Dr. Grant (Off-Limits)

“The cleaners found this in your office,” Maddie says, holding up a gold earring. I take it from her and inspect it, recognizing it as Amara’s.

I close my fist around it and nod at her. “I happen to know whose that is. I’ll make sure it’s returned to her.”

Maddie stares at me and shakes her head. “Whose is it? I’ll contact the patient to let them know they can retrieve their item at the front desk.”

I bite down on my lip and look away. She hasn’t explicitly said anything, but I know she disapproved of the way I carried Amara into my office the other day. The last thing I want to do is cause more friction at work by admitting it’s hers.

“Let me guess,” she mutters. “Amara Astor.”

I shrug. “I’ll return it to her.”

Maddie crosses her arms, her stance defensive even though there’s clear worry in her eyes. “Dr. Grant, I wasn’t joking when I said that the Astors aren’t to be messed with. You might get away with messing with a patient, maybe… but you’ll never get away with messing with Harold Astor’s granddaughter. I see the way you look at her, and it’s a bad idea. It’s a really bad idea to get involved with her in any shape or form. Mr. Astor is incredibly protective of his granddaughter, and for some reason, you’re already on his radar. Make sure you stay on his good side. Getting with Amara Astor is career suicide.”

I grit my teeth, instantly annoyed. “I’m well aware and don’t appreciate your insinuations, Maddie.”

She looks away, stricken, and I instantly feel awful because she’s right. I have been flirting with Amara, and I do treat her different. I just can’t help myself.

“Just be careful, okay? A single rumor could destroy you. She’ll walk away unscathed, but you won’t.”

I nod and watch her walk away, a tinge of worry settling in my chest. I overstepped when I had Amara in my office a few days ago. The way I flirted with her was unacceptable, and it was unprofessional. It was unlike me, yet I did it without thinking.

I stare at the earring as I walk back into my office, dropping it onto my desk. It taunts me as it lays there, the sunlight making it sparkle, drawing my eye to it over and over again. What is it about Amara? I barely know her. Is it the unconventional way we met? Perhaps it’s just that she both intrigued and aroused me straight from the start. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since she first walked into my office.

I’m startled out of my thoughts when my office door opens. Not even Maddie walks in without knocking, and my surprise makes way for shock when a woman walks in.

She doesn’t even have to tell me who she is. It’s obvious. The same hair. The same eyes. I have no doubt that the woman in front of me is related to Amara. I’m guessing this is her mother, but I have no idea what brings her here.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I should’ve knocked, shouldn’t I? I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry,” she adds, looking flustered.

I smile and shake my head. She looks nervous, the way many patients do when they walk in. “Don’t be. I wasn’t seeing a patient. Please, take a seat. How can I help you?”

She pauses, her tense shoulders relaxing slowly as she sits down in front of me. She offers me her hand, and I shake it. “Charlotte Astor.”

I nod. “Noah Grant.”

She leans back and smiles at me. “I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I was in the area and I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since my father first mentioned you. Walking in uninvited is more my father’s trademark move than it is mine, I assure you. We’re not all as insufferable as my dad is.”

She laughs, and in that moment, the resemblance to Amara is obvious. So that’s where she gets her smile. I look away, trying my hardest to recall my own mother’s smile and failing. What did her laughter sound like? I can’t remember, and the realization makes my heart tighten painfully.

“My father speaks highly of you, Noah. I understand you put yourself through medical school while providing for your younger sister? Your accomplishments are astonishing. It takes a lot to impress my father, and he seems intent on capitalizing on your talents. Rightfully so. With my family behind you, you’ll go further than you can even imagine, and I’m excited to see it happen. I recognize the potential my father sees in you.”

Her words leave me speechless, and it takes me a second to pull myself together. I clear my throat awkwardly and pull on my tie. “I only met your father briefly,” I tell her, and she smiles in understanding.

“I know.” She pulls an envelope out of her handbag and slides it toward me. “Yet somehow you managed to impress him enough to warrant a personal invitation to one of the most exclusive events of the year.”

I pick up the embossed envelope and stare at it in surprise. Is that actual gold leaf on there? I’ve never seen anything like it before.

“You’ll need to present this at the entrance. You’ll need a tux, too. Do you have one?”

I shake my head. “I’ll rent one.”

Charlotte smiles at me and shakes her head. “That won’t do. I don’t mean to put any pressure on you, but I know my father has plans for you. He’ll be introducing you to people that can transform your career, and I want you to fit right in.” She pulls a tape measure out of her bag and holds it up. “I’ll get one made for you.”

She rises to her feet and walks around my desk, her attitude as bold as Amara’s. Yet somehow, she reminds me of my own mother. Mom was also like that, commanding in a motherly and caring way.

“It really isn’t necessary,” I tell her, but she ignores me as she pulls me out of my seat. She’s as much of a whirlwind as Amara is.

“It is,” she says, her expression stern. “You don’t realize it yet, but my father sees something in you, something extraordinary, something you can’t even see yourself. You, my boy, are one of us now.”

I spread my arms, mindlessly obeying her as she takes my measurements. “Why me?”

She pauses and smiles. “My father is never wrong. He set his sights on you joining the Astor business, and for him to do so can only mean one thing: he believes you can further grow his empire. It’s rare for him to mentor someone, but he’s been speaking about you enough for me to know that is what he intends to do.”

Having Harold Astor as my mentor wouldn’t just transform my career. It would change my life. Doors I can’t even see would be wide open to me.

“I don’t understand,” I tell her honestly. “I’ve only ever spoken to your father once, and it was a brief exchange.”

I don’t want to get my hopes up. I’ve done it too often, only to crash and burn. I’d love to believe Charlotte, but life has taught me over and over again that everything has a cost — and more often than not, the price is too high to bear. Life has taken everything from me. I have nothing left to give.

Charlotte smiles at me and nods, almost as though she understands when I doubt she could. “My father has been wanting to get into biotechnology, and he’s been talking about expanding his medical investment assets for the past year. Then you walked in, with a stellar academic record and the ambition required to succeed. I can only assume that your CV flagged in my father’s system. He’s always looking for potential, and he seems to have found it in you.”

I stare at her in disbelief, a small seed of hope trying to take root deep within my cold, barren heart. I don’t let it.

“You don’t believe me,” she says, a knowing look in her eyes, “but you will.”

She takes a step back and glances at her phone, a smile on her face. “You’ll look great in a jet-black tux.”

I smile awkwardly, completely thrown by her sudden visit. She’s nothing like I expected. She seems kind and friendly. If not for her clothes, I’d never have guessed that she’s insanely rich. Amara is the same, and it’s one of those things that further intrigues me.

“I’ll get out of your hair,” she says, grinning. “I’ll have the suit delivered to your office.”

Her eyes fall to the photographs on my desk as she reaches for her bag, and she pauses. The expression in her eyes can only be described as haunting. Her fingertips trail over the edge of the silver frame, and when she looks back at me, devastation mars her face.

“The way you lost your parents… I’m sorry, Noah. No one will ever replace them, but now that you’re here I want you to know that you’re no longer alone.”

I nod, my heart constricting painfully. I didn’t even realize that those were words I was longing to hear, even if they’re only being said out of politeness.

Charlotte smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Instead, sadness engulfs her. She nods politely as she walks toward my door, and I inhale shakily as it closes behind her, memories of my parents fluttering through my minds — bits and pieces, fragments that I thought were lost forever.

For just a single moment, I could swear I smelled my mother’s perfume, and then it’s gone, fresh grief overwhelming me once more.