Deacon
“Hey. Are you busy?”
I glanced up from my desk, well aware that I was already smiling just at the sound of Emma’s voice. Dammit, I had it bad for her. Again. Still.
“No more so than usual,” I responded, leaning back. “What do you need?”
“Nothing pressing, if you’re up to your neck in something already. What are you working on?”
“Reading resumes from nurse practitioners.” I grimaced. “Whose bright idea was it to allow Jenny to move to Virginia, and Darcy to get both married and pregnant?”
Emma dropped into the chair across the desk from me and laughed. “Well, Deacon, you know, Jenny didn’t ask our permission. She made a choice. And Darcy did, too. But she’s not leaving for good, at least as far as I know.”
I shot Emma a withering glare. “She’s getting married to a football player who lives in Tampa, over an hour away from here. And she’s having his baby. I can read the writing on the wall. Even if she doesn’t put in her notice right away, I don’t expect her to come back here after maternity leave. We need to have our ducks in a row and be ready for that eventuality.” I tapped the papers in front of me. “I’m arranging for a temp NP to cover for her while she’s on her honeymoon, and if that NP works out, we might ask her to stay on at least part-time. Then we won’t have to train anyone new when Darcy’s out having her baby, and if she decides not to come back, we can offer the new nurse practitioner a full-time, permanent position.”
“This is in addition to hiring a replacement for Jenny?” Emma asked.
“Yep.” I nodded. “We have enough work now for two full-time and one part-time NPs. The board approved that idea. In addition to the increase in patients we’re seeing, we can’t expect the new hires to be amenable to the shift schedule that Darcy and Jenny worked out together.”
“That was definitely something we appreciated.” Emma sighed. “I have to admit, aside from missing Jenny because she’s my friend, I’m sad that our original team is breaking up. I guess it’s inevitable. You can’t expect everyone to stay in one place for the rest of their lives, but . . . still. I’m sad.”
“I know what you mean.” I dropped the paper I’d been holding and leaned back. “I put together this team, remember. I was excited by our synergy, by how well everyone worked together . . . but you’re right, it’s unrealistic to hope that even the best group will stick together forever. What we have next will be good, but it won’t be the same.”
“Geez, I came in here with happy stuff to talk about, and now I’m ready for a good cry.” Emma pouted out her lip, tempting me to ease around the desk and kiss her until she’d forgotten why she was down in the doldrums. But I couldn’t. That was crossing boundaries, and I had to respect them if I wanted to maintain the easy friendship we’d finally developed.
“Well, let’s turn that frown upside down.” I winked at her. “Tell me about your happy stuff, and we’ll put aside missing everyone.”
“Okay.” Emma scooted her chair forward until she rested her forearms on my desk. “I just talked to Fred the contractor, and the music room will be finished by the end of next week, barring any complications. We’ll do a final punch list then, but we should be good to start using it by the following Monday.”
“Thatisgood news,” I agreed. “And you’re happy with the work he’s done? Is that room everything you dreamed it might be?”
She rolled her eyes. “You sound like you’re being snarky, but I’m going to ignore that. Yes, I love it. Fred was fun to work with, and easy, too. He added a few features I hadn’t even considered, and overall, I think our music therapy room will be cutting edge. I also believe it’s going to make a real difference in the lives of many patients, which is exactly what we wanted.”
“Hmmm.” I picked up a pen and rolled it between my fingers. “Will Noah be pleased, too?”
“I imagine so.” Emma shrugged. “I haven’t said much to him about it.”
“Ah.” I hadn’t spoken to Emma about her relationship with Noah since the night she’d come home from vacation. I was dying to know what was going on between the two of them now, but again, that was a boundary. Did I cross it? Was asking about her boyfriend within the purview of friendship?
She cleared her throat and stared down at the floor between us. “We, um . . . Noah and I aren’t seeing each other anymore. Romantically, I mean. We’re friends, but we’re not—dating. We decided that we both want different things from life right now and that we’d only end up hurting each other if we didn’t end that part of our relationship now.”
“Oh.” Well, that was even better news than I’d hoped to hear. And I hadn’t had to push for answers, either. “I’m sorry if that was painful for you. I guess making that kind of decision is never easy.”
“No, it’s not, but we’re okay.” She smiled, and this time, her eyes met mine and held. “It wasn’t unpleasant or hurtful. We just talked, and we both admitted that while we wish we were right for each other, the fact is that we’re not. Not now. Noah needs . . .” Emma pressed her lips together. “Honestly, I don’t know who Noah needs. Maybe someone like Angela who made him her focus and her passion. I love him, but I don’t want to give up my own world to become part of his.”
“That makes sense.” I shifted in my chair. I was suddenly lighter than I’d been in a long time, and my body was excruciatingly aware of Emma’s nearness, as though what she’d just shared about her break-up with Noah made her fair game again. I knew I couldn’t do it, but the caveman in me was ready to jump over the desk, drag her against me and claim her as mine.
“Anyway.” She sat up a little taller and shook her head. “The music room being done was only one reason for wanting to talk to you.”
“Oh, really?” Was it too much to hope that kissing was the other reason? I assumed so.
“I had an email from the board about the cocktail party they’re planning to celebrate the opening of both the music therapy room and the new transplant suite. Would you be amenable to setting the date for that—I’m thinking about three weeks from Friday?”
Picking up my phone, I checked my calendar. “That works for me. I’ll make a note of it.”
“No hot dates that night?” Emma teased. “You know, you’re welcome to bring someone to this party. A plus one. It might make the whole thing more bearable.”
“I haven’t been on a date, hot or otherwise, since the last time I took you out.” I watched Emma’s face as I spoke. “So no, I don’t plan to bring a plus one. But if you’re not planning to bring someone, I’d be happy to be your date.”
