“So you’re working for Miami-Dade General now?”
“Yes, in the public relations department. My first assignment is helping Dr. Northrup acclimate to the community.”
“I checked with a few sources and found out the board is reluctant to have him on the staff.”
I hesitate, trying to find the words I need to handle this delicate situation. “Listen, Desiree. I understand you have a job to do, and the scandal in New York is salacious and titillating and all of that, but the truth of the matter is, he got a really raw deal from a woman he thought cared about him.”
“I read up on it, and I have a question. If he didn’t know she was married with children, why hasn’t he said so since the whole thing went public?”
“Because she has kids, and he refuses to sling mud at their mother. Apparently, that happened to him when he was a kid, and he’s determined not to repeat the cycle.”
“Wow, well, that’s a whole new angle on what I read online.”
“I’m not going to tell you how to do your job. I can only ask you to look at the full picture and not get distracted by the tawdry bits.”
“I appreciate the insight. Is he available for an interview?”
“I’ll tell him you’re here. We can catch him between patients.”
“Sounds good. Is there an empty room we can use?”
“I’ll ask Maria to set you up.” I go inside, where even the tepid air-conditioning is a welcome relief. I find Maria working on a computer behind the reception desk and pass along Desiree’s request.
“She can use our break room. It’s the biggest room in the place.” She gets up to greet her friend and see to getting the camera crew set up, while I wait for Jason to finish up with his current patient. I can hear the low tenor of his voice but not what he’s saying, which is just as well. It’s none of my business. We’re walking a fine line in getting the publicity we need while protecting patient privacy.
The door swings open five minutes later, and an older woman emerges, clutching a piece of paper. She’s smiling widely, her brown eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “Bless you,” she whispers to me. “Bless you all for this.” She squeezes my arm as she walks by me.
I duck inside the exam room to talk to Jason and catch him making notes on a chart. He’s so handsome all the time, but seeing him in doctor mode takes his attractiveness to the next level for me. “Sorry to bother you.”
He gifts me with a sexy, private smile that makes my insides go batshit crazy. “You’re not bothering me. I’ve been missing my constant companion from the last few days.”
“Me too. You’re making people so happy.”
“It’s been very enjoyable. They’re so sweet and thankful. I hate that they haven’t had access to a doctor in weeks. So many of them are afraid to go to the ER because they know they can’t afford it, and some are immigrants fearful of deportation. Our whole system is so jacked.”
“It really is.”
“Most of the time, I see people when they’re in crisis and in need of emergency surgery. I don’t get to spend a lot of time getting to know them. I really like this. I already told Maria I’ll come back tomorrow.”
He’s so sweet and earnest that I feel myself slipping off the edge of the slippery slope I’ve been clinging to, trying to hang on to some semblance of sanity as I fall deeper into something significant with him. “They’ll be thrilled to have you back.” I try to remember why I came in here, but then he crooks his finger.
“Come see me.”
I glance over my shoulder at the door, which isn’t closed all the way. My heart beats fast as a jolt of excitement zips through me when I realize he wants to kiss me.
Though it’s possible we could get caught by any number of people, I don’t care. I cross the small room to where he sits. “You beckoned, Dr. Northrup?”
He stands, puts his arm around my waist and studies my face for a long, breathless moment before he gives me the softest, sweetest kiss. “I can’t wait for tonight so we can be alone.”
“Mmm, me too.” And then I remember Desiree and the film crew and the reason we’re here. “The NBC 6 team is here, and they’d like a few minutes.”
His expression immediately hardens.
“I filled her in on your side of the scandal and asked her not to focus on that.”
“What’d she say?”
“She wanted to know why you haven’t told your side publicly. I explained about the children.”
When we talk about this, his entire demeanor changes. I caress his face and compel him to look at me. “What you’re doing here today is huge for the people you’re seeing. That’ll come through in the interviews she’s doing with the patients. I have a good feeling about this.”
Tension occupies every inch of him. “I’m glad you do.”
I go to close the door and lock it before returning to him and placing my hands on his shoulders. “Breathe.” I knead the tight muscles in his neck and shoulders. “Just breathe.”
“So much at stake,” he says softly.
My heart aches for him. “I know, and I have a feeling it’s all going to work out.”
“I wish I felt as certain as you do.”
“Stick with me. I’ll feel certain for both of us.” I continue to massage the knots in his muscles until he begins to relax somewhat. “You’ve got this, Jason. Just be yourself. That’s all you need to do to convince the board that you belong at Miami-Dade.”
A warm smile lights up his gorgeous eyes. “You’re making yourself completely essential to me.”
“Is that right?”
Zeroing in on my lips, he nods.
If I start kissing him, I might never stop. With people waiting for him, we can’t take the time right now. But later . . . I can’t wait until later. “Let’s do the interview so you can get back to the patients. It’s hot out there.”
“Lead the way.”
I show him into the break room where Desiree’s crew has set up lights and a camera.
“Desiree Rivera, meet Dr. Jason Northrup.”
Desiree shakes his hand. “Great to meet you.”
“Likewise. Thank you for this.”
“No problem. Let’s get you miked.”
One of the technicians attaches a microphone to Jason’s white coat and hands him the attached unit. “Clip that to your belt.”
When he’s ready, Desiree gestures for him to take the seat across from hers. “Let’s roll.”
The cameraman gives her a signal.
“This is NBC 6’s Desiree Rivera with Dr. Jason Northrup, a pediatric neurosurgeon who recently relocated to Miami from New York. Today he’s volunteering his services at the Our Lady of Charity free clinic in Little Havana. We caught up with him on a break. Welcome to Miami, Dr. Northrup.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Could you tell us a little about the circumstances that brought you here?”
The only sign of his feelings about that question is in the pulsing tension in his jaw. “I left my previous hospital in New York after a relationship with a woman I thought I loved ended in rather dramatic fashion. All I’ll say about that is I would never, ever knowingly get involved with someone who’s married. I hadn’t been involved with anyone in years before this relationship.”