I shook my head. “I started middle school the year after you graduated high school. You probably don’t remember me.”
He looked at me harder, straining to figure out who I was. “It’s not a very big town. We probably crossed paths at some point.”
“Actually, I know we did,” I laughed awkwardly. “My brother played on the lacrosse team with you.”
“Really? What’s his name?”
“Max. He’s a few years older than me, he was a freshman when you were a senior.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember him.” Damon nodded. “What’s he doing now?”
“He’s in Physical Therapy school,” I replied, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “My dad was a physician,” I said, trying to steer the conversation back toward the original topic.
“That sounds vaguely familiar,” he said.
Though, I wondered if he was only acting to appease me. I never ran in his circles in our small city. My initial reaction was to feel a little embarrassed that he never noticed me, but then I was truly relieved. I had changed considerably over the years and I didn’t want him to remember the old, geeky girl I used to be.
When I was a kid, my poor mother tried to help me, teaching me how to dress fashionably and style my hair. She even tried to show me a natural way to use makeup, rather than the smears of blue eye shadow I drew on my eyes for special events. While I didn’t listen to her and was often annoyed when she tried to tell me how to groom myself, I realized now that she was doing it out of a place of kindness. Young girls were incredibly mean, and I occasionally suffered the mocking. I was an awkward kid, and no amount of primping would have helped me.
I was a gangly young woman around the time Damon was gearing up to leave our community. I really didn’t grow into my body until I was halfway through high school. My limbs stopped growing at an alarming rate and I gained control over them. I learned to walk without tripping and falling right on my face. I even tried out for sports teams and made a few.
And, eventually, I figured out how to style myself. I swapped too-short jeans for something that showed my new curves a little better, and cut and dyed my hair into an actual style. I began wearing light makeup and took a little more time with my appearance. I still wasn’t spending hours in front of the mirror, but I could apply my foundation and mascara in under five minutes.
My geeky personality went beyond my looks. I had always been a bookworm and spent more time in the library during the summer than the pool. Instead of going to horse camp in the summer with the other girls in my grade, I went to a camp for the gifted and talented and took math and science classes for fun. Instead of playing soccer and softball on weekends, I spent looking at specimen under my microscope. When I asked my mom why she allowed me to be such a little weirdo, she said that she just wanted me to be happy, so she supported whatever it was that I wanted to be. I guess I could appreciate that. At least she had my brother to take to his sports events.
And, over time, I became what I would consider ‘normal’. I still wasn’t popular by any means, but at least I wasn’t one of the weird kids. I wasn’t invited to any of the cool kids’ parties, but I also didn’t get busted for alcohol, ruining my chances to get into a good school. In the end, things worked out for me. I’m just glad I could talk to Damon Rye now, and not have him remember me.
“Have you been back recently?” he asked. “It’s been years since I’ve been back there. My mom sold the house a few years ago, so there’s not really any reason for me to go to Hazelwood. I’ve always liked the town, though.”
“I was back just a few months ago,” I replied. “It’s the same as it ever was. I guess I didn’t realize that your parents moved.”
He gave a terse grin. “Well, my parents split up years ago. My dad bought a place up here and a few other places around the country when they split. My mom got remarried a few years ago and sold the place. She didn’t want to live in the same house that her first marriage failed in. I guess I don’t blame her.”
“No, I don’t either,” I said quickly. I guess that piece of gossip hadn’t reached me. I always had memories of riding my little scooter down the street and marveling at their big house. We lived in the same neighborhood, but we were by no means that rich.
“Do you know if kids still hang out at the parking lot beside the baseball fields?” he asked, a fond memory casting a glow over his face.
I blinked. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“Yes, you do.” He chuckled. “That was the go-to spot for all sorts of shenanigans. I had my first beer there. I think that’s also where I made out with a girl for the first time.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I said quietly. “I guess I hung out with a different kind of crowd.”
He looked at my face for another moment, a faint smile on his lips. “I haven’t spoken to anyone from Hazelwood in a while. I was just so eager to get out on my own that I never really stopped to look back. Now that I think about it, I had a really good childhood there.”
“Me too,” I replied, though I was only partially sincere. By no means did I have a bad childhood, but I had a feeling that his was much better than mine.
“I really want to talk about home, but I have a surgery scheduled for later this morning,” he said, checking his watch. He kind of swayed in place, as if he were about to leave, but something was keeping him fixed in place.
“Oh, go ahead,” I said breathlessly. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your patients.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Can we continue this conversation, though?”
“Sure,” I said, completely caught off guard by his interest in speaking with me. “Tomorrow morning?”
“How about tonight? Can we meet up for a quick drink after you finish here?”
“Really?” I asked.
“Why?” He frowned. “Do you not go out for drinks with the other doctors?”
“I don’t, but I think I can make an exception,” I replied coyly.
“Good. How about eight o’clock at Mercury?”
“Sounds good,” I replied, trying to remain calm and casual. I was completely out of my league, but he didn’t need to know that.
He flashed me a smile then picked up his belongings and left. I remained in the conference room for a few more seconds, completely shocked that our little conversation had gone so well. I was absolutely sure I was going to gush over how much I admired him, only for me to embarrass myself. I mean, I could still totally embarrass myself, but at least he knew my name and wanted to talk to me a little more. Maybe, if I played my cards right, I could use him as a reference in the future when I’m ready to look for my own hospital to work in. Maybe, he would allow me to use him as a mentor as I worked through my residency over the next three years.
I glanced down at my phone. I had minutes before I had to be on the floor doing my rounds. I couldn’t be late, that would be a black mark if ever there was one and I didn’t want to be labeled the late one!
I was so happy to get to have Damon Rye as my teaching doctor here at CUIMC. I hadn’t even thought it was possible to get him, but someone up above was watching over me. I now had an in with Dr. Damon Rye, and I couldn’t do anything to mess it up. My future was on the line. My co-interns would have killed to get some more one-on-one time with youngest surgeon in the state.
I wasn’t sure how I managed to pull it off, but I was thrilled. The geeky girl from Hazelwood wouldn’t have cared much for getting dolled up and having drinks with a big-shot surgeon, but she would have been proud of me for doing whatever I needed to do to follow my dreams. Even then, I one day wanted to make my father proud. While he probably didn’t want to see me with a player like Damon Rye, he was still a respected surgeon, and he could make or break my future if he really wanted to. I just hoped I could give him a good enough impression that he would decide to help me out. With his influence and both our brains we could be a force to be reckoned with.
I pulled on my long
er white coat that designated me a resident doctor and picked up the list of patients I was to see. I was right on time as I knocked on Mrs. Attwood’s door. “Good morning, Mrs. Attwood. How are you feeling this morning?” I gave her a smile.
Chapter 3
Olivia
The second I got back to my suite after my hours at the hospital, I shut the door behind me, and started squealing. I didn’t even mean to do it— it was completely involuntary. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this excited. It was probably the night the last Harry Potter book was released in stores or when I found out that I was accepted into the residency program at CUIMC. This was something that was going to make a lasting impression on my life— I just didn’t know to what extent it would change me.
My roommate stuck her head out of her bedroom and gave me a quizzical look. “What’s wrong?” Carol asked.
I jumped, not realizing that she was home. “Nothing,” I gasped. “Something really strange happened in my session before rounds this morning. I don’t know how to feel about it yet.”
“Isn’t that the one with Dr. Rye?” she questioned. “Did he do something?”
She seemed very suspicious of the surgeon. I hadn’t told her much about who was the teaching doctor, so I wasn’t sure where all of this was coming from.