Our Last Chance (Heart of Hope 1)

“Nick,” Dad and I said at the same time.

“Jinx,” we said simultaneously again and then laughed.

“I hope you didn’t interrupt his dinner. You need to give that boy some peace,” my father finally said to a scowling Eli.

“He was with a woman,” he said to me. “A good-looking woman.”

My gut clenched followed by jealousy that another woman would be with Nick, and resentment at Nick for moving on. Granted, that’s what we agreed to do, but still. I hated that it was so easy for him.

“Eli,” my father’s tone was disapproving. “If you’re not careful, he’ll have grounds to have you arrested for stalking or harassment. Why can’t you just leave him alone?”

“He’s cheating on Mia and you don’t care.”

My dad’s brows rose as he looked at me. “I thought you and Nick just worked together.”

“We do,” I said with a pointed look at Eli. “Who Nick sees isn’t my business and definitely not yours.”

“She said she was his lawyer—”

“All the more reason to leave him alone,” my father said.

“She’s tough, Mia. The hospital might have a fight on their hands.”

Oh God. Had he done something that would hurt the case? “What did you do, Eli?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything. But she’s doing anything she can to protect him. She even threatened to say I was intimidating him on your behalf.”

I closed my eyes as I realized the ramifications of what he said. “Please tell me you didn’t do that.”

He made a dismissive gesture. “I didn’t do anything. It’s him.”

“It’s always him, that’s the problem, Eli,” my father sighed, and turned off the TV. “From where I sit, he stays as far from you as he can, and yet you go out of your way to ruin his reputation.”

“He does that on his own by being a shitty doctor—”

“Eli!” My father snapped in a way I hadn’t heard since I was a kid and Eli and I were in big, big trouble. Even Eli jerked to attention. “You need to stop your whining about Nick. If you don’t like that he’s done more than you, then do more. You don’t get a better life by tearing someone down. Blaming him doesn’t give you his medical degree. It doesn’t bring your mother back. It doesn’t turn your sister against him.”

“I don’t—”

“You do and I’m sick and tired of it. I put up with it because you’re my son, but I care about that boy and I’ve had enough of your griping.”

Eli’s jaw tensed. I wasn’t sure if he’d yell back or simply leave. “You always did like him better—”

“Oh, for Christ's sake, Eli. If it seems like that to you, it’s probably because he doesn’t whine and blame others. That shit gets old.”

I looked at my dad in surprise. He wasn’t one to swear.

“Mia is right, you’re lucky he hasn’t put a restraining order on you.”

“I don’t stalk him—”

“Tell me you didn’t threaten him in front of his lawyer,” I said wanting to get back to whatever he might have said.

“No.”

“Because she’s right, Eli. True or not, if Nick felt like he was being harassed by you because of me, it could be used against me and hospital.”

“So, he’s a shitty doctor, but you get in trouble?”