"No, you're not going there," I say out loud as if that might make me listen to my advice. "Just stop that right now."
I refuse to let my mind go to that possible doomsday scenario, not after I promised Wyatt I'd be fine no matter what happens. That's a promise I intend to keep.
When I arrive at the restaurant, my aunt and uncle are waiting for me in the office with mimosas to celebrate my first day of training. They're too cute.
"Here's to our new general manager on her first day of what we hope will be a long and happy career," Vincent says.
"I'll drink to that," Vivian adds.
Smiling, I say, "Me, too."
We touch glasses and sip from our drinks.
"And here's to the two of you, who've built this incredible business. I'm honored and humbled you’ve chosen me to guide it into the future. I promise to do my very best to be worthy of the faith you've placed in me."
"We couldn't be happier to have you," Viv says.
We spend the next three hours reviewing the weekly routine—everything from ordering food and liquor to linens and other supplies.
"I started keeping detailed daily notes about three months ago when this idea first began to take shape." Vincent hands a notebook to me. "It's all in there, what I do every day along with some explanations of what I do and when I do it, and details about how much of everything we usually order along with caveats to account for banquets, weddings, et cetera."
"It's a lot," Viv says bluntly. "We don't expect you to fully grasp it right away, which is why we planned for you to shadow us for the next few months until you feel confident flying solo."
"Thank God for that." I'm already overwhelmed but determined. I'll figure it out. It just won't happen overnight.
Since I'm working tonight, they send me home with a takeout lunch to rest up before my shift.
I'm eating homemade minestrone and a Caesar salad and poring over Uncle V's notebook when Wyatt calls. His name on my caller ID is all it takes to get my heart racing.
"Hi there."
"Hey, babe. I just wanted to say hi between surgeries. How'd your training go?"
"It was great but daunting. I've got a lot to learn."
"You'll be running that place by yourself in no time. I have no doubt."
"I'm glad you don't."
"You already have so much experience there. That'll come in handy as you take on this new role."
"Yes, it will. How was your surgery?"
"It went well—routine angioplasty. The patient should make a full recovery. Next up is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.”
"It's very sexy when you throw around words like angioplasty and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator."
His ringing laughter makes me smile. "I'll have to remember that the next time I see you."
"How much longer?"
"About forty-eight hours."
"That feels like forever."
"I'm counting the minutes. I'll probably be at the airport two hours early on Sunday."
"I can't wait to see you."
"I can't wait to kiss you and hold you and—"
"Stop."
"Don't want to stop. In fact, after work tonight, why don't I tell you exactly what's going to happen when you get to Phoenix on Sunday?"
I swallow hard. "I'm not sure talking about it will make it better."
"Let's try it and find out." He groans. "I gotta go. Call me when you get home?"
"I will. Good luck with your surgery."
"Thanks. Have a good night at the restaurant. Don't talk to any strange boys who think you're hot."
Amused, I say, "I'll try not to."
"Love you."
"Love you, too."
"Mmm, I can't wait until Sunday."
The phone goes dead before I can reply that I can't, either. But he knows that. I feel like a teenager in the throes of first love. I can barely function from wanting to be with him all the time. The feelings are so big and overwhelming that I can't believe I ever thought I was actually in love with Marcus. I loved him. I truly did. But that was nothing like this.
The realization has me texting my sister, asking her to call me when she gets a break at the clinic.
She calls me five minutes later. "You caught me grabbing a quick bite between patients. What's up?"
"I wanted to ask you something kind of personal."
"Okay… Since when are we ever shy around each other?"
"This is about Scott."
"Uh, okay… What about him?"
"When you were first with Austin, did it seem weird to you that you ever thought you were in love with Scott?"
"It was different with Austin from the beginning, but I was definitely in love with Scott. Until he cheated, and I wasn't anymore."
"When you say ‘totally different,’ what do you mean by that?"
"My connection with Austin is deeper than what I had with Scott. It's hard to explain. It's just more."
"Yes," I say softly. "That's what I meant."
"What's brought this up, or shall I say, who has brought this up? Although I can probably guess."
"It's just so different with Wyatt, and it's made me wonder what I had with Marcus. I loved him. I really did, but it wasn't like this."
"That's because he was your starter love. Wyatt is your forever love."
"Leave it to you to sum it up so perfectly."
"Listen, Dee… From what I hear, Marcus is very determined to put things back together with you."
"That's not going to happen. How can we make sure he knows that?"
"I could make sure his sister hears about you and Wyatt."
"How would you do that?"
"I could post a picture of you guys on Facebook with a caption that says something like 'cheers to new love.'"
"I like that idea. It would shut down any efforts to reconcile. I just can't bear the thought of him hunting me down to talk it out. What's there to say?"
"Absolutely nothing. Do you have a good picture of you and Wyatt?"
"I do."
"Send it to me."
"Should I text him first to ask if he minds if we go Facebook public?"
"He's moving here to live with you, Dee. He won't mind, and I won't tag him. We'll just be alerting the people here who need to know."
"You're diabolically brilliant, and I love you."
"I love you, too. I'm so, so glad to see you smiling again."
"It feels good, almost too good to be true."
"It's not. It's as true as it gets. He's crazy about you. We could all see that."
"I'm just as crazy about him. This week, since he left, has been sheer torture."
"I remember what that was like after I first met Austin, and he went back to Baltimore for a few days. It was brutal."
"That's a good word for it, even if I feel like I'm super dramatic. It's just that everything feels so urgent with Wyatt."