23. One More Worry
23
ONE MORE WORRY
T hey were a team.
A partnership.
Yep, if she kept saying that to herself, it might make her feel better.
Nope, not working.
On Monday morning, all the employees gathered to start a meeting.
Just her luck, the staff meeting was planned weeks ago. Coy tried to have one every quarter.
He suggested since everyone was together, they could just announce they were dating and let it go at that. No comments on the baby. She was going to make a few calls after this meeting since she had a bit of time before her first patient.
“Bagels,” Maria said. “I love it when Coy brings in breakfast.”
“Angel picked them up this morning,” he said. “It was on her way.”
“He wanted to get donuts,” she said. “I didn’t think it’d look good if our patients saw us eating something so full of sugar.”
“Don’t let her kid you,” he said. “Angel eats more sugar than half of you.”
She turned and squinted at him. Nothing like airing out some of her dirty secrets.
They hadn’t planned on how they were going to address their relationship, but maybe it would help to see them being a little playful with each other.
“I try not to eat too much,” Abby said. “Have to keep my figure in these outfits. It’s so easy to gain weight when you wear loose-fitting clothing.”
And to hide that weight you’re gaining with a surprise baby in the belly.
Abby was posing left and right and sticking her chest and butt out as she said it.
All in Coy’s direction. Maybe she couldn’t wait to get this news out in the open.
“Put a lid on it, Abby,” Sarah said. “You burn everything off, unlike Maria and me in the offices sitting.”
“But you get to wear your own clothing,” Abby said.
“We are getting off track,” Coy said. “We have a few things to go over. Everyone help yourselves to the food and then I’ll start.”
Angel didn’t grab one now. She ate breakfast this morning and her nerves were barely keeping it down.
At least she hoped it was nerves making her feel as if she wanted to toss her fruit and yogurt and not that she was going to be one of those women who was sick the whole time.
How horrible would that be while she was working in someone’s mouth and would have to stop to gag?
Oh God. Just one more worry compounded on all the rest.
She was trying hard to not let them take over her mind and drive her crazy. It was hard, but she was listening to Coy.
He’d said he loved her. She believed it.
She just had to let things fall where they may and know he’d be in her corner.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Mandy asked her.
“I had breakfast before I left. I think I’ll grab one between patients in a few hours.”
Coy was eating and stopped to put his bagel down, then started to go over a list of things he wanted to talk about work related.
There was a lot of communication and feedback and suggestions and she found the meeting enjoyable that everyone cared enough.
The meeting was set to be an hour, but when she looked at her watch, only twenty minutes had gone by.
“If no one has any other issues or suggestions, there is just one more thing I’d like to announce,” Coy said.
She looked around the table and everyone was eating more than talking.
He looked at her. “You go ahead,” she said, smiling. No way she was saying it.
“Are you two dating?” Maria asked. “Is that it?”
There was laughter at the statement and she knew that Maria was joking.
“Yes,” Coy said.
“What?” Abby asked. There was silence after that statement.
“We are,” she said. “We debated on whether or not to say anything. It’s not like most people do formal announcements.”
“On an island this small, you’d hear fairly fast so we just thought you could find out from the source,” he said, grinning.
“I knew it,” Maria said.
“You weren’t joking?” Angel asked.
“Nope. Everyone thought I was, but I had a feeling.”
Coy laughed. “Why is that?”
“Just a hunch,” Maria said. “I think I talk to you more when no one else is around. Or talk to you in your office and Angel is in there. I see the way you two look at each other.”
Maybe they weren’t hiding it as well as they thought, but everyone else was stunned.
“How long have you been dating?” Abby asked. “Just a few weeks?”
“A few months,” Coy said.
“So two months?” Emma asked. Emma was a part-time hygienist.
“Closer to three,” Angel said. “I’m not sure of the exact date. I suppose if you have questions you can ask, but I’m not sure how much I’ll answer. You do all know Coy and I have known each other for over ten years, right?”
“No,” Abby said. “I didn’t know that. Why didn’t I know that? How could that be possible? You don’t live on the island and you’re younger than him.”
She lifted her eyebrow at the sharply asked question.
“Angel’s brother is my best friend, Spencer,” he said. “I thought that was common knowledge at this point, but I guess not.”
There were a lot of ohhhs and head nods then.
No one else seemed to have any more questions so Coy ended the meeting.
Angel left to go back to her office and many stayed in the conference room to chat and keep eating. She knew she and Coy would be the topic of conversation and she’d have to get over it.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she said.
“No,” he said. “You worried for nothing.”
“Abby seemed shocked and a bit upset.”
“Oh well,” he said. “Not my problem. It has nothing to do with her and it’s not like she ever had a shot with me.”
“Can you shut the door?” she asked. “I can make a few calls now and not go sit in my car for them.”
He leaned over and shut the door, then locked it so no one came in. She didn’t ask why he did it; it didn’t matter.
She’d looked up a few practices over the weekend and was going to see who she could get into first.
The first place she tried in Boston didn’t have an opening for three weeks, but she took it anyway to get on the schedule.
“Can I go with you?” he asked.
“I don’t think that is wise,” she said. “You’d have to close the practice down that day. I’m sure people would wonder about it.”
He frowned. “Good point. But I am going to want to go with you to some of them.”
Which she knew was why he wanted the doctor on the island so that he could sneak into it if he had to.
“We’ll work it out,” she said. Her next call was to an office in Plymouth and when they told her they had a cancellation this week, she jumped on it. Not that she was looking forward to spending the day on the ferry, but she’d figure it out.
She hung up and looked at him. “Well?” he asked.
“I can get in on Thursday at nine. I don’t know how that works with the ferry schedule.”
“The ferry doesn’t leave until eight, I think,” he said. “You most likely won’t get there on time.”
“Crap,” she said. “I don’t want to call back and cancel it.”
“Don’t,” he said. “Go over Wednesday after work and get a hotel. I wish we had a family house in Plymouth, but we don’t. We’ve got lots of hotels though. Then you’re there and don’t have to rush and can come back when you’re done.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll do that. I need to figure this all out anyway.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No,” she said. “I said I wanted to be independent and I have to do this alone.”
Coy looked hurt, but she wasn’t going to let it sway her. She had this.
“What practice is it?” he asked.
She showed him her notebook. “Same affiliation as Boston, only a satellite office.”
“I think that was Ava’s old office,” he said. “She used to come here a few times a month before she moved permanently. So when the time is right, if you want to transfer here you should be able to.”
“I think that might work,” she said. “I’m not opposed to it.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“I can compromise. I hope you don’t think I can’t.”
“Those things we have to learn about each other,” he said, reaching over and unlocking the door and opening it a crack.
It was a sign to not talk about this more, which meant he knew her well enough to let them put it from their minds.