Chapter 13
CLAY
Tim scans my whole body like an MRI machine making me feel stiff and claustrophobic despite that we’re in open air and sunshine. Is this how he wins court cases by making the witness confess every detail?
I don’t have time for chit chat with Kat’s cousin. We have a mission today and that’s to impress the big guns before my interview. I shake out my arm and face Kat. “I need to spend more time with the board. Are you okay if I leave Rex with you or are you able to join me?”
“Isn’t this a casual picnic?” Tim slips a hand into his jeans’ pocket. “What’s the urgency?”
Kayla rolls her eyes. Looks like Tim has the same problem as me. Doesn’t know how to quit work and relax. This guy has me on the witness stand and I haven’t committed a crime.
“I have a job interview next week for head of department. They prefer someone who’s family oriented, so that’s why I brought Rex and Kat.”
Tim shakes his head and frowns. “Kat’s not your family. I’m certainly not related to you.”
At first, I liked Tim, but he’s becoming as annoying as a mosquito when you’re desperately trying to sleep. You want to find that bug and squish it into silence.
“Kat’s helping me out. I told Danny we were together to get him to buzz off. Now she’s returning the favor and acting as my fiancée.”
“Hold on.” Tim snaps his head to Kat and back to me. “You’re lying to your bosses to get a promotion? That doesn’t sound integral.” He frowns at Kat. “And you agreed to this?”
Kayla loops her arm around Tim’s and rubs his bicep. “Hon,” she whispers.
He briefly kisses her cheek and returns his laser glare onto his cousin. “So?”
Kat shrugs. “I don’t have a problem with it. Why should the board have a prejudice against Clay because he’s a hard-working bachelor? He deserves the position and it’s ridiculous that they have this stupid rule about him needing to be in a steady relationship.”
Tim unloops his arm from Kayla’s grip and straightens. “There’s no rule. That would be illegal.”
“It’s not a requirement,” I interrupt. “It’s an unsaid bias. The board is made up of seniors and they firmly believe that men work better under stressful demands if they have a supportive family behind them. Family life keeps them balanced.”
“I admit that coming home to Kayla helps me destress from a hectic day. I see their point. But it’s still workplace discrimination. You should apply for the position on your own merits and if you miss out to another applicant based on relationship status, they could face a lawsuit for breaching Equal Employment Opportunity.”
I hold up a hand. “I’m not going to stir trouble. I have a great working relationship with these people, and I love the hospital I’m at. I don’t want to ruin a good thing.”
“It’s fine, Tim,” Kat says firmly. “Look, we need to go. Nice seeing you both.” She smiles at Kayla but ignores her cousin.
Relief washes over me until I dip my chin to find Rex digging holes in the grass with a stick and dirt is smeared all over his shirt. “Buddy, let”s get you some lunch. First, we need to wash those hands of yours.”
He squints up at me. “About time.” He jumps to his feet and brushes his hands. “Adults talk too much.”
Hopefully he doesn’t say smart remarks like that to the board. We say our goodbyes to Tim and Kayla, get Rex washed up, and remove as much dirt as we can before returning to the spread of food set out on the wooden table.
The picnic table barely has any space remaining. Only a glimpse of the checkered tablecloth can be seen. In the center sits a country-style potato salad loaded with hard-boiled eggs, celery, onions, and a creamy dressing. Next to it there’s a vibrant orange and red pasta salad packed with chopped vegetables.
Several platter baskets overflow with fried chicken, the crispy skin making my mouth water. But my stomach growls at the stacks of turkey and ham sandwiches on artisan breads. Bowls are mounded with fresh watermelon triangles, strawberries, grapes, and pineapple chunks.
Were we meant to bring something to contribute? Crap, I think there was an email about that. That’s a missed opportunity for me to show my domestication. Or have Kat show off a signature dish like the supportive yet-to-be spouse.
I grip Rex’s hand tighter and pull him to my side. “Wait up. We need to test you first.”
He groans loud enough to get some attention from Anna. “I feel fine.”
Kat brushes his hair from his eyes. “And we want to keep it that way.”
Nurse Anna makes her way over and kneels beside Rex. “Hey there. Looks like you were having so much fun with Uncle Clay on that slide. You were super helpful.” She smiles up at me and winks before focusing on Rex. “Can I help you with your prick test? I’m a nurse.”
“And it’s your day off,” I say.
Anna squints at me. “And you can sure talk about days off, Doctor Clay Ashley.”
Rex nods at Anna. “Do I get a jellybean after?”
“We’ll see.” Anna takes him to some nearby shade and attends to Rex.
I hand Kat a paper plate and grab one for myself. “Let’s eat.”
Twenty minutes pass and Rex is off playing with other children on a seesaw. So far so good. I lead Kat to one of the board members who’s finally finished talking to my rival for the position, Dr. Russell Gathmore. His twin girls wear matching dresses and piggy tails today. Talk about soft sell marketing.
“Tony,” I say as I slide up next to him, Kat’s fingers entwined with mine. “What a splendid day it turned out to be.”
Tony’s brow twitches. “Indeed.” He smiles at Kat. “And this is?”
“My fiancée, Kat. She works in the industry too.”
Tony nods. “What do you do, Kat?”
“Administration for medical firms. Billing, reports, data entry.” She rattles off more detail and Tony seems impressed by her knowledge. I’m impressed too. It didn’t click before how much she understood about medical systems.
Tony taps a finger to his chin. “I have someone who might want to use your services. Are you taking on any other clients?”
“I do have room for another. Depends on the job.”
“I’m having dinner with them next week. Would you and Clay like to join us? I could introduce you.”
She turns to me. “Will you be working in the evenings?”
This is a perfect turn of events. If it’s before Friday’s interview, I’ll get to spend more social time with Tony. I smile in his direction. “What day?”
“Tuesday.”
“Perfect.” I rub Kat’s hand. “We’ll be there.”
KAT
What a day. A deep exhaustion has me blinking back yawns as dusk settles around us. Rex is curled up against Clay’s side, his little knees drawn up to his chest. A soft snore flutters his lips and mine quirk in a quick smile. “I think we wore him out.”
Clay glances down and his face softens. “I’m terrified that I’ll wake him if I move.” He reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together. “Today was a good day.”
“It was. Is it weird that I’m low key excited about that dinner next week? I know it’s more about you getting the head of peds job, but a new client, and one so well connected, could be a game changer for me.”
“They were impressed with you.” He kisses the back of my hand. “I was too.” A beat of silence passes before he continues. “Thank you for doing this. I’m glad you’ll get something out of it too.”
My stomach clenches at the reminder that all this is fake. It’s like we’re bartering services or something. I go on a dinner date with Clay and we both get new jobs from the deal. Tim’s words come back to haunt me. He’s right. The hospital can’t deny Clay the job just because he’s single.
But just like I won’t rock the boat and take out a restraining order on Danny, Clay doesn’t want to risk upsetting the entire hospital’s upper staff by claiming discrimination. Even if both are valid.
“Are you sure you don’t mind taking Rex back by yourself?” Clay’s thumb glides over the back of my knuckles.
Eying Rex, I pretend to consider the question until the silence stretches into something uncomfortable. Finally, I grin. “It’s fine. If you take the ferry back to Nantucket, you’ll be stuck until morning since this is the last one of the day. You need to be here for your big interview.” I remember Rex’s reaction to my cheek pinching and grimace a little. “He likes me now, and I think he’s too sleepy to be much trouble.”
“Don’t count on it.” Clay lifts his free hand to the side of my face and brushes a strand of hair away from my cheek. “I’m going to miss you.”
My heart somersaults, and my pulse races. This is not good. I can’t have real feelings for Clay when our entire relationship is based on lies. “You can stop acting, Clay. No one is here to see.” I need him to go back to the cool and aloof Clay I first met. This tender and sensitive version has my emotions sparking all over the place.
“Who says I’m acting?” He whispers it so low I almost miss the words, but when he leans toward me, I can’t resist closing my eyes.
Warm lips brush over mine in a featherlight kiss that’s so soft I barely feel it. I expect him to pull away, but he returns, his lips capturing mine as his hand slides to the back of my head.
I’m lost in the sensation of Clay’s lips and his embrace. Our engagement might be fake, but this, this is real. I lose track of time. Nothing matters except the feel of Clay’s lips and the slow fire building in my veins. I’ve never felt anything like this before. It should scare me that I can’t seem to tear myself away from Clay. I lean into his touch and grasp his shoulder to steady myself before I slide right off the bench seat.
A cool mist stirs from the water beneath our feet, the dock swaying gently. Or maybe that’s my body. I can’t tell anymore.
A blast from the ferry horn startles me so bad I wrench away from Clay. My head knocks into the light post behind me and stars flash behind my eyes. “Ouch.” I rub the tender spot and scowl at the ferry pulling up to the dock.
Clay appears dazed, his entire face is slack, his mouth hanging open the slightest bit. He snaps it closed and runs a hand through his hair. The strands stand on end and I fight the urge to smooth them back down.
Rex bounds to his feet. “Whoa. That scared me. Why’d they do that? Are they gonna crash?” He cups his hands around his eyes like binoculars and leans forward.
“They’re not going to crash.” I reassure him quickly before he can come up with a million bad things that might happen while we’re on the ferry. The last thing I need is for Rex to go home and tell his parents that we almost died in a ferry crash. The kid has an imagination unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I hold out my hand to him. “Are you ready to go home?”
Rex peers at me through his binocular hands. “I can’t wait to tell Mom about the picnic.” He swivels to face Clay. “You were funny on the slide.”
Clay rubs his hip and winces. “I’ll have bruises for a week. But I’m glad you had fun.” He holds out a fist, and Rex bumps his tiny fist against Clay’s larger one.
Rex lets me take his hand and we turn away. Why does it feel like I’m leaving my heart behind with Clay? It’s a fanciful notion and I do my best to ignore the thought. Rex bounces beside me, peering around like he’s never been on the ferry before.
“Kat?” Clay calls out behind me.
I turn and find him standing beneath the street light. The dull glow creates shadows beneath his eyes and shows off his sleek dress pants and white shirt.
He shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “I’ll call you, okay?”
“Okay.” Because what else can I say? We have no further obligation to each other. While this feels real, that will fade once I’m back on Nantucket and he’s running the pediatric department. We’ve gone from friends to fake engagement, to...whatever this is. Uncomfortable strangers who just kissed.
Rex tugs on my hand and strains toward the ferry. “Can we stand at the top? I want to see ‘tucket. I bet we can see the whole world from up there.”
Clay and I end things like a couple of teenagers uncertain of the next step. The ubiquitous “call you later” implies that I will in fact not hear from Clay at all. It’s like the “we need to talk” situation. Sheesh. It’s funny how words have certain meanings that we ascribe to them whether the speaker intends them that way or not. I try to keep my head clear of reading too much into Clay’s words. The way he kissed me says he feels something too.
“Come on, Rex. Let’s see if we can find a spot.” I force my lips into a smile. My dress catches the breeze and billows around my legs. I gather it in one hand. Thank goodness I had the good sense to wear flats today instead of heels. It makes traversing the dock and the ferry deck much easier as Rex and I wind our way around the lower deck and up the stairs. The upper deck is completely empty. I lead Rex to the rail where he’ll have a perfect view of the ocean and Nantucket.
It’s time I stopped living in the fairy tale and came back to reality.