Another round of clapping and the group broke for a fifteen-minute break between sessions.
A few attendees moved forward to talk with Dr. Coleman. Natalie should thank him and introduce herself to the workshop moderator, who was also the conference chair, so she could apologize again for her delay.
Dr. Matthew Coleman. She’d never met him. No way would she have forgotten, so why did that name ring a bell?
Suddenly, her jaw dropped. Impossible. That Dr. Matthew Coleman had to be in his fifties at the absolute minimum. Surely. No way could this gorgeous doctor be that Dr. Matthew Coleman. It just wasn’t feasible that he could be the renowned pediatric heart surgeon whose work she so greatly admired.
No way.
Plus, he’d been on a flight out of Memphis. That Dr. Matthew Coleman lived in Boston and headed up a research team making great strides with a robotic laser being developed for surgical use, including in utero. There couldn’t be two pediatric heart surgeons by the same name doing innovative in-utero surgical repairs, surely?
That was when what he was saying caught her attention. He was making a comment about the robot that Dr. Matthew Coleman was one of the country’s leading experts on.
Yeah, she was about to have a fan-girl moment.
Holy smokes. The gorgeous man she’d been fantasizing about on and off ever since the airport was someone she’d idolized for his brain and surgical skills for almost a decade.
* * *
What were the odds of the pretty brunette who’d caught Dr. Matthew Coleman’s eye at the airport being his top competition for the hospital position he’d just interviewed for?
Not that Dr. Luiz had told him that, but he’d said there was another contender the hospital had been planning to offer the position to, prior to Matthew’s interest. Dr. Natalie Sterling was who the man had repeatedly praised for her surgery skills and dedication to pediatric cardiology. She had to be who the department head had meant and, possibly, why they’d not been willing to meet the conditions Matthew had required to relocate.
Those conditions were the deal-maker—or -breaker.
Relocating to Memphis would decrease his stress by leaps and bounds in some ways, but he still wasn’t sure he could give up everything he’d worked to achieve just to make the move in any case. Just because his life had been thrust into total chaos three months ago. Basically, he wanted what he had in Boston, but with less work hours and a new zip code that better fit his personal needs. Anything less and he’d stay where he was.
Which was why he’d contacted Dr. Luiz when a colleague had told him about the upcoming opening at Memphis Children’s Hospital. He’d already been toying with the idea of relocating to Memphis to be closer to family—for Carrie, the little girl he now had to take care of, to be closer to family. Closer to people who actually knew how to take care of kids. But he couldn’t just step away from his research and career. He wouldn’t.
Maybe he should try to convince his mother to move to Boston, again. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if she hadn’t been able to stay those first few weeks of Matthew’s unexpected push into fatherhood. She’d been so good with Carrie. Why couldn’t she have stayed longer?
Or maybe he’d resume interviews for a live-in nanny for the precious four-year-old who was now his sole responsibility. Some older woman who’d successfully raised multiple children and could get a child out of bed, have her dressed, fed, looking presentable, and to preschool on time. Something he continued to struggle with on a daily basis. None of the nannies he’d met so far had clicked, but surely there was someone out there he’d trust with Carrie?
His gaze connected with Natalie’s golden one and he let out a long breath. Prior to Carrie’s new role in his life, he’d have gotten her number at the airport and made plans to meet.
Instead, for the first time ever, despite his many previous flights, he’d been sweating getting onto an airplane, his mind filled with all the things that could go wrong—and recently had.
Plus, he had a four-year-old girl to think about.
Pursuing relationships with pretty brunettes wasn’t on the cards. He could barely juggle his current schedule, much less adding someone else to the bedlam. He’d always excelled at everything he’d done. Who’d have thought it would be an adorable little kid who’d have him ready to pull his hair out?
He turned back to the portly gentleman from Shriner’s Hospital, smiled as they exchanged business cards, then heard a voice behind him.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
Knowing who it was even before their eyes made contact, Matthew turned, his gaze connecting to the brunette’s. He could feel her presence as succinctly as if he had sonar outlining her shapely curves. “Excuse me?”
Her face took on a sheepish expression. “Sorry, I guess there was no reason for you to tell me, but I can’t believe the coincidence that you’d be on my plane.”
Not a coincidence, but there wasn’t a reason to tell her about his meeting with Memphis Children’s Hospital and that the job she was vying for had been offered to him. He’d turned it down when his terms couldn’t be met. Natalie need never know she wasn’t always the top contender.
He smiled, thinking she was even more attractive up close. Her eyes sparkled like sunshine hitting honey. Her skin was smooth and naturally tan with a few light freckles scattered across her nose. Her hair flowed silky and dark to just beneath her shoulders.
She wore a red skirt suit with a crisp white shirt that loosely hugged her curves.
“I see the airline was able to book you another flight.” Perhaps it was wrong to tease, but he couldn’t resist. Something about her made him want to tease, to watch her facial expressions and burn every detail into his memory.
“Too late to make it on time, though,” she mused, her painted red lips curving into a smile. “Thank you for filling in.”