Page 44 of Cocky M.D.
“No. We’re done now. Please have my things sent back to my home.”
I glanced down the hall at Bradley’s room. I wanted to hug him goodbye, but I went to my car first to drop off my bag.
It was time to stop pretending. Johnny would never love me. I’d been a fool since I met him.
Chapter Sixteen
Johnny
The crescent moonwas high in the sky, and darkness had entirely overtaken the light. Olivia’s laughter was nowhere in the house.
I just had her memory. I strolled through my bedroom, remembering how she’d lain beside me, naked and warm.
So I went to the balcony, but there I could hear her laugh in the back of my mind. I jogged down the stairs, and Bradley was on his swing. It was past his bedtime.
I walked to the edge of the play area and called, “Hey.”
He glanced up at me, and I saw dried tears on his face. “Don’t talk to me.”
I’d pushed her too far and wished for something else. I said quickly, “I’m sorry, kid.”
He held the chains of his seat but shook his head. “No, you’re not. I heard Olivia and her sister talking.”
I stepped forward, but he jumped, so I stopped and asked, “About what?”
He resettled on his seat and said, “About how you sent her to the store with the mean woman, and you sent us in that old car after you left. Olivia didn’t say anything to me, but she might change her mind because of you, and I’ll hate you forever.”
Mean?Hopefully that was my son’s overreaction. I’d never intended that. I’d suspected she would call me about paying, but she hadn’t. My heart rate sped up. I needed to mend things with my son. “She told you?”
He didn’t look at me when he said, “She told her sister she might not marry you, because you were mean, and now, she’s gone. And I’m alone.”
“She did?”
“No, but I know her faces.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I kicked the sand and said, “I’m here.”
He bolted out of his seat and said, “You don’t ever play. I’m going in… to take a shower.” He headed toward the stairs.
I called, “Bradley!” but then my phone rang.
For one second, I almost ignored it to help my son, but then I saw it was the hospital. If there was an emergency, then I needed to help. And besides, work usually numbed me from thinking too much, so I answered. “Dr. Munz. How can I help you?”
“The paperwork is with human resources. I sent a note that you’re my first choice.”
I cringed. I’d made the deal with Olivia because of work. I’d wanted to prove myself the opposite of my family, and work had always been my means of escaping life and helping others. Without Olivia, life felt empty. My hand curled at my side, and I said, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Thanks for thinking of me. See you tomorrow.”
Done. Fuck.In one spoiled-rich-boy maneuver, I’d ruined everything that truly mattered to me. I hung up the phone without explaining. The next day was soon enough to tell everyone the truth… she’d left me.
I walked down the path that led to the pool, but I remembered how I’d walked back with Olivia in my arms and how her flirting was both serious and sweet. I couldn’t even look at the pool. As I passed it, my phone rang again. My heart swelled with hope that it was Olivia, but then I saw the number.
“Mom, I didn’t expect you to call.”
She launched into her plans, as if the wedding were a benefit fundraiser she was hosting. “My secretary told me you plan to stop here on the way to the honeymoon. I wanted to confirm with you that you’re letting me spoil my grandson for the week.”
I massaged the back of my head. I’d made plans for something that would never happen, but I couldn’t tell my mom. I swallowed and figured I would explain the next day. “I don’t know for sure, Mom.”
