Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Grace
I needed to be very careful. If I weren’t, I’d end up sleeping with him, and I wasn’t about to make that mistake again.
Not that it was a mistake that night in New York.
It wasn’t. But now, since we worked together, it would be.
I had a rule. Never get involved with a co-worker, no matter how sexy and nice he is.
It doesn’t end well. I’d seen it with many of my co-workers throughout the years.
“Which hospital did you work at in New York?” Jamieson asked.
“Manhattan Memorial. It’s where I did my residency and my trauma fellowship.”
“Interesting. That’s a very well-respected hospital. Whom did you do your fellowship under?”
“Dr. Ryan Knowles.”
“I know him. He’s an excellent surgeon. Come to think of it, didn’t Renata used to work at Manhattan Memorial?”
“She did. I was her resident for three years before she took the job at Cedars-Sinai.”
“Good to see you, Jamieson.” A handsome man smiled as he walked over to our table.
“Hi, Craig. I’d like you to meet Dr. Grace Harper. She just moved to Los Angeles. Today was her first day at Cedars-Sinai. Grace, this is Craig Pines, the owner, and chef of this outstanding restaurant.”
“Nice to meet you, Grace.” He smiled as he extended his hand.
“Thank you, Craig. You have a beautiful restaurant.”
“Thank you. What kind of doctor are you?”
“She’s a trauma surgeon out of New York,” Jamieson chimed in.
“Wow. Trauma surgeon? Congratulations. Do you two know each other from New York?” He waved his finger.
“Yeah. Sort of.” I smirked as I glanced at Jamieson.
“Well, welcome to Los Angeles. I better get back in the kitchen. I just wanted to say hi.”
“Thanks, Craig. I’ll talk to you later.”
“It was nice to meet you.” I smiled. “He seems nice.” I picked up my wine glass.
“He is, and so is his wife, Maddy. I was at their wedding. Maddy’s father is one of the anesthesiologists at the hospital. You’ll meet him soon enough.” He smiled. “Now, back to my questions. Where did you go to med school?”
“Columbia. You?”
“Harvard. Graduated at the top of my class.”
“Me too.” My brow arched.
The corners of his mouth curved up into a smile.
“I’m sure your parents are very proud of you,” he spoke as he picked up his wine glass.
I shifted in my seat and looked down.
“They would have been,” I softly spoke. “They died when I was ten years old.”
“I’m sorry, Grace.”
“Thanks. That was twenty years ago. I’m sorry, but I have to ask, how old are you?”
He chuckled before taking a sip from his glass.
“I’m thirty-three. Why?”
“I’m just trying to figure out—”
“I know what you’re asking. I entered Harvard at fifteen.”
“Are you some kind of genius?” I smirked.
“I am.” He smiled. “And if we’re being totally open with each other, I suspect you are too.”
“What’s your I.Q.?” I asked.
“142. Yours?” His eye narrowed.
“142 with an eidetic memory. I entered college when I was sixteen. Finished it in three years versus four. Went to med school and finished that in three years and then did my residency and trauma fellowship.”
“Fascinating. What I wouldn’t give right now is to crack open your skull and look at your brain.” He grinned.
“How romantic of you.” I laughed. “What about your parents? I’m sure they’re very proud of their genius boy.”
The humor on his face turned serious as he cleared his throat and finished off his wine.
“My father is a narcissistic bastard, and I don’t want to talk about my mother. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Sure. Okay.” My brows furrowed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I asked you first, so it was only natural for you to ask me.”
While we were eating our dinner, I heard my phone ding with a text message. Pulling it from my purse, my stomach sank when I saw who it was from.
“I stopped by the hospital today to see you, and Jesse told me you quit. Then I went to your apartment, and Mrs. Leeds told me you had moved out. You asked for two months, and I gave it to you. Where the hell are you? I need to see you, Grace.”
I took in a deep breath and placed my phone back in my purse.
“Are you okay?” Jamieson asked.
“Yeah.” I looked at him.
“You seemed bothered when you looked at your phone.”
“No. Not at all.” I lied.
The waitress walked over and set the bill on the table. At the same time, Jamieson and I reached over, my hand placed on his. His brow arched as he looked at me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Paying for my half.”
“The hell you are. Dinner was my idea, remember?”
“Yes. And to quote you, ‘I was thinking that maybe we could grab dinner together.’ You didn’t say, ‘I want to take you to dinner.’ There’s a difference.”
His brows furrowed as he opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“I specifically said that a proper welcome to Los Angeles was in order. That’s what I’m doing. I’m welcoming you to Los Angeles by treating you to dinner.”
“This isn’t a date,” I spoke.
“No, it’s not a date. It’s me, a new friend and co-worker, welcoming you to Los Angeles.”
I sat across from him and narrowed my eye as I slowly removed my hand from his.
“Thank you.” I nodded.
“You’re welcome.” A smirk formed on his lips.
“And by the way,” I scooted out of the booth, “you forgot to say that you were my one-night stand.”
He let out a chuckle as we walked out of the restaurant and waited for the valet to bring around his car.
“I’m not having sex with you,” I spoke as I looked over at him.
“Why not?” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“Because. This is my new life, which doesn’t include sex with people I work with. I have rules, Dr. Finn.”
“So you’re saying you had sex with your co-workers at Manhattan Memorial in your old life?”
“No. I’ve never had sex with anyone at Manhattan Memorial. As I said, I have rules. What happened between us in New York was a one-time thing during my old life.”