Page 2 of Yours to Keep

“I have love,” I said pointedly. “I love my job. I love helping people. I love having my bed all to myself and being able to sleep eight hours straight when I’m not on shift. Why would I bother with a man when statistically, they’re just extra work, and, in almost all cases, disappointing?”

Ellora rolled her eyes at me. “Because they’re only disappointing until you find the right man.”

I snorted. “Sure. Let me just pencil in finding the exact right man between patient rounds and charting.”

Ellora smiled knowingly, the kind that made me deeply suspicious. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I raised my glass again. “To working my ass off at Saint Raphael’s and staying single until further notice.”

They clinked glasses with me even though I knew they didn’t agree. My phone dinged with a text right as Mercedes was telling a story that involved ovulation strips and the phrase “he broke the bed frame.”

Mid-laugh, my eyes lowered out of habit to the device on the table, skimming across the email that had popped up on my screen. Almost instantly, I froze and both of them noticed. Mercedes cut herself off and Ellora’s eyes widened. “What?”

“That was my first official work email.”

Mercedes gasped dramatically, then inclined her chin toward my phone with a huge grin splitting her face. “Read it. It’s a rite of passage, the first time work interrupts a night out with your friends.”

“Well, no. That’s happened before. Just not… this work.” I straightened, suddenly feeling a touch reverent. “Okay. Everyone, be quiet. This is a moment.”

I cleared my throat and read aloud. “Dear Saint Raphael’s Staff, We are writing to inform you that effective immediately, Saint Raphael’s Hospital has been purchased by Crowne Medical.” I paused and inhaled through my nose. Was this abrupt announcement making my head spin, or was that all the bubbly? Sold? Crowne Medical? My friends urged me to keep going, so I licked my lips and continued. “There will be a mandatory all-staff meeting tomorrow morning to discuss next steps during this transition.”

I blinked hard, trying to scroll down further to get more information, but there was nothing else. “That’s, uh, that’s it. That’s all it says.”

“Oh boy.” Ellora frowned. “Is it just me, or is that very short for something that feels very bad?”

“I don’t understand,” I said slowly. “It’s been purchased? Just like that? Like, some company walked in there and bought the entire hospital with no prior warning? How does something like that even happen?”

“Money.” Mercedes was already pulling out her phone, her fingers flying across her screen a moment later. “First things first. Who is Crowne Medical? Does anyone know?”

“Nope.” I swallowed. “But I still don’t like the sound of it.”

Three seconds later, Mercedes grimaced and my heart started pounding wildly.

Thump thump.

“Oh,” she said as she read whatever she’d found. “Oh, boy was right. This is a pretty freaking big oh, boy.”

Thump thump. Thump thump.

Ellora leaned over, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Oh boy, what, Mercedes? Don’t leave us hanging like that. What?”

Mercedes turned the phone so we could see her screen and, more specifically, the incredibly handsome man staring out of it. “Girls, meet Sullivan Crowne, owner and founder of Crowne Medical.”

At the sight of him, my pounding heart stopped working altogether.

“Who is he?” I choked out as my gaze swept across the picture, taking in piercing blue eyes and a face sculptors would dream about and therapists would warn against.

He had a jawline that could sharpen machetes and sandy blonde hair long enough to grab hold of, but his stare was hard and his strong chin was slanted in a haughty way that made me want to slap him.

“It says here that he’s a billionaire in medical tech development. They do diagnostics, imaging, and AI-assisted equipment. That kind of thing.”

Ellora scrunched up her nose as she read whatever came next, but while I could see the man’s face, the words underneath it were swimming a little. “Fuck. Rumor has it that he’s ruthless in business. Apparently, he has a heart of ice.”

Mercedes groaned. “They call him the Cold King of Healthcare.”

The longer I stared at his face, the more my stomach sank until it finally landed somewhere near my knees. “And this is the guy who just bought my hospital?”

Ellora winced. “It sounds like it.”