For a day that had started out with so much promise, it had gone straight to hell after Cullen got to work. There had been a five-car pileup on the highway that had required all hands in the emergency room, and once they’d gotten everyone stabilized, Max Cabot, the contractor who was building the new pediatric surgical wing at the hospital, had landed in his office saying that they were behind schedule on the construction. He began pushing to see if the hospital board would ease up on the clause in the contract that said the contractor would have to pay a hefty fine for each day he went over the scheduled completion date.
The board wasn’t having it, and Cullen was the messenger who had to deliver the bad news.
“Look,” said Max. “I’m going to confide in you. I’ve had a problem getting in touch with one of my subcontractors. He’s MIA. That’s what’s holding me up.”
“You’re going to have to figure it out, Max. That’s all I can tell you.”
Before Max could protest, Cullen’s administrative assistant buzzed the intercom.
“Dr. Dunlevy, Dr. Brenda Byrd is here to see you.”
Brenda? Now? Great. Just what he needed. Cullen ran a hand over his eyes, trying to scrub away the irritation. This day just kept getting better and better.
He stood and walked to the office door. “Max, I’m sure you can make it work. I have faith in you.”
The contractor followed, but didn’t look imbued with the same confidence.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Max said.
Cullen gave him a curt nod and turned his attention to Brenda, who stood smiling at him as if she were the surprise guest who had just jumped out of a birthday cake. Only without the cake or the overtly sexy costume, both of which would’ve been much too obvious for Brenda. She’d always had her own simmering under-the-surface seductive style. But there had been so much turbulent water under the bridge that had once joined them that it had finally washed out their connection.
“Hey, Cullen,” she purred. Seeing her wide smile and hearing her raspy voice took him back to the days when things had been good between them. All he could think was I’m just not up for this right now.
“Hello,” he said. “I thought you were going to call once you got to town.”
Brenda looked exactly as she always had, pretty in her sexy-smart-doctor way. Her shiny auburn hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders. She wore a silky white blouse with an expensive-looking black skirt and heels that might have been considered a little too high to be professional, but somehow she always managed to pull it off.
“I wanted to surprise you,” she said.
“Mission accomplished,” he said. “You did just that.”
“Do you have time for coffee?” she asked.
“I have a board meeting in ten minutes.” He shook his head. “It’s been one of those days. Know what I mean?”
“I’m only in town for a couple days, Cullen. How about dinner tonight?”
Tonight wouldn’t be enough notice for Lily.
Lily. Just the thought of her made making plans with Brenda feel like…a betrayal.
“Tonight doesn’t work. You should’ve called me. I could’ve put it on my schedule.”
Although a phone call wouldn’t have preempted the day’s chaos. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but truth be told, he flat out didn’t want to go.
“Nice to know that with notice you would’ve worked me in.” There was an edge to her voice. She was always used to getting her way. Obviously, she still didn’t like it when events didn’t turn in her favor. “How about tomorrow night?”
When Cullen hesitated, she said, “I need to talk to you. I need your advice. Can you help me out? For old times’ sake?”
“What’s wrong?”
She let out a breath, looked around. “You have a meeting. I don’t want to get into it now. Dinner tomorrow?”
When their marriage had ended, they’d prided themselves on remaining friends. Now that she might be moving to Celebration, they might very well be colleagues.
Friends made time for friends. They gave advice and all that jazz.
“I need to shuffle some things, but I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow and confirm, okay?”