For the rest of the day, Nathan did all he could to keep things running smoothly while forgetting about his newfound fame, but it was hard. Most of his patients, especially the younger ones, wanted to talk about the video. A few tried flirting with him, like Olivia had, and a few others wanted to take pictures with him. He had to stop one patient from taking a video of him without permission.
His staff was behaving strangely, too. The nurse who was working today, a young man in brightly colored scrubs named Thomas, joked that he needed to buy a pair of glasses like Nathan’s to look more like the “Hottest Doctor Alive.” And Maya popped in a few more times to tell him that local news channels and a few PR managers really wanted to talk with him.
Nathan didn’t want any of it. Over and over, he told everyone to just go back to normal. When he finally finished with his last patient of the day, he was exhausted and in a bad mood. He drove home, barely noticing the flourishing green June leaves on the trees around him or the way the fresh air poured in through the window. At his house, he found three balloons attached to the mailbox with a sign that read,Congrats to the Hottest Doctor Alive.Glancing around, he untied the balloons, took them inside with him, and popped them each with a push-pin before throwing them away. He had no idea who had sent them, but he didn’t appreciate the reminder of the disaster his life was turning into.
Usually, after work, Nathan would go for a hike, head into town for dinner at JJ’s Diner, or read on the porch. Today, though, he sank onto the couch and dug out his laptop. He searched fora while for a way to take the video down, but it didn’t seem possible.
Nathan didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be famous. He didn’t want to have his clinic overrun by patients. He didn’t want to look at the finances and remember that the clinic was struggling anyway, since many patients couldn’t afford medical care without his reduced rates. He wanted to be like his father, hardworking and caring, but only known in Islingburn, where no one was a stranger.
Half accidentally, Nathan clicked on the video and watched it again. What should have been a sweet moment with a young patient was turning his life upside down, and he hated it. He wasn’t the Hottest Doctor Alive. He was just doing his job.
“It’s fine,” he told himself out loud, shutting the laptop. “In a few days, this will all pass, and life will be back to normal.”
Despite the confidence with which he spoke, the words sounded hollow, even to his own ears.
CHAPTER 4
ZOE
“One Panang curry with shrimp and jasmine rice, and one pad kee mao,” the waiter said, setting the steaming plates on the table.
“Thanks,” Zoe replied. She lifted her chopsticks and surveyed her curry with enthusiasm. She loved this restaurant.
“Thanks,” her closest friend, Katherine, echoed as she drew her plate of saucy rice noodles closer. The waiter nodded and left them alone to eat. Katherine tucked a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear and met Zoe’s eyes.
“Okay, I’ve totally been monopolizing the conversation,” she said.
Zoe chuckled. “No, not at all.” In truth, they had spent the last half an hour while getting settled and eating their appetizers talking about Katherine’s students at the local magnet school where she taught third grade and about her sister’s new baby. But Zoe didn’t mind at all. She loved these bi-weekly catchups and found Katherine’s stories very entertaining.
“You’re too nice,” Katherine said, grinning and expertly picking up a piece of bell pepper with her chopsticks. “But now it’syourturn. How’s the search for new clients going?”
Zoe moaned and pretended to hit her head against the table.
“That good, huh?” Katherine asked with a sympathetic smile.
“That good,” Zoe repeated. “Why are you bringing up work?”
“Well, I was going to ask about your love life, but I figured that wouldn’t be any better.”
Zoe pretended to hit her head against the table again. She was single, as she had been for most of the last few years. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried. She had. Every now and then, she’d go on a blind date or have drinks with an acquaintance, but the guys always turned out to be manipulative, self-centered jerks. Of the most recent three dates she’d been on, one had been married (though he’d tried to lie about it), one had spent the whole date talking about his fantasy football league, and one had spent the evening lecturing Zoe on PR, even though she was a PR professional and he worked at a bank.
“So, back to the search for clients,” Katherine said, twirling her chopsticks in aplease continuegesture.
“Well, I had that meeting with Gapcha,” Zoe said. “It went terribly. My old boss got to him, too, but even if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have wanted to work with him.”
“Sorry.” Katherine made a face. “Your old boss sucks.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Zoe replied. “I just need one break, you know? If I can get one good, solid client, someone I can actually work with, I just know that things will start looking up.The best would be an up-and-comer who Carla Vassallo can’t get her claws into.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone soon,” Katherine said.
“I hope so, but the problem is, I don’t know how much longer I can keep looking.” Zoe trailed her chopsticks through her curry before pinching a piece of shrimp. “The ugly truth is that I think I have about a month left before I have to give up. I’ve gone through a lot of my savings, and eventually I’ll need an income again.” She’d crunched the numbers the night before, and it wasn’t looking good.
“I’m so sorry,” Katherine said.
“It’s fine.” Zoe shrugged, even though it wasn’t.
“You know, one of my students is famous around the school for doing the best armpit farts, if that helps.” Katherine winked. “She’s definitely an up-and-comer.”
