Page 80 of Give Me Forever

"You think I haven't pitched this well enough to the board? That's all I've been doing for the past two damn months. They’re not budging. There’s no profit in a clinic, and the board is leery of building it here. In Maine, they have a larger budget. When starting a hospital from scratch, they can design a section specifically for the clinic and all its needs. Sorry, Sam, but it’s Maine or nothing. That's their final say on the matter. Think about it. They don't need an answer right away."

I stood up. Needless to say, I was not happy, though I didn’t want to be irrational either. I’d give it time. "When do they need to know?"

"A month, give or take."

"Okay, I'll think about it."

"I know you. You're a hothead, but don't discard it. It's a great opportunity. And with a new hospital being opened, there will be no egos to toss aside, no cliques to fit in. You know how hospitals can get. Everyone on the team will be a fresh hire."

"I know. It definitely has its perks, but it wasn't what I wanted."

"I've emailed you the list of doctors they want to pull in. Big names."

"You think they'll convince them?"

"They stand a good chance." He pointed at me again. "Don't discard this opportunity."

"I won't."

"I can already see you're rolling your eyes into the back of your head."

I held up my hand in defense. "What can I say? I wasn’t expecting this. I was looking for a yes or a no. Not a ‘Here’s our offer in fuckingMaine.’"

He chuckled at that and said, "You got a yes but with a twist. Flexibility isn't your thing, is it?"

I shrugged. It wasn't something we Maxwells were known for, that was true. "Thank you for everything you've done. See you tomorrow."

"See you, Maxwell."

My mind was spinning while I changed in the locker room. Robinson was right. I couldn't just discard this. An opportunity like it wouldn’t come my way again. I was certain there wouldn't be a second chance to build a clinic. Having the option to start one at a brand-new hospital was a once-in-a-lifetime chance these days.

After leaving, I was restless. I did my laps, completing my five miles, but my head was still spinning. I needed more than a run tonight. I didn't want to go home like this. Avery would be there, sensing something wasn’t right, and I didn't want to bother her with my confusion. We were just figuring things out; there was no need to put this kind of pressure on her, or on our relationship, for that matter.

I knew just what I needed—the Maxwell gang. My first impulse was to write in the WhatsApp group. I was still new to it. My cousins set me up when we’d had lunch, though I typically had to skip most of the conversations because they happened while I was on shift, and I always put my phone on airplane mode.

I decided to simply call Kimberly.

“Hey, cousin," I said when she answered.

"Hello, Sam."

"Do you have plans tonight?"

"Why? Do you need my help staging a successful date again?"

I laughed. "I wasn't staging it.”

“That's what I call it, because... you know what? Never mind. Why do you ask?"

"Got some news at work, and I could use the Maxwell perspective."

"Okay, I'm on it. Just to make it clear, when you say Maxwell perspective, do you mean just me? Me and Reese? Me and everyone else?"

"I'd like as many opinions as possible."

"Wow. I didn’t think I’d ever hear someone say that. Tell me you didn’t screw things up with Avery already."

"I told you it's about work."

---