Tammy could feel the other woman’s eyes burning into her back. She saw the unveiled expression of surprise when Lance showed his possessiveness. She felt some pity for her because she knew exactly what she lost. Tammy would have a problem with his affections turning elsewhere too. It was then that she decided to do all she could to be polite. She couldn’t help it. This was who she really was.
“Tammy, you are a real genuine sweetheart.”
“How so?”
“You could have made this difficult for her, but you didn’t. She even called you Tamara again. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”
“I did.”
“Just when I thought you were out of surprises, you keep on shocking me. You are an angel.”
She didn’t think so, but she still thanked him for the compliment.
He led her toward their table and she was delighted to see her parents, mostly her father, already seated, and talking to none other, than the mayor of New York. “Is that—“
“Yes,” he answered tightening his hand on her waist. “But don’t worry. He’s pretty down to earth. He’s also a hockey fan. We argue quite bit about the state of our teams.”
“How so?”
“I love the Rangers. He’s an Islanders fan.”
She laughed.
Both men at the table stood when they approached. Lance introduced Tammy to the mayor, and her father gave her another reserved hug. Her mother, to her shock, actually told her she looked lovely.
She took the offered seat beside her father that Lance pulled out for her. He sat beside her and soon, two more prominent couples joined them. There were just two seats left, and one obviously belonged to Marianne. She was hoping the woman brought a date, but she didn’t. She took the seat right next to Lance explaining that she’d been so busy, she couldn’t find someone on short notice. Her eyes flicked to Lance when she spoke. Tammy wondered if it was because she thought that she and Lance would be a couple. Did Lance not tell her he had a date? He must’ve because he had two tickets.
Introductions went all around, and try as Tammy might, she knew she wouldn’t remember names. She was too busy being aware of Marianne’s close seating to Lance.
Lance leaned over and told Tammy that this particular table was going for two thousand a plate.
“Why?”
“The mayor, and those two men are very important council members. People want to sit next to them during dinner.”
Soon the seat next to Marianne was filled. He obviously also came alone. It was a familiar face.
“Well as I live and breathe. Tammy Easler, where have you been?”
She ignored the look of disdain on her mother’s face at the use of her grandmother’s maiden name. “Hello Doctor Anderson.” She was surprised actually. Most doctors don’t remember your last name, just the name they read on the nametag you wore on your uniform.
Marianne gave a flirtatious laugh. “Well, I see we don’t need much for introduction. Doctor Anderson is a prominent cardiac surgeon,” she said to Lance in particular.
“Yes, and we miss you something terrible,” he said directly to Tammy as if Marianne hadn’t spoken. “My patients miss you even more.”
“I moved to Montana.”
“So far?” His brows lifted.
Tammy suddenly felt Lance’s hand slide to her thigh. She ignored the look she knew she was getting. Doctor Anderson was in his mid-forties, fairly nice looking and a widow. He got a little promiscuous after the death of his wife. It was the way he coped. He was very much in love with her, well, she’d heard. Yes, he was known to chase nurses, but he never chased her. He had an unusual respect for her.
“Do you still have that surefire temper? Hell, I miss that.” he directed his attention to the rest of the people at the table. “She would threaten to cleave me in two if I didn’t listen to her. She was all about patient advocacy. I swear I’ve never prescribed more treatments before or after you.”
“Is that right?” George asked.
She looked at her father and felt a blush rising. She could see pride in his expression.
“I thought about going into nursing,” Marianne spoke up hoping to draw the attention back to her. She then went on some long winded story about how she had low arches and couldn’t work the floor for those long shifts.
