“What about mortification? I’m pretty certain I’m going to die when I find out what I actually said. And having all of you witness it will make it even worse.”
“You could always go with the other alternative. You could talk to him before you have the procedure done. But then you have to confess everything, and we get to be there.”
“No, I’ll take my chances. I’m hoping I’ll be so sleepy I won’t say anything to him. Or even better, he’ll be in the middle of some emergency procedure and he won’t be able to come. Or maybe he’s working tonight and he’ll be asleep tomorrow afternoon.”
“Maybe, but I’m betting he’ll be there. Once he finds out you’re having some sort of procedure done, he’ll find a way. And you’re not allowed to tell him ahead of time, because I know he would come before the biopsy starts and spoil our fun.” She let out a long slow, “Hmmmmmm.” She continued in a teasing tone, “I think I’m going to video it and put it up on YouTube. I bet we’ll get a million hits.”
“No way! That was not part of the dare.”
“Oh, well of course I won’t make a video.”
Grace was disconcerted by the ease of Olivia’s acquiescence. “Do you promise?”
“I promise.”
“You promise what? What exactly are you promising?”
“I promise I won’t make a video and post it on YouTube.”
“Okay.” Grace was quiet for a moment. “What about Hannah and Claire?”
“Of course I can’t promise for our sisters. They’ve gotten really out of control, in my opinion. You’ve really fallen down on your job lately.”
“Olivia,” Grace growled.
“What? It’s true. I can’t control them.” Olivia began to giggle, and she continued to laugh over Grace’s protests.
“Olivia, please! Don’t let anyone make a video! If you love me—”
Olivia howled with laughter until she had to gasp for breath. “This is the most fun ever—I’m so glad you’re my sister!”
“That makes one of us,” Grace muttered.
Chapter Nine
Brad cornered Josh before he left the apartment. “What do you think I should do? Should I apply for a position in another city?”
After learning about Grace’s stalker, he’d spent a sleepless night. He needed to protect her, and he couldn’t do that from a distance. Now, more than ever, he was desperate to restore their relationship.
“Don’t you need to talk to her first? I mean, before you change your whole life around for her, shouldn’t you make sure she even still wants you?”
“I don’t know what to say to her. I can’t even explain why I want to stay in New York, because you haven’t told anyone you’re planning to change tracks in a few years. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“No, a couple more years of this, and then I’m looking into surgical residencies. By the time Dr. Cooper retires, I’ll probably be gone. Anyway, just because I beat you out for attending doesn’t mean I’d get the head of Emergency Medicine.”
“Yes, but to be honest, I don’t want to compete against my best friend.”
Josh hesitated. “To be honest, I’m hoping Charlie and I will get together before I go into surgery. There’s no telling where I might end up. If I’m not in New York when she moves here, my chances with her go from slim to none.”
“You still think you have a chance with her? I thought she pretty much blew you off.”
“Of course I still have a chance—as long as I’m willing to wait for her. And believe me, I’m willing. Plus, I’ll see her at Spencer and Emily’s wedding.”
Brad didn’t want to discourage his friend, but he knew Charlie hadn’t been responding to his calls and texts. “How do you know she’ll come to New York when she graduates?”
“Emily’s keeping me informed. She’s planning to come here for law school if she gets accepted.” He frowned and crossed his arms. “But we’re not discussing Charlie and me—we’re talking about you and Grace. I don’t think moving away from New York is a solution to her stalker problem, anyway.”
“I agree, but once Grace gets an idea in her head, it’s hard to convince her otherwise. I thought I might tell her I’ve decided to go back to L.A. And once we’re together again, I’d be able to protect her. After we get rid of this stalker, I could tell her I changed my mind. By then she won’t care—she’ll probably be glad to stay in New York.”