Page 69 of Dr. Off Limits

“Or maybe she’s sleeping with the boss to get ahead. Not that I could blame her. Is he as brilliant as everyone says he is?”

Sleeping with the boss to get ahead? That’s what everyone would think if they found out about me and Jacob. There would be no flying under the radar. My competency as a doctor would likely be questioned.

“Dr. Cove?” Maybe I’d taken it too far. It was clear she was talking about Jacob.

She snort-laughed. “Yes, Dr. Off Limits. Is he as amazing at the job as they say?”

I shrugged and we picked up our chips. I hoped that was the end of our talk about Jacob. “He’s great to work with. Focused.” I couldn’t underplay it because when it came to her turn in peds, she’d know I was covering for something, but if I overplayed it, she might suspect something. The fact was Jacob was brilliant, even taking into account I was sleeping with him. He was laser focused, kind, and clever. Best of all, he was an excellent teacher—pushing and testing and expecting a lot. I loved working with him.

I glanced down the queue to see how long we’d have to wait before Veronica would be interrupted by the cashier. I was sure I had I’m a liar scrawled over my forehead.

“Shall we eat outside? At least that way we can gossip without being overheard in the doctors’ dining room.” Anything to avoid a run-in with Jacob.

“Good idea,” I said, grabbing a napkin and fork before swiping my hospital card to pay for my lunch.

As we headed out, Jacob was coming in. We almost smashed into him.

“A&E almost had three more admissions.” He smirked and carried on. I didn’t dare even catch his eye. I’m sure I was emitting waves of lustful vibes as it was.

As we crossed the corridor to the exit, Veronica let out a small groan. “He even smells good, doesn’t he? How can you concentrate with him around? It must be terrible. Wanna swap?” She laughed and we headed out to sit under the small patch of grass in front of the car park.

“You really think the foundation award has already been decided?” I asked.

Veronica looked at me. “Do I believe Gilly? No. Do I think they get a feel for the candidates during the first rotation? Absolutely.”

I took a forkful of halloumi and nodded.

“Do I think you’re a candidate? I do.”

I let out a small laugh. That wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t want it to. I just wanted to stay focused and keep my head down. But the more and more time I spent with Jacob, the less likely that was. Jacob was occupying more of my headspace than he should. I was concerned what shift he was on and whether I’d be working with him, and then I was concerned that someone had realized we were sleeping together. My focus was all over the place. And then there was the constant concern that people were going to suspect. The worry hung over me like the sword of Damocles.

Things weren’t going to plan. In my life, they rarely did.

---