Chapter 16
ZOE
“And there you have it.” Zoe flicked the lights back on and clicked to the next slide.
The pitch had just finished playing. “The follow-up to the ‘Hottest Doctor Alive’ that everyone’s asking for.
It’s framed in a heartwarming way that sparks nostalgia and paints Nathan Hale as a truly good man, as well as the ‘Hottest Doctor Alive.’”
She turned back to the room, which was full of executives from a national TV network.
They were all looking back at her, though she couldn’t read their expressions.
Zoe’s chest tightened. Was this it? After all their hard work, was no one going to be interested in the show?
Beside her, Nathan met her eyes, and she saw worry there, too.
He looked away as he slipped off his glasses to polish them.
“What kind of story arc do you expect?” one of the executives asked.
“Excellent question.” Zoe pulled up a slide and went through the kinds of episodes they were planning for the first season.
The next exec asked a question about product placement, which Zoe answered easily.
A few questions in, her confidence started to build.
They weren’t turning her down out of hand.
They were interested. Carla Vassallo’s reputation hadn’t sabotaged Zoe’s chances here.
And this was only the first meeting. Even if this network said no, the next few days were filled with more meetings and events to increase Nathan’s exposure and drum up public interest in the show. There was every chance that someone would say yes.
“All right.” The head executive got to his feet and came to the front of the room.
“It’ll take us a few days to put together an offer, but this is exactly the kind of content we’ve been looking for.
Viewers are hungry for shows just like this that are heartwarming, positive, and uplifting. We’d love to take your show.”
It was all Zoe could do to keep from jumping up and down. She took the exec’s extended hand and shook it, then Nathan did the same.
“We do have a few other meetings,” Zoe said. “So, we can’t confirm on the spot, but we’ll be looking forward to receiving your offer.”
“Excellent. We’ll be in touch shortly.”
Nathan and Zoe thanked the team and said their goodbyes. They made it all the way down the hall and into the elevator before they turned to each other. As the doors closed, they began to jump up and down.
“We did it!” Zoe said. She laughed with joy. “We did it!”
“You did it,” Nathan corrected. “You were amazing!”
Zoe pulled him into a hug, savoring that pine smell that always seemed to follow him, even miles from the nearest forest. His arms were warm and strong and solid around her, and she’d have liked to melt into him and rest her cheek against his shoulder.
“No, you did it, too,” she said instead. “This was a team effort, through and through.”
The elevator doors opened, and they quickly stepped apart, arms by their sides, looking straight ahead. A few women got in the elevator, but they seemed so busy talking to each other that they barely noticed Zoe and Nathan. Zoe stole a glance at Nathan, and he winked. Her knees went weak.
Once they were out on the street, she turned to him.
“We have to celebrate. I know we have a bunch of meetings and events tomorrow, but this is a big moment and, like you said, we need to celebrate all the moments.”
“You don’t need to convince me. I’m in.” Nathan grinned at her. “I was the wise one who said we should celebrate in the first place. So, where are we going? You’re the expert here.”
Zoe bit her lip in thought before grinning. “I have an idea. Come on.”
They were only a few blocks away from one of her favorite Thai restaurants, which was a relief.
She wouldn’t have wanted to take Nathan on the subway on his first visit to New York — he would never have come again.
And she wanted him to come again. She wanted him to like it here.
She could imagine him visiting her in the future, walking in Central Park and drinking black coffee at her favorite café…
“I still can’t believe this,” Nathan said as they walked side by side. “You’re a magician, Zoe. You told me no one was going to offer us a deal in the room, but they did.”
“I had no idea they were going to,” Zoe admitted. “That’s never happened to me before.”
“I guess the other doctors needed a little more time to find a good fit,” Nathan said. Zoe’s brow furrowed. Other doctors? Then, with a sick feeling in her stomach, she remembered the lie she’d told about working with other doctors when she’d been trying to convince Nathan to take a chance on her.
“Oh.” She took a deep breath. “About that—”
But before she could come clean, Nathan stepped into the street. A bicycle came whizzing towards him and Zoe grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back onto the sidewalk. He turned to her, his eyes wide.
“I almost died.”
Despite herself, Zoe laughed, though she quickly dialed it back when she saw that Nathan looked unamused.
“Sorry, sorry, but you didn’t. That cyclist would have swerved. And it was only a bike, anyway, so you’d have just gotten knocked over or something.”
“You have a very cavalier attitude towards injury,” Nathan said sternly. Then he smiled. “Thanks for saving me, though. I was going to say, ‘Thanks for saving my life,’ but, as you so kindly pointed out, my life was never in danger.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “You’re fine. Come on, we have the walk sign.”
“We had it before.”
“Yeah, but cyclists follow their own rules.” Zoe winked. “Come on, I’m taking you to eat a delicious meal that will make you forget all about this.”
“Is it better than JJ’s Diner?” Nathan asked. Zoe hesitated, then smiled.
“Not better. Just different. Have you had Thai food before?”
“Of course I have.” Nathan winked. “I’m not some hillbilly.”
Zoe chuckled. “You’ll like this, then.”
They entered the small restaurant and were immediately taken back to a table near the kitchen. Once they’d placed their orders for food, Nathan asked for a glass of champagne each to go with the meal.
“We’re celebrating, remember?” he said as the waiter walked away.
“Or you’re ordering champagne because I promised to buy you dinner in New York,” Zoe suggested. Nathan’s eyes widened, and she quickly added, “I’m teasing you. Come on.”
Soon, steaming hot plates of saucy noodles, crisp vegetables, and perfectly cooked meat arrived, along with the two glasses of champagne. Zoe raised hers to Nathan in a toast.
“Here’s to my future TV star.”
“And here’s to the PR professional who made it all happen,” Nathan replied, lifting his glass to clink against hers. “Seriously, though, this would have been a nightmare without you.”
They both sipped their champagne before turning their attention to the food. Nathan easily used chopsticks to assemble a bite of noodles and veggies.
“You’re a pro,” Zoe said, motioning to him with her own chopsticks.
“I have a surgeon’s dexterity,” Nathan told her.
“But you aren’t a surgeon.”
“No, but I did some surgery in my residency, and I do plenty of sutures and blood draws and other things in my practice.” He lifted his free hand, wiggling his fingers as if to show off his skills.
Zoe’s gaze was drawn to his hand, and she suddenly remembered him kneeling in front of her while she sat on the bed of his truck, those same fingers gently tracing the outline of her ankle. She shivered and looked away, smiling.
“Sure, sure,” she said noncommittally. “How’s the food?”
“Delicious.” Nathan grinned at her. “I have to bring my cousins here sometime. They all love spicy food.”
“How many cousins do you have?”
“Twelve.” Nathan laughed at the surprise on Zoe’s face. “And we’re all close, as close as siblings, I think.”
Conversation moved on. They talked about Nathan’s cousins, their days in college, Zoe’s favorite and strangest clients, and on and on.
It was easy to talk to Nathan about anything, especially when they each had a couple more glasses of champagne.
Zoe felt like they’d known each other for years, instead of a few weeks.
After they’d eaten all they wanted, Zoe insisted on picking up the check before leading the way outside. The evening was warm, and the streets were still full of people heading home from work or out for the night.
“We have a choice,” Zoe said. “I’ll drop you back at your hotel, but we can either walk there or take a taxi.” She still didn’t feel like forcing him onto the subway.
“Where do you live?” Nathan asked.
“Not far, but I’ll drop you off first. Actually, if we walk, we’ll kind of go past my place.”
“Let’s walk, then.”
They set off, their pace slow and relaxed compared to the hustle and bustle around them. Nathan looked around constantly, and Zoe saw the city through his eyes: tall buildings, hurrying people, busy streets full of honking cars, neon signs, and a myriad of businesses.
“So, what do you think of your first time in New York?” she asked, sweeping her arm in front of them to encompass the whole city.
“Can I be honest?” Nathan asked.
“Of course.”
“I don’t love it.”
She whacked him lightly on the arm. “Hey!”
“It isn’t my fault! You said I could be honest.” Nathan smiled at her. “It’s just, well… it’s loud and busy and smells like trash and worse. And the people don’t seem very friendly.”
“You’ve got it all wrong,” Zoe said. She shook her head as she grabbed his arm to pull him down another street. “Change of plans.”
“Where are we going?” Nathan asked, laughing. “If you’re taking me to see the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Bridge or something, just know that’s not going to change my mind.”
Zoe whacked him again with the hand that wasn’t holding his arm. “As if I’d take you to a tourist destination to try to make you like New York. Come on, Doc. You have to have a higher opinion of me than that.”