Page 52 of Between Our Hearts

“Ugh.” She closed her eyes, shifting to pull it from behind her.

He saw Kerem’s smiling, professional headshot on the screen.

“I’m sorry, but I should take this.” His wife’s face slacked, holding the glowing, vibrating phone in her upturned palm.

Right now, Sadie was in the crossfire of Josh’s asshole attempt at a power grab and needed to focus on that. They could talk about this tomorrow or in a few days. Maybe the best idea was to wait until they were in the presence of their new therapist to help Sadie process this change in his hopes for their family. All he knew was that there was no way in hell he was going to be the reason for his wife’s pain.

He straightened his own features before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “It’s fine, love. We’re okay. Deal with this.”

“Thank you,” she whispered to him before accepting the call in her normal authoritative voice. “Let me guess, you just received a call from Josh about my ability to lead.”

?Chapter 27?

“Sorry I’m late.” Sadie took her seat across from Parker at the high-top patio table, snagging a gulp from the short glass of ice water at her spot. “It’s been a crappy week.”

She’d texted Parker in all caps once things had settled down last Sunday, complaining about her colleague’s attempt to bring to light . . . what? That she was human and had a life outside of surgery and sometimes needed to focus on that?

Fortunately, she’d received phone calls from several of her fellow surgeons, each giving her a heads up to Josh’s plan. The fact that so many of them had called her in warning reinforced her confidence that she was still capable of handling the conflicts in her home life while still thriving at work. She hadn’t crumbled yet. It was taking all of her energy, but she was still standing.

“I still cannot believe that slimy, underhanded son of a—”

“Evening, ladies. My name is Freya. Can I get you started with something other than water?”

As the young server wearing a crisp all-black uniform covered by a teal apron left the table, Sadie took a deep breath of outside air for the first time that day. The popular wine bar was a sought-out location any time of year, but now when all the various potted plants in old wine barrels were saturated with blooms atop on the multi-tiered stone patio, it looked like they were relaxing outside a villa in the Tuscan hills, not in downtown Durham. The only thing off about the ambiance was the nearby street noise.

Sadie’s gaze flicked over the other well-dressed patrons and then down at her scrubs. “Sorry I didn’t change. I’ve been so off, I only put a pair of slacks in my bag, but no blouse. I figured it’d be better to keep on my scrubs than wear slacks and a scrub top.”

Parker waved a dismissive hand. “It doesn’t matter what you wear. You’ve got Clark. I, on the other hand”—she gestured over her captivating fit-and-flare sundress—“have flies to catch.”

Her lips downturned. “What happened with Ivan?”

Parker spread her hands on top of the wine barrel lid turned tabletop. “Things didn’t pan out.”

Since their relationship had never really been based on the sharing of their emotions, Sadie let the moment pass without digging for more information. Soft acoustic guitar music floated into the space she’d left open.

“Bronze Hills Pinot Noir and the Sunkissed Cab,” Freya said, setting down their glasses of wine. “Can I get you ladies anything to snack on? A charcuterie board or some bruschetta?”

“This is fine for now. Thank you,” Parker answered before taking a large gulp of her glass of cabernet.

As soon as their server left, Sadie opened her mouth to offer a surgical story as a distraction, but Parker interrupted her.

“Do you have any idea—any idea—how rare men like Clark are? How rare it is to have a man who accepts a woman who works like we do?” A humorless laugh fell from her mouth. “I mean, that was always our goal, right? Fight for equality in our fields. Constantly battle jackasses like Josh who never stop trying to take us down. And then on top of all of that try to find someone who doesn’t mind our crazy schedules and actuallywantsa strong, independent woman.”

Parker’s fingers spun her wine glass by the stem, and rivulets sloshed dangerously close to the rim. “Because they’ll swear up and down that they want an independent woman. Someone who doesn’t need them, but it’s all a bunch of lies. They don’t. They might for a night or maybe a few weeks, but that’s it. It never lasts. The only time I’ve ever seen it work is with you.”

Sadie nearly toppled off her backless stool she reared back so quickly from her friend’s frustrated glare.

“You’ve seemed to find theone manon the planet who not only doesn’t mind but happily puts his career on hold and raises Lottie while you get to do what you love all day. Do you have any idea how freaking rare that is?” Fellow patrons looked over as the volume of her voice climbed.

Parker’s eyes widened before her face fell in her hands with a groan. “I’m sorry. I’m being a shitty friend. I know you’ve been through hell this year, and you’ve had to deal with Josh all week, and now I’m”—an exhale punched from her as she brought her gaze up—“I’m just jealous. I have been for a long time.”

Sadie could feel her brows twinging as words burst from her mouth. “But you’re the one who told me to kiss Clark in the first place.”

Her friend groaned again. “I know, but I thought you’d have one night of steamy sex with someone who was actually hot instead of the sparse and sad interactions with the losers you usually went out with. I didn’t think you’d findyour person.”

Sadie’s mouth opened to formulate words, but her jaw worked soundlessly.

Parker took a noisy inhale. “It’s just at the end of the day, you’re not alone. You’ve got a husband—a partner—who would bend over backwards to give you what you need. I just—it’d be nice. Just once, you know? I’m supposed to be tough and not need anyone, but after watching you and Clark, I thought maybe it could happen for me too.” Her gaze dropped to the tabletop. “I really thought it was going to work out this time. I thought maybe Ivan was my person.”

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