The Doctor Who Has No Closure - Victoria Quinn Page 0,14
as her prodigy even though other residents had come and gone since I left. “You’re teaching residents as well?”
“At Columbia. After all the help you’ve given me, I wanted to pay that forward.”
“That’s sweet.”
A couple moved across the restaurant to one of the tables on the other side of the large room, and the only reason I stared was because I was pretty sure the woman was my sister. She was in a tight black dress and heels, like she was definitely on a date. The guy with her was the same guy I saw in her apartment a couple months ago.
So, she was still seeing him.
The guy sat across from her, wearing a long-sleeved shirt that was tight over his muscles, and there was a smile in his eyes that was also a little arrogant. He was a good-looking dude, a guy who could get any woman he wanted, and since my sister was the best, it was no wonder he wanted to spend time with her.
Natalia caught my distracted gaze. “See someone you know?”
“My sister.” I shifted my eyes back to her. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. Why don’t you say hello?”
“She’s on a date. Besides, I see her all the time and don’t want to see her more than I have to.”
Natalia chuckled like she knew I was kidding. “What does she do?”
“She’s a physician too. A diagnostician.”
“Does she work at the Harper Clinic?”
“Yes. How’d you know?”
“I’ve heard a lot about them, and if she’s nearly as bright as you, I’d imagine that’s where she’d be.”
“Yeah, she’s kinda smart.”
She smiled then ate another chip.
My gaze wanted to shift back to Daisy to study the guy, to see if he was good enough for her or just going to break her heart, but I had to respect her privacy and appreciate that she was a grown woman who could do whatever she wanted. So, I ignored the impulse.
Our conversation went quiet because we’d already spent the last two hours talking. We were all caught up.
“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce…”
My eyes turned back to her, feeling that weight fall into my stomach like it always did whenever someone mentioned it. All I could do was give a nod because I didn’t want to invite any questions or further conversation.
“Are you seeing anyone now?”
I was surprised she asked something like that. Our relationship had always been professional, mixed with a bit of friendship and affection, but I never asked about her personal life, and at the time, she never asked about mine. I was certain she wasn’t married and had never married. She seemed too busy and fulfilled to make a commitment like that, not when she was committed to the heart. “My personal life is pretty casual right now.” I’d meet a woman on a Friday night, and we might have a fun weekend, but by Sunday evening, I’d mentally checked out and I was already focused on work the upcoming week. I just wanted to get laid and have a good time, and that was exactly how I presented myself to the women I met in the bars or on the subway. I didn’t waste their time. I didn’t pretend to be seriously interested to get them into bed. If they wanted good sex and a fun weekend, I was the man for the job. If they wanted something serious, I was not at all qualified for the position.
She nodded and broke a chip between her fingertips. “Mine too. It’s been that way for a long time.”
I never questioned her about it because I had too much respect for her to cross the line like that.
“I always knew I didn’t want a husband. With a fifty-percent divorce rate, I just didn’t see the point. Would you gamble your life savings on a fifty-fifty chance?” She shook her head and dunked the chip into the salsa before placing it in her mouth.
When I got married, I hadn’t thought of it as a gamble. I fell in love and thought it would last forever. I thought we were different from everyone else, that the love we had was real and timeless, that everyone else in the world was miserable, but not us.
Wow. So fucking naïve.
“And kids…no thanks. I don’t have time for that. When I devoted myself to this life, I knew that would never be in the cards for me. They require so much time and dedication, and my patients deserve that more.”