Bethany Meets Her Match

Prologue

Whitford Nash Memorial Hospital

Four Years Ago

It was her first day of residency and Bethany Lee couldn’t be more excited. Years of hard work and meticulous planning had led to this moment, and she was raring to go. Time to prove to herself, her parents, and the world what she was made of. Technically, her first shift was tomorrow morning, but the ER attendings had arranged for all the new residents to meet at a nearby restaurant for an informal icebreaker/get-to-know-you. They were all supposed to rendezvous at Whitford Nash before heading over to O’Briain’s Pub.

She looked down at her serviceable navy-blue jersey knit dress and matching pumps. She’d seen it on the clearance rack at Macy’s and snapped it up, and it seemed perfect for the occasion. To her horror, she saw a huge run in her pantyhose. How the hell had that happened? And more importantly, what was she going to do?

Why was she even wearing pantyhose in the first place? It was July for God’s sake. This is what she got for trying to “look professional.” Give her scrubs any day of the week, hands down. Bethany quickly looked at her phone. She had five minutes. If luck was on her side, she could duck into a restroom real quick, get rid of the damn pantyhose, and no one would be any the wiser. She dashed in through the door and Praise Whatever God was Up Above, she saw the sign for the ladies’ room. Bethany made a beeline and ninety seconds later, re-emerged, slightly out of breath.

Crisis averted.

“Excuse me?” A voice from behind her said. “Are you also here for the ER residents’ icebreaker?”

Bethany turned. Well, hello there. If this was any indication of what was to come, her first resident year was off to a very good start indeed. The man standing in front of her was textbook handsome—perfectly sculpted lips, jet-black hair, sharp cheekbones, broad shoulders, and deep dark brown eyes that drew her in immediately. Best of all, he was a fellow Asian resident, so Bethany felt an instant kinship. And, unless she was mistaken, she detected a hint of an accent, which made her more intrigued.

He was also wearing an excellently tailored slate gray suit, probably designer, possibly custom-made. It fit him like a second skin. This was no Men’s Warehouse off-the-rack number. Normally, Bethany couldn’t care less about clothes or fashion, but the suit made the man look like a million bucks.

How the hell could anyone afford such a luxury on a resident’s salary? Not to mention med school loans?

“Yes, I’m Dr. Bethany Lee. Nice to meet you.” She stuck out her hand enthusiastically. They shook hands and she definitely approved of his firm grasp.

“I’m Ethan Wu. Pleasure.” She really did love the timbre of his voice. It made her insides melt.

Not that she’d ever admit it. Or act on it. This was work and business was business. No way was she ever going to pull a tacky Grey’s Anatomy and have some torrid fling or on-call-room hookup.

But that didn’t mean a little flirting wasn’t off the table. A girl had to get her thrills and kicks where she could, right? A resident’s life was hard with long hours, high stress, and little sleep. Working side by side with the most attractive man she’d met in ages who set her hormones off was a definite plus. Maybe they could even team up and work together. She could see it now. Team Asian would kick all kinds of ass at Whitford Nash.

“You looking forward to meeting the other residents? I reached out to a few of them, and we have a group chat on WhatsApp. Can’t wait to finally see them in person. Do you know Hannah Meyer or Paul Watkins?”

“I’m afraid not,” he admitted, with a grimace. “I only moved here last month so I’ve been busy settling into my apartment. I was in Boston before this. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage on that score.”

Boston. Did he mean he’d gone to Harvard Medical School? Impressive. And he didn’t strike Bethany as the sort of person who’d do that as a ploy. As if he was faking humility by saying Boston or Cambridge instead of Harvard. But if so, all the better. She couldn’t wait to show she could more than keep up.

“No worries,” she assured him. “I can introduce you. The more the merrier, after all. Besides, we have to stick together.”

His lips quirked. “Much appreciated. You know, I’ve been dreading this event but now, the evening is looking up. If I’d known the company would be this delightful, I would’ve arrived earlier.” The gleam in his eye left no doubt as to what he meant, and it took everything in her not to give a goofy smile in return.

Get a grip, girl. You’re thinking with the wrong part of your anatomy. You’re here to work hard, kick ass, make Ma and Ba proud, and prove yourself. Focus, Stop wondering what he looks like under those designer threads.

Ethan then checked his watch and Bethany got a glimpse of a nicely toned forearm.

She was not going to drool. Absolutely not. She was supposed to be a professional, damn it. At this rate she would need to use her knowledge of the endocrine system to get her hormones under control.

“Are you all right?” he inquired.

“Fine,” she said a bit more breathlessly than she’d like. “I think it’s time for us to head over.”

“Then shall we?” He held out his arm.

An old-fashioned gentleman. From anyone else, Bethany would find it performative and over the top. And even a little bit condescending. But somehow, on Ethan Wu, it worked. She hooked his arm with hers, and they made their way over to the pub.

And because she couldn’t resist. “Nice suit. You’re definitely going to turn heads and make a good impression in that. Calvin Klein? Banana Republic?”

“Of course not,” he said, with an affronted air. “I got this tailor made at Savile Rowe last year when I was in London.”

“You don’t think you’re a tad overdressed? It’s a pub, not a Michelin-star place. What, you’re expecting Bobby Flay to show up?” she joked. Ethan seemed to be a guy from a well-to-do background with matching taste. Not everyone could casually drop into a conversation that they had their bespoke suits made in London. Certainly not her. She was willing to bet he graduated top of his class from Harvard and would look down on her Johns Hopkins education. Even though Johns Hopkins was one of the top schools in the country.

Bad enough she was a woman entering a male-dominated field, and a male-dominated specialty, now she was dealing with snobbery on top of old-school ole-boys sexism. She was so not here for it.

Suddenly, Ethan Wu seemed less cute and attractive. If she could remove her arm without making a scene, she would in a heartbeat.

“Chef Flay doesn’t have any Michelin-star establishments.” Was she mistaken, or did his tone imply that even a plebian like her should know that?

Now she really regretted talking to him. Damn pantyhose. If she hadn’t had that run, this would have never happened.

“My mistake,” she clipped out.

“And as for being overdressed, first impressions matter. Maybe more for some than others. Clearly you weren’t worried.”

“What do you mean by that?” Bethany demanded.

“I get it. Everyone has different priorities. And I’m sure you weren’t admitted into the program because of your fashion sense. But may I just suggest getting rid of the pantyhose. None of my business of course, but it may invite questions you don’t want to answer.” He pointed to her purse where the blasted pantyhose could be seen by all and sundry. Why hadn’t she remembered to throw them out?

“Thanks so much,” she replied acidly, though she was inwardly cringing. At that moment, Bethany swore to herself she was done with pantyhose forever. They were dead to her. That being said, if this Ethan Wu was any sort of gentleman, he would have politely pretended to not notice the pantyhose and not said a word.

But clearly her sarcasm missed the mark because the bloody idiot man seemed oblivious.

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses. No reason why we can’t help each other, however. I’m happy to help you with wardrobe advice, and you’ve already offered to introduce me to the other residents, which I really appreciate. Like I said, I’m new and don’t know many people. You can help me fit in better. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together. Might as well make the most of it, right? Maybe it’s fate that we ran into each other here today, and I’m glad we did.” He flashed a grin that suddenly wasn’t quite so charming anymore.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine with my wardrobe as is,” she snapped. “Sorry it doesn’t meet your standards, but as you said, I’m here because of my brain, not because of a seven-hundred-dollar designer dress. And I think you’ll be just fine making friends who’ll meet your exacting standards on your own. You certainly don’t need my help. I’ll see you at the pub.” With that she marched forward and left him in her dust. Which she intended to do for the rest of her residency. And with every step, Bethany vowed to herself that she was not going to let some rich snobby jerk knock her off her stride. What a mistake to let hormones and pheromones temporarily get the better of her.

She’d show him. She’d show everyone.

*

What the bloodyhell was that? It wasn’t often that Ethan Wu was at a loss for words, but this interaction left him befuddled and bemused. As he watched Bethany storm off for no reason, he could only shake his head.

He was the first to admit that, like most men, women’s behavior and thought processes didn’t always make much sense to him, but this had truly come out of left field.

Ash would be proud of him for using such a popular colloquialism.

When he’d first seen Bethany, he’d been immediately intrigued. She had such energy around her and seemed to be the epitome of that Shakespeare phrase: “though she be but little, she is fierce.” He’d always been attracted to women who could hold their own and wanted to know more. Bethany was obviously someone who knew what she wanted and went for it full gusto. He respected that.

He’d enjoyed their back-and-forth banter, with her giving as good as she got. This was a form of flirting he wasn’t used to engaging in often, but the chemistry and zing between them was exciting and new. She’d gotten in a few nice jabs about his wardrobe, and he’d responded in kind.

Then it was as if a switch flipped and she’d iced over as though he’d irrevocably disrespected her mother. Which he’d most assuredly not done.

He didn’t understand why but from what he’d observed in all the American pop culture he’d consumed, disparaging someone’s mother was possibly the worst thing a person could do. There was a whole genre of insult humor based on statements starting with “yo mama.” And mentioning the other person’s mother in a verbal argument was a surefire way to ensure the altercation became physical. If you asked Ethan, it made no sense. If two people were feuding, why mention a third party who had nothing to do with the dispute? Americans could be so confusing sometimes.

Ethan gave a quick shake of his head and took a breath. So what if Bethany Lee turned out to not be who he thought and was so quick to take offense to who knows what? She wasn’t the only woman in the five boroughs. If he was looking for companionship, there were plenty of other fish in the sea, so to speak. He was more than willing to follow Bethany’s lead and keep things strictly professional between them. In fact, it was probably better that way. Workplace romances were fraught with pitfalls and best avoided. The last thing he needed was to run afoul of Whitford Nash’s HR department. He seemed to have made an enemy of her for some reason, but if Bethany wanted to be competitors instead of friends that was fine with him. Her choice. Her loss.

Ethan watched as Bethany yanked open the door to O’Briain’s and marched in, and he had to clamp down on a mix of emotions he refused to acknowledge, much less identify.

Her loss, he reminded himself. Definitely her loss. He made his own way to the pub and began to mingle with the other residents, making a point to give Bethany wide berth. Two could play that game, and ever since he could remember, he’d always played to win. So what if he kept an eye on her the whole night? It was only so he could avoid her and not be in the same place as her. And it was always wise to take any and all opportunities to size up your opponents. That was all. It didn’t mean anything more than that.