It would be something to talk about, that was for sure, and by the time I sat down in the restaurant, I was eager to hear what Mr. Mardquart had to say to me.
We shook hands, and after ordering, we got right down to business.
“It’s no secret that you are a rising name,” Mr. Mardquart said. “And I would love to have you be part of our medical community in Texas. We have state of the art facilities and a staff that will blow your mind. It would only be better to have you on our team.”
“That’s quite an offer,” I said. “When were you thinking about hiring me on?”
“I was hoping you would be rearing to go spread your wings in the field, and I wouldn’t have to do much to convince you to come with me,” he said. “But I admit, you probably do have a lot of other people who are interested in you, so I want you to think about this carefully. There is a lot I’m offering you here; it’s very much a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I didn’t tell him about Harper, but she was a once in a lifetime opportunity, too.
“Do you need to have an answer right away then?” I asked. “Or can you give me a week or two to think on it?”
“Take your time, by all means. I’ll have my people be in touch with your people the end of next week, in fact, so you have twice as long to mull this over and weigh the pros and cons before you decide whether this is something you want to do. Just do me a favor.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It was folded, and he kept it folded on the table as he slid it across to me. “Keep that folded up until you are ready to hear just what it is I am offering you, then you can give me a call.”
“Thank you, Mr. Mardqaurt,” I said as I rose and shook his hand.
I put the piece of paper in my pocket, curious to see what it was he offered, but at the same time, not wanting to tempt fate. I wasn’t sure where I was going at this point in my life, and I didn’t want to add more confusion to the mix. I had to talk to Harper before I went into this.
I wanted her to know that this was on the table now, and it was something I was considering. I just wanted to see what her reaction would be to that at this point. Our relationship was still new, but this was quite the opportunity to be given to me. I wasn’t sure what to do.
I went back to work and assured Sarah I wasn’t going anywhere yet, then I headed back to my private office and shut the door. I had half an hour before my first patient would arrive, and I was going to take every single one of those thirty minutes to think about what I’d talked about with Mr. Mardquart and what I wanted to do about the offer.
Hell, I had to look to see what the offer even was at this point.
He told me not to open up the paper, however, until I was ready to really consider what it was he’d written, so I would be true to my word and keep the paper folded.
Even if I was dying with curiosity to see what it said.
TWENTY-TWO
Harper
“I’m telling you,you blink and the entire week is just gone, like, gone!” Raya said when she slid into the front seat of my car.
School had just let out, and Raya wasn’t working, so I asked her if she wanted to go grab a cup of coffee and catch up on life. Of course, she did, and the two of us headed to our favorite coffee shop.
“Tell me everything,” Raya said when we were finally seated in the little coffee shop. “Don’t leave out anything, you hear?”
“The date went really well,” I said, and she squealed. She put her hand over her mouth and sheepishly looked around to see if she had attracted any attention, then she turned back to me, lowering her voice this time as she spoke.
“And? Did you do the deed?” she pressed.
I nodded, and she squealed all over again, this time louder than before, and clearly more embarrassed when there were several people who turned to stare at her.
“Keep it down!” I hissed, though I wasn’t able to suppress the giggle that came to my lips. “Do you want the whole café to be staring? I don’t want the whole world to be aware of the fact I just gave up my V card!”
“Who cares?” she asked with another amused grin. “I’m sure most everyone in here has lost their V cards, so what does it matter?”
“It’s just not something I’m going to be talking about loud enough for the whole place to hear, and each time you do that noise, people look!” I told her.
“Fine,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep it down, but you better tell me every little thing you can. Remember, I’m one of those who is still holding onto my V card, though I would be happy to lose it, just saying.”
“I still have a hard time believing that you’re a virgin with the way you act around men,” I teased her, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“I like to have fun,” she said. “It gets a little out of hand sometimes, but never out of clothing.”