Page 54 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“Does her face look a little swollen to you?”

“Yeah. I think it’s from the flowers. She said she’s allergic.”

I’d never wanted to burrow into the floor more than I did right now.

Once I’d stopped sneezing and snorting and itching my face, I focused on getting to the point of this ridiculous charade. “Seriously,” I started. “What are you doing here? In New York?”

“For you,” Eli started but paused briefly. “Well, I was kind of in the neighborhood.”

“In the neighborhood?”

“Investors’ meeting,” he explained. “The firm gained a huge potential client, and I came out here to close the deal.”

Of course he’d come to New York with the priority of a business trip. I was just an added convenience.

Let me tell you…that was the story of my life when it came to Eli.

This trip had nothing to do with me. He didn’t want an actual, committed relationship with me. He might have missed me to some degree, but I knew he didn’t miss me enough to fly across the country just for me.

That was the difference between Eli and me.

Five years ago, I did fly across the country for him. And I’d stayed there, for him.

I moved away from my home, my family, and friends—for him.

Sure, I still cared about him. I still wanted good things for him. But I didn’t want to be with him. I wasn’t in love with him.

You’re in love with Will.

Holy hell that had come out of left field. There was no way I was in love with Will…right? The idea seemed ridiculous. We had only known each other for a short time.

Like Will? Of course.

Love Will? That sounded crazy.

“Isn’t that so sweet?” another bystander from the waiting room whispered behind me, and like a runaway dog on a retractable leash, those little words yanked me right back to the present.

I felt like shouting, Listen, lady. This isn’t sweet. This man is probably one of the most self-absorbed human beings you will ever meet, and he had five years to make an effort. Now is not the fucking time. And I’d really love an antihistamine and a nap. You know, as long as I was ranting.

But luckily, I kept my cool and forced my face into something less confrontational.

“I’m really glad to hear things are going well with the firm,” I said, and honestly, I meant it. Just because I didn’t want to be with him didn’t mean I didn’t want him to be happy. “But—” I started to explain my true feelings but got interrupted before I even got started.

“Everything okay, Mel?” Will asked from somewhere close. So close, the hairs on my arms stood on end.

I turned to find him standing behind me, eyes questioning, brow furrowed.

Jesus, this was getting worse by the minute. The ex-boyfriend and the guy I’d fucked five times last night.

“Y-yeah,” I stuttered while I struggled to find an escape from this hellish situation.

“Who’s this?” Eli asked.

“Uh…this is Will…er…Dr. Cummings.” My lover, I thought. But instead, I said, “My boss.”

“Hi,” Eli greeted and shook Will’s hand. “I’m Eli, Mel’s boyfriend.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. I closed my eyes and cringed, but I realized pretty quickly I’d better open them if I was going to be able to prevent anything worse from happening.