Chapter 28 - Cat
Cat
Daniel flashes another polite smile and nods at Mary.
My molars grind into each other at the sight alone.
I’ve never liked him. He only got chair because his father invested in a new wing for the hospital.
He brings in plenty of money, so he is useful, but he knows it and isn’t above flaunting it. But if he thinks he can intimidate us…
Carmen locks eyes with me in a silent warning. She tucks a strand of curls behind her ear, and her nostrils flare in frustration, but her message is clear. He’s not worth it. Her unspoken words calm me a little, and even though I press my fingers a bit more into Mary’s hip, my jaw unclenches.
“And what is it you do?” Daniel asks her.
Mary’s eyes shine bright at the question.
She either doesn’t hear the taunting tone behind his words, or she genuinely doesn’t care.
I have a strong feeling it is the first, and that tugs a little on my heartstrings.
There is something so innocent, so pure about it. I’d almost think she is delicate.
“I am a writer, actually,” she hums, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“A writer? Like, a journalist?”
She laughs that warm, ringing laugh of hers that goes straight into my chest. Carmen’s eyes instantly warm, too, and even Isa looks amused by the two of us. Mary is enchanting us all, and she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.
“No, no,” she chuckles. “Nothing like that. I have mad respect for them, but that’s not my thing.”
“Then what is?” Daniel asks, and it might just be the first time I’ve seen him genuinely interested.
“Hm, well…” she hums, searching for the right way to describe it. “I write novels about strong women, with stories rooted in mythology.”
“Mythology, like Pandora?”
“Yes, exactly like that, actually.”
She beams up at him, and he looks back at her, amused. He cocks his head as if he wants to ask her another question, but then his eyes flick up, and his face slips back into that slick, rich boy facade he carries so well.
“Ah, excuse me, Mary,” he offers politely, as he gestures with his hand behind us.
We all turn to see two women casually saunter up. I tuck Mary a bit closer toward me when she steps aside to make room, and see that Carmen slides closer toward Isa. Smooth, hermana. I catch a quick grin on Mary’s face and know she’s seen it, too. Yeah, we have to do something about that.
“Doctor Voss, what a delight to have you here with us tonight.”
“Daniel,” a tall, slender woman purrs back in a French accent, as she moves forward to press a kiss on both his cheeks. “The pleasure is all ours.”
He nods, accepting her offer with a smug smile, before turning toward me.
“Catherine, please allow me to introduce you to our newest cardiothoracic surgeon, Doctor Celeste Voss, and her lovely wife, Riley. Celeste, please meet our Head of Trauma, Doctor Catherine Durand, and her…” he pauses briefly as if he has tasted the words and is savoring them before sharing them. “Partner.”
“Pleasure,” Celeste says with a small nod, her ice-blue eyes holding mine.
There is nothing off about her posture, the way she holds herself, or even how her wife is pressed against her.
But the way her eyes bore into mine tells me more than words could.
She is gauging me, sizing me up. Not aggressively, not even with dominance, but with an air of control.
This is not a woman who will blindly follow orders, and that is something I can respect.
“Pleasure’s all mine,” I mirror, and that seems to please her.
She nods once, and then her eyes slide to Mary, briefly, before returning to mine.
“I’ve read your paper on abdominal organ injury brought on by CPR. Did your study consist only of trauma patients?”
Her face is neutral as she waits for my answer. If she wanted to take a jab, this would be the moment she’d smirk, but there is no such indication.
“As noted in the summary, the study included a hundred cases brought into the trauma bay, all with blunt force trauma,” I explain calmly, and her eyebrow rises slightly.
“However, to prevent bias, we had it retrospectively compared with a hundred in-house cases at a different hospital, on the other side of the country.”
“LA General,” Isa hums, and my eyes flick to hers. “That happened during my residency. Tracing those cases had a huge impact on how the hospital provided CPR aftercare from that moment on.”
My lip ticks up. Not in victory, not because it establishes my dominance, but because my work made a real difference. That’s the only real thing that matters in this conversation. I nod at her, and she returns the gesture.
“You worked on Cat’s research?” Carmen asks with a gruff voice, and Isa’s cheeks flush before she turns toward my best friend.
“Yes, well, no, well, I helped collect the data…” she stammers, and her voice trails off.
But Carmen’s face lights up like a Christmas tree, and she wraps her fingers around Isa’s elbow.
“Por favor, you have to tell me everything about it. Can I get you something to drink?”
She is already ushering Isa away from us when Mary lets out a soft chuckle. The sound breaks the stunned energy that is suspended in our little circle.
“Well, okay, then,” Daniel concludes, his eyebrows knitting together.
It can’t be easy for him, being used to getting everything he ever wants and thinking it will make all women pine over him, only to be surrounded by lesbians. But if he feels any displeasure, he hides it well. I have to give him that.
“If you ladies will excuse me,” he offers with a honey-sweet voice, “I believe my boss is requesting that I make an appearance at her side.”
His eyes dart toward an older woman in a sleek black dress, the head of the trust, before his bright teeth flash again.
“It was a pleasure. I expect you make generous donations.” He nods toward Celeste and me, before smiling again. “Riley, nice to meet you. Mary, I look forward to hearing more about your books in the future.”
She blushes at that, and I can see why. Even behind all his facade, the comment seems genuine. It’s just a pity that it comes from him.
“You’re an author?” Riley asks, her eyes flicking to Mary, who nods with a small smile. “Oh, come on, then. Tell me about your work while the doctors continue their…” She waves her hand. “Whatever it is they were doing.”
She mimics Carmen’s movements and grabs Mary’s elbow, tugging her slightly toward the bar.
Mary’s eyes flick back to mine. There is no fear in them, no hesitation, only the question of whether this is okay.
My lips curl up, and I nod at her. She turns as she is dragged along, and allow myself an extra moment to linger my gaze on her frame. Es muy linda. So very beautiful.
“How long have you been together?”
Celeste’s melodic voice pulls at my attention, and I reluctantly turn my head back to face her. It is just us now, but her demeanor hasn’t changed. She is still assessing.
“Four months.” My voice is clipped, suddenly aware that we are skating close to an edge I don’t want to go near.
“Hm,” she hums, her eyes gliding back to where Mary and Riley are standing. “Interesting.”
The hairs on my neck prickle at that, but I don’t respond. There could be a million reasons for her to say that. Plus, any reaction can trigger another question, and I want this conversation to be over.
“How long have you been married?” I counter, knowing most people will back off when the spotlight is on them.
“Ten years this Christmas. How did—”
“What does Riley do for a living?”
Celeste stays quiet for a beat. She is so calm, it almost makes me squirm. Almost. I raise one eyebrow in a quiet challenge, and she finally relents. Her chin drops slightly, and her gaze becomes softer.
“She is a crisis counselor, specializing in working with victims of domestic violence.”
I do a double take. Mary says something to Riley, and the woman throws her head back with a loud laugh.
Her blonde curls bounce all around her as she does, and her athletic frame shakes with the intensity.
Mary follows her easily, and it looks as if the two have known each other for years.
Something warm spreads through my chest at the effortless way she connects with everyone around her.
“That’s admirable,” I nearly whisper, but I’m not even sure if I am talking about Riley.
“Yes, it is,” Celeste murmurs back, and when I finally look at her again, she has the same smitten look that must be on my face.
Her expression shifts back to neutral, and she asks me about the inner workings of Inova, but now that I’ve seen that softness in her eyes, I can’t unsee it.
Just like I can’t unsee that it doesn’t make Doctor Voss look weaker.
No. Quite the contrary. She looks strong having a love like Riley’s in her corner.
She looks like she owns the whole world, and knows exactly what to do with it. And I? I like that very much.
After networking, answering questions from investors, and drinking with some of the board members, I am finally able to get back to Mary.
I am happy to see that she is surrounded by Carmen, Riley, and several other women, engaged in what looks like a very entertaining conversation.
It’s good to know that she doesn’t need me to entertain her, but I still feel a pang of guilt when I finally slide in next to her.
Her eyes instantly lock with mine, and for one beat, all sounds around us fall away.
She is radiant. There is a small blush of excitement on her cheeks, her eyes sparkle, and she is smiling without any reservation. She looks… free.
“Amor,” I whisper in her ear as I brush my nose against her cheek.
She lets out a pleased hum, and I feel her fingers reach for me. I slide my arm around her waist to steady her. Her hand comes to rest on my bicep, her fingers curling into the fabric of my suit.
“Hi,” she breathes back, and I smile against her skin.
“Hi.”
Our moment is interrupted by Carmen, who bumps my shoulder.
“Ay, Katherina, get a room,” she whispers, but the words are still loud enough to reach Mary, who chuckles and flushes.
A soft laugh escapes me before I can stop myself, and at least three heads turn at the sound. I roll my eyes, knowing perfectly well that my name will be mentioned in the break room once or twice over the next week.
“What’d you say, Maria?” I ask as I nudge her shoulder. “Should we?”
Her cheeks burn even more, but she nods and slides her hand into the crook of my elbow.
“Yeah, I think we should.”
I take a moment to look at her. The way the light catches in her hair and makes it shine like spun gold, how her face just radiates warmth and happiness, how her eyes are on me, full of… adoration. My breath catches. Dios. I pull her closer and press my lips against her temple.
“Let’s go home.”
I nod at Carmen, who flashes me the biggest grin in return, and I feel oddly fuzzy. I’ve never seen her this… invested in the other people in my life. But she seems completely smitten with Maria, and for some reason, that makes me trust this even more.
“See you on Friday, guapa.”
She winks at Mary, then turns to grab another glass of champagne from a passing tray.
“Viernes?”
“Oh, yes! I was going to tell you. I invited Riley and Celeste for dinner on Friday, and Carmen, too. I thought it would be fun. Is that okay? I did not overstep, did I? If I—”
My eyes grow large as she speaks. Of course she would.
Unlike me, a woman who has to scout out people before letting them even remotely close, Mary loves to build bridges.
And although it makes me a bit nervous to let virtual strangers into my house, I know it will bring her a lot of pleasure.
Besides, it’s not like my parents haven’t had me sit through many boring dinner parties when I was a kid. I’m a trained professional by now.
I chuckle quietly enough that only she can hear, and I shake my head. Her face visibly relaxes when I pull her closer and kiss her temple. I see the eyes, I hear the whispers, and I don’t care about any of it. Mary is right where she belongs. At my side.
“You didn’t. It sounds like fun,” I say into her hair. “Actually, if we are going to host a dinner…”
I trail off for a moment as my eyes glide to the other side of the room. Might as well make the best of it.
“Will you give me one moment, amor?”
She follows my gaze and grins.
“Yes, yes, I will.”