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“Thank you,” he said to the other woman and sprinted inside the Head of the Medicine’s office. The man was seated on his oversized leather chair when Dereck walked in and he pointed to one of the guest chairs.
“Dr. Johnson,” the bald man began. “I called you here because I have information that you may be interested in.”
Dereck said nothing and kept his hand in his lap, silently urging the man to quicken his rate of speech.
“A position for Chief of Medicine has opened in another hospital and I submitted your name for consideration,” the man said, a glint in his eyes.
“Chief of Medicine?” Dereck’s jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide. It was an amazing position. The best of the best doctors all fought for it and to think it was within his grasp.
“Despite the misunderstanding earlier this year, you have proven to be an exceptional doctor.” The man lowered his head to where papers were scattered on his desk. “I have several letters here, praising you as an exceptional doctor. Also, I have been observing you. I think you possess the skills needed to run your own department.”
Dereck was at the edge of his seat now. “Thank you, doctor” he clenched his fist then released it again to ease some tension in his hand. “I take the utmost pride in my work.” Then Dereck leaned back in his seat, making himself more comfortable. “So, which hospital would this be?”
“Actually,” the man said slowly, causing Dereck to suspect something was wrong. “It’s a little further up north. If you’re chosen for the job, you will have to move to Upstate New York.”
Dereck pierced the man with his gaze before repeating in a soft voice, “Upstate?”
“Is there a problem, Dr. Johnson? Are you not able to relocate?” The bald man was staring at him now with narrowed eyes.
“Oh no, there’s no problem. The relocation isn’t an issue,” Dereck said, not quite believing his words. If he moved to Upstate New York, he and Alina would get to see each other less frequently. She didn’t have to work in an office, so he could always ask her to come with him, but would she want to leave all her friends behind? He knew they were extremely close and that might be too much of a sacrifice for her.
“Great,” Dereck’s boss said. “I’ll keep you updated on the situation.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Dereck said before leaving the office.
* * *
Alina
“You did an excellent job,Alina. You should be proud.” The manager of the gallery where her exhibition was being held was just another of the many praises for her work. Alina smiled and thank the woman for her compliment and the woman walked away, headed in the direction of the section of wildlife portraits.
Alina took a few long strides to the far end of the hall, her eyes searching the room unsuccessfully for Dereck. She did, however, see a familiar face, one that had been there for the past two days.
“Back again, Taylor?” Alina stopped at her friend’s side.
Taylor turned to greet Alina with a smile. “I am simply supporting my best friend.” Then she mumbled under her breath and turned back to the painting. “Not that she appreciates it.”
“I do appreciate it, Taylor, but…” Alina was cut off by a cheerful tone.
“That’s all you need to say,” Taylor said, her lips sporting a bright red color. They remained silent for a while until Taylor spoke. “This one is my favorite.”
Alina looked at the portrait. A dark-haired woman with green eyes and bright red lips sported a seductive smile.
“You wore that lipstick on purpose, didn’t you?” Alina blew out hard and shook her head.
“I’m simply reflecting your version of me,” Taylor curved her lip, trying to mimic the same pose as her inanimate self.
Alina eyed the colored paper at the edge of the portrait and turned to walk away from what she felt would become an awkward scene. “Well, enjoy it while you can. It was sold.”
Taylor went down in a low, playful tone. “Who do you think bought it?”
Alina simply shook her head as she walked away.
An hour before the exhibition would close, and Alina still hadn’t seen Dereck. She fought back the frown but perched her lips and jutted her chin. She wanted to believe that he would make it in time, but as a doctor, his schedule often left her standing by the roadside, waiting. Since they had gotten back together, she had noticed him trying to improve on his tardiness, but the unexpected calls most times made it difficult.
“Want me to go find him and drag him here?” Alina didn’t even notice Bailey standing at her side.
“He probably just got caught up with something. He’ll be here.” Then she looked at her watch. “He promised me.”
