“I made it earlier today. I’m just going to pop it in the oven for a few minutes to warm up.”
I nodded and took a glass of white wine from him. I guessed the no alcohol rule had been abolished—not that he had heavily enforced it before.
When he handed me the glass, I realized for the first time since he’d come back into my life that his wedding ring was gone. I took a sip of the wine, and it was heavenly. It was avino verdewith a mineral tone that made me think of the sea.
I took the room in. Nothing had changed in the house since I’d helped him decorate it. So hehadkept the house. For a brief moment, I wondered if he had somehow remained in Kansas City under the radar but then shook it off. There was no way. He had returned to the FIHR.
“You haven’t changed anything,” I said.
“No,” he called from the kitchen. “I wouldn’t. Not unless you wanted to change something.”
I cocked my head to the side and studied him as he walked back into the living room. That was a strange thing for him to say. We both sat on the couch and set our wine glasses on the coffee table.
“Okay, Hector. I’m not getting any younger.”
“Why don’t we have dinner first? It would be a waste if you were too angry to eat, and I worked all day to make this dinner.” There was a playfulness in his eyes as he spoke, and I was finding it more and more difficult to school my face into sternness.
Hector set the dinner at the table and played Carla Morrison in the background. The soothing sound of her voice was relaxing, and the mood lifted as we ate and killed the bottle of wine. He plated thepaellaexpertly, so it was almost a sin to devour it, but devour it, I did.
“No!” Hector said in disbelief when I briefed him on Dr. Keach’s fate.
“Yes. It was one of the best days of my life. Okay, I won’t give him that much importance, but easily one of the top twenty.”
“I wish I could have been there.”
“Me too. I tried to stay away from him, so I didn’t actually know what was happening until it was over.”
“Still, that must have been a relief.”
“It was, though, by the end of his tenure at the hospital, things were already a lot better for me. The new chief is a woman, and I think she recognized his misogyny for what it was.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Stuart also knew about his misbehavior but looked the other way. Your new chief must not have been willing to put up with it for money.”
“You know, I’m a little surprised at all these accusations you’re making against Dr. Stuart.”
“How so?”
“He wasn’t the best boss, sure, but back then, before he screwed me over, I really thought he was a good man. A good doctor. I respected him for many years.”
“And even after he did what he did to you, you feel this way?”
I shifted in my seat. “No. I guess it’s easier to believe after that.”
“Some people are really good at acting, Carolina.”
“Like you?” My eyes narrowed.
“No, baby. I’d never put up a false front with you.”
My guard came down, and I blinked at him. Had I heard him right? Had he just called mebaby? I must have heard him wrong. I shook my head, but his eyes held mine. “All right, Hector. We’ve had dinner. Will you please stop wasting my time? Tell me whatever it is you have to say.”
“Would you at least tell me if you liked dinner?” he asked.
“It was okay.” I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked.
Hector chuckled. “Oh, I think it was more than okay.”
“No. That’s your ego talking.”