I turn to go, but he stops me.
“Cora.”
With the door open and me half outside, I ask him. “Yeah, Patton?”
“You’re wrong, you know. I’m definitely going to remember that tomorrow.”
I bite my lower lip to keep from smiling. With a nod, I walk out the door and drive back home, reliving that kiss the whole way.
I barely get in the door when my phone dings with a text. “Did you make it home safe?”
I grip my phone and reply to Patton. “Yeah, I’m home.”
His response is quick. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
There are dots on the phone, telling me he’s already typing something else. I wait before I respond. “And thank you for that kiss.”
“You’re welcome,” I send and then send the heart emoji to him. I grip the phone and hold it to my chest. He may not be ready for more, but there’s no way I’m going to give up on him.
PATTON
Ever since the evening Cora picked me up from the bar, she and I have started working closer together. We talk about patients we share, and when it isn’t one we share, she keeps it anonymous when asking me for advice and insight. We talk about everything... except that kiss.
It seems every day I see her at least once, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t completely looking forward to our talks and walks around the facility. I keep reminding myself that Cora is still my best friend’s little sister and to try anything with her would be the biggest betrayal, but I still can’t stop myself from looking at her in the intense way I have. I’m finding the more time I spend with her, the harder it is to fight the attraction I feel for her.
I call to check in with my friend Cole when it becomes clear that my bad mood is because I haven’t seen Cora yet today. I haven’t talked to Cole in a while, and I need something to distract myself.
“What’s up, brother?” he asks as soon as he answers the phone. I can hear the lightness in his voice, and I’m so thankful for the change in him that has only happened in the last few months. Well, since he met Hope, to be exact.
I can’t help commenting on it. “You sound good.”
He laughs. “Yeah, you can say that. Hope is pregnant, so yeah, I’m good. The best!”
“Congratulations, man! That’s awesome. I’m so happy for you. I can’t believe you’re going to be a dad.”
He grunts. “Yeah, this ugly mug will probably scare him to death, but I’m excited. Hope’s happy... I’m happy.”
“You’ll be a great dad!”
“Yeah, thanks, man. What about you? How’s the new job at the hospital? Have you seen Cora?”
I take a deep breath. I called Cole to get my mind off Cora, but there’s no way I can avoid the topic. Cole knows about Cora. He knows she’s the reason I chose to move here, even though I’ve always said it was so I could fulfill my promise to Jason and keep an eye on his little sister. I’ve fed that same line of bull to Jeremy too when he asked. “Yeah, I’ve seen her. She’s good. She reminds me a lot of Jason, doing dangerous shit without thinking about the consequences. She also has every doctor’s tongue wagging.”
“What do you mean dangerous shit? She works at the therapy center, right? How dangerous could it be?”
I shake my head, still trying to forget the immense hit in my chest when I first realized she was under the bridge downtown. “She started a service project that has really taken off, and quite honestly, it’s amazing the difference it’s made. But it involves her working under bridges with the homeless.”
“What the fuck, man?”
“I know. I’ve told her she couldn’t go down there alone anymore.”
He laughs. “Oh yeah, how’d that go?”
I lean against my desk. “About as good as you would expect it to. But she seemed okay with me telling her I’d like to start going with her. At least then I can protect her.”
Cole is quiet, taking in my words. “So... the doctors like her then? She’s dating?”
“Over my fuckin’ dead body!” I say without thinking first. Cole, Jeremy, Jason, and I were the best of friends... more like brothers. I’ve never had to hold back with them, and there was comfort in knowing that, let me spill my exact thoughts on Cora going out with another man. I have no claim on her, and she can do what she wants, but for some reason the very thought of her just going on a date guts me.
The silence on the phone is deafening and I start to stutter. “I mean...”
“No, I think you said exactly what you mean, Patton. We all know how you feel about Cora... even Jason knew. You moved to her hometown. We’re not stupid, man. Go for it.”