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In the first years after they’d broken up, he used to prepare and rehearse things he would say if he ran into Julie. But that never happened and it was so long ago he had no idea what he even felt anymore, much less what he would want to say.
He’d dated loads of women since then. And at this point, as a doctor with a successful career, he had more offers than he wanted frankly.
Did he ever meet a woman he could fall for the way he had Julie? Nope. But that didn’t mean he was still hung up on her.
Yeah, she looked beautiful lying on his exam table, her dark shoulder-length hair spread out around her perfect face the way it used to look when she was lying in bed after they made love.She was only thirty now, so he shouldn’t be surprised that her skin was still baby soft.
Speaking of babies, she’d had one. Who was the father? Whoever he was, the marriage clearly hadn’t worked out, since she used her own name and listed her status as single.
As he performed her breast exam and Pap smear, Noah banished his personal thoughts and reminded himself of why he had become a doctor and the importance of focusing on saving lives and keeping women healthy.
At the end of the exam, he told her everything looked good so far, and to get dressed and meet him in his office.
The clientele in Dr. Nizer’s upscale practice expected to be treated with a certain amount of dignity, so the doctor usually met women in his office after they were fully dressed to discuss the exam and any treatment options.
Today that would mean advising Julie on the best birth control medications for her. It would also mean being alone with her now, so there was no legal issue around bringing up personal questions, but he would let her take the lead on that move. Aside from not wanting to risk offending a patient of Dr. Nizer’s, Noah had not fully let go of his hurt pride and anger and was not about to come off as a man still carrying a torch for her.
Ten minutes after he’d finished the exam, Noah was sitting behind Dr. Nizer’s broad mahogany desk when Julie stepped into the office and closed the door behind her. Tall and sleek, she had always looked like she’d just walked off the cover of a magazine, and today was no exception. Her silky blue blouse matched her gray-blue eyes and her gray trousers followed the contours of her curvy butt just enough to be both sexy and discreet. Her dark brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders had a slight wave to it. And it looked like she might have reapplied her pink lipstick before coming to meet with him here.
She took a seat in the Victorian-style upholstered chair facing the desk and did not make eye contact with him. Could it be the once bold and self-confident Julie Vaughn was nervous about seeing him?
After a few seconds of tense silence, Noah was about to start discussing the birth control pill options she’d said she wanted, but Julie looked directly at him and said, “I thought you were planning to be a pediatrician.”
Right to the heart of things. No preamble. That had always been her style.
He nodded. “I was. I changed my mind.”
“Why?” She lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, I know you like women’s bodies.”
Low blow. Noah figured she thought that was cute. Or she just wanted to be combative rather than cordial. Fine. He stared at her for a moment, his expression dead sober. “My sister, Hannah, got ovarian cancer and I wanted to learn all I could about women’s health to make sure she survived.”
Julie’s hand came to her mouth, her teasing expression doing a one-eighty. “I am so sorry. I had no idea. Is she…?”
“Hannah is fine. It was caught early enough. She went through surgery and treatment, and of course she has to stay vigilant now, but the outlook is good.”
“She must have been so thankful to have you in her corner. So that had to be before you did your residency, but obviously after you and I split up. I remember you had already begun applying.”
He nodded. “We found out just as I went into my fourth year. I was lucky enough to get a residency at Penn so I could be near her and still get to be in one of the top hospitals.”
“But you live here in New York now? Or are you just here for the summer?”
“I live in the North Fork and have my main practice there, but I’ll be coming to the South Fork one day a week to work here in Southampton. This summer it is twice weekly because Dr. Nizer is away.” Noah had never been a great talker, but he wanted to turn the tables and get Julie to answer some questions. Like who she had married.
But did he really want to know? Would it only prove how wrong they were for each other? “Do you still keep an apartment in Manhattan?” Safe enough question.
“No. I live here year round.”
When she stopped after her short reply, he asked, “How is your brother?”
“Bryce is great. In fact, he recently got married.” She looked away, but then added in a softer voice, “Are you married?”
“Nope. Not me. You did me a favor all those years ago. I like my life now.
I make a good living doing work I love. Delivering babies and helping women stay healthy. I have a full roster of patients in a North Fork practice I share with my best friend who’d been my roommate in Philadelphia. I have a great social life. A house I love.”
Whoa. Runaway defensive I-don’t-need-you train. He had to put the brakes on and turn it around before she saw right through it, if she hadn’t already.
“So, did you ever get going on your interior design career?” he asked. “Are you working with your brother at Vaughn-Wemmer?”
