Page 23 of Sweet Heart

01:35 p.m. – Mary Mary

Hm… sounds like you should take me there, then.

My eyebrows shoot up, and my fingers pause for a moment. The thought of sitting at a table with her—talking, drinking wine, having a conversation—warms something in my chest. It’s a feeling I haven’t had in a long time. Not since college.

I swallow and am about to agree when I hear somebody clear their throat. My fingers fumble with the phone, which nearly crashes onto my desk, as my eyes shoot up. Carmen leans against the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. For fuck’s sake, this woman needs to start wearing a cowbell.

“Hermosa,” she says, her voice laced with that edge she gets right before she starts poking into my personal life.

“Nurse Rodrigues,” I reply dryly, keeping my voice as clipped as possible.

She rolls her eyes and steps inside, closing the door behind her.

“What ya doin’ Kitty Cat?”

“Co-signing some releases. Is there anything you need, Carmen?”

I hold her gaze, but a smirk creeps across her face. Then her eyes drop to the message on my phone, and the smirk widens into a full-blown grin.

“Are you texting la rubia?”

“Carmen…” I warn, my voice low and sharp.

She huffs and props herself up on the edge of my desk.

“Why are you fighting this so much, Cat? It’s so clear you like her. Give it a try.”

“I am the Head of—”

“Trauma, yeah, yeah. I know. Ethics, treatment, blah blah. Fuck it. We already went over this. You are not her physician anymore. She came to you, texted you, asked you out for coffee. That’s not coercion, Cat. That’s mutual interest.”

Her words slice through me like a knife as a sudden flash of guilt tries to pull me down. I shake it off and huff out an offended laugh.

“Why are you so invested in this?”

Carmen stares at me as if she can’t believe I just asked that question. But it really doesn’t make sense to me. I know she wants me to be happy, just as I want that for her, but why does it have to be with Mary? It would make so much more sense if she tried to protect me from breaking hospital policies, and told me it could be anyone but her.

“Have you looked in a mirror lately, querida?” Her voice comes out surprisingly soft, and her grin changes into something different altogether. Something fond.

I shake my head, and she places her hand over mine.

“You are glowing, Cat. Estás enamorada.” You are in love.

The words pulse through my system like a physical blow, and I reel back in my seat. My eyes widen as I pull my hand back and stare at her, nearly offended. Carmen instantly raises her hands and backs off.

“Hey, it’s okay, hermosa.”

“I’m not… not in love,” I pant, my pulse kicking up. “I barely know her.”

My best friend just smiles and nods, but there is something sad in her expression.

“Okay. All I am saying,” she offers gently, “is that if you were, it might be worth taking the chance. This might not come around again, Cat.”

That same constricting feeling I had in the café comes over me again, clawing at my throat. The thought of not seeing Mary again…

“Was that all?” I snap, my voice wavering slightly.

For a beat, Carmen’s eyes grow large, but then she slides off the desk and shakes her head.