could live up north for that long, or wait for him here for that long. “Would you return to the bayou…well, at least Louisiana…to practice medicine after those three years?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It would depend on whether there were openings for heart surgeons.”
So much for compromise. She shook her head and pulled her hands from his grasp, grabbing a St. Jude napkin to dab at her eyes. “That’s not good enough, Justin. I’m sorry, but the bayou is in my blood. The Cajun community is like my family. It’s who I am. I’m not a Yankee folk healer. I’m a bayou folk healer. I deal with plants that grow in the swamps, not in some city park.”
“You could ship your plants there.”
“My customers are here. Can you imagine a market up north for gator salve or whooping cough tea?”
“You’re overthinking this. If you love me, if we love each other, we can find something for you to do. Is the bayou more important than love? Just give it a chance…give us a chance.”
She ignored his pleadings. “Honestly, a vacation or short time elsewhere, maybe, but I can’t see myself leaving for good. And definitely not to a big city with all that concrete.” She shivered at the thought. “My soul would wither without greenery and water surrounding me.”
“What if I promised we would come back after my residency is completed?”
“How could you promise that? You just said there might not be any openings.”
“If I had to, I could open my own office.”
“Could you afford to do that?”
“Probably not. We could sell your cottage if worst came to worst, I suppose, and rent some living space until my practice was established.”
“Sell my cottage? My family home?”
“I don’t know. I just know that I don’t want to live without you.”
“I don’t want to live without you, either,” she said on a sigh. “There would be so many details to be worked out.”
Seeing that she was succumbing to his persuasions, he kissed her quickly and pulled her onto his lap. “There is one other problem.”
She braced herself. What could be worse than leaving the bayou for years, maybe forever? Or selling her home?
“The housing provided for a married resident is what they’re calling a one-bedroom apartment but is so small it’s really just an efficiency…in other words, one room serving as bedroom, living room, and kitchen. Plus, the building for resident living is in a poor neighborhood.”
Louise tilted her head, wondering where Justin was going with this new bit of information. It’s not like she was fussy about living arrangements. Even the shabbiest of dwellings could be improved with a little paint or bright pillows. As for small, hadn’t she been living in a small cottage her entire life, even when her parents and brother shared the space? “And?”
“There would be no room for Adèle. Not at first.”
Louise felt as if she’d been sucker punched. She pushed out of Justin’s embrace and stood, turning away from him. For a second, she couldn’t breathe, just panted for breath. When she turned, her body froze, like there was ice in her veins. Justin stood, too, and looked as sad as she no doubt did.
“I thought you liked Adèle.”
“I do, honey. In fact, I love her. Let me explain.” He reached for her, but she stepped away.
“You love her, and yet you suggest us sashaying off to Chicago? Without her? For three years! Or do you mean forever?” Louise reeled with disbelief. His announcement that he was going to Chicago had been like a stab to the heart, but this…this exclusion of Adèle in such a dismissive way…well, that was the mortal blow.
“No, no, no! Not for three years. Just temporarily. There is a way. Just keep an open mind.”
She bristled. Now he was laying this disaster on her?
“I was talking to my mother, and she mentioned that Adèle’s mother lives in Mexico, but that she has a grandmother living in Biloxi. Why couldn’t we ask her grandmother if Adèle could stay with her until we get ourselves settled…until we can find bigger accommodations in a better neighborhood?”
The ice in her veins shot to her brain, and she felt light-headed and dizzy. “You’ve been talking to your mother about me?” That felt like such a betrayal of trust that Louise staggered and put a hand on the countertop to steady herself.
“It wasn’t like that. My mother came to Nawleans because she was worried about you, and that’s when the subject came up.”
This situation just got