“Yeah,” Isabella managed to squeak out before tears started pouring from her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Jordan asked, surprised at her display of emotion.
“Not now,” Isabella said, quickly wiping tears from her face before anyone else could see.
“Meet me after work for drinks?” Jordan asked.
Isabella nodded.
When they got off work, they walked to the closest bar, just a few blocks away from the hospital. The cold wind stung Isabella’s face like James’s words had earlier in the day.
Jordan ordered a pitcher of beer, and they sat at a back table, hidden from view of the jolly regulars. Isabella poured herself a glass and drank over half of it before she started talking.
“Do you want to tell me what’s been going on with you?” Jordan asked. “You have been acting weird the last couple of weeks. You’re not your usual self.”
“I don’t know how to talk about it,” she said, her voice wavering. “I’ve been keeping it a secret for so long.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “Spill.”
“First, I have to give you some context for everything that’s happened recently.”
Isabella told her all about her relationship with her mother, and how a steady stream of husbands changed her view on monogamy. Jordan listened intently, genuinely interested in what Isabella had to say.
“Long story short,” she concluded, “I was never really interested in relationships, because I had yet to see one that worked out. Then I met James.”
Jordan’s eyes bulged. “James? Like, Attending James?”
“That’s the one,” Isabella said glumly.
“How did you manage to land him?”
“It started with an accidental make-out session. I was high off a big procedure, and he was there. Then we started hooking up around the hospital. It was amazing. Eventually, it wasn’t enough for him. He starting buying me gifts and leaving little notes in my locker. Eventually, I gave in and went on a date with him.”
“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard,” Jordan gushed. “How was the date?”
“It was really good, actually. After that, we continued hanging out on the weekends. I’d go to his place to just hang out and make dinner, stuff like that. We were just like any couple.”
“Are you not together?”
Isabella shook her head. “This is where things get really weird. One day, my mom comes out of the woodwork, and she wants me to go to dinner with her so I could meet her new husband. I bring James along because, well, he’s my boyfriend and he wanted to meet my mom. It was a disaster.”
She dropped her head in her hands, steadying herself.
“What happened?”
Isabella looked up at her friend. “As it turns out,” she said slowly, “my mom married his dad.”
“What?” Jordan yelped, sending scowls from other patrons their way.
“Yep. He’s my stepbrother.”
“Damn, that’s some soap opera type shit right there,” Jordan said.
“I’m glad you can find it amusing, because the past few weeks have been hell.”
“It’s not like you’re actually related though. It’s kind of a weird coincidence, but if you two want to be together, it shouldn’t stop you.”
“It’s not just that,” Isabella said. “He wants marriage and children. I don’t.”
“Never?”
“Not right now. I have a career to worry about. I hate the idea of marriage in the first place, and we can’t both have our careers with kids in the picture.”
“Yeah, I understand. You’ve worked too hard to get where you are to throw it away.”
“I wish I never got involved with him in the first place.”
“Really?” Jordan asked skeptically. “You don’t have feelings for him anymore?”
Isabella shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I do,” she admitted. “It just hurts too much to see him around when I know it will never work.”
“It’s clear that he’s upset too. I know that he’s been pining after you from day one. I bet you anything that he was in love with you. I’m sure he still is, too.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Have you ever tried to compromise about the future of your relationship?”
“Not really. It never seemed pertinent.”
“Do you think that maybe you should sit down and have a long talk about how you left things? Maybe you’d find that you’d rather be together than apart.”
“I think that chance is gone,” Isabella said. “We’ve gotten into some bad fights since. We’ve said some nasty stuff to each other. I don’t think there’s any coming back from that.”
Jordan drained the pitcher and stood up. “It might be worth a try.”
They walked out of the bar and went back to the parking lot at the hospital.
“You’re a strong girl. You’ll figure something out,” Jordan said as they parted ways.
“Thanks. I hope so.”
Isabella knew that moping around wasn’t going to help anything. She vowed to herself that she was going to move on. If she could be with James, there was certainly someone else out there for her. In
the meantime, celibacy would only help her on her way to becoming a top surgeon.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hey,” Jordan said, running to catch up with Isabella on her way to lunch. “Are you going to the holiday party? I need to turn in my RSVP but I wanted to see if you were going first.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she said. “I’m not a big fan of formal functions.”
“I figured you’d say that. Do you realize that everyone who’s important at the hospital will definitely be there? If nothing else, it’s a good way to network with the hospital bigwigs.”
“I heard that they only go to take part in the auction so they can flaunt their wealth to one another,” Isabella said, remembering a conversation she once had with James.
“There’s going to be food and booze. It should be a good time.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please,” Jordan begged.
“Fine. I’ll go.”
On the night of the party, Isabella grabbed a drab grey dress from her closet, usually reserved for funerals. She wanted to look like a professional, someone who could be respected in her line of work.
Then she remembered James would be there.
The employees were allowed to bring a date along. Isabella and Jordan decided that since they weren’t seeing anyone, they’d just go together. There was a chance that James would bring someone, and Isabella decided that she wanted to look good to rub it in his face.
She found a tight, long sleeved dress with a side slit that went up to the middle of her thigh. It was modest enough but still sexy. She completely her sultry look with a blood red lipstick and stilettos. He would notice her, and he would suffer.
Isabella scanned the room for James. He was nowhere to be found.
In the meantime, Jordan snagged two glasses of champagne for the two of them, and they sipped while listening to the senior doctors talk about healthcare policy.
After a while, Isabella loosened up and was having a good time talking to doctors she never got the chance to work with. She was surprised to learn that many of them had heard of her, and some surgeons even suggested she switch specialties to join their team. It was flattering, but she loved general surgery and didn’t want to leave.