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His phone ringing interrupted the silence. “I’ve got to get that.”
Stacey nodded.
Cody picked his phone up off the counter and went into the next room to talk.
“Dr. Brennan,” Cody answered. He hoped he didn’t have to go in. He wanted all the time he could get with Stacey, even if it was rocky.
“Cody, it’s Marsha Lewiston.”
His clinical nurse. The one Stacey had been filling in for. “Marsha, it’s good to hear from you. I’m looking forward to having you back tomorrow.” That wasn’t exactly accurate. If Marsha was his nurse again then Stacey would be gone. The knot that had formed in his stomach grew. “How’s your mother doing?’
“That’s the thing, Cody. She’s recovering well from the surgery but she isn’t getting any younger. I know this is short notice but I’m going to resign my position. I need to live and work closer to Mom.”
Cody couldn’t miss the extra thump of his heart at Marsha’s announcement. There would be an opening for Stacey to stay. “I understand. You have to do what’s best for you and your mother. I will miss working with you.”
“I’ll make it a formal note by email in the morning.”
“That sounds fine. Let me know if you need a reference. I assure you it will be a glowing one.”
“Thanks, Cody. I appreciate that. Again, I’m sorry for not saying something sooner.”
“Don’t worry about it.” As far as Cody was concerned, the timing was perfect. He could offer Stacey the position. Maybe it would give her an excuse to stay. They could build from there.
CHAPTER NINE
WITH HIS PHONE call completed Cody returned to the kitchen, hope making his step lighter. There he found Stacey standing at the sink, doing the dishes.
“Leave those. I’ll do them later.” Cody moved around the counter near her and leaned a hip against it.
“I don’t mind. It gives me something to do.” She placed a plate into the dishwasher. “I have to go in a few minutes anyway.”
He tried to tamp down the excitement that Marsha’s phone call had generated in him. Would Stacey go for it? He couldn’t help but be thrilled about the idea. Maybe it would be enough to get her to stay longer. Still, he wasn’t clear on how he really felt about Stacey agreeing to what he was about to ask. Would she see it as him asking for more between them?
The fear that something he couldn’t get back was leaving his life enveloped him and helped him make up his mind. He had to ask her. He couldn’t let her go without at least trying to get her to stay on some kind of terms. Even if right now it was for work reasons.
“That was Marsha. You know, the nurse that you’ve been filling in for. She has decided to hand in her resignation.”
Stacey stopped in mid-motion, the dishcloth dangling in her hand, to look at him.
“Effective tomorrow. She wants to work closer to her aging mother.” He smiled at her. “It looks like I have an opening for a good clinical nurse.” His eyes searched her face. “Interested?”
Time hung, unmoving. Cody’s eyes searched her face. Stacey said nothing. Panic burned through him. Acid rose in his throat. She was taking too long to answer for it to go his way.
With a sad look in her eyes, Stacey finally shook her head slowly. “Cody, I can’t. I’ve already committed to the job in Ethiopia.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“I told you when we first met that I don’t stay in one place long. That’s just not who I am. Let’s not make this into something unpleasant after what we have shared. We both knew when we got together it was just for fun. Would only last for a few days.”
“I thought that’s what you would say.” He had to admit he was disappointed but he’d known her view before he’d asked the question. Cody couldn’t help himself; he had to know. He stepped closer to her and asked in a low flat voice, “When you leave here, you won’t look back, will you?”
Her eyes filled with pain and uncertainty. Her lips thinned and she shook her head. “Cody, I told you how I am. Let’s not ruin what we’ve had.”
Cody hated the idea that she could leave him and that he’d mean nothing more to her than some man she’d met and bedded while on Maple Island. He wanted her to care more than that. “What have we had, Stacey? Just sex? What exactly?”
“Isn’t that what we agreed to? What you wanted? I don’t remember you offering me more.”
“Yeah, but I had the impression that it might be more than that now.” He shouldn’t have let himself get involved deeply enough that his heart hurt at the thought of never seeing her again. Why hadn’t he protected himself more? If she really cared for him and the girls, she would want to stay. At least try taking the job. He tamped down the anger that welled in him.
