Also, I gave her that spiel when I saw myself stuck here until my contract ended. But now, even if I can’t break my contract with cause—i.e. proving that Constance is behaving unprofessionally—with the help of New York Presbyterian, I should still be able to get out of it.
I’m afraid seeing Finley today might keep me from making the right decision for my career. I like her so much that if I stayed here, I really could see us having a future together. The question is, would being with her be enough compensation to stay in an unfulfilling job?
I’ve got to talk to someone, but the person I feel closest to in town is the person at the very heart of my conundrum, Finley. Getting up, I put on my robe and slippers before walking downstairs and leaving the house. I tromp over to the neighbors’ and knock on the door.
Shelly greets me with a smile. Then she looks me up and down before asking, “What do you need? Coffee? Creamer?”Because why else would I show up in my pajamas?
“Advice,” I tell her.
“Kevin’s already left,” she says. “You want me to give it a try?”
“Sure,” I tell her. Seeking the counsel of someone I don’t know that well might seem imprudent, but who else do I have? I can’t talk to anyone at my current hospital. I can’t talk to my parents because they would both do backflips at the thought of my coming home. I might be able to discuss this with Vivie, but she also would love it if I moved back to New York.
So, here I am sitting at Shelly’s kitchen table. Without asking, she pours me a cup of coffee. Then she hands me the mug and demands, “What’s up?”
I spend the next twenty minutes telling her everything, including how I’m starting to feel about a certain beautiful photographer in town.
My neighbor purses her lips together tightly while tapping the tabletop like she’s sending an urgent message in Morse code. She finally asks, “How was your dating life in New York?”
I make a so-so motion with my hand. “I went out, but I never met anyone I could see a future with.”
“And you can see that with Finley?”
Reason rears its ugly head and forces me to say, “We’ve only been on one date.”
“Don’t try to get out of answering the question, Thomas. Yes or no are the only words I want to hear out of your mouth.”
“One date, Shelly.”
She shakes her head. “That doesn’t matter. What’s your gut telling you? Do you see yourself with gorgeous blond-haired, green-eyed babies whose mother won’t let them chew gum because the snapping sound drives her crazy?”
I didn’t know gum chewing annoyed Finley, but I’m not surprised. “I sense a story here,” I tell her.
“Kevin was chewing gum during one of the grands’ photo sessions and Finley kicked him out of the studio.”
I would have loved to have seen that.
Shelly takes a swig from her coffee and then slams the mug down loudly. “Answer the question, Thomas. Do your future children look like Finley?”
“You’re kind of scaring me, Shelly.”
“People who are afraid are more apt to tell the truth.” She says this like a CIA operative in the middle of waterboarding a spy from the enemy camp.
“Everything I say here is confidential, right?” I ask.
As she nods her head, the sharp peak of bedhead on top bobs with the force. “Of course,” she says. “Neighbor to neighbor confidentiality.”
In that case, I tell her, “I don’t have a hard time envisioning my future children looking like Finley.” I still feel the need to add, “But we’ve only officially been out once.”
“Psh!” She waggles a finger at me. “Why don’t you take the job and continue to date Finley long distance? If things go well, she might be interested in moving to New York.”
I shake my head. “She won’t. She’s already told me she’ll never live in a big city.”
“Crap.” Shelly sounds as disappointed as I am.
“Are you sure you hate your job here?
“Pretty sure,” I tell her. “I have a difficult boss and I’m bored.”
