Private Partners (Doctors in Training 2)

“I believe he did.” Even though he had been eager to peel her out of it once they’d returned home, she thought with a ripple of remembered heat. She didn’t bother mentioning that part to her friend.

“I bet he enjoyed going out with you. He’s been spending a lot of time cooped up alone in your apartment.”

“Yes, he has.” Which had been his own choice, Anne reminded herself when guilt threatened to nibble at her. “And he did seem to have a good time.”

“How’s he doing with his writing? He’s been here—what? Three weeks?”

“Well, he arrived three weeks ago, but he spent almost a week in Ireland when his father died.”

Haley nodded somberly, having been filled in on that sad detail. “Is he doing okay with that?”

“He doesn’t talk about it.” It was one of several topics Liam seemed to be avoiding. Like his writing. And their future.

She braked for a red light, then glanced toward Haley. “I, um, suggested to Liam that we tell my parents the truth as soon as I’ve taken the Step 1 exam,” she said, feeling a need to confide in her closest female friend. “I think maybe the time will be right by then.”

Haley’s eyes went wide. “Wow. You’re really ready to tell everyone?”

Anne nodded rather glumly. “Almost. We had such a beautiful night Friday, and I woke Saturday morning not wanting that feeling to end. I guess I just wanted everyone to know that Liam and I are together.”

Especially pretty blondes in random bars, she thought grimly, then winced. She really hoped there was more to her wish to finally take that big step than simple jealousy. It wasn’t as if she wanted to take an ad out in the next day’s paper; she just thought it was time she and Liam began to discuss going public.

“Did you and Liam decide how you’re going to make the announcement? Are you going to tell your family on your own, or will he join you?”

“We didn’t get that far in our discussion.” She cleared her throat, then admitted, “Liam didn’t think it was a good time to talk about it. I could tell the suggestion caught him off guard. And not necessarily in a good way.”

“What do you mean?”

“He said it was a bad time for me to make any decisions, with all the other stress I’m under. Classes and tests and everything.”

“He has a point there.” Haley looked suddenly weary as she rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. “I can hardly find time to eat and sleep, much less make any important decisions not connected with the next exam. Let’s face it, we’re all stretched pretty tightly.”

Anne nodded. “I know. It was just—”

Haley studied her perceptively. “Just what?”

The light turned green and Anne turned her attention toward the road ahead as she mentally groped for words. “Liam didn’t seem all that impatient to announce our marriage,” she murmured finally. “I got the impression that he wanted to put that off as long as possible.”

“I see.” Haley hesitated a moment before asking, “Why do you think that is?”

Anne smiled wryly. “You aren’t a shrink yet, Haley, but you’re already talking like one.”

Haley shrugged a bit sheepishly. “I still haven’t decided for sure that I want to go into psychiatry. But the question remains. Why do you think Liam doesn’t want to make the announcement?”

“I don’t know.” She’d given that question a great deal of thought in the past couple of days. She hadn’t liked many of the possibilities that had occurred to her.

“I can think of one significant reason he’d want everyone to think he’s single.”

Anne shook her head in response to Haley’s gentle suggestion. “It has nothing to do with him wanting to see other women,” she insisted. She was completely confident about that. Well, maybe ninety-nine percent confident, she thought with a slight frown.

“Is it his job? Does he think he’s a more interesting celebrity as a bachelor?”

“Maybe—even though he always refuses to talk about his personal life in interviews. He wants to keep the conversation on his travels and his experiences, not on his broken home or his father abandoning him when he was a kid—or his marital status.”

“Makes sense. But it sounds to me as though he’s mostly worried about you. I’m sure once the semester is behind us, he’ll be very proud to tell everyone the two of you are together.”

Anne supposed Haley was right. It wouldn’t be much longer until summer, she reminded herself. Which, of course, meant that it wouldn’t be long until the Step 1 exam.

“What time are we meeting to study tonight?” she asked, deliberately moving her attention to the more immediate concern.