“We’ll have to stop accepting new patients if we don’t find another OB-GYN,” Tenley adds.
“So you want me to help recruit another doctor to take your place?” I ask Dr. Simms, and he and Tenley trade amused looks.
“I think we’d rather just skip the middleman and convince you to do it,” Tenley tells me with a pat on the knee.
My posture straightens. “Oh, I see.”
“We were thinking we could start incorporating a few regulars into your schedule, two or three days per week, whatever you’re comfortable with. It would buy us some time while you decide whether you want to make it a permanent thing.”
I swallow hard. “You want me to buy into the practice?”
“I’d prefer you just buy me out,” Dr. Simms counters with a wide grin.
I glance back and forth between the two of them. “I mean, I’m totally flattered, but … I don’t know what to say. I haven’t spent much time as a general OB-GYN. I’m not even sure I’d be prepared, even if I wanted to do it.”
“Have you forgotten how to perform a C-section?” Tenley poses sarcastically.
“Well, no, but …”
She shrugs. “I’ll be here to remind you of the basics.”
I open and close my mouth a few more times before I manage to form a reply. “I’m not sure I can give you a definitive answer right away, at least not the one you want. But I’ll certainly think about it.”
“That’s all we ask. And know we’re very amendable to whatever kind of arrangement you’re looking for, even if you want a trial for now and decide it’s not for you later,” Dr. Simms reassures me.
I force a smile and rise to shake his hand and thank him for the opportunity, my mind still reeling as Tenley leads me out into the hallway.
She lets out a soft laugh as she regards the look of consternation I must be wearing. “I did warn you about the ambush.”
I shake my head and huff out a laugh of my own. “This is certainly not how I saw my morning going, especially after the night I had.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“Just some trouble with the plumbing at my sister’s house. She and Landry are still on their honeymoon, and I’m hoping to get everything fixed by the time they get back.”
She crosses her arms and regards me skeptically. “Is that why the office gossip reported seeing your truck at a certain recently divorced ag teacher’s house early this morning?”
My heart quickens, though I’m unsure whether it’s because I’ve been caught with Claire or simply because she’s back in the forefront of my mind. I clear my throat uncomfortably as Tenley purses her lips and dares me to deny the charges.
“I-I, um …”
“Rowan,” Tenley interrupts my stuttering and softens her expression. “I’m only teasing. You don’t need to answer to me or anyone else here. Your love life is none of our business. Unless you’re looking for advice, in which case I’d recommend confiding in anyone but Mackenzie.”
I chuckle at that, and she pats me on the arm. “Seriously, though. I’m here if you need a listening ear.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to convey my sincerity.
“What are business partners for, right?” She grins and bounces her eyebrows, and I narrow my eyes at her.
“I’m afraid it’s going to take more than that to convince me to abandon my high-risk patients.”
“No one said you’d be abandoning them altogether. You’d just be casting a broader net, which means you’d get to help more womenoverall. And there’s something to be said for working in a small community, you know.”
I sigh. “That sounds nice, but also a little counterintuitive.”
“Doesn’t make it untrue,” she says with a shrug. “Besides, you might like being closer to your family.”
“My family’s in Baton Rouge,” I remind her.
