Well, he wasn’t going to make this easy for me. “Yeah. Him.”
“I remember you wouldn’t shut up about him.”
“That’s the one. You see—”
“Said you were going to marry him when you grew up—”
“What?” I nearly spat the coffee over the dining table.
“Yeah. You were on the phone with yourTíaJacinta. You didn’t know I heard—”
“Dad!”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear!” His hands drew up defensively. “I was walking past your room, and your door was open. It’s not my fault you have a big mouth sometimes.”
“Oh my god, Dad.” The truth was, I had zero recollection of ever having said that about Dr. Medina but knowing how big of a fangirl I had been, it did sound like something I might have said.
“A dad doesn’t forget something like that,” he said. “It broke my heart to think of you one day marrying someone and leaving me. I knew you wouldn’t marry him, mind you, he was too old for you, but the mere thought of it drove me crazy.”
“You don’t make things easy for me,” I admitted.
“What are you talking about?”
“I have a new boss.” Better to rip off the Band-Aid, I figured.
“Don’t tell me—”
“Yep.” I swung my arms back and forth nervously. “Dr. Medina is the new attending at Heartland Metro and my new boss.”
“Well, that’ll teach me,” he said.
“What?”
“When you said you wanted to marry him when you grew up, I comforted myself with the knowledge—or what I thought at the time was knowledge—that you’d never meet him.”
“Please don’t worry, Dad. He is married,” I said, remembering the gold ring on his finger. “You know I would never—”
“I know, sweetie.” My dad patted my hand with a reassuring smile spread wide on his face.
“There’s more, though,” I said. “He is here because of my research.”
“¿Cómo?”
“I didn’t know he was a grant reviewer at the FIHR. He read my proposal and came to Heartland to work on the trial. He wants to mentor me.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting. Perhaps teasing like what Sara had done, or if not that, congratulations on this exciting next direction in my career.Pero no. Dad could still surprise me.
“Of course he wants to work with you. I’m sure he is very grateful you are willing to work with him.” He stood to take our coffee mugs to the sink, and I could only blink after the man I loved most in this world.