He holds out a hand to me. “Nice to meet you, Aubrey.” He turns to Claire. “And you too, little lady.” And then, to Isaac. “Man, this room is tense. You might want to air it out before your next patient comesin.”
Isaac shakes his head at him. Randall laughs and heads out, the door swinging shut behindhim.
I level narrowed eyes on the man who just told me his lips weresealed.
“He’s my closest friend.” He’s giving me acome onlook.
“Fine.” I mutter. I can give him that one. Britt knows. It’s the samething.
Isaac’s eyes light up. “Can I take Claire to the zoo thisweekend?”
The wordnosprings to the tip of my tongue.Claire on her own. At the zoo. Without me. Noway.
“Yes! Mommy, please? Can Isaac take me to the zoo?” Claire’s eyelashes crawl up her brow bone as her eyes widen, her face excited andexpectant.
“Isaac and I will talk about it.” I smile at Claire, a competentdon’t worrykind of a smile. She looks back down to herdrawing.
I grab my phone from the purse hanging across my body and type out a message. Isaac’s pocket vibrates a second after I hit the sendbutton.
He pulls out his phone and reads, nose scrunching on one side as he makes a disbelievingface.
His sigh is a slow, steady stream of air pushed through a slit in his lips. I stare behind him, at the sink, the cabinets below the counter, the iPad lying closed on the counter. I just don’t want to look at him right now. I can’t help the way I feel. My dad once told me that sometimes you have to piss people off to take care of your child, but I never knew just what he meant until rightnow.
A message pops up on my phone.First do no harm. I took anoath.
I can feel Isaac’s gaze on me, imploring me to look at him. Under his scrutiny I type, then delete what I’ve written because it’s too harsh, and typeagain.
Even doctors can besickos.
Isaac reads the message and shakes his head. “Come with us.” His voice is soft, a silk scarf wrapping overme.
The paper covering the exam table crinkles beneath my touch. Claire’s hand has stopped moving across the board. Now she’s singing. It’s a song she learned last year in her three-year-oldclassroom.
I pick my phone back up and respond to Isaac.Before I let you even further into Claire's life, I need to know you better. I need to see where you live. And yes, Claire and I will go to the zoo withyou.
He looks at his phone, waiting for the message to appear, and when it does, he reads it. I like the smile spreading across his face. Knowing I put it there makes mehappy.
“Friday night,” Isaac says, sliding his phone back into its clip. “After work. Come over and see for yourself that I have a normal home. You can even look through all mydrawers.”
I smirk. “Sounds great.” Mollified, I slide off the table and load Claire onto myhip.
For a second Isaac slips back into Dr. Cordova as he gives me instructions on how to wash Claire with the cast. Just as quickly, he sheds therole.
He leans in to hug Claire, and I lean away to give him the space heneeds.
Let’s be honest, though. I’m giving me the space I needtoo.
“See you Friday night.” He holds open the door forus.
I echo his words as I pass him. Claire stays planted on my hip as I walk down the long, white-walled hallway. I don’t need to turn around to know Isaac is watching usleave.
The sound of my dad’s key in the lock takes me by surprise. It’s too early for him to be home from hisdate.
He walks up behind the couch where I’m sitting. I turn off the TV and twist my upper half so I’m facinghim.
“You’re home early,” I say cautiously. He’s been an adult for a long time, but in dating years he’s a toddler. My mother was his first serious girlfriend, and we know how that turnedout.
“Yeah.” He grips the back of the couch. “Didn’t work out toowell.”
