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A playful one-sided smile pulled at his lips.
“I’m having fun with this art project, but I don’t think I could work with sick children all day. Too heartbreaking. I think emergency is a better fit.”
She nodded, but had no clue why he felt that way. Ten years of living across the country, and suddenly her emergency department was where he thought he needed to be.
“That would be a big change from plastic surgery—less pay, shift work, long hours, working nights and weekends. But if you do decide you want to punish yourself, you could probably find a job in any ER in LA.”
“I think Virginia would be better,” he replied.
She gulped. “In that case, you may have arrived at a good time. Because they’ll probably have an opening by summer.”
Drake narrowed his eyes at her.
“The director mentioned she expected to have a position, but he didn’t say anyone was leaving. I just assumed they were adding to the staff.”
Fidgeting, she slid her hands into her back pockets. She wasn’t about to reveal her plans since she had no clue if she would actually get the deputy director job, or what she would do if she didn’t. He didn’t need to know she’d been exhausted by the pace of the ER for several years, but her contract kept her there. She just needed to sell him on staying at Mercy to help with her application for the deputy position.
“That’s what I hear, too,” she said, trying to dismiss her hint that she would be moving on.
Drake just nodded.
“I’ll see you back in there,” she said and walked away.
Her focus was slipping, but she needed to remember what was on the line. There was no room for her to get distracted by Drake. Over the next few weeks, she would be attending multiple fundraisers the hospital was hosting for the holidays, where she planned to schmooze the donors and sell herself for the new job. Most doctors looked for any excuse to avoid the donor events, but this year, she made herself available for every single one. It was the easiest way to get face time with the board and stay busy.
If she stayed busy, she could stop thinking about how a jolt of energy stole her breath every time Drake touched her. She could ignore how his long lashes flirted with every blink and those dark eyes that felt like he could see into her soul.
*
“I don’t see why you need to sift through racks of used gowns when you’re an attending physician,” Izzy said.
They were going through stuffed racks at a local consignment store so Margo could find a few dresses for all the events she’d signed up for. Her sister was five years younger than Margo and didn’t realize how expensive med school was, even with assistance from Mercy.
“It’s called student loans. When you finish your art degree, you’ll be in the same boat.”
Izzy laughed. “Getting pregnant freshman year may have been cheaper in the long run. I don’t think I need an art degree anymore, but maybe I should study business. I make more as a hair stylist than I ever would have as an art history major.”
“I guess a business degree would be useful if you sell your art,” Margo admonished. Izzy was an exceptional artist but had moved back home after only one year of college when she got pregnant. The father had wanted nothing to do with her or the baby, but Izzy said there was no way she wasn’t keeping her daughter. Of course, their parents were disappointed with how they got their first grandchild, but Sophie was the light of their life.
Margo pulled a sequin red jumper off the rack and held it up for Izzy.
“Well, it has major disco vibes, but we could probably make it work. Why do you need so many gowns, anyway?”
“I volunteered to attend several hospital fundraising events, so I need to look the part,” Margo fibbed.
“You are such a sucker for holiday events.”
“True, and the first one is an event at the Navy Yard, so I was thinking something conservative.” She spotted a blue taffeta gown that looked like it belonged in a Miss America contest. It was long and flowy with an open back and tied at the neck.
“Can you take in a few or fix the hems in time?” Margo asked.
“Of course, but you have to tell me why you signed up for so many events you once called ‘pimping ourselves out for cash the hospital will spend on the wrong thing.’”
“I’m more mature now and realize a private hospital can’t recruit the most talented physicians and provide state-of-the-art care without donors with very deep pockets,” Margo replied, pulling several more dresses off the racks and handing them to Izzy until they both had their arms full.
“Right, and what is really going on?”
“You know my contract is up this summer, so getting a little extra face time with the decision makers might help me secure my next job. And I figured this is a great chance to meet some new people outside of work.”
