“You want more than work. I want that, too.”
He pulled me against him, and I had to marvel at how much he’d changed since we first met. I could still see that man, sitting at his desk, annoyed that I was even talking to him—and the difference was incredible. Piers hadn’t fixed himself completely, he was still short-tempered and difficult, but he cared about me. He looked at me like I was the light he’d been missing from his life all this time, and that feeling, that incredible rush of emotions I got every time he kissed me, every time he pulled me close—that was worth everything.
“Come on,” he said. “Since we have a day off, I figured we’d spend it in bed.”
“That’s presumptuous. What if I want to see a movie?”
“I have a TV in the living room. I guess I can have you on the couch, too.”
I laughed and chewed my lip, but didn’t argue as he tugged me faster down the sidewalk.
30
Piers
The town car parked outside of my building and the window rolled down. Lori shifted from foot to foot beside me, brimming with nervous energy.
Rees stared out at us. “Get in,” he said, gesturing with his chin.
I glanced at Lori then led her around the car. I opened the door, let her get in first, then followed after. The car pulled out when we were settled.
Rees watched out the window like he was bored. “I didn’t want to do this,” he said. “But the lawyers talked me into it.”
“What are we doing, exactly?” Lori asked.
“Giving the hospital a chance to settle.” He glanced at her, then at me. “You’ll have to play this hard, you know. They’re not going to want to give in so easily.”
“I’m not too concerned,” I said. “Whether they fold now, or in front of a judge, it won’t matter.”
Rees only grunted, and looked back out the window. Her cousin was a strange man. Whatever he did for a living, he must have been very, very good at it—otherwise, I couldn’t imagine anyone letting him get away with being such a bastard.
And for the first time since meeting him, the irony of that fully set in. I wasn’t rich like him, but I hadn’t dedicated myself to making money. We were two of a kind, I realized, both of us driven intensely, willing to go to great lengths to become the best in our respective fields. I had a grudging admiration for him, and maybe one day we could be friends.
Actually, no, that would never happen. One of us would end up dead.
The driver let us out in front of the hospital, then went to circle the block until we were done. Rees strode forward in a smart, sleek black suit, his dark hair pushed back. Two men in long brown coats and suits approached from the bench nearby and fell into step with Rees, and I glanced back at Lori, who only shook her head, as confused as I felt.
The trio of men led the way into the lobby, where Caroline was already waiting to greet us. Her face flickered from Rees to the men with him, then finally settled on me.
Her complexion paled. She was not pleased to see me again. For some reason, that felt fantastic.
“Mr. Court,” Caroline said, shaking Rees’s hand.
“Caroline,” he said. “These are my lawyers, Mr. Hammond and Mr. Druthers.”
“Hello,” Caroline said, shaking their hands next. Neither man spoke. They looked more like mafia goons than lawyers. She didn’t approach me, and I wasn’t about to touch her slimy palm.
“You know Lori and Piers,” Rees said. “Come on, let’s go get this over with. I have another meeting in an hour.”
Caroline stuttered something then awkwardly led the way across the lobby and down a short hall. A suite of conference rooms lined one side, and she took the group into the largest. A woman in a light gray pant suit stood, a clutch of papers under her right arm. She wore black glasses, her dirty-blonde hair pulled back in a sleek, professional bun.
“This is the hospital’s lawyer, Trisha Lumber,” Caroline said, taking a seat beside the woman.
“Hello, Ms. Lumber,” Rees said, and went around making introductions. When everyone was sitting and settled, a silence dropped down like a curtain, and I leaned back in my chair to study Caroline’s face.
I should’ve hated her. And I did, except now that I was faced with her, across the table and in possession of documents and proof that would ruin her, I began to feel almost bad.
Her job wasn’t easy. In a city like Philadelphia, in a hospital of Westview’s size, there were always competing interests pulling you in all directions. The hospital administrator must’ve felt it worse than most, and it likely drove her crazy, trying to balance all those competing interests.
Still didn’t excuse her for trying to destroy my career, but still.
“We don’t need to spend too much time discussing this,” Mr. Hammond said, the taller of the two lawyers, with thinning hair and a trim, dark beard. “Evidence has come to light that Ms. Pincher has falsified documentation relating to Dr. Hood’s suspension.”
The hospital’s lawyer frowned a bit, glanced at Caroline, then held out a hand. “I’d love a copy of that, if you can provide it.”
“Of course.” Mr. Hammond passed over a folder. Caroline glanced down at it, but showed nothing. If she was worried, she was doing a great job of hiding it.
“I’m not sure what I’m looking at here,” Ms. Lumber said.
“Let me explain,” I said, interrupting Mr. Hammond. He glanced at me, clearly annoyed, but I barreled forward. Rees didn’t seem to give a shit either way—he had his face buried in his phone, reading and texting. “The hospital alleges that I made some negative comments in my notes about Mr. Tippett. I dispute those claims. We have proof that those comments were falsified—which would negate the absurd lawsuit against me
