17. Emma
17
EMMA
“H ow do I look?” I posed just inside the entry of the decorated atrium as I ran into Sarah at our agreed meeting place. The gala was held at the hospital in the beautiful atrium. It really was a lovely place, so it made sense to use it and show it off at every opportunity.
I tugged at the front of my evening gown and switched my hips back and forth. The dress was form-fitting through a corseted bodice that flared at the hips out to a not-full, but still swishy, skirt.
“Oh, I love it. What do you think of mine?” she asked.
“You look amazing,” I said as Sarah made a similar pose and showed off her dress. “Very vintage, very chic.”
“You’re never going to believe how much I paid for it,” she said as she gestured at her own dress. It had a fitted drop waist, puffy sleeves, and a rounded neckline. A specialty dye job turned the white satin into a pale pink at the top, transitioning to a vivid magenta and finally to purple at the hemline.
I knew the details of the dyeing process because Sarah had made sure to tell me when she took on the project. It was a thrift store score and a DIY extravaganza. Her crafting skills were exceptional, and the dress was beyond stunning.
“We are too gorgeous for words,” Sarah pointed out.
I felt obliged to agree with her. We cleaned up nicely, and it was refreshing to get out of scrubs for a hot minute.
“So, who are you dancing with tonight?” she asked, as if I had a dance card strapped to my wrist.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. "Donnie always seems to have good moves.”
“Donnie, the janitor?” Sarah scoffed.
“Donnie, the janitor who can dance,” I reminded her. The administration wanted senior staff to attend, and that was the only reason I was willing to show up at this thing.
“And here I thought you were attending so that you could look that fabulous and rub it in Dr. Kevin’s beady little eyes,” she teased.
“As if!” I snapped as soon as I saw Kevin. “Oh, crap. What is he doing here?” I spun so that if he turned in our direction, all he would see was my back. It wasn’t enough to identify me as me, but it would have to do.
“He’s still friends with the president of the board,” Sarah said.
“Damn it,” I muttered.
“And you didn’t hear this from me, but I understand James has invited him to sit on the hospital’s new internal review board,” she whispered conspiratorially.
“What? Kevin?” I asked incredulously. It wasn’t that Kevin wasn’t qualified. He was just entirely too full of himself. Being on the hospital’s internal review board was going to feed his ego and give him a false sense of superiority.
“Emma,” Sarah muttered. “Holy silver fox. Here comes Dr. Marcus Walker.”
Marcus’s deep voice called my name. “You look lovely, Emma, as do you, Dr. Martinez.”
“And how are you this evening?”
“Well, now that I’ve found some better company, I might tolerate wearing this monkey suit for a few more hours,” he said as he reached for the bow tie at his neck and stretched. His “monkey suit” looked like a designer tuxedo, and he wore it like a super spy, as if it had been custom-made just for him.
“Marcus,” I said. “I almost didn’t recognize you out of scrubs.”
“I could almost say the same for you,” he teased with a wink.
Our flirting game had somehow leveled up, and while I wanted to take it further, I wasn’t sure where his stance on it was. After all, we were both pretending that night between us never happened.
“Do you dance?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, I do. Would you care to take a spin?”
“I don’t dance,” Sarah said, holding up her hand. “But Emma does. You two need to go show off your moves and beautiful clothing.”
“I’m just saving you from Donnie,” Sarah said, as if dancing with Donnie were some horrific torture. I didn’t mind the idea. Donnie always looked like a fun person to dance with, and frankly, I felt the need for some fun.
Marcus looked slightly confused but extended his hand toward me. “I believe we’re being dismissed,” he said with a grin.
“I believe you’re right,” I said as I took his offered hand. I was more than ready to escape, not wanting to risk a chance encounter with my ex. Marcus twirled me onto the dance floor like a competition ballroom dancer.
“I should confess,” I started to say as he pulled me against his chest. “I like to dance, but I’ve never had lessons. I don’t know how to do this kind of dancing.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Marcus said, grinning down at me. “It’s my job as your partner to guide you through the steps and make sure you don’t crash or bump into anyone.”
“You’re surprising, Dr. Walker,” I admitted.
“How so?”
“You know, social dancing.”
“If I told you my mother was a competition dance instructor, would you be less surprised?”
“Somehow, no,” I confessed. “So, you grew up knowing how to dance?”
“It was expected of me,” he said with a chuckle. “How do you think I managed to be so popular with the ladies?”
“So, it wasn’t your piercing blue eyes or your sparkling personality?”
“Those didn’t hurt.” He laughed.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” I started.
“If it’s too personal, do I have to answer?”
“No, your choice. But I’m not trying to bruise feelings or anything.” I hesitated. “Did your late wife dance?”
“She did. She was a competitive ballroom dancer.”
“Oh, God. And you were her partner?”
“No, definitely not. Not good enough for competition,” Marcus replied. “I’m not skilled enough for competition, but that’s certainly what Blair was.”
“And you met her because your mom was her coach?”
“Something like that,” he admitted.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You’re not prying,” Marcus said. “Thank you for asking about her. I actually would like you to know about her. I think that would help.”
Before I could respond, a voice I didn’t care to recognize cut through the pleasant evening I was having.
“Well, it didn’t take you very long to get your hands on the new doctor,” Kevin said as he snaked in close. “Mind if I cut in?”
“Yeah, I do,” I snapped.
“Well, I wasn’t asking you. I was asking Dr. Walker,” Kevin said.
“I think the lady gave you her answer,” Marcus said, and he artfully twirled me around and away from Kevin. We left him standing there, and I wanted to laugh with delight. Kevin’s getting left out was absolutely going to make my evening.
But Kevin was suddenly there at our elbows again.
“I might not be the right person to play this little game with,” Kevin said to Marcus.
“I wasn’t aware that we were playing a game,” Marcus replied. “The lady said no.”
“No, the lady needs to be a little more circumspect,” Kevin said. “After all, I’m on the review committee now, and it might behoove you to be seen with me.”
I let out a heavy breath. “I guess we’ll have to let him cut in,” I said quietly to Marcus.
I stepped out of Marcus’s embrace, not wanting to play Kevin’s game but knowing there was a game to be played if I wanted to be taken seriously at this job. I loved being a surgeon, but I hated the games that came with office politics.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Marcus asked.
I loved his concern for me. I really did. It made me all warm and tingly inside, which was a wonderful feeling, considering Kevin’s presence made me want to puke.
“I do not want to dance with you tonight, Kevin,” I confessed as he reached for me to dance. I avoided his arms. “If you want to have a conversation with me, then fine, but I’m not dancing with you.”
Kevin was a crappy dancer. If I thought I was bad, Kevin’s lack of coordination made me look like Ginger Rogers from old black-and-white films.
“Well, I understand you have a presentation coming up with the review committee,” Kevin said.
“How do you—” I cut myself off. I knew exactly how he knew. He was now on the review committee, thanks to his friends in powerful places.
“I don’t see how that’s relevant right now,” I said. “It would be nice if we could not talk about work. It would be better if we could not talk at all.”
“I think you should take this as a professional courtesy,” Kevin said. “And I’m only going to tell you once to stay away from Dr. Walker.”
“How on earth would I do that? We’re colleagues.”
“I know how you are with colleagues, Emma,” Kevin said.
“Kevin, we broke up. So this jealous act you’re doing is inappropriate, unprofessional, and no—we’re not doing it.”
“We’re not doing what, Emma?”
“I’m not playing your little power game.”
“Are you sure you want to talk to me like that?” Kevin asked.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Why would I do that?”
I raised my brows and just stared at him. Kevin was good at manipulative games. He wasn’t going to say the words that would incriminate himself. He was waiting for me to make the accusations so he could say I was wildly speculating and making ridiculous claims.
“I’ll take your words under advisement. Good night, Kevin.”
“I wasn’t done talking to you, Emma,” he said as he grabbed my arm and swung me around.
“That doesn’t matter,” I said as calmly as I could. “Because I am very much done talking to you.”
I cast my gaze around the ballroom, eagerly looking for Sarah, Marcus, or any friendly face that might keep Kevin at bay. When I didn’t see anyone, I decided to cut my losses and leave. Tonight was supposed to be fun, and spending time in Kevin’s company was about as far from fun as one could get. It was time for me to leave.