If he asked Zoe to come back to Islingburn with him, she would say no. And why wouldn’t she? They’d only known each other for a few weeks, and being with him would mean giving up her career and the city she loved. It was too early to be thinking about anything serious, really, especially when actually dating would mean one of them giving up everything. He needed to make it clear that they could go on with their own separate lives, if that was what she wanted — and it would definitely be what she wanted.
Zoe came out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around her head and a robe on. She smiled at Nathan as she untangled the towel from her hair and began combing through it.
“Zoe,” Nathan said. He steeled himself. “You love New York, don’t you?”
Zoe smiled, though her brow furrowed with confusion. “Sure I do.” She reached a tangled spot in her hair and eased the comb through it. “Why do you ask?”
“I just…” Nathan sighed and took off his glasses. He couldn’t bear to look at her. “I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you showing me around. But last night... I think it was a mistake. After all, we’re not really ready for a serious relationship. We both have our own careers in very different places, and it would be difficult?—”
Zoe held up a hand, and he fell silent. She smiled at him. “It’s okay, Nathan. I understand — and you’re right, it probably was a mistake. We need to focus on our professional relationship.”
Relief flooded Nathan, immediately followed by regret. Part of him had hoped she might suggest they try to work thingsout, but this was for the best. She clearly wasn’t heartbroken, soheshouldn’t be, either. They’d spent one fantastic night together. Now, they would go back to being a doctor and a PR professional.
If Nathan thought a shadow of sadness flickered across Zoe’s face, he ignored it. He ignored the ache in his heart and the small voice screaming that he shouldn’t have called last night a “mistake” when it had been the best in his life. It was too late.
CHAPTER 18
ZOE
“All right.” Zoe smiled at Nathan. “We need to get ready for the lunch. I know I mentioned breakfast, but I don’t think we really have time — you probably need to go back to your hotel to change, right?”
“I do,” Nathan agreed. He looked a little shifty, as though he was still worried about her reaction to his announcement. He didn’t need to be worried. Zoe had handled it well. She handled everything well, no matter how she really felt about it.
“Okay. How about you take a cab back to your hotel while I finish getting ready here? Then I’ll come pick you up at the hotel and we can drive to the lunch together. On the way, I can give you a quick briefing on who you need to know.”
“Right…” Nathan met her eyes. “If you want to talk more…”
“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time in the car to talk about the event,” Zoe said briskly. Nathan must have understood that he was being dismissed, because he got up and gathered his things.
“See you in a bit?”
“Yep.”
Zoe walked Nathan to the door and waved him off with a smile. Once he was gone, she shut the door, went to her bed, and sank onto it, tears forming in her eyes. She should have seen this coming. She’d thought Nathan was different, but he was just like all the other guys: selfish, rude, and thoughtless. Yes, he’d looked a little guilty when he’d broken things off, but not enough that he’d made a different choice.
The worst part was thatZoewas the one who’d really been misguided. She’d thought she and Nathan were falling for each other. She’d thought there had been something real between them, not just a meaningless one-night stand, but apparently she’d been wrong. Nathan hadn’t wanted anything real with her.
Zoe took a deep, slow breath. She was upset, but she needed to be rational. The most important thing was making sure the show took off so that her career wouldn’t shatter along with her heart. It would be harder to work with Nathan now, but not impossible. She could do this.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she dressed, did her hair and makeup, and took a taxi over to the hotel. She called ahead, so Nathan was waiting downstairs when she arrived, and he got in beside her. He looked dashingly handsome in the suit she’d helped him pick out for the event.
“You look lovely,” he said as he fastened his seatbelt. Zoe looked down at her deep blue dress with small silver spots and tucked her hair behind her ear. She’d worn her hair down, not because he liked it that way, but because she knew it was more fitting with an event like this.
“The most important people to meet,” Zoe said as though Nathan hadn’t spoken, “are the other TV doctors. They can give you some pointers, maybe even help you build a following if you hit it off. I’ll be with you to help facilitate things, but essentially, you need to be friendly, find points of connection, and don’t insult them.”
“I wouldn’t,” Nathan said. Zoe glanced at him.
“It was a joke.”
“Right.” Nathan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Listen, Zoe, I just want to say?—”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Let’s just pretend it never happened, all right?”
“All right.” Nathan took off his glasses for another polishing, and Zoe stared out the window, trying to suppress her tears. There was no way she was going to let him know how hurt she was. And there wasreallyno way she was going to risk their chances of networking at this event by showing up with eyes red from crying.
They soon arrived at the hotel where the lunch was being held. The hall was decorated with large pictures of bald children smiling and giving thumbs up, which made Zoe a little uncomfortable, but she ignored it. Nodding for Nathan to follow her, she led the way across the room to the drinks table, where she offered Nathan a glass of champagne and chose juice for herself. Alcohol had led her into the “mistake” last night, and she wasn’t about to muddle her senses today.
“Over there is Doctor Marco Giovanni,” Zoe told Nathan in a low voice as she pressed the glass into his hand. “He makesInstagram reels about different surgeries to help people feel more comfortable with them. Let’s go introduce ourselves.”
