Page 67 of Back in the Saddle

CAROLINE:We almost did it the other day.

ERIN:!!!!!!!!

CAROLINE:Hold your horses, nothing happened. Well, nothing beyond what we’ve done before.

ERIN:I don’t understand. Why?

CAROLINE:I sort of had a panic attack? What do you know, it killed the mood.

ERIN:Oh, Car. I’m sorry. I should’ve thought it might be difficult after what happened between you and Finn. I didn’t think.

CAROLINE:It’s fine. Don’t worry. Anyway, I did tell him about it.

ERIN:Woah. Like … Everything?

CAROLINE:Everything.

ERIN:You must really like him. And trust him.

CAROLINE:I do.

ERIN:What did he say?

CAROLINE:That we can take it as fast or slow as I want. And we don’t have to do anything I don’t want to.

ERIN:*swoons*

CAROLINE:OK, stop! Haha. But yes. It was what I needed to hear.

ERIN:And now you want to sleep with him.

CAROLINE:My body has wanted to for a while now. It’s my mind that’s the problem.

ERIN:Just see how things progress. If it’s meant to happen, it will. Don’t put pressure on yourself. You’ve sounded like the old you. Before the marriage and everything. I’ve missed that Caroline.

CAROLINE:Yeah, I’ve missed her too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Caroline

Caroline typed in the password on her work laptop and opened the email app. There were two new messages from the medical communications agency she had been working with: one about scheduling an author kick-off for the new manuscript on the multiple myeloma trial, and the second asking her to confirm travel details for the upcoming congress.

After she signed up to attend ASH, Caroline had approached one of the haematology attendings, Dr Matthias, and asked if she could tag on to a multiple myeloma trial he was overseeing. Dr Matthias was delighted by her enthusiasm, and, after clearing it with Anna, Caroline was now dividing her time between the oncology and haematology teams.

The medical communications agency was hired by OnyxRex, the pharmaceutical company behind the new multiple myeloma treatment she had been working on. Before she had startedworking as a research assistant, she didn’t know much about the medical communications industry. She vaguely remembered that someone she went to medical school with posted on their social media that they had transitioned from clinical work to medical writing.

Maybe if she didn’t go back into a clinical role once she got back to Scotland, she would look into that career option.

She pulled up her calendar and responded to the first email with her availability for a call. Then she clicked through to December and studied the listed time for departures and arrivals to San Diego.

‘You’re looking at flights for ASH?’ Amira walked up to her desk, focused on rubbing the front of her shirt with a damp cloth. She noticed Caroline looking. ‘I’m a clumsy idiot. Spilled an orange juice on this.’ She patted the material with the cloth aggressively. When there was a big wet patch, she threw the cloth onto her desk by the window.

‘Yes, not sure if it’s better to fly there the morning before or the afternoon. The morning flight option is quite brutal.’ Caroline winced, checking the time again. ‘Yeah, not a fan of seven a.m.’

Amira snorted, leaning against Caroline’s desk. ‘I think I’m going to go with the one at 2.15. Still early enough to rest up, enjoy the evening and get a good night’s sleep before the first day.’ She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Caroline. ‘If you want, we could travel together. I usually go on my own, so it would be nice to have someone to talk to for a change.’

Caroline smiled at her. ‘That sounds good. Which return should we go with?’