“And yet, you gave all that up to start over in a different city where you have to prove yourself all over again to new colleagues that no longer respect you for how smart you are because you walked out on a sure thing, and they don’t trust that you’ll stick around.”
I opened my mouth to reply, only to realize I had nothing to say. I’d told the nurses that I’d left Duke behind because of a breakup and wanting a fresh start. It was partly the truth, but there was more. There was always more.
I grabbed my glass of wine and wandered back over to the couch. A glossy magazine rested on the coffee table. A handsome man with dark brown curls falling rakishly over his forehead and emerald-green eyes smirked at me from the cover. His three-piece gray bespoke suit fit him perfectly.
I leaned down and picked up the magazine. “Most Eligible Bachelors of Dallas.” My eyes widened in surprise when my gaze scanned the name in small text next to the photo. Ramsey Buchanan also ran The Dallas Rex.
His connections to Boxer went far deeper than just a normal friendship.
“Holy crap,” I stated.
“What?”
I held up the magazine and showed it to Peyton. “Ramsey Buchanan owns my condo building.”
“Really? Wild. He’s sexy as sin, don’t you think?” Peyton asked, picking up a plate.
“Sexy as sin,” I agreed, but the man with dashing curls falling across his forehead and entrancing green eyes did nothing for me.
I had a thing for a leather-wearing, tattooed biker.
Sigh.
“Dinner’s ready.” She served hefty portions and then handed me the dish.
I took the plate of food Peyton gave me and sat down. Even after she joined me at the table, I stared at my plate but didn’t dive in.
“Something wrong with the food?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“Then what is it?”
“How did you get over the anger?”
She reached for her glass of wine. Peyton took a sip and then held her glass, looking thoughtful. “Anger was a form of denial. Of blame. I blamed God. The universe. Myself.”
“Why did you blame yourself?”
“I regretted all the times we’d fought over things that didn’t matter. For all the times I didn’t sayI love you. For all the kisses I never got to give him. For all the hugs we missed. For all the trips we didn’t get to take.” Peyton shook her head and discreetly kept her eyes away from mine as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
“He was my favorite person. My best friend. He changed me. He made me better. And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to have just one more day with him.” She inhaled a shaky breath and continued on, “There’s never enough time when you find the person you’re supposed to be with. So, if you have a shot in hell of finding someone real, someone meaningful, someone that gets inside of you and lights you up, then embrace it. And who fucking cares how it looks. You get one life, Linden. Don’t waste it.”
Magic curled around my leg. I took a small piece of chicken and held it out to him. He devoured it and then settled down on top of my feet, purring loudly.
“We haven’t known each other very long,” I said. “How can you see right through me?”
“Because I’ve been where you are, working all the time, keeping busy on my days off. It’s easy to see that in someone else once you’ve already lived it.”
I shook my head. “I would really like to talk about you now.” I reached for my glass and took a sip.
“I miss sex.”
I choked on my wine, and it went up my nose. I hastily set my glass down and wiped my face with a blue cloth napkin.
Peyton grinned. “You said you wanted to talk about me, well, there it is.”
“I did,” I admitted with a laugh. “So, you miss sex, huh?”