Page 33 of Fly with Me

“I paid for the rental car.”

“How chivalrous of you.” He kept his fingers outstretched. “And second, she came to watch the world’s most boring athletic event on the planet just so you wouldn’t be alone at the finish line.”

“It’s at Disney World. She tries to go every year.”

“Olive, not even Mickey Mouse can make watching a bunch of people pant and sweat for hours and then run across an electrical cord at all interesting.” He arched an eyebrow. “Third, she basically saved you from reporters while gazing prettily into your eyes.”

Olive had stared at the Orlando newspaper photo for ten minutes after Derek found it online. “That was just a very well-timed photograph.”

“Then you cuddled during a nap.”

“She said it was a reflex.”

Joni and Derek burst out laughing, which gave Olive ample opportunity to consider banging her head against the desk again.

Derek wiggled his computer mouse. “You had a perfectly romantic kiss on a roller coaster.”

“Which I cornered her into.”

“I really don’t think that’s how it went down,” Joni said.

“Then we got incredibly drunk and shared a hotel room without touching each other. She flat-out refused to share a bed with me. And then she was gone before I woke up. She left a note. Without her number.”

“What did the note say?” Joni leaned her elbow on the desk beside Olive and played with her stethoscope.

“Thank you so much for a wonderful night. All the best, Stella.”

“You memorized the note.” Derek snorted.

“Um. It’s like twelve words—”

“You counted the words.”

Olive threw her hands up into the air. “Don’t you have patients to see? I’m supposed to be doing charge nurse, management-y things. Do you want to be the charge nurse today?”

“Nope, I discharged all my patients. I’m charge tomorrow. It’s your turn today, and thus, I’m completely free to mock you.”

“Great.” Olive began typing up audits on her computer.

“So, she said ‘all the best.’ Eesh.” Derek raised a thick eyebrow.

Olive swiveled around on her chair to face Derek. “Is that so bad?”

“I mean, it’s better than sincerely.”

“Is it?” Joni said, flinching.

Olive whipped her head toward the doctor.

“I mean, I guess it is. But it’s still rather businesslike, no?” Joni steepled her fingers in front of her face.

Derek lifted his hand palms up in a weighing motion. “I suppose if we’re going on a scale that has ‘always hot and heavy for you’ on one side and a curt ‘regards’ on the other, ‘all the best’ is not as bad as it could be.”

“Can we stop talking about this?”

“The more I think about it,” Joni said with a sniff, “I think ‘all the best’ is fine. She was probably running on autopilot.”

“Pun intended?” Derek and Joni said at the same time, and then, laughing, they said, “Jinx,” in tandem.

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