Castle and Mr. Trainer, I would like to introduce you both to Dr. Vivian Maguire. She’s a specialist in neurosurgery and an excellent diagnostician, having studied under Dr. Mannheim at the Munich Center for Neuroscience.” Dr. Brigham puffed out his chest. “She was one of my residents as well.”
“I remember,” Reece said finally, his voice cold, causing a shudder to run down her spine. “We were in the same class.”
Warmth flooded her cheeks and she nodded. “Yes, Dr. Castle and I were in the same class our last year of residency, Dr. Brigham.”
Dr. Brigham’s brows furrowed and then he nodded. “That’s right. I’d completely forgotten. My apologies. So you two already know each other. That’s wonderful.”
Wonderful.
Yeah, they knew each other, but the way that Reece was looking at her was like she was a stranger. Cold. Detached.
Can you blame him?
She deserved it.
That was not the Reece Castle she remembered but, then again, seven years was a long time ago and she’d changed too.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting my new doctor,” Gary Trainer said, flashing her a smile which was charming and probably just a bit dangerous to all those rabid fans.
Vivian took his outstretched hand and gave it a squeeze, doing her own little test. Gary squeezed back, or he tried, but there wasn’t any strength to his grip, the muscles were rigid and there was a tremble. Slight, but it was there.
Maybe someone not trained wouldn’t notice it, but Vivian did.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Trainer. I look forward to working with your present medical team.” She glanced up quickly at Reece, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was scrolling through the chart on the computer tablet.
Avoidance. She knew it well. He didn’t like to be the center of attention; he didn’t like awkward situations. He avoided them at all costs. He might have told her to be strong and speak out, but he didn’t do the same for himself. He didn’t like the spotlight or change.
His appearance had changed, but Reece was still the same.
* * *
Reece knew that she was looking at him and he didn’t care one bit.
Liar.
He couldn’t believe it was her. He’d known that a diagnostician with a neurosurgery background was being flown in from Germany, but it had never occurred to him that it would be Vivian. And now, looking at her, Reece wasn’t even sure he recognized her. In seven years she’d gone from a shy, cold, detached woman to one with confidence exuding from her pores.
Or arrogance.
Her unruly red hair was swept back and tamed in a bun. She was polished, wearing designer clothes, but, as he stared into her green eyes, the costume couldn’t hide from him that girl who’d grown up on the wrong side of the tracks was there still.
The woman who preferred blue jeans and running barefoot through the grass.
The woman he’d fallen in love with. This facade just reminded him that version of Vivian he loved was gone and this Vivian was a stranger. It pained him to be around her.
When they’d been residents together, she’d constantly talked about working with Dr. Mannheim. It had been her dream, not his, but he’d foolishly thought that love would keep her here, that she wouldn’t go. She’d planned to leave Nashville far behind her. Still, Reece wasn’t the only one who built up walls. He was closed off, but Vivian ran from her problems.
The morning he’d rolled over and found her note had crushed him. Vivian had left, and hadn’t asked him to go with her. What made it worse was the engagement ring he’d bought for her—the one he had to return the next day—because the morning she’d left was when he was going to open up to her. Tell her everything. Things he didn’t tell anyone.
If she had asked him to go, he would’ve gone with her.
Only you wouldn’t have.
Germany was not what he wanted.
At least that was what he’d told himself to justify her leaving. To make himself believe that was the only reason why she hadn’t asked him and why he wouldn’t have gone.
Only he’d been lying to himself. He might’ve gone, but he was never given the choice. The fact was that she hadn’t wanted him to go with her. Plain and simple.
It still stung, even after all this time.
She’d been his best friend. The one person he’d opened up to. The only person who’d been able to get through his walls—and look what happened. She’d left.
He’d learned his lesson well.
He wasn’t going to make that same mistake twice. People didn’t get second chances, if what happened between him and his father was anything to go by.
“Well, shoot, you’re just a sight for sore eyes,” Gary said, smiling again. “No offense, Dr. Castle, but I do get tired of looking at your ugly mug every day.”
Reece chuckled, his residents snickering behind him. When he glanced up at Vivian there was a pink tinge to her cheeks. Vivian was never the one for compliments. She used to think compliments could be confused as a form of weakness or she still didn’t think she deserved them. Only the compliments were valid. She was beautiful. He’d forgotten how much so. His memories didn’t do justice to her.
He’d forgotten about how coppery her hair was in certain lights, how green her eyes were. Like emeralds. The subtle smattering of freckles across her nose against her creamy white skin.
She was tall. Elegant.
Sexy as hell still.
She broke your heart.
He had to keep reminding himself of that. Under all that soft beauty she was just as hardened as he was.
When he’d met her she was shy and timid, but always closed off, but then he’d fallen in love with her. Completely—to the point he didn’t have to hide who he was. He’d adored her and he’d foolishly thought she felt the same. Good thing he didn’t tell her who he really was... Love wasn’t strong enough to keep her. He should’ve known better, given who his mother was. Women couldn’t be trusted.
He knew Vivian came from a very different world to the one which he had grown up in. She was just as secretive about her past as he was and they hadn’t talked much about their childhood, other than he knew they’d both raised themselves and didn’t have much of one. Then again, who needed talk when they had sex?
Now, seven years later, he couldn’t remember why they’d been friends or what they had in common, but they’d been drawn to each other. They’d clung to each other, both starved of love perhaps? He’d let his guard down around her.
“I appreciate the sentiment, Gary.” Then he briefly shared a quick glance with Vivian. “You’re right about Dr. Maguire being easier on the eyes.”
