Page 367 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“On what?” Mentally, I started categorizing what Kennedy was prepared to offer and where they could bend to make themselves undeniably appealing. Every company had a starting salary they wanted me to drive, but normally, they also had an extra twenty percent of wiggle room to get the job done.

“Location.”

Okay, fuck. It had to be the one thing I can’t change, didn’t it?

“Kennedy Medical Center is a brand-new hospital, and they are extremely impressed by your career. They think you would be the perfect fit for the Neurology Department, and they are ready and willing to compensate you well if you join their team.”

“Compensate me well? How much are we talking about here?”

I weighed the options in my mind and decided gambling with a number on the higher end of what Kennedy was willing to do was necessary. They wanted this guy. He was either going to be convinced by the money or not, but they were going to need to bring their best offer to have any hope. “Nearly double your current salary.”

“Double my current salary? I had no idea that kind of information was public knowledge,” he challenged.

“It’s not,” I explained with a wink.

He chuckled outright. “Friends in high places?”

I shrugged. “I guess you could say it’s something like that.”

“Well, I’m intrigued.” He laughed a little to himself. “Double money is never a bad thing.”

No kidding.

“But like I said before, it all depends on location,” he went on. “I don’t want to relocate anywhere that’s more than forty minutes from New York, and I have a feeling Kennedy Medical Center isn’t located anywhere near here.” His voice was firm, and my heart sank. She’s going down by the keel, Captain!

“It’s actually located on the West Coast. Los Angeles, to be specific.”

He shook his head. “That won’t work at all.”

I narrowed my eyes, determined. I hated not closing a deal. “What if I told you they would give you a fifteen-million-dollar budget for neurosurgery research and clinical trials?”

His brows shot up in surprise. “Fifteen million dollars?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “And you’d have the final say in what that money went toward.”

“Wow.”

“It’s quite the opportunity.”

“It is,” he agreed, but I could tell by the lilt of his eyes that he was just humoring me.

I’d grown extremely talented at reading people, and I could read Nick Raines. He had a reason for being in New York; I didn’t know what it was, but it was a priority. More important than money. I discreetly glanced at his left ring finger and found no evidence of marriage. Instant relief filled and relaxed my stomach.

“I could do incredible things with that research budget. It would be a strong ally in a clinical trial I’ve been trying to get the FDA to push through, but I can’t move to LA.”

“Would you like some time to think about it?” I asked, but I already knew his answer. With the firm lines of his jaw and clear, unmarred color of his brown eyes, Nick Raines was steadfast in his choice.

With two determined shakes of his head, he further explained—something someone less amiable than him never would have bothered to do. “My daughter is in New York, and she is my top priority.”

His daughter.

This man was leaving one hell of a career opportunity on the table for his daughter. I was equal parts endeared and impressed. It was a noble choice. The right choice. No career should ever come before family—no matter how amazing the opportunity might be.

“Well, Kennedy Medical Center will be severely disappointed, but I can’t say I am. Good for you. Your daughter is lucky.”

He smiled softly, but there was a sharp edge to it that I couldn’t understand—obviously didn’t have the right to. Still, I was curious.

“If they were a few thousand miles closer, I would have strongly considered, but LA is just way too far.”