Neil looked around for the next person to talk to at what was turning into a surprisingly decent party.
Probably in a bid to climb his way back up the hierarchy, Andrews was hosting a mixer in his home, fully catered with a high-end open bar and some of the most elite and recognized doctors – and wealthy donors – in the region. Ostensibly, it's to celebrate his wife expanding her practice, but the dual opportunity wasn't lost on Neil.
In one corner was the head of a prominent Silicon Valley hedge fund chatting with one of St. Bonaventure's board members and Aoki. Another group boasted two well-known neurosurgeons in conversation with the recipient of the AMA rising star award from the previous year. Neil even recognized a B-level actor and his partner when he came in, carrying on a serious conversation with several of his colleagues.
His residents were here too somewhere, Reznick gleefully, Park strategically, and Murphy reluctantly. Claire had been invited, of course. Andrews had personally tracked her down and insisted she be there. And Neil had reiterated what a great networking opportunity it'd be for her. But the sitter she'd lined up for Sam fell through and she hadn't felt like scrambling to find a replacement. She'd been disappointed, though she tried to hide it. Instead, she reasoned that it was Sam's regular "new foods" night anyway, and she was eager to try out a new option.
Neil grinned into his drink thinking about the conversation they'd had on that.
He'd seen Claire and Sam more often than usual the past few weeks after the holidays. It'd been a welcome stretch after barely seeing them between conflicting shifts before and after Christmas. He'd come over for a while on Christmas Day to see what kind of haul Sammy had brought in – and it had indeed been impressive. That kid had enough toys and clothes to last him a good while. And like any other baby, he had more fun playing with the boxes and ribbons than the actual toys.
Claire had thoughtfully waited for him before opening the presents he'd gotten for Sam. So, they were able to set the little boy on his lap and have fun ripping off the wrapping paper together.
But then he'd headed off to Whistler for a week since his buddies had come through after all. Not that it hadn't been fun – he'd had a blast. It'd been a while since he'd let loose like that with his old buddies, some of whom had been raised in the same kind of poverty he had. To see them sitting around a ski lodge drinking top-shelf whiskey and rubbing elbows next to the elite seemed almost too impossible to believe at times. They'd rented a beautiful house with a killer view and spent the week skiing, eating well, drinking enthusiastically, and flirting with the many beautiful women also spending their holiday on the slopes.
Claire had been right about the singles scene.
He found himself doing that a lot over the week – wondering what Claire would think of the appetizer he'd ordered or the joke someone made about a show they both watched. He wondered if she'd become a good skier or if she'd be one of those people who hung out in the lodge and read a book in the cozy lounge. He thought it'd be fun to bring Sam to a place like that when he was older and see if he took to the snow. Day after day presented something that reminded him of them. Of her.
And a couple of his friends had noticed too. He'd gotten a little too careless about how much he mentioned Claire or Sam in passing. They'd started teasing him right away, a lighthearted ribbing, but embarrassing all the same.
It had gotten especially bad on New Year's Eve when they'd all been sitting around drinking way too much and waiting for midnight. They'd checked out a party earlier at the lodge, but they hadn't been into the crowd - too old and stuffy. So they'd returned to the rental house and created their own fun celebration.
"Hey Neil, pass me the bottle of that bourbon you brought." Neil handed the bottle over to his friend, Joe, nursing a fair portion of the liquor in his own glass. "Now this is the real deal. I don't know how you find all the good stuff."
"You just know these things when you're as sophisticated as I am," Neil said, taking a sip of his drink.
Joe scoffed. "This is why we can't take you anywhere. Your big-ass head takes up too much space."
Miguel cackled from where he sat lounging on the couch with his feet up, nodding his head to the music. "You're one to talk, man. I saw you trying to get with that girl at the bar earlier. All ego, no game."
The rest of the guys laughed and heckled Joe. "Whatever," he said. "She wasn't all that anyway. I didn't even put up my best effort." Tony threw a balled up napkin at him, which Joe dodged. "Seriously, though. Where'd you find this bourbon. I need to get some."
Neil hesitated before answering. "It was a gift," was all he said. Joe looked at him, waiting for him to say more.
"From … " Joe said.
Dreading the response he would get, Neil tried to deflect. "I think it's from a local distillery there. That's what I heard anyway.
Joe chuckled. "Ooohhh, I see what's happening here. And who might have given you this special bottle of bourbon?"
Neil rolled his eyes. "It's not a big deal. Somebody gave it to her as a gift, but she doesn't drink bourbon so she gave it to me."
"And who might this 'she' be?" Tony asked, knowing full well the answer and waiting to pounce.
He sighed. "It was Claire."
A chorus of voices rose up to now heckle Neil.
"Claaaaaaiiiiiirrrrreeee."
"His 'just a friend' Claire.'
"The 'oh there's nothing going on, I just talk about her all the time' Claire."
It really hadn't been a big deal when Claire gifted him the bourbon for his birthday. She'd downplayed it in the same way, and he'd let her, though he'd been impressed when she mentioned an earlier conversation they'd had on the kinds of whiskeys he liked.
Shaking his head, Neil took another sip of his drink."You know, this fixation you all have with her is getting unhealthy."
"Oh, you wanna bring up the word 'fixation,'" Tony said, not letting Neil off the hook. "We can go there if you want. You wanna go there, Joe?"
"I wanna go there. How about you Miguel?"
"I'm definitely gonna go there," he replied. "I'm there already."
"Neil, man, when are you gonna admit that you got it bad for that girl. You can't go 3 hours without mentioning her and her kid," Joe said. All the others joined in voicing their agreement. "And that's cool, but come on. Enough is enough with the slow burn."
"And I'm telling you again, it's not like that." Neil said, feeling slightly defensive but also a little too tipsy to be genuinely annoyed.
"And we're saying, why isn't it 'like that.'" Joe turned to Miguel and Tony. "Have you met Claire?" They shook their head. "She is fine. And not just a pretty face, nice body kinda fine, which she is. But like the whole package kind of fine.
Neil hid his reaction by taking another deep pull of his drink. He couldn't disagree with that really.
He and Claire had run into Joe once, before her mom died. They'd just finished a run and bumped into him at the food truck park. So, they'd all hung out for a while to enjoy the nice night and catch up. Other than Neil getting slightly annoyed with Joe's flirting, it had been fun.
"Is she cool?" Tony asked.
"YES!" Joe said. "And smart," he ticked off on one finger. "And nice," he ticked off on another finger. "I don't understand why this fool is hanging back."
"Uh, because I was her boss. She's got a lot on her plate taking care of her little brother and—"
"Well you ain't her boss now, so you better get up in there," Joe said. Neil stared him down and then waved him off with a awkward laugh and change of subject. Not wanting to dull the mood, they'd moved on to some other ridiculous topic of conversation.
Yet when midnight hit, she'd been his first thought in the new year. In the middle of joining in with his friends exuberant, drunken shouts of celebration, pats on the back, and manly hugs, his mind turned to an image she'd planted in his head a few weeks earlier: her asleep on the couch unable to make it to midnight after putting Sam to sleep.
A few minutes past midnight, his phone buzzed. He looked around, but his boys were drunkenly singing and laughing at something on the television. He fumbled to get the phone out of his pocket and was glad for his friends' inattention as he grinned at the image that came up on text.
'Guess who made it to midnite!'
The picture in the text was a view from Claire's perspective as she stretched out on the couch. Sam is lying against her fast asleep and a blanket is thrown loosely over the both of them as they lounged. On the coffee table in plain view was an empty bottle for Sam and an empty mini-bottle of sparkling apple cider, presumably for Claire. The partial view of the TV showed some celebration of the new year on one of the local channels.
His smile widened. It looked like maybe she was thinking of him too when the clock struck twelve.
'At least 1 of you did' He typed back.
'Hahaha' she replied.
Neil looked around self-consciously, to make sure no one had noticed his distraction. He didn't need any more ribbing from them. The three others were happily enjoying themselves as he pocketed his phone again.
A little unsteady, Neil stood up and wandered to the kitchen to grab a beer. The noise of his friends and the music and revelry died away as he grabbed a fresh drink and lingered in the calm space, alone with his thoughts for a few moments. One side of the kitchen featured a huge wall of windows that looked out into the snowy landscape. Soft snowflakes fell, and Neil walked closer to look out, sipping idly from his drink. Relaxed and pleasantly drunk, he let his thoughts wander to an image of Sam toddling around in the snow, almost toppling over in all the cold weather gear Claire would dress him in. She'd be chasing behind him, just as delighted to be at play. Would it be weird to take a trip here with her, just the three of them?
From the corner of his eye, Neil spotted the empty bottle of bourbon they'd polished off after making fun of him a couple hours ago. They'd placed it on a ledge by the window to put out with the recycling later. Neil pulled out his phone and took a picture of it, capturing the picturesque scene of the undisturbed stretch of snow and trees and sky behind it. Before he could second-guess himself, he sent it to her, showing her how he'd spent the evening.
The bubbles appeared a moment later as she typed out her response, and his heart sped up in delight.
'Hope you didn't drink it all yourself!'
He immediately began tapping a response. 'I have manners. Of course I shared. It was a hit.'
She sent back an emoji of a cocktail.
'Definitely better than my spread.'
Neil sent back emojis of a baby bottle and beer bottle.
'happy new year' he typed out.
'happy new year. Sam and I missed you'
Neil was unprepared for the surge of emotion he felt at reading that.
He held his phone stupidly, his drunken brain trying to think of some way to hold onto the moment. He realized his inhibitions were a bit dulled and maybe it wasn't the time to make the best texting decisions, but he pecked at a reply. He stumbled over the letters, fighting autocorrect to get his scrambled thoughts out.
'Miss you too. The guys are great, but you'd be more fun to kiss at midnight.'
Neil paused, finger hovering over the send button. Was it too much? He didn't want to scare her. But it's also the truth. It's not that he didn't love being here with his friends. But he would have been just as content hanging out with a teething eight-month old and then putting him to bed to ring in the new year with his sister. His brilliant, kind, incredible, beautiful Claire.
"Hey, what're you doing in here, man" Joe said, coming up behind him. Neil locked his phone and slipped it back in his pocket.
He waved the bottle of beer. "Just a refill." He could hear Tony and Miguel fussing about something or another in the other room.
"Naw, I may have had way too much to drink, but I got your number. You're hiding out in here so you can send love notes to your 'friend'" he said. His tone was teasing but not unkind. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and joined Neil by the window. "I was serious, man. You gotta just accept how you feel about her. I know you've been hurt. But she sounds different. Don't' fuck it up trying to be noble or whatever this is that you're doing. 'Cause if you play around, someone else is gonna swoop in on you."
It's a sobering thought, and Neil took a deep pull of his beer.
He sighed. "I know she's special. I just don't want to spook her. I don't think it's the right time."
"Dude," Joe replied. "Since when you care about 'the right time'" he air-quoted. "The Neil I know is not afraid to go for it."
"A lot of good that's done me in the long run."
"Maybe it did. She might be the one. Won't know unless you go there. You talk a good game about going for it, but you're acting like a real punk right now."
"Of course, I am. I'm terrified," he admitted, his lips and his thoughts loose from all the alcohol. "I don't want to mess things up. We're good right now. Me, her, and Sam. I can be okay with that for now."
Joe shook his head and laughed. "All right, man. For now. Your call. Just don't wait too long. Maybe you don't see it, but that woman and that kid make you happier than I've ever seen you."
Neil chuckled. He couldn't argue with that either. His phone forgotten he wandered with Joe back into the living room and rejoined the party.
When he woke in the morning with a decent headache and a foggy memory, he'd forgotten all about the text he'd been thinking about sending Claire. Discovering it still sitting there unsent, he winced thinking about how awkward that could have made things. Instead, Claire had sent one final text before presumably heading off to bed.
'Be careful on the slopes! See you in a few days'
Although he knew his drunken, flirty text probably was a terrible idea, he wished he'd found a way to tell her that he missed her too.
The admission that he was falling in love with her would have to wait.
Neil wandered toward the appetizer station before continuing on with his mingling.
Andrews' party was spread throughout several rooms both at the ground and lower level. He'd even strung lights out on the patio, though the chill kept people inside despite the mild winter weather. There were probably plenty more people he could potentially talk to. There were a few colleagues he was looking forward to catching up with.
In the middle of sampling some kind of spiced carpaccio, he felt a presence standing closely next to him.
"Leave it to you to go directly to the raw meat."
Neil turned at the familiar voice and smiled. "Some things never change." He put his glass down on the nearby table and wrapped his arms around Jessica Preston in a loose but warm hug. Pulling back, he flashed a cheeky smirk. "You look great, of course."
Her hair was slightly shorter, which suited her. She'd dressed in a stylish cocktail dress in burgundy and seemed as put together as always. They didn't keep in close touch, but they did check in every once in a while. So, he knew that despite their former engagement ending a bit dramatically, she loved her new job up in San Francisco and in many ways was living her best life these days.
"Thank you," she responded to his compliment. "You too. GQ as always." She adjusted the collar of his suit like she used to do when they were together. Except this time, it felt more like a nostalgic tease than an act of intimacy.
"I didn't realize you'd be here. It's a nice surprise," he said, a slight flirtatiousness to his tone.
"Well, I just got back from my sabbatical and I'd been putting off driving down to spend the weekend with my father." They both laughed at how thrilled she must be for the occasion. "I figured it'd be fun to check in on Aaron and you and see what you've been up to while I was out of the country."
"Right, you've been in Australia?" Jessica nodded. "I'm glad you could make it tonight then."
Jessica gestured at their surroundings. "Not to mention the spectacle of a Marcus Andrews soiree. He knows how to pull out all the stops, that's for sure."
Neil nodded. "He does. But he's got the house for it. I'd forgotten how beautiful this place is. Worth every penny and all those months renovating. God, I thought we'd never hear the end of that during staff meetings."
"Oh yeah," Jessica chuckled. "Remember when he made all of you take a poll on which countertop he should go with so he could win an argument with his wife? That didn't turn out so well for him."
Neil chuckled. "He was so pissed that everybody picked his wife's choice. But he'd tipped his hand about his preference, and we were all so tired of hearing about it. I had forgotten all about that. I'll have to make fun of him about it." He looked past Jessica's shoulder to the man in question. "If I can pull him away from his fan club."
They both turned to spot Andrews across the room, holding court and in his element. He appeared to be joking with the dean of Stanford Medical School and surrounded by first- and second-year residents.
"Oh, let him be. I think he needs this to go well. It'll help him feel like the choices he's made in the past few years meant something but still hasn't changed him too much, you know."
Neil's gaze softened on her. "Look at you, getting all sensitive on me. San Francisco has really mellowed you," he joked, feigning faux regret and pity for her.
Jessica pinched him in the arm, but laughed. "Don't count on it. Speaking of being a big softie, I saw Dr. Murphy when I first came in. I'm glad things are still going well."
"You know residents. They all kind of grow on you after a while. And mine are less of a pain in the ass than the usual crop, so I'll be thankful for that."
"He seems to think highly of you, so congratulations for making it work. I ran into Dr. Reznick, too."
Neil nodded. "Had you met her before?"
"Yeah, family acquaintance. But I'd only spoken to her once or twice at the hospital. The last time hadn't been a walk in the park dealing with that Coyle situation. Still, she's a woman after my own heart."
"You two would get along well, I think," he mused. "Like all of them, she's got a lot to learn," Neil revealed. "She works hard, though, and she's talented. They've all got their quirks, but they're some of the best I've worked with."
"See? Softie," Jessica grinned. "I heard you made a very sly introduction between your Dr. Park and the head of the AMA cardiology subcommittee based out in Phoenix. And to think you were worried a few years ago about getting into a rut taking on new residents."
Recalling that long-ago conversation they'd had, Neil also marveled at how far he'd come. "Yeah, things have certainly taken some unexpected turns."
It seemed strange to think what he'd had planned for his life back then. At the time, he couldn't have imagined a future without Jess and the beginning of their own family. And now, it seemed like another life.
A moment of awkwardness lingered, before Jessica cleared her throat and looked around. "I haven't seen Claire Browne. I'm surprised you're not giving her the Melendez mentor treatment."
Neil frowned. He couldn't tell if Jessica intended her comment as a joke. They'd been apart long enough that he couldn't be sure.
When they'd been together, he'd gotten the sense that Claire wasn't Jessica's favorite doctor after that whole debacle with the lost tissue sample that had cost the hospital a sizeable payout. Not that it had been Claire's fault. It'd been more about Claire's failure to follow instructions that had made the patient's lawsuit against the hospital more difficult to fight. She'd complained about that enough nights over dinner. And she hadn't loved him using Claire as an excuse to undermine her position when they'd all been working on the Kunkler twins.
Truth be told, they weren't exactly compatible personalities. Claire being the ultimate soft touch was the kind of person to draw Jessica's suspicion. She'd always been skeptical of people she thought of as too nice and therefore hiding something. He'd never mentioned how Claire had been the one to suggest his love for Jessica could be enough to forego his dreams of a family. Maybe he should have.
Jessica stared at Neil, probably also trying to decipher his change in mood. "Uh, Dr. Browne couldn't make it," Neil replied, simply. He could tell Jessica sensed more of a story there, and calculating how much she should push.
Taking a sip of her drink, Jessica cocked her head, weighing her options of how to satisfy her curiosity. But then she shrugged. "Oh. Well, that's a shame." Another awkward silence. "So, what have I missed over the last six months?"
Before he could reply, Neil's phone buzzed. Pulling it out to check if it's the hospital, Neil couldn't suppress a grin at seeing a message from Claire.
'The verdict is in.'
"What's got you beaming like that," Jessica asked trying to look at the message on his phone.
Neil shook his head. "Nothing. Just a silly bet I made at the hospital earlier."
"Did you see this text!" Another voice popped in. Audrey Lim headed straight for him as she emerged from the dining area.
Both Neil and Jessica turned at Audrey's approach. She had a tumbler of dark liquor similar to Neil's and reached for one of the hors d'oeurves on the table next to them as she arrived. Neil looked back at the text and saw that Claire had indeed sent the message to both him and Audrey.
Earlier in the day before the party, he'd walked into Audrey's office to drop off a patient file for her to review. She and Claire had been in conversation about changes to Claire's schedule. That was when Claire broke the news that she wouldn't be coming to the party. But the three of them had gotten into a spirited conversation about the foods Claire would be trying on Sam. Audrey agreed with Claire that Sam would really like beets, however, Neil insisted that Sam wouldn't go for it.
Judging by the text, it looked like they had their answer.
"Something going on with a patient?" Jessica asked, now incredibly curious.
"Oh, hey, Jessica." No one would call the two of them friends, but they'd been cordial. "I heard you were back from Australia. I want to hear about all the best beaches."
Neil wondered how nervous he should be to have his two exes cozying up to each other.
"Audrey, hi. Congratulations on the Chief position. I know the competition was fierce." Jessica glanced between the two of them as if gauging whether any bad blood remained between them. Of course, Audrey didn't even notice, still looking at her phone.
"No, not that fierce," Audrey responded, finally looking up and winking at Neil. He rolled his eyes but grinned.
"We'll see who's laughing in a second. I only saw the first text. Did she say what happened?" Just as he said it, another text came in. A video.
"Let's find out." Audrey leaned in with her phone so they could both look at the video. Jessica peeked over his shoulder, clearly interested in what their competition was about. Audrey pressed play.
A view of Sam's high chair came into view, angled mostly toward him, but with a partial image of Claire in front of him at their kitchen table. Sam looked rather thoughtful for dinner time. Perhaps he knew the test coming.
"Is that Claire Browne? She has a kid?" Jessica probed, seeming unable to process what she saw in front of her.
"Shhhh," both Neil and Audrey said, focusing again on the video.
Claire's voice could be heard faintly coming through over the din of the crowd. No one else at the party seemed to notice the distraction, so involved in their own conversations as the quiet music piped in throughout the entertaining rooms.
'Alright Sammy, time for something new. I know you're gonna like this.'
In a bowl she had what looked like a small serving of deep red gelatin. Neil wondered if she'd bought the beets or made them herself. Depending on the outcome, he'd have to ask later. While Sam loved avocados and sweet potatoes, and even enjoyed the pureed peas Claire had introduced last month, he remained picky about solid foods. Claire and Audrey thought he'd do well with beets being on the sweeter side, but Neil knew better. In his opinion, the flavor would be too pungent for his little taste buds.
Off to the side of the tray, Neil could see that he'd already had a bit of the chicken curry he liked. Oh, Claire thought she was so clever trying to butter him up before the big taste test.
Claire dug a small sample of the beets onto her spoon and cooed at Sam who smiled at her and reached for the spoon, probably expecting more curry. Instead, Claire eased in the beets, which Sam gobbled up. Immediately, he registered the difference in what he'd been expecting and seemed to roll the new food around in his mouth.
Neil almost groaned. He was never going to hear the end of it from Claire and Audrey for losing this bet.
Suddenly, Sam's face fell into what Neil had dubbed his annoyed expression and promptly spewed the beets back out of his mouth, spraying Claire right in the face. She yelped moving her hands up too late to block the onslaught of mushed up food all over her.
"OH!" Neil and Audrey exclaimed loudly at the same time, drawing a few stares from around the room. Then they both erupted into laughter.
At first, the video showed Sam laughing at the mess he'd made. But as Claire reached for a towel to wipe herself off and work out a bit of food that had gotten into her eye, the little boy started to get concerned. His brow furrowed and his lower lip began to tremble.
"C.C.!"
Sam called out to Claire, probably thinking he'd made her cry. Neil's heart tightened at the cuteness of this kid and how much he loves his big sister.
Claire was quick to reassure him even as she continued to rub at her eye.
'It's okay, Sammy, I'm okay. Just really, really sad that I have to tell your Uncle Neil that he was right.'
She lightly pinched Sam's cheeks in affection, which he usually loved, but Sam remained upset.
'See, all better.'
She'd dropped the towel and continued to coo at him until he calmed down. Picking up the spoon, she added another small helping of beets.
'You sure you don't want any, Sammy? Come on, one more try to save your C.C. and Auntie Audrey 50 bucks.'
She ate the spoonful herself, and then scooped some more up from him, making yummy sounds as she did so. Sam was not buying it. When Claire tried to feed him more, he pushed her arm out of the way.
'Oh well. You win this one, Melendez.'
Then the video cut off. Next to him, he could hear Audrey scoffing. "She should have tried it herself before giving it to him. Double or nothing?" she joked to him. "He just needs a couple of tries."
"No way," Neil said. "The video doesn't lie."
"Wait," Jessica said, looking as if she had a million questions. "Since when does Dr. Browne have a kid? And why are you betting on him? And Uncle Neil and Auntie Audrey?"
Audrey backed up, extricating herself from the awkward turn to the conversation. "I'll let Neil handle all that. Good to see you, Jessica. We'll talk beaches later."
"Uh, where's my fifty bucks?" Neil called after her.
"What? Can't hear you," Audrey said, disappearing into the crowd, smirking.
Neil turned back to a still confused Jessica waiting for an explanation. "It was a bet about the beets," he tried to explain, weakly. "Uh, it's a long story."
Jessica crossed her arms, now impatient. "Well, we both have full glasses of booze, so I'd be very interested to hear a long story about your resident being so chummy with her boss and the chief of surgery. I always suspected she had you wrapped around her finger. Wouldn't have expected Lim too."
Neil's annoyance – and protectiveness – flared. "She's not my resident anymore, and it's not like that. Sam is her little brother who she's been taking care of since her mother died last year. She had to give up a lot to take on a responsibility she never asked for. We've all been looking after her, me, Audrey and Aaron, and her former co-residents."
At least Jessica seemed genuinely shocked at hearing his explanation. "I—I had no idea. Aaron didn't mention it."
"Well, now you know."
Looking over her shoulder, Neil noticed a vaguely familiar older man approaching them. "Jessica, I thought that was you! It's been too long. How's your father?"
Jessica pulled her eyes away from Neil to address the new addition to their conversation. "Jack, so good to see you. My father is well, though, he hasn't mentioned beating you at golf lately so I assume you've been on a lucky streak."
"Indeed, yes." The man finally noticed Neil standing next to Jessica. "I'm going to steal this young lady away for a minute. We really need to catch up. You don't mind do you?"
Neil gestured for them to continue as the man led Jessica to the next room where it was quieter. Neil felt relieved to have had that particular conversation cut off. He quickly texted back to Lim and Claire multiple dollar sign emojis and pocketed his phone so he could focus on the party. Plus, he heeded to shake off his annoyance at Jessica's questioning.
An hour later, he found himself out on Andrews' deck, only a few braving the outdoor area in the mild but still crisp weather. He'd taken a call from the hospital about a patient, but standing in the cool air afterwards for a bit felt nice.
Before he could put his phone away, he saw another text come in. Claire again, this time just to him.
'How do you think, Sam would feel about broccoli?'
Neil chuckled. He started tapping out an answer but then popped in one of his earbuds again and called her instead.
"Haven't you had enough rejection for one week?" Neil asked when she picked up.
The sound of Claire's laughter warmed him against the light wind of the evening. "I still think Sam will come around to beets. I'm not ready to throw in the towel."
"Speaking of which, how's your eye? It looked like Sam pegged you good."
"Ugh, he really did. I flushed it out after I put him to bed. Thankfully, I'll live. How's the party?"
"Terrible. So many boring people and the food is lousy."
"You are such a liar," she said with mirth. "That must mean it's pretty awesome. Did Dr. Ade show up?"
"Maybe …" Neil said, coyly. Claire made sad, faux-crying noises. "I can bring you a doggy bag if you'd like," he offered, chuckling.
"Hmph, don't do me any favors. I know you really just want to collect your 50 bucks. But you're going to have to wait until Monday."
"And don't go trying to get out of it," Neil warned.
Claire scoffed. "Hey, if that party's so awesome, why are you on the phone with me."
Neil thought about the question. It was a good one. Maybe it's because he missed her company and wished she could be here with him. He'd been looking forward to introducing her around. Standing alone in the quiet night, yet again, he knew he'd have been just as happy spending the evening watching Sam discover a new vegetable he didn't like.
But he didn't tell her any of that.
"You know how these things go. It's nice to get some air and quiet before getting back to it. I was taking a call about a patient when you texted."
"Morgan is having the time of her life. Thankfully, she knows how to let a girl live vicariously through her. I've been getting updates all night."
Neil chuckled. "She is definitely making the rounds. I'm glad she's making the connections. You know it can only make me look good."
"And there's that ego of yours, lest I forgot. Isn't it enough that I owe you money?"
This playful side to their banter always filled Neil with a measure of contentment. He loved having this kind of comfortable rapport with another person – that other person being someone like Claire Browne made it all the better.
"If you want to negotiate, we could find an alternative payment for that 50 bucks."
"I'm listening," Claire responded, curious.
Neil mused for a moment. "How about me, you, and Sam –"
"Oh, there you are," Jessica called out to him. "I've been looking all over for you." She leaned in next to him with her drink, unaware that he was on the phone.
A pause on the line. "Oooh, you have a lady-friend looking for you?" Claire asked carefully. "Must be an even better party than I thought," Claire teased. "She's 'been looking all over,' Neil. I hope you're worth it."
"You are the worst, do you know that?" he teased back. He held up a finger to Jessica requesting she give him a minute to finish his call. "But I do have to go. What I was going to suggest was a baseball game like you've been promising."
Claire groaned. "So boring. And there's no way Sammy is going to sit through that."
"You don't know that. I think he'd love it. We watch it together all the time. And since I was right tonight, I'm gonna be right about this. Just think about it. I'll bug you about it later."
"Duly warned. Enjoy your lady-friend," she shot back.
"Shut up," he returned. They said their goodbyes and Neil pocketed his phone.
"Got tired of rubbing elbows with the elite in there," he asked Jessica. Taking off his suit jacket, he draped it around her shoulders against the chill.
"It's nice out here. And quiet. When I couldn't find you, I figured you'd snuck away for a bit, as usual."
"Nothing so dramatic. I had to take a call from the hospital."
"And Claire Browne it sounded like."
Neil didn't respond right away. When he did, it was with a sigh. "Just checking on her. I know she wanted to be here, but her sitter cancelled at the last minute."
"I can't believe she's taking care of a kid. She had so much promise."
"She still does. Just, plans change."
Jessica nodded. "We both know a thing or two about that." Neil glanced at her and smiled, taking her hand. "It sounds like you're enjoying being Uncle Neil."
Neil couldn't have held back his joy if he tried. "I do. Sam is a good kid. Sweet, curious, good-natured, like his sister. I admit, I enjoy spending time with him."
"I know he's lucky to have you. So is Claire." They stood in silence taking in Andrews' lovely view of the night sky. "And things with Claire …"
"Come on, Jess, we don't need any more rumors getting started."
She grinned. "So, there are rumors already out there." Neil rolled his eyes. "I can see why though. When you talk about her, there's something."
His ex-fiancée is the last person with whom he wants to talk about his complicated feelings
"I don't know what that's supposed to mean." Neil replied. "There's nothing special for anyone to see except a friend trying to help out a promising young doctor who had a hell of a complicated hand dealt to her."
"I'm not just anyone, Neil," Jessica shot back. "I realize what a relationship with Sam must feel like for you, knowing how much you want to be a father; how much you want a family. Whatever is going on with Claire must feel awfully close to that."
Neil shook his head. "I wouldn't do that, Jess. I wouldn't use them like that."
"I know that too. That's how I know there's something more there." Neil tried to move his hand from hers, but Jessica held on. "I'm not criticizing you, Neil. I want to know why you're holding back. I've only ever wanted you to be happy. And she makes you happy, I can see it."
"I just want to be there for Sam."
"I can tell how much you love that little boy, but I'm talking about Claire. You may adore being Uncle Neil, but it's Claire who puts that smile on your face." She shook her head, squeezing his hand. "Why are you denying yourself this?"
Neil sighed. "The last thing Claire needs is another complication in her life."
It wasn't exactly an open admission as he'd carelessly allowed with Joe, but it'd been on his mind more and more lately as he reconciled his attachments to Claire and Sam.
"What about what you need? And have you even asked her about what kind complications she can handle in her life," Jessica challenged. "Look, I don't know her very well, but she obviously trusts you. She wants you in her life."
"She wants me in Sam's life."
"Then show her how pleased you'd be with a package deal. I know it's scary. And maybe I'm the last person to be pushing given how we ended things." This time, its Neil that squeezed her hand. There are no hard feelings. Not anymore.
"It seems you're still an expert at knowing what's best for me?"
"I don't mind that title. And who knows, in terms of office romances, maybe third time's the charm."
They both broke out in laughter at that.
"Just think about it, Neil. If it's worth taking a chance on a life with Claire, don't wait until that kid's in college before you make a move."
Neil chuckled, but it's to hide the wave of fear that washed over him when Jessica said those words.
'A life with Claire.'
He'd never put it that bluntly to himself and feels all that fear turn into pleasure, into desire. Still, there are so many unknowns. There was no way to know if Claire had ever even thought of them like that. Yes, they got along well, were good company to each other. But After Audrey and Jess, he wanted to be sure so he wouldn't get his heart broken again.
"We'll see," he said. Jess looked at him skeptically. "I heard you, don't worry. Just … I'll think about it."
"Good. Now come inside, it's too cold for either of us to be out here, and I still need to tell you about Australia."
That sounded like a conversation Neil could handle right now. So, he followed her inside, their hands still holding on to each other loosely as thoughts of Claire lingered.
TBC...