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Oh good grief.
She closed her eyes and then she felt him slip into the heart-shaped tub. He reclined in the other half of the heart. The left ventricle while she lay on the right side.
“This has got to be a danger to anyone who has to get up and go pee at night,” he said. “I wonder how many people have fallen in the tub in the dark.”
Spoken like a true ER physician.
Lying back, she took a drink of her champagne. Already she could feel a buzz from the alcohol. She didn’t like to drink much, but tonight she needed some liquid courage.
“We’ll leave a light on in the bathroom, so we don’t fall in,” she said wishing he would just enjoy the moment.
On the top floor of the hotel, they couldn’t hear much traffic from below. Of course, with the storm, she doubted many people would be out on the roads.
Thank goodness they weren’t working in the ER tonight. This would be one of those nights where you didn’t catch a break until the next shift arrived. She pitied the staff at the local hospital.
“You know, this is really nice. The hot water feels so good after being out in the cold,” he said.
“Yes,” she said. “And the champagne isn’t bad either. Remember that night of graduation we drank a whole bottle of champagne?”
“I remember match day when we learned we would both be going to the same hospital for our residency. That was such a fun night.”
It had been. All the while, she’d waited patiently for Noah to realize she was in love with him, but he never did. All that night. she’d hoped he would show her that he had feelings for her, but he didn’t. This weekend, that had to change or she’d be leaving Houston for a new hospital.
“Let’s do a toast,” she said.
He raised his champagne glass.
“To having the best Christmas ever with your father and stepmother,” she said. “And to love.”
They clinked their glasses together and then sipped from the champagne.
“Why love?”
“Because we both need love in our life. We’re almost thirty, successful doctors, and I’ve been thinking I need to make some decisions if I want to have children. It’s time to find someone to spend my life with.”
He nodded. “It’s not easy. I’ve been dating some and so far no one. They’re either not smart enough or we just don’t have anything in common. When they sit across from me with a glazed look in their eye when I tell them about how I had to perform surgery right in the ER to keep a man from bleeding out.”
She gave a laugh. No wonder his dates didn’t go well. She continued to wait for him to catch up to her and realize his best choice was right in front of him.
“That’s true. The reason we’re such good friends is because we have so much in common,” she said, wondering if he’d realize where she was trying to lead him. That she was the perfect match for him.
“You’re right,” he said. “We both love medicine. I don’t especially love the ER, but I don’t know what other field of medicine I’d go in. And you’re always there for me to talk about my day. We can talk about our cases and compare notes. You understand what being a doctor is like. The grueling work and the way we hold people’s lives in our hands.”
“I do,” she said, pondering if in his mind he was realizing she was the one he should marry. Even their friends kept wondering when Noah was going to recognize that Hannah loved him.
Glancing at her, his eyes narrowed. “If you marry, would your husband understand our connection?”
Dear God, she was going to have to slap him upside the head. Or maybe he really wasn’t into her like she believed. Maybe there was a reason he’d never kissed her in all the years they’d been friends. Maybe she was living in her own little dream world. The wake-up call would arrive this weekend. If they didn’t leave Montana as a couple, she’d be going home to her family in Oklahoma.
“That’s an excellent question. Would your wife accept me? What if I called you in the middle of the night to get your opinion on a case? Would she think we were having an affair?”
He gave a chuckle, but she knew him well enough to know when his mind was considering her words.
Time for phase two. Time to put the moves on Noah.
Picking up a strawberry, she popped it in her mouth. For a moment, she savored the flavor and then she had an idea.
“Close your eyes,” she said.
