Chapter 240
Leanne had never dated another guy before, so she didn’t have much to compare to, but she knew Curtis had a way with words that made her feel special.
When she remained silent, Joy thought she was upset and turned to her, saying, “I’m not trying to break you two up. You might believe Curtis really loves you, but I don’t trust him. He hurt you once, and that’s enough for him to be on my blacklist. It’s not that I don’t believe he could love you. You’re a catch, you know, anyone would hit the jackpot to have a shot at loving you. I don’t trust him. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, but you get me, right?”
Her words were a bit all over the place, but Leanne got the gist.
Joy was just trying to look out for her.
“I understand,” Leanne hugged her, “Joy, thanks for always being there for me.”
“Don’t do this, you’ll make me cry,” Joy said earnestly, “Honey, maybe it’s time to find someone new. Anyone but Curtis.”
Leanne smiled, her expression hidden by the white face mask she was wearing.
She didn’t respond.
Because she didn’t know how to start loving someone else.
That barely-there kiss had planted a hook in Curtis’ mind.
He had kissed her many times before, deeper, sweeter, more intimate kisses, but it was the push away this time that he couldn’t stop thinking about.
As the holiday ended and employees returned to work, Curtis’ schedule was packed again. He took a trip to Emberland, his itinerary repeatedly trimmed, lasting no more than five days.
When his private jet landed, Jake picked him up from the airport, asking whether he wanted to go home or to the office.
After a dozen hours in flight, half of which were spent dealing with a backlog of work, Curtis should have been exhausted, but he was surprisingly energetic.
“Let’s make a stop at the hospital,” he decided.
There was progress in Jada’s case, and he knew Leanne would want to hear about it first-hand.
Jake didn’t ask further. With over a hundred hospitals in Stonebridge, he knew exactly
where to head.
Arriving at the hospital, Curtis didn’t go straight up, not wanting to disturb Dr. Castillo
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during her rounds. He called her from downstairs.
Just before hanging up, Leanne finally answered. Her voice was cool and distant, “What is it?”
“I’ve got good news,” Curtis said, “Come down and I’ll tell you.”
Leanne had just come out of the operating room, hands washed but still in her scrubs. Her reflection in the wall-mounted mirror showed her delicate beauty, even the green surgical gown seemed to enhance her charm.
“Just say it over the phone.”
Her indifference came through clearly over the line, and Curtis thought her resistance to him should have softened a bit.
He remembered their last encounter in the stairwell, and she had seemed a bit more open. “Why so cold again? Did someone upset you?”
“No one,” Leanne said, “If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m hanging up.”
The exhaustion from his travels seemed to finally catch up with him, his usual playful smile fading as he massaged his tired eyes.
“Leanne, if something’s bothering you, can you tell me? I wanna be there for you, but I gotta know what’s up first.”
“I’m not upset, and you don’t need to cheer me up.” Leanne’s other hand was gripping the door of a metal locker, the cool metal somehow grounding.
She said calmly, “Let’s just finalize whatever paperwork is needed, and then let’s not see each other anymore.”
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