Edward leans back in his chair and stretches his arms before saying, “Armie Bader is a good friend of mine.”Of course, he is.This whole town seems to be connected in one way or another.
“And?” I prompt.
Edward continues, “He told me what’s going on with Constance.” He suddenly leans in before saying, “He’ll let you out of your contract if you don’t sue them.”
“I wasn’t going to sue them,” I tell him. “I just wanted the harassment to stop.”
Kevin interrupts, “Who’s harassing you, boy?”
“Constance Brucker,” Edward answers for me. All three men grumble like they’re hep to that gossip as well.
“Even if it stops,” Edward says, “you said you’re bored, so corralling Constance will only solve half your troubles.” He’s right about that.
“So, what are you saying?” My brain is completely jumbled, I need Edward to spell things out more clearly.
“I’m saying you give your notice at the hospital—sign whatever nondisclosures they require—and then you give me a couple of weeks. If you aren’t happy with my practice, you go back to New York.”
“And give up dating Finley?” The thought hurts more than it should given our brief association.
“What else are you gonna do, Tommy?” Kevin asks. “You gotta work.”
“If I do this,” I say, “I’m going to need the three of you to stay quiet about it. I don’t want Finley to find out what’s going on until I’ve made my decision.”
“Don’t want to get her hopes up, huh?” Frankie asks.
“I just want to keep getting to know her normally without her calling an end to things too soon.”
“Sounds like you want to string her along.” Kevin doesn’t sound pleased.
I exhale loudly. “That’s not it. I just want to have time to get to know her better.” I explain, “If I’m still unsure about private practice in a couple of weeks, how I feel about Finley might help to tip my decision.”
“Even if we keep quiet,” Edward says, “Elk Lake is a small town. Word has a way of getting out.”
“While that’s possible,” I tell him, “I’ll talk to Armie and see if we can’t keep this on the down low for a couple of weeks.”
My fellow plotters don’t look convinced. Kevin eventually says, “I think you should just tell Finley what’s going on.”
And while he’s probably right, I’ve come to know her well enough that I’m afraid if I do that, she’ll simply shut me out. “I’ve already told her I might leave Elk Lake,” I tell them. “And she’s agreed to take things one date at a time.”
Frankie’s eyes narrow like he’s trying to focus on a dust particle. “It’s sounds like you’re playing with a live grenade, kid.” He explains, “Women say one thing, but they usually mean something else. For example, if you’ve had an argument and you’re pretty sure you’ve worked it out, you can be certain she doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Frankie’s divorced,” Kevin interjects.
Frankie waves his hand in front of himself dismissively. “If you ask your lady if she’s okay, and she says she’s fine, run.”
“Why, exactly?” I ask.
“They’re never fine when they use that word. Fine means, ‘I’m done talking to an idiot like you and if you say one more thing, I’m going to end you.’”
“It means all that?” I’m guessing Frankie’s divorce wasn’t amicable.
“Oh, yeah,” he says.
Edward jumps into the conversation. “Don’t scare the boy, Frankie. Just because Elaine and you didn’t work doesn’t mean everyone is destined for misery.”
Frankie replies, “Women are masters at battle, Eddie. Tommy here needs to know that.”
I’m not sure about his advice, but I am sure that Edward might have just offered me a lifeline by suggesting private practice. And even though I’ve never considered it before, that doesn’t mean it isn’t the answer to my current troubles.
