And you have to sleep—you must be a wreck.”
“I am, actually.” He yawned again. “But don’t think I’ll let you get away with it so easily. We’ll have to talk about it when I get home.”
“You can bet we will. I want to know all about that model.”
She chuckled and said goodbye. After she hung up, she gave one last look at the picture of the beautiful woman standing next to her friend, and for the first time since she’d met Ryan, jealousy crept up and entangled her stomach in a vice.
Once Ryan came home on Tuesday, as promised, he took her out to dinner and gave her a detailed report of how he’d met Jennifer at an after-show party in Las Vegas and how she’d enjoyed playing hard to get all night. At the end of the night, just before she l
eft the party, she’d slipped a paper napkin inside the back pocket of his pants, patted his butt once and whispered, “Call me” in his ear before sashaying out the room without a single glance back.
Valerie pasted a smile on her face, as she fought hard to repress her jealousy while he spoke about this Jennifer woman. Much as she tried to tell herself that they were a perfect pair, she didn’t like the idea of Ryan dating a model; she’d never feel at ease if they met, seeing as the woman was a tall, slender brunette with a beautiful front-cover face and legs that seemed to go on forever. She traveled around the world, appeared on magazines and modeled on the most famous catwalks, while Valerie was nothing but a plain, fair-haired, five-foot-five, ordinary Irish girl who’d thrown away a promising surgical career because she’d been too frightened of losing another patient.
She knew better than to tell Ryan, though. She didn’t want to come across as possessive or immature, and most of all, she was afraid he’d find himself forced to choose between Jennifer and her. Even though she knew her friendship meant a lot to him, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who he’d choose eventually.
Jennifer hadn’t been their only topic for discussion though. Just like he’d promised during their phone call, as soon as they met, he started teasing her about Jake. In all the years they’d been friends, he’d never pressed her to go out with a guy—if anything, he’d actually kept watch and made sure none of the fraternity guys from college hung around. He’d even made sure Kevin stayed well away from her. This new Ryan who was driving her crazy, trying to persuade her to go on a date with Jake, was odd.
“Aww, c’mon, Val. Give the poor guy a chance. You can’t keep turning him down,” Ryan told her during their daily phone call before she started her shift, a few days after he’d come back to Boston.
She rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed huff. “Jake’s a flirt, Ryan. He bats his eyelashes at every woman he meets. He probably asks half of the women in the ward out on dates, and I’m just another name on his list, no doubt.”
Jake was the stereotypical heartthrob: chiseled face with dark blond hair and blue eyes on a five-foot-ten muscular build. It felt unreal that among all the women in the ward—some of them way more attractive than Valerie—she’d been the one who’d piqued his interest. She’d purposely refrained from telling Ryan that Jake had been flirting with her and asking her out every other day over the past couple of weeks and that, as far as she knew, he hadn’t asked any of her colleagues out.
His attentions flattered her and she’d been tempted to accept his invitation, at least once, just to see what it would be like to hang out with him outside the hospital. The more she thought about it, the more awkward it felt, though. She’d never had a boyfriend and truth be told, she was a little ashamed of her inexperience. She was twenty-nine and the only guy she’d ever hung out with was Ryan. She’d always been too busy with school to allow herself to live life a little, but now that she was on the receiving end of a man’s attentions, she had to admit she really wanted to give it a try, even though she had no idea where to start. She was a hot-blooded woman, after all—she’d have to be dead not to feel all flushed and bothered when Jake winked at her and gave her his toothpaste-commercial smile.
“Sorry, but I call bull on that.” Ryan’s voice shook her out of her introspection.
“Ugh, Ryan, gimme a break!” She took a gulp of iced tea and wished he’d just drop it for once.
“I still think you should give it a shot and go out with him. You can’t spend your life cooped up in the hospital or in your room with your nose stuck in a textbook. You’re not getting any younger, Val. It’s high time you started looking for your Prince Charming.” He chuckled. She choked on the iced tea. “You know I only want you to be happy and find your other half. He sounds like a nice guy. And you’re always so picky—”
“I’m not!” she shouted, stomping her foot like a stubborn child. “I’ve just been busy. Being a doctor is a tough job, I couldn’t let guys distract me from my goal—which, by the way, I haven’t achieved anyway.”
Ryan huffed out his irritation. “Right, okay, I get that. Still, you’re not only a doctor, Val—you’re a woman. You should really start thinking about finding yourself a decent man and having some babies. I’d like to be an uncle before I retire, you know?”
She set the bottle down on the iron bench and, holding her phone between her ear and her shoulder, she bent down to lace up her shoes. His words echoed in her ears.
A decent man and some babies.
Could Jake be that decent man and the father of her children? She scrunched up her nose at the thought. No, she definitely couldn’t picture herself walking down the aisle with him waiting for her. Although she could easily picture herself in a beautiful wedding dress, she didn’t think Jake would be the right one.
Still, if she never tried, if she never dated anyone, if she never gave him a chance, she’d never really know would she? She shook her head, and the phone fell into her lap and bounced onto the floor.
“Val? You still there?”
She picked it up and glanced briefly at the display, to check for damage.
“I’m here, you eejit. And you’re making me waste precious time. I’ve gotta go, now.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for people’s deaths because I’ve kept you talking too long. But don’t think I’m done with you.”
She rolled her eyes, knowing he’d make good on his promise. “Can’t wait! Now, why don’t you go find someone else to torment? I’ll talk to ya later.”
She hung up and took a long breath. Ryan would never give up, not until she humored him and accepted Jake’s invitation. She should know by now that Ryan could be worse than a dog with a bone when he set his mind on something. Was she ready to endure his relentless teasing without wanting to throttle her friend? What harm could a simple date cause, after all? It wasn’t as if she had to marry the guy, right?
As she walked out of the room, she raked her fingers through her hair and pulled it into her usual ponytail, wondering whether she would see Jake during her shift. A blush heated her face as soon as the thought hit her, and she shook her head in denial. She didn’t have a crush on him.
But perhaps if she went out with him just once, she’d get him out of her system once and for all, and hopefully Ryan would stop annoying her. Yes, she’d do it just to make Ryan happy, and after the date she’d go back to her quiet life of spinsterhood.
Ryan was still smiling when he hung up. He’d loved teasing Valerie since this guy had entered the picture.
He’d first heard about him from Kevin, who was privy to all the details thanks to his girlfriend. Apparently, Jake’s flirting with Valerie had become the main topic of conversation among the nurses who acted like groupies in fawning adoration whenever the guy came into the ER pushing a gurney.
Kevin reckoned it must be the man in uniform thing, but from the way Karen had described the guy, Ryan didn’t think that was the only reason why women tripped over themselves when they passed him by. Karen had been trying to convince Valerie to go out on a date with him, but all her attempts had been vain, so she’d asked Ryan to talk to her and use his Irish charm to persuade her. Easier said than done, considering how stubborn she could be.
The first time Ryan had brought up the subject, she’d done a double-take and had seemed completely out of her comfort zone. They’d never really talked about guys before, since she’d always put her studies first and had never wanted to let a guy lead her astray on her quest to becoming a surgeon. The fact that the two of them were always hanging out together often discouraged guys from making a move on her. Acting like a protective big brother had always been Ryan’s job, but now that he was dating Jennifer, he realized that maybe his behavior hadn’t been helpful at all. He’d meant to keep her from getting hurt or losing sight of her goals, but monopolizing her time had only served to keep her from living her life, experiencing the ups and downs of r
elationships and finding her happily-ever-after.
He’d had no opportunity to meet the guy, so he’d had to rely on Karen’s words only. Even though the protective instinct had made him reconsider talking Val into going out with this guy, he’d eventually let Karen convince him that Jake was a wonderful guy and that he’d be perfect for her.
After all, Ryan thought as he lay on his bed with his hands intertwined behind his head, it was only a date. They could go out for a drink, chat for a while, and get to know each other. If she found that he wasn’t right for her or the date turned out to be a fiasco, she could tell him she wasn’t interested in a relationship, or whatever excuse she wanted to make up, and go on as if nothing ever happened. It wasn’t as if she had to promise him eternal love—it was just a simple drink with a colleague.
Valerie needed to start hanging out with other people—other men apart from him. They’d always been inseparable and had never felt the need to expand their circle of friends, apart from Kevin and Karen, but now that he had Jennifer, whenever she was around, he’d be with her, leaving Val alone.
With Karen’s shifts and her spending time with Kevin when she wasn’t working, he doubted there would be many occasions for girls’ nights.
Valerie needed to get out more, to enjoy life like a woman in her twenties should. This Jake guy could be the perfect starting point. If it didn’t work out, at least she could say she’d tried, and maybe she’d let loose a bit and start living her life outside the hospital.
He closed his eyes, and hoped he wasn’t pushing her toward heartbreak.
Chapter 17
A Love Melody Page 8