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Her arms and legs shoot out in front of her, and for a second I think she’s about to run, but then she relaxes and starts nervously playing with her neck. “I um…”
“You thought you’d come here and say something like, I was just in the neighborhood and happened to know where you live even though it’s not listed anywhere searchable and was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner or a drink before I work you up into taking me back here for the night. Right?”
She shifts, looking to her right, but just like me being here is obvious, so is the intent behind her showing up here. The awesome thing about this moment is that if this had been Zane, I would have been suspicious that he was having an affair, and the girl showing up didn’t know about me. In Bennett’s case, I know she’s here unsolicited so she can try and get with our boss.
Probably for several reasons, including the fact that he’s next-level gorgeous and she believes he’s still the one running the fellowship. “You’ll do anything to get a competitive edge,” I find myself saying.
Her head whips in my direction, fury blazing in her dark eyes. “Oh, and you’re not?” She harumphs. “Why are you here, Katy? You’ve obviously been keeping your affair a secret. Even his best friend didn’t know about you.”
My brows scrunch. “Huh? His best friend?”
“A neurosurgeon from Minnesota showed up at work today looking for Bennett, but he had just missed him. He said he was leaving town but wanted to give him this”—she pulls out something wrapped in brown paper from her pocket—“before he left.”
“So he gave it to you? Just like that?”
“He told me where he lived and asked if I’d deliver it. He said he’d heard a lot about me from Bennett, and I thought…”
“You thought you’d use that as your opening.”
Her cheeks flush.
There is a lot in what she’s saying that isn’t quite adding up. Especially about Cayden.
“Bennett and I have been together for a few months. We knew each other a while back when I was a third-year medical student, and he was chief resident. And before you start getting all Cricket on my ass, he’s not deciding over fellowships anymore. Once he and I got together, he stepped back from that so it wouldn’t be a conflict of interest.”
Yeah, Cricket might be ready to murder me.
“Are you kidding me?!” she shrieks. “What is wrong with you? What kind of?—”
I hold up my hand. “I’m gonna stop you there, Cricket, since your reasons for being here are far from altruistic. You could have given him whatever is in that bag tomorrow at work. Instead, you came out here to his private residence to make a personal house call. So let’s not throw stones. I love Bennett. My relationship with him has nothing to do with getting ahead. But you, you give women a bad name. You wasted four years hating me and knocking me down every chance you got when we could have been friends. Competitors does not have to mean adversaries.”
She sulks for a moment, dropping her elbows to her thighs and staring out at the quiet side street. The cool autumn air whips by us, rustling our hair as we fall into silence. Finally, she turns and gives me a look I can’t quite read.
“Everything always comes easy to you.”
I roll my eyes at her childish antagonism, resting my forearms on my knees. “Hardly. Did you not see me eat linoleum in the OR? I have a life too, Cricket. Just like everyone else does. Shit hits us all. You were always so focused on me, you never gave yourself a chance to shine.”
She huffs like a brat, and I sigh. Sometimes there is no reaching people.
I stand and look down on her. “I’m going in. I’m cold.” For a moment, I’m tempted to tell her I’m pregnant, but why bother? She’ll see my bump eventually, and I don’t owe her any explanations. “I hope your interview goes well, and no, there’s no sarcasm in there. I honestly do. But I also plan to kick your ass and win that fellowship. I can wish you well and still want to win. Have a good night, Cricket.”
I go inside, then shut, and lock the door since Bennett usually comes in through the back and he’ll be home any minute. Cricket can do what she likes. She’s no longer an issue for me. It isn’t until I get inside and she’s gone that I realize I never grabbed the brown bag from her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Katy is dancing around the kitchen. This isn’t new for her. She does this all the time, usually as she sings along to whatever she’s listening to. But this is… different. A bit wilder. Perhaps even a little manic. The takeout bags sit untouched on the counter, the table set for us.
“Katy baby?” I call loudly so as not to startle her.
She spins around and skips over to me, a smile lighting her face. “Hey, lover boy.” She jumps up into my arms, making me catch her. “Glad you’re home. I’m starving.”
My eyes narrow. “You okay?”
“I feel like you ask me that a lot.”
“I’ve had a lot of reasons to ask.”
“True.” She gives me a sweet kiss and then wiggles out of my arms. “So Cricket was here,” she says flippantly when that statement is anything but.
