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Those couple of days when I was working and we were apart, I missed her.
There’s a part of me that’s scared to picture my life with her gone.
The other part is scared of falling for her further.
I’m just not sure … which part is going to win?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
WILLOW
I’d thought about Dr. Cooper’s proposition for weeks that bled into months now. I’d tossed and turned over it. I’d sifted and churned it inside my conscience, wondering if there was a way to justify taking that leap. Could I really be that person?
Part of me wanted to do it. I could taste that glimpse of temporary heaven. It was addictive to be wanted by a powerful man like him. To have his eyes on me. Desiring me.
But there was that other part of me that knew the shiny temptation wasn’t as appealing as it looked from a distance. And my conscience reminded me of the consequences that would follow. I never wanted people to find out about our flirting, though I hadn’t hidden the fact that he had been texting me lately. Something about it made me feel wanted. The thing that was lacking most in my life—romantic, passionate love—was being filled by his attention. I was teetering on the edge, wondering how it would feel if I lost my balance and fell over the line. Only a tiny portion of my conscience kept me fromstumbling. I just wasn’t sure how long it would help me resist the forbidden apple that was within reach.
Meanwhile, we went on like normal at work. We still flirted and had those little clandestine moments. The secret touches and longing glances. But he didn’t proposition me again. Neither of us mentioned that night, though it sat between us like a dirty secret. The ball felt like it was in my court. I held the power.
And I was more confused than ever.
I went to the office one day, unaware that everything was about to change again. I was back in the physical therapy area, dropping a patient off to schedule an appointment, when I stopped to talk to one of the trainers—Tim—who was alone in their big, open office area. There were trainers and physical therapists that worked back there, helping people rehab injuries. Those same trainers covered sporting events with the doctors. They were on the sidelines, assessing injuries as they occurred.
“What’s up, Tim?” I asked, sitting down in a chair.
I had gotten to know everyone, working in the different departments of our large office space over the years.
“Hey, Willow,” he answered with a smile. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” I said, crossing one leg over the other and getting more comfortable in my chair. “Busy. How’s it been out in Fairview?”
Fairview was a suburb about forty-five minutes outside of the city. Tim was the head trainer at the school system there. He covered all sports, but he was mostly available to the football team, which had the highest injury rate.
“The team is doing well this year,” he commented.
We talked for a little bit about the most recent football game.
Then, he paused and smirked over at me. “Did you hear the rumors about Dr. Cooper?”
I snorted, still completely at ease. “Which ones?”
There were many speculations always floating around about my surgeon. Infidelity accusations mostly. I was used to hearing them.
“About him and Casey?”
My brow furrowed.
Casey was an X-ray tech who worked at our office out in Fairview. She had worked at a satellite office on the outskirts of town, and we’d go to that office once a week when I first started working for Dr. Cooper. But that had changed when they built a new facility near where she lived.
Casey was divorced. She had two kids. She was cute and young—around my age. She was fun and vivacious. I really liked her.
“What?” I asked.
He nodded slowly, eager to spill the tea. “There have been rumors about those two for years. I can confirm that the rumors are true. I see his Range Rover parked at her house several nights a week.”
I felt the color drain from my face as my stomach dropped. His words circled in my head as I attempted to make sense of them.
“They are definitely having an affair,” he continued smugly, oblivious to the way his words just gutted me. He glanced over at his computer screen as he kept talking.
