Page 64 of Eligible Best Friend

“She’s amazing at her job.”

“Indeed. I shouldn’t be surprised. Gerald’s mother was a nurse and she used to bend Lia’s ear with stories. I didn’t think she remembered them.”

“They must’ve been close.” My phone vibrates. Dammit. I ignore it.

“That they were.” She pats my suit coat over my phone. “You’re buzzing, Mr. Monroe. I’d better let you go, but I’m glad we had his chat. Make sure Aurelia finds us as soon as she’s free. She’ll know how to cut through the crowd.”

I plan to ignore the call anyway, but she slips away. I weave to a corner of the room by a side panel the servers hustle in and out of, setting down our glasses on an empty serving tray.

My phone is done ringing by the time I fish it out. Cass.

Frowning, I call her back. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Ford, I didn’t expect you to call back so soon. I stopped by your place.”

“Is something wrong?”

She pauses and I turn my back to the room like it’ll help me hear better. “I have to talk to you about something.”

“I’ve got a few moments.” I don’t, but she’s never dropped by to tell me something. My gut says this shouldn’t wait.

“Oh no, we should meet in person—”

“Cass, I’m out of town. What’s going on?”

“I was offered a position at a hospital in St. Paul. I accepted.”

Air whooshes out of my lungs. My world stills and all the noise behind me fades away. “What?” I couldn’t have heard her correctly.

“It’s more pay, more staff to help with the workload, and I can even work from home a day or two a week.”

“Cass…St. Paul? That’s…that’s not—”

“Not Fargo? I know. But it’s better for me and Jayden.”

Jayden’s better nearly four hours away? “What about me?”

“You can come visit.”

“Cass.” I can’t believe she’s doing this.

“Look, Ford. I’ve thought long and hard about this.” She’d said that the last time she ripped the rug out from under me. “I’ve been applying to different places.”

“You went on interviews when I was watching Jayden?” I didn’t think she could sink lower than she did the day he was born and she left my name off his birth certificate.

“You’re moving on. It’s time for me to. I’ve stayed here for three years for you.”

“How can you say you stayed for me when you left me?” I shake my head. “You know what, never mind. It’s in the past.”

“It’s not like I could go running home to my parents after leaving like that.” Bitterness laces her tone. “Enough time has passed and I have the work experience to go anywhere. It’s not far. You can still visit.”

“I want to do more than visit. I want to be there for him. I’m his dad.” I’m a dad who wants to be around.

“You had your chance. Anyway, I have to give thirty days’ notice. We’ll be moving next month.”

“Cass—”

There’s a cry in the background. “We’ll talk about this later.”

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