I stepped out into the night air, humiliated. I felt like a complete idiot.She’d told me a dozen times I didn’t stand a chance – and still I kept dreaming, pushing, fighting…
The Ford’s headlights flickered. Max was waiting at the junction. My legs felt like lead as I walked toward him, as if the earth wanted to swallow me, to save me from my own shame.
“Forget it,” I sighed, opening the car door and seeing the expectation on his face.
“Don’t even ask.”
“Well?” he prodded.
“She’s getting married in two months,” I said bleakly.
“You’re screwed.”
“Big time,” I answered, and meant it.
Neither of us could imagine the twists the next two months would bring.
Chapter 4
A Wedding Gift
The excitement I’d built up for the trip to Finland – based on how much I’d enjoyed the last visit – crashed against the rocks of a gray reality. The weather was disappointing, the landscape wasn’t the same, even the sea wasn’t as I remembered. Most of all, I couldn’t shake Lily from my thoughts. What was happening with her? What was she doing? Did she think of me – even for a second?Two days after I got back, I ran into Lily by chance at the hospital entrance.
“I brought you a gift,” I blurted, feigning casualness, as we stepped into the same elevator we had taken the day we first met. My pulse started to race.
“For me?!” She looked surprised. I nodded.
“You bought me a gift? I was sure you’d forgotten me,” she answered, and I was stunned to realize she’d even thought about me at all.
“You told me you had a boyfriend, that you were getting married, and I told you I was leaving for two weeks.”
“Right … you did mention something about a trip,” she murmured.An awkward silence fell between us.
“So, when’s the wedding?” I asked, just to break the tension – even though it was the very subject I most wanted to avoid. The elevator started going up, along with my heartbeat.
“There’s no wedding!” she burst out. The shocking news landed like a jack-in-the-box popping out.
“What do you mean, no wedding? Who backed out?” I blurted without thinking.
“Me,” she said quietly.
“Must’ve been because of me.” The words slipped out uncontrollably.
“Tell me, who do you think you are?” Lily raised her voice slightly, offended. I realized I’d crossed an invisible emotional line.Thoughts swirled in my head in rhythm with my pounding heart. Did I have a chance now? What was I supposed to do next? The wave of excitement surging through me only grew stronger. The hope for another chance suddenly felt real.
Still rattled, I pushed open the department’s entrance door – and immediately saw Shira in front of me. She raised her hand and waved hello. We both waved back, almost absentmindedly. Only afterward did it strike me: she had never done that before.
“Did you come for the test results of your last visit?”
I recovered and tried changing the subject. “Hey, were you waving at me or at her?” I asked, curious.
“At both of you. From a distance, you two actually look like a pretty good match … a surprising one, but still a match.”
“Shira! Please, this is a hospital, not a matchmaking office,” Lily protested, then added,
“Besides, I’ve already figured out he manages just fine on his own.” She glanced at me with a half-smile, half-scolding look.
“Dr. Whitney?” Shira’s eyes widened.
