“I’m saying your looks aren’t that important, although he should be concerned his future offspring might inherit your short stature. But that’s not what I’m worried about. Listen, you know Brad is from L.A., right? And that’s where his family lives, right?”
Grace nodded, not sure where this conversation was going, but all too aware she’d lost her angry momentum.
“So if he stays in New York at Mercy General, he has no future. He’ll never get to be head of Emergency Medicine, much less higher up in the administration.”
“But he likes what he does. He’s happy doing it.”
“Emergency Medicine is an exhausting field. Surely you’ve noticed how tired he looks tonight. Are you so self-absorbed you didn’t see the dark circles under his eyes? He’s only thirty. Imagine how it will be when he’s forty years old.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“He needs connections. That’s why he sought me out in the first place. My father is on the board at Central Hospital in L.A., where Brad’s family lives. Brad and I have known each other for three years since I’ve been in this residency. You’ve only known him for a few months. But since he met you, he’s abandoned his aspirations of returning to L.A. with me where his future promotion is almost assured.”
Grace pondered her words. Would he really give up his dreams just to please her? Did he really need Kara for her influence and connections? What about his connections here?
“He knows Steven Gherring, and he’s on the board at Mercy General.”
“Yes, but Brad has told me Gherring would never use his power to promote his friends at the hospital. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but Gherring won’t be any help for Brad.”
“I never asked him to sacrifice anything for me. I would probably move to L.A. if we ever got to that point.”
Kara’s smile was anything but benevolent. “But as I said before, my father is on the board at Central. Brad has a great future in L.A. if he’s with me. But if I drop Brad, someone else will inherit that great future.”
“But maybe he doesn’t want you, even if I’m not in the picture.”
One corner of Kara’s mouth lifted, a cross between a smirk and a sneer. “He was interested in me before you came along. But something tells me you’re holding out on him, keeping that little treasure in your pants as an enticement.”
Grace felt her face heating at Kara’s crass suggestive comment.
Kara continued, “I’ll tell you from experience, Brad will be interested until he gets what he wants, but eventually he’ll be bored and seek greener pastures. I’m okay with that. I know my future husband and I might occasionally have a little side entertainment—I can live with it. The question is... Can you?”
“I... That’s not what I think marriage should be like.” Grace fumed. There was no way she believed Brad had that attitude toward marriage. Kara was lying again.
“Then we already know you’re not the right woman for Brad. So how long are you going to string him along? Will you keep him on the hook until he misses his opportunity for happiness? Are you going to keep him here in New York until he burns out at the age of forty? You know, even if he’s not with me, he needs to move away in order to move up the ladder. He’s already turned down an opportunity just this month because of you.”
“What if you’re lying to me? I don’t believe Brad would ever cheat on a woman he was married to. And I already know you lied to me about your name. And you lied to Brad about my card and flowers.”
“Fine—I’ll admit I met you before and I lied about my name. But I was only thinking about what was best for Brad, like you should if you care about him at all. Or maybe you don’t care about him. Maybe you just want to marry him for his money. I didn’t take you for a gold-digger, but—”
?
??I’m not a gold-digger—I care about Brad. But I’m saying being with me wouldn’t keep him from moving away.”
“You can’t tell me you really want to move across the country when your whole family lives here. Brad isn’t stupid—he knows it would make you miserable.”
“But why didn’t he tell me this himself? Why wouldn’t he tell me about needing to move away from New York?”
“You could always ask him yourself if you don’t believe me, but he’ll probably lie to protect you. Don’t you see? Brad is one of the few good guys out there. He’s willing to live a life of misery to keep you from being unhappy.”
“I’m willing to do that for him, as well. I don’t want him to be unhappy.”
“But he’s not willing to let you be miserable. So the only way Brad will ever be happy in the long term, is if he’s not with you. And yes, I’m sure I could make him happy, but I know he may not choose me. The point is you can’t make him happy, even if you’re willing to give up your family, because he won’t let you.”
Grace’s eyes began to fill up until Kara’s face was wobbling in her vision. “I don’t believe you,” Grace said, although she could see the logic of Kara’s arguments.
“You don’t have to take my word for it. Just take a close look at Brad’s face when you go back inside. You’ll see for yourself the toll his work schedule is taking on him. It breaks my heart.” A tear spilled down Kara’s face, and she swiped it away. Her voice cracked. “I’m sorry—I don’t usually lose control like that. But I just hate to see what’s happening to him.”
“It can’t be that bad,” said Grace, squeezing her eyes against a deluge of tears. “He would have told me if he was unhappy in New York.”