Twenty-Two
TINY
"Why did you want to meet in person, Bill?"
"I talked to my sister and she has some good assignments available, but there's one in Rhode Island that I think would be the perfect match. You're going to like this assignment a lot. It's in a small town. You'd have a permanent bed in the local bed and breakfast that the hospital would pay for. And this is no half-assed mom-and-pop B and B. This place has been inTown & Country Magazine."
"How nice for them, but why would you think I'd like it there?"
"This B and B is known for their cuisine."
I raise my eyebrows.
"You're interested now, aren't you? The daughter of one of the owners ended up marrying a world renown chef from Portugal, and he cooks there on the weekends. There's a waiting list to eat there on weekends. Just for this guy. But you'd get to eat it all the time, because you'd be living there. Meals are part of the boarding arrangement. Sweet, right?"
"I have to admit, Bill. I'm impressed. This actually does sound like it may be a good fit for me. Room and board. Not too far from home but far enough. Thank you. But why couldn't I just talk to your sister about this position? She never responded to my email or my call."
Bill squirms a little in his chair.
Then he places a hand on top of mine.
"Because I told her not to."
Huh?
"And why would you do that, Bill?"
"I'm going to be honest with you, Tiny. I'm part owner in the B and B. A small investment I made years ago that ended up being a great one. If you took the assignment there, I could come see you on the weekends when I'm not working in Philly. I could show you Rhode Island. I've been vacationing there all my life. In fact, we could explore the entire New England Coast if you want."
"When did you buy into a B and B?"
"It's part of my retirement plan. That's where I want to end up retiring. I love it there."
"Oh, I see."
"Doesn't it sound amazing?"
Yeah, for a married couple.
"We broke up, Bill."
"I know, but that wasn't something I wanted. That was all you. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I think I know why you ended things."
Because there was nothing to end.
Because you're a selfish jerk.
Because you're a narcissistic workaholic.
"I played a part in that." That you did. "And the weirdness for us at the hospital didn't make matters any better. But the great thing about Rhode Island is that nobody really knows us there. We can be who we want to be. I'll be working here. You'll be working there. It's perfect."
It's interesting to me how he thinks that he has come up with such an amazing plan for us to be together, and it does nothing but make feel even worse than I did before. He wants to date me in a place where no one knows us? Oh yeah, that makes me feel real wanted.
"Why do you want to get back together with me?"
"Because we'd make a great power couple. If things work out, and if you decided to relocate to Rhode Island, in a couple of years I could open a small private practice and you could be my supervising nurse."
I try sliding my hand from under his. This whole conversation is making me ill. I was an idiot for reaching out to him in the first place. This is no longer about helping me find a traveling placement. Some kind of way this has been twisted around and made about him. Bill always finds a way to make any situation about Bill.
