“I mean, that was a personal moment for that family, and you can’t jump in and start filming without asking permission.”
Zoe’s temper flared. “That was the first good shot I’ve got all day! We asked the patients’ permission before they came in, and most importantly,youagreed to filming — you can’t get mad at me for doing what we agreed on.”
“I can’t sacrifice patient care for optics.” He turned away from her.
“I’m not asking you to!” Zoe took a deep breath. Her chest felt tight. “I was just filming what you were doing, anyway.”
“Are you done now?” Nathan asked. His eyes were narrowed. “I mean, do you have enough?”
“No! Not nearly.” Zoe crossed her arms. “You’ve made it impossible to take any photos or videos, because as soon as the camera comes out, you start acting like a robot.”
“I do not.”
“Yes, you do.” They glared at each other.
“Youdohave enough for today,” Nathan said. “Just… go. Come back another time. I need to focus on my patients right now.”
Leaving was the last thing Zoe should do. After all, she still needed material, and most of what she’d taken today was useless. Still, her temper was high, and she wasn’t in the mood to coddle Nathan.
“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow. But you need to try harder to work with me, okay?”
Nathan sighed. “Just go. Please.”
With that, Zoe left.
She was just one day in, and already she was regretting this. Zoe had staked all her hopes and most of her remaining savings on this, but Nathan couldn’t cooperate for thirty seconds to take a good photo or video. The worst part was that he was so courteous and empathetic with all of his patients, but he just seemed annoyed with her. Zoe was a stranger who was makinghim do something he didn’t like. She understood that. But it didn’t seem fair that he had agreed to do this and was now making her life difficult.
If she couldn’t get good material from him, the TV show would never take off, and Zoe would truly be at the end of her rope. She’d only have enough money to pay her bills for a few more weeks while she looked for a new job. Her dream would be shattered.
Zoe stepped out onto Islingburn’s main street and forced herself to take a deep breath, even though her chest was tight with worry and annoyance. Being upset wouldn’t help. She needed to find a way around Nathan’s hatred of cameras. She needed to be rational. She needed to find some way to convince him that a few photos wouldn’t hurt his care of his patients.
And for now, maybe she needed to eat something. It was almost dinnertime, and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast on the plane. She headed towards the diner that she’d spotted last time. The closer she got, the more skeptical she was about what she’d find there. It looked like the classic American diner, with wide windows in the front, red booths inside, and even a pie case on the counter. When Zoe entered, curious faces turned towards her, and her chest tightened.
“How many?” a friendly waitress in a pink apron asked.
“Just one,” Zoe said.
“Follow me.” The waitress led her to a table in the back and got her a menu. “If you have any questions, just ask."
Zoe had a million questions. Being here in Islingburn felt like stepping back in time to an era when diners looked like this, kids rode their bikes through the neighborhood, and everyonewas too friendly — except for the small-town doctor, who hated her. Even the air smelled strange. It was fresh in a way that New York’s city air never was.
“Thanks,” Zoe said, instead of any of that. The waitress smiled and left Zoe to stare at the menu. She felt strangely homesick for her city. The menu here was all burgers and shakes and pies, with no Thai food or sushi in sight. The clientele was mostly families and couples, with no one in a suit or working on a laptop. And Nathan was by far the most infuriating client she’d ever worked with. Everyone she’d done PR for in the past had been over the moon about becoming famous and had posed and preened in front of the camera as naturally as breathing.
Not Nathan, though. No, Nathan would rather shatter both their dreams than pose for a few pictures.
“Do you know what you want?” the waitress asked, returning with an actual paper notepad to take Zoe’s order.
Zoe did know what she wanted. She wanted a better client. She wanted to be back in New York, talking with Katherine at their favorite restaurant. She wanted to finally,finally,get a break.
“I’d love a Reuben and fries, please,” Zoe said. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted, but it was going to have to be enough for now.
CHAPTER 9
NATHAN
“Could you just do that one more time?” Zoe asked.
Nathan swallowed his frustration and gave his patient, an elderly woman, an apologetic look. This was the fourth time Zoe had asked him to take her blood pressure, and although his patient didn’t seem to have a problem with it, Nathan was ready to throw his hands up and order Zoe out.
