Page 42 of Just One Chance
Lucy shot him a look over her shoulder.
“Fine,” David said with a sigh. “She wasn’t Avery. But I don’t know how to stop my brain from making the comparison. It feels like an involuntary reaction.”
Lucy paused outside Exam Two and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “Then do something about it. Say something to her.”
David slouched against the wall. “I can’t.” He forced a breath out through his nose. “When I got home Saturday morning, Tucker was at Avery’s house. Avery told me nothing happened, that it wasn’t what it looked like, but Tucker made it seem like thingsdefinitelyhappened.”
Lucy pressed her hands against her head, frustration, or maybe just exasperation, evident on her face. “All the more reason for you to move on then. She’s clearly not into you.” She turned to leave, then looked back at David. “Wait, youtalkedto Tucker?”
“He came over to ask me questions about his wrist.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Do you realize how convoluted that is?”
Lucy disappeared into Exam Two, leaving David alone to process her response. Whatever did or didn’t happen between Avery and Tucker on Saturday night, the amount of time they were spending together was a pretty solid indication that Avery feltsomethingfor Tucker. But David would almost put money on Avery feeling something for him as well. Surely he wasn’t so desperate and clueless that he was making up the spark he felt whenever they were together.
David half-listened as the resident in Exam Two reported the patient’s symptoms to Lucy, finishing with her preliminary diagnosis. Without eyes on the patient, David couldn’t be certain, but based on what he could hear of the resident’s report, he agreed with the diagnosis and was impressed with her competence.
Lucy must have agreed as well. She ordered one additional test then left the patient in the care of the resident and returned to David’s side. As soon as she saw him still slouched against the wall, she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, David. You have to get over this. You look like a kid whose puppy died.”
Lucy moved back down the hallway, David still on her heels. “Here’s the thing,” he said. “I realize I don’t have a lot of experience, but I think Averyisinto me.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow. “That’s confident of you. What makes you so sure?”
“I just feel like there’s something there. When we look at each other, there’s this . . . pull. I feel something.”
Lucy turned to face him, placing a hand on either shoulder. “David,” she said, her tone gentle. “You know I love you. And that means speaking the hard truths even if it stings a little.”
David braced himself, already knowing he wouldn’t like what Lucy had to say.
“If Avery felt the same pull that you do, she wouldn’t be spending the night with another man.”
David shook his head. “She said nothing happened. And this situation is different. Tucker isn’t who she thinks he is.”
“Maybe he isn’t. But do you really think learning as much is going to suddenly make Avery have feelings for you?”
“But maybe—”
“Stop,” Lucy said. “I know I encouraged you in the beginning, but it’s time to move on. We’re going out this weekend, okay? You, Haley, me and John. Nothing big. Just something casual. Dinner and a movie, maybe.”
David hated the frankness of her words, and still wanted to argue the point. But he swallowed his retorts. What did he actually know anyway? “Fine,” he eventually said. “This weekend.”
Lucy nodded. “Be sure to say something to Haley about it.” She finally released his shoulders. “Tell her you’re excited to go and ask her if she has a preference for dinner. Make sure she’s not vegan or something. I was hoping we could go to Lewis’s for barbecue.”
David rubbed his temples, wishing he could muster up actual enthusiasm over the prospect of another date. “I’ll ask her.”
“Now go find a patient or something,” Lucy said, as she moved down the hall. “Your brain clearly needs the distraction.”
Two days passed before David saw Avery again. He was at his mailbox when she strolled up, grocery bags in hand. The second he saw her coming up the road, his stupid heart started racing like he was in middle school, watching his crush approach from across the room. Mentally, he’d agreed with Lucy. It did make sense to move on. But that didn’t mean he could get his heart to comply. Not with Avery living right next door.
“Hey,” Avery said, lowering her shopping bags to the ground. “Anything interesting?”
David looked at the stack of mail in his hand, all advertisements and credit card applications. “Does anything interesting come in the mail anymore?”
“My great aunt Virginia sends me twenty-five dollars on my birthday every year,” Avery said. She lifted her hand up to shield her eyes from the late afternoon sun.
“I guess that counts,” David said. Silence settled between them and Avery reached down to pick up her groceries. “How are you?” he asked, not wanting her to leave. “How’s life?”
A shadow of something flitted across her face before she smiled. “Good,” she said. “Everything’s good.” David had the same feeling in his gut that he always got when a patient wasn’t telling him the whole truth about whatever medical incident/accident/stupid behavior had landed them in the ER. He’d gotten pretty good at weaseling his way to the truth, but he sensed Avery might not appreciate the same treatment. She wasn’t obligated to tell him anything, after all. Not like his patients were.
