I shake my head. “It’s not. It’s…not.”
His chest expands as he straightens. To anyone else, it might look like he’s calming down—understanding, ready to let it go.
But I know better. I’ve seen this before, and I know what comes after.
The choices in front of me don’t favor me. Each one hurts. But if I have to choose, I’ll take the physical abuse over the mental.
At least bruises fade.
“Mr. Pierce?” The sweet woman at the counter calls my name, and I quickly get to my feet. “Dr. Alvarez will speak with you now.”
I’d thoroughly planned on seeing Calista this week, but Saturday night reminded me that I really need to figure out my lifehere. Regardless of whathappens in a few days, if I find the strength to tell Keoni about my relationship with Michael or not, I’m not going anywhere.
Whether that is me living in the cabin with him, or moving into an apartment in downtown Maple Falls, is still to be decided.
I walk through the single door to the right of the reception desk, and move into the small hall before turning right into a room that reads “Office.”
The male with light brown skin and rimmed glasses stands. “Ayden.” He rounds the table and extends his hand out to me. “It’s so good to meet you. Your father spoke highly of you.”
He… did?
Taking his hand when I’m close enough, I suppress the urge to ask that question.
“Thanks for seeing me, Dr. Alvarez.”
“Of course, please—sit.”
I do as he says, lowering myself into the plastic white chair across from his rolling one. He closes the laptop on the desk and offers me a smile. “When you called, I must say, I was surprised.”
I force a smile back and clear my throat, cringing at how obvious it feels. “I’d meant to come sooner, but things have been…” I tilt my head side to side, weighing my word choice. “Difficult.”
“There’s no need to explain. You said on the phone you had something to discuss? We shipped your father’s belongings to the cabin in Sapphire Valley.”
Nodding, I cross one leg over the other. “Yes, we received them. It’s not about that. I was wondering if you had any openings—for ICU nurses, general nurses, really anything. I’m registered in California, currently at SF General. I submitted my RN licensure application through DORA yesterday.”
His smile widens. “You’d leave California for a small town like Maple Falls? Walk away from SF General? That’s… surprising.”
“I would,” I answer without hesitation.
“That would’ve made your father very happy. Are you staying up at the cabin?”
“Yes, at least for now.”
He hums softly but doesn’t move to reopen the laptop. Mystomach tightens. Maybe this was presumptuous. He doesn’t know my work ethic, and maybe I’ve romanticized this small-town hospital thing. Maybe it’s no different than the politics of a big city.
The silence thickens, stretching. For a moment, I consider standing up and walking out.
“From my understanding, the process of transferring your license takes four to six weeks. Have you gone through the background check?”
I knew that question was coming, so I don’t flinch. “I’ll be doing it next week. I’ve set up an appointment in Denver.”
He nods once more, and grins, pulling out all the wrinkles in his face. “Once everything is set, and you’re legal to work here in Colorado as a registered nurse, we would be lucky to have you. Do you have references from SF General?”
“I do.”
As he pulls out a pen and paper, I say, “Dr. Markus Yadav.”
“I’ll get in contact with him once all the paperwork is submitted, you know, just so I’m not showing favoritism or anything.” He winks at me and tucks his pen away. “Let me know once everything comes back, and you’ve got yourself a job.”
