Page 29 of My Heart's Doctor

“Who the hell was that?”

“I already told you, the father of a patient,” I replied, downplaying it.

“And do all the parents of your patients look at you that way? Because let me tell you, that man was devouring you with his eyes, and I’m sure he wanted to rip my head off,” he said, still laughing.

“Don’t make things up.”

“I’m a man, sweetie. I know when a man desires a woman and doesn’t want competition. That man is burning for you, and he sees me as an obstacle in his path to your bed.”

“Orson, I assure you that man has only seen me as an annoyance. If I told you everything he’s said to me, you wouldn’t say that. He even implied I wasn’t capable of treating his daughter. He’s a brute,” I said, but unable to avoid the irrational joy I felt hearing what Orson was telling me.

“He said what?” he asked, frowning.

“You heard me. He asked about my age as if I wasn’t old enough to be a doctor.”

“But didn’t you say his daughter is your patient?”

“She’s not. I only treated her in the emergency room. His daughter is three years old and she’s an angel, but he’s a conceited man who thinks he’s above everyone else,” I said, with more intensity than I intended.

“Mmmm.”

“What?” I asked, looking at him seriously.

“I’ve never seen you so upset with someone. You’re always the mediator who tries to see the good in people, even when it’s obvious they have nothing good about them. But with this man, you’ve shown no mercy. It’s strange.”

“I don’t see anything strange about it. Shall we dance or go back to the table?” I asked, hoping he would drop the subject.

“They should be about to serve the main course, so let’s dance until we see them serving it,” he said, looking at me with a mocking smile.

On the dance floor, I tried to distract myself because I must confess that knowing Cavaller was there made it impossible for me to think about anything else. I had to admit that the man both annoyed and attracted me equally, and that mixture of sensations was complex to understand.

Orson, oblivious to everything going through my mind, took my hands and made me spin to the rhythm of “Dynamite” by the band BTS. My friend’s dance moves ended my thoughts dedicated to the insufferable Cavaller, and I began to laugh out loud as he spun me in his arms. In one of the turns, I again crossed paths with that man’s stern gaze. He was standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching me without any attempt to hide it, but with brutal seriousness. Obviously, he wasn’t dancing, just standing there observing us. When the song ended, I decided to return to the table because I didn’t feel comfortable dancing while being watched by him.

“Shall we sit down for a while?” I suggested.

“Yes, of course. You go ahead, I need to use the bathroom,” he said, and we left the dance floor in different directions.

To avoid passing by him, I went around the dance floor. I didn’t know what was happening to me with him, but I preferred to avoid him. When I reached the table, I felt calmer because having him out of my field of vision gave me a certain peace of mind. A few minutes later, Orson sat down next to me.

“I just ran into yourfriend,” he commented, with a mocking emphasis on the word friend.

“The only friend I have at this party is you,” I said, although I knew who he was referring to.

“Why are you playing dumb?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “It’s clear that man affects you a little. But anyway, let me tell you that I saw him talking with a woman and they seemed to be having a great time.”

I don’t know why I felt my stomach jump and churn. That information didn’t sit well with me. I had to make a great effort not to turn my head and verify with my own eyes what Orson was saying.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Of course I heard you, but I have nothing to say because, as I already explained, he’s not my friend and I don’t have the slightest idea about his life.”

“Do you know if he’s married?” he asked seriously, because it was certain that if I told him yes, my friend would chase him away from me without any consideration.

“I think he’s a widower because his daughter’s mother passed away,” I said, without providing more details.

“Aaah, so you do know something.”

“Orson, don’t see things where there aren’t any. I had to find out about her parents because, when she arrived, the little girl was only accompanied by the nanny,” I said, because I wasn’t going to tell him that there was much more, from the relationship he had with his daughter to all the encounters I’d had with him and, above all, that the night before he had followed me until I entered my building.