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The older man shakes Drake’s hand once more and tips his hat in my direction. “Good seeing you again, Dr. Merritt. Sorry if we interrupted your meal.”
“No worries, Mr. Gardner. We were finished anyway. Enjoy your meal and drive home safely.”
We watch the couple shuffle across the diner and take a seat in the corner.
“I bet that happens to you a lot.”
“It’s a small town. I know almost everyone, and if they’ve had surgery, I was probably the one who performed it.”
“Well, that was really nice of you.”
“What was?”
“Talking to Mr. Gardner.”
Drake shrugs as if it’s not a big deal, except it is.
“You’re off the clock, and you took time out of your evening to talk to them, even if it was just for a couple of minutes.”
“Any doctor would’ve done the same.”
I shake my head adamantly. “That’s not true. My parents would’ve brushed them off and rushed them along.”
Drake’s eyes narrow. “Your parents are doctors? You’ve never mentioned that. What kind of practice are they in?”
“My father is a cardiovascular surgeon, and my mother is an oncologist.”
“Wow.”
“Yup. They are very smart and very busy. Mom owns her own cancer treatment center, and Dad teaches cardiovascular surgery at the local university.”
“Impressive.”
I shrug. “If you call being married to your job impressive, then yes.”
“You’re not impressed.”
“Of course I am. I’m proud of their successes. I love my parents dearly. They gave me many opportunities in life that others don’t get.”
“But
those opportunities came with a price?” he guesses.
“A hefty price. I never saw them. They were gone when I got up, and I was asleep by the time they got home. They missed recitals and Christmas concerts and every single soccer game I ever played. I was raised by a revolving door of nannies.”
Drake’s face falls. “That must’ve been hard on you.”
“It is what it is.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t push you to follow in their footsteps.”
“Oh, trust me, they tried. But I saw how their careers dictated their lives—I was a product of it—and I swore I’d never subject myself or my family to that lifestyle.”
Although for you, I think I would try.
“That’s why you don’t date doctors.”
I point a finger at him. “Bingo.”
