Private Partners (Doctors in Training 2)

Anne laughed. “So, have dinner with him. It could be fun.”

Pushing a lock of brown hair out of her amber-brown eyes, Haley wrinkled her nose. “I’m tempted. But it’s so hard to find any extra time right now.”

“You can make time for a dinner with dimple-chin guy, especially this weekend, after the test.”

“Maybe I will, then.”

“You should. Remember what the counselors in the burnout prevention sessions keep saying. We should take breaks and try to live balanced lives—ha—or we’ll suffer the consequences.”

“Yeah, it’s all I can do not to laugh out loud every time they make that speech. But I’ll go to dinner with Dimples, anyway. That’s about as balanced as I can manage right now.”

“What’s his real name?”

“Kris. With a K. His last name is Colton. I think. Anyway, I’ll ask him if he wants to have dinner Saturday night. And then I’ll put in an extra couple of hours studying Sunday to make up for it. Maybe I’ll find something to wear when you and I go shopping Saturday morning. We’re still on for that, right?”

“Sure. I can shop for a couple of hours. We’ll find you something to wear that will knock this guy out of his shoes.”

“What about you?” Haley looked across the table with a speculative look. “Want me to ask Kris if he has an available friend?”

Anne swallowed a bit of lettuce and reached for her water glass. “Um, no, that’s not necessary.”

“Are you sure? Like you said, it could be fun.”

“I have plans for Saturday evening, actually.”

“Family stuff, huh?”

“Yes.” It wasn’t a lie, she assured herself. Liam was family.

Haley pointed her fork like a disapproving fingertip in Anne’s direction. “You need to do something fun yourself. And I’m not talking about listening to your dad and granddad and brother blow about their successful surgical careers. You need to let your hair down, find a good-looking guy, party a little.”

Her thoughts going off in a direction that made her cheeks warm—not to mention other, less visible parts of her—Anne focused on her lunch. “I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

“You should.”

Anne changed the subject. “You’re joining us at Connor’s house tonight, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be there. We’re going to have to meet every night this week to get ready for the test Friday. This one’s going to be a killer.”

“They’re all killers.”

Her attention drifted to the next table again. The pregnant woman and her mother were standing, stacking their used dishes on their trays to carry to the conveyor. Anne glanced at the younger woman’s bulging stomach, then at her face, automatically looking for clues as to her condition. High blood pressure? Preeclampsia? Complications of diabetes or some other disease? She saw no obvious signs, but then, she wasn’t sure she would recognize the signs if they were present.

She looked forward especially to her ob-gyn rotation. Though she didn’t plan to specialize in the field, she found it fascinating. The development of human life, the miracle of birth, the whole mechanism of the female reproductive organs had always intrigued her, though her father had always been somewhat dismissive of doctors who practiced in the field.

“Baby-catchers,” he called them. Often women, these days. She didn’t want to think that had anything to do with his attitude, but she didn’t discount the possibility, either.

She was sure she would do well in a surgical career. She had

the patience and the determination. She hoped she had the confidence. Surgeons were known for their self-confidence—to the point of arrogance, in many cases. She’d seen the lifestyle firsthand, so she knew what to expect. How little time she would have for a life outside the hospital. She could handle it. It wasn’t as if Liam expected her to be a stay-at-home wife, any more than she expected him to be a stay-at-home husband. Assuming their challenged marriage lasted through the next ten years or so of her training, of course.

Because that thought depressed her, she glanced at her watch. “We’d better hurry. Class starts in ten minutes.”

Haley heaved a sigh of resignation and gathered the remains of her meal. “Okay. I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”

Anne returned home after classes to change into grubbier and more comfortable clothes for her study session. The group had agreed to meet at six-thirty at Connor’s place.

Liam greeted her with a kiss. “How long before you have to leave again?”