After a nap and a shower, Trish dressed in a casual summer dress for her date with Putty. She tried to talk herself into finding out if they had a spark. Why couldn't she have a casual relationship? Because the few she tried since her divorce left her broken. It had been too soon when she was still in New Haven and could only hold it together to get through her grueling shifts. Just like in her marriage, she didn't have the time for sex. Ever since Candy, thoughts of sex crept in occasionally. If only she had been Mick's two-day fling instead.

Reluctantly, she allowed Putty to pick her up, but she met him in the lobby. He wore stone khakis and a Polo shirt. It was the actual brand, not a knockoff. "You look beautiful," he said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

She felt his soft lips and took in his scent. It was nice, but her pulse didn't quicken.

"How was your day off?"

"Okay. I went out to lunch and did my laundry."

"With a friend."

She said, "Yeah. Kind of."

"You aren't sure."

She sighed. "He's a friend, but I mean we were family."

"Were?"

She nodded. Why should she lie? "Yeah, before the divorce."

"He's divorced?"

Trish shook her head. "No, I am. It's not common knowledge but I trust you."

He looked at her. "I never would have guessed. How long ago?"

Since she signed the papers or they officially separated? "Almost three years."

"That was before you came to Boston, right?"

"Yes, I wanted to leave New Haven, and Boston worked out." They walked together. "Where are we going?"

He smiled. "Anywhere. We have the entire city. What are you in the mood for?"

Trish didn't know. "This is your city. You grew up here, right?"

"North of the city. Indian, Mexican, Japanese, Caribbean? The options are unlimited."

Trish wished he planned the date. "I like curry, but the others are fine too."

Putty took her hand and started walking up the sidewalk. His hand felt soft, but it didn't warm her. He was a good-looking man and she wanted to feel excited at his touch. Maybe she was broken, except she felt something with Mick.

The restaurant was cool when they stepped inside. Luckily, it wasn't crowded, and they got a table right away. Looking at the menu, she asked what he liked.

"Everything. You choose."

She sighed. It would be nice if he had an opinion. "Tikka Masala and naan?" It was what she and Joey got. "I never had curry until I went to Yale."

"Seriously?" He laughed.

"I was not a city girl, but I am now."

"Did your ex go to Yale?"

"No, we met in high school, but his college was nearby. We married too young. My residency broke us, end of story."

"Okay, so you don't want to talk about him. Do you still love him?"

"No." It was a lie. There was a place in her heart she couldn't dig out. No surgeon could. "Did you work today?"

"No, I did some errands. I have a family party tomorrow, so today was the day."

"I checked on my patients." Her other patient had a new liver too.

"How are they?"

"Both are doing well." She didn't use names. "One moved out of the PICU."

Their conversation stopped while they ordered. He picked it right back up. "Will you go in tomorrow?"

She smiled. "Yeah to check in. Hopefully, I won't get called for an emergency. How are your residents?"

He rolled his eyes. "They have a lot to learn."

"We were both like that. Did you have anyone you looked up to?"

He shook his head. "Not really."

"I guess. I was lucky."

Their talk centered on their work. The food came, and it was delicious. As they finished, he asked if she wanted to get a drink.

Shaking her head, she said, "I go to bed early even on my days off."

When they reached the sidewalk. He took her hand again. "Would you like to come to my family get-together tomorrow?"

"Why would you ask me?"

"Why not? I like you."

She scoffed. "You don't know me."

He laughed. "And I want to change that."

"We work together. I don't want our personal lives to affect it."

"So you don't want to get to know each other?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship."

"You said it's been a couple of years."

She sighed. "Yes, but it was more than a breakup." It was a life, a future. "When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?"

"My sister had meningitis when she was little and I remember thinking the doctors would save her and they did. It's vain, but I wanted to be important like them." He frowned.

"And that's why you wanted to work in the ICU?"

He stopped walking. "No. That's a different story."

They had reached her building. "I'd like to hear it, but only if you want to share."

He nodded and followed her into her building and onto the elevator. Once in her apartment, he looked around. "It's sparse."

She shrugged. "After the divorce, I struggled financially and shared a room with a resident. I let my ex keep our apartment."

"Sounds like he took advantage of you."

She shrugged. "I took what I wanted, but I invited you in to hear your story. Do you want water? I don't have anything else."

He smiled amusingly. "Sure. Thanks."

Trish busied herself filling two glasses. "It's just tap."

"That's fine."

He walked to her by the sink and their fingers brushed as he took the glass out of her hand. After a sip, he put his glass down next to hers.

"I think we can work together." He put his hands on her face and moved in for a kiss.

She didn't stop him as his soft lips caressed her. When his mouth grew more insistent, she pulled back. "Um, your story. Remember?"

"Right." He took the water and drank.

She saw something in his face. "You don't have to if it's too painful."

Putty shook his head. "It has a happy ending. Can we sit?"

She nodded and picked up her glass. Her sofa was new since Boston, like all of her furniture. Her mattress came in a box and sat on a cheap bed frame, but she didn't want to think about her bed. A kiss was one thing, sex was another.

"My brother was an addict. He overdosed on who knows what. It was during my peds residency. He was in the ICU at Mass General. I spent a lot of time at his bedside and talked to the nurses and his doctor. Along with applying to general peds practices, I also applied for the critical care fellowship. I have no regrets. Every day, I make a real difference. Why did you go into transplants?"

She shrugged. "A lot of reasons. In my peds fellowship, I repaired congenital liver problems. We would fix them, but tell the parents their child might need a transplant later in life. I also took part in a liver transplant and couldn't believe how the gravely sick little boy came back to life afterwards. I wanted to be part of the miracle."

Trish knew she was also punishing herself by adding one more fellowship. She wasn't ready to reach the goal that Joey hadn't waited by her side for.

"We both do a lot of good."

She nodded. "I love it."

"I like your smile when you talk about your work. What else makes you smile like that?"

She shrugged. "Sleep. After years of never getting enough, I treasure it."

"I think I had it easy. Surgical residency is intense."

"I survived." Barely.

Putty leaned in and kissed her again. She resisted the urge to pull back. He was a good kisser, but she didn't feel the electricity that went with first kisses. The electricity wavered when the arguments started, but it reappeared with the makeup sex. That was part of the hurt, she continued to love and want him, until he strayed. Mortified, she was almost certain he was having sex with both of them. The memory of his texts cut deep. She's a cold bitch.

A knock at her door separated their lips. She wanted to hug Jocelyn. Putty sat back as she went to the door.

Her friend had a smile on her face. "Home on Saturday night?"

Jocelyn breezed in and stopped. "I was going to say all the good ones are taken, but it seems you found one who isn't."

"Jocelyn, this is Putty, um, Dr. Putnam."

"I bet you're putty in the right hands." He laughed and Trish wanted to run away. "What are you drinking?"

"Water." Trish hoped her cheeks weren't red.

"We need wine. I'll be right back."

As her neighbor disappeared leaving the door open, Trish looked at Putty. "Escape while you can."

He chuckled. "She reminds me of my youngest sister."

Trish relaxed. "She's a good person."

"I'm sure she is."

Trish watched as she came back with a bottle of red. Her lips had gloss and her shirt showed off her curves, especially her full bust. Trish needed a push-up bra to prove she had breasts. That was another thing the new Mrs. Murphy had, aside from Trish's husband.

Jocelyn opened the wine and told Putty about her job. "It sounds interesting and a lot less stressful on your side of the hiring process."

"Unless there aren't any decent candidates. I thought you had a lunch date."

Trish felt her cheeks burn again. "No. I had lunch with my friend. We had dinner."

"Busy girl. Meanwhile, I sat home watching Netflix."

Trish thought that sounded fun. Putty asked Jocelyn what she had watched, and they discussed different series. Trish watched an occasional movie without falling asleep, but had never binged a series. Joey had when he was still waiting for her. Maybe she should start so she had something to talk about. They continued to laugh. Would they notice if she brushed her teeth and climbed in bed? Putty might join her and she didn't feel aroused at the thought.

Eventually, Jocelyn noticed her yawn. "Sorry, we're keeping you awake. I can show you the preview of the show I love, if you want to come over."

Putty looked at Trish, and she smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. I'm tired."

"Give me a minute."

Jocelyn left, and he cupped her face. "You don't mind?"

"No. Why would I?"

He nodded and kissed her gently. She closed her eyes and waited, but the feeling didn't come. "I'll see you Monday morning." His voice was soft and sultry enough to make any girl blush, but Trish just nodded.

When she shut the door behind him, she sighed. Brushing her teeth, she thought about her crazy day. First her emotional lunch followed by an unemotional dinner. Both men wanted a piece of her she didn't want to give them.

Curled up in her bed, she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind liked to travel into the past and it landed on the night she and Joey had sex the first time. They had been dating for an entire school year, but they were still young. Both were sixteen, and they had two more years of high school.

The young couple went to the lake for the day to swim and hang out with friends. They took a walk on the hiking trails to be alone. It was evening, but not dark. In the summer it stayed light longer. Sitting on a log, they made out for a long time. When she looked down Joey's erection looked bigger than ever. He usually wore jeans, but neither had changed, although she had denim shorts on over her bikini bottoms. His hand had found her small breasts. She had touched him before, but it felt different under the light quick dry fabric instead of his thick jeans. He groaned, and he moved his mouth to her breast. She was certain she would have a wet spot on her shorts.

A mosquito buzzed around and she swatted it. "Let's go someplace else."

Jonathan had driven them, so the car wasn't an option. At the end of the trail back on the beach, kids had coupled up. Trish saw beer bottles and smelled marajuana. She was straight laced with substances. Joey was her drug. He grabbed their bags with dry clothes and pulled her into the ladies' room. On one side were toilet stalls, and the other side had showers and curtained off changing areas.

She giggled because he belonged in the men's room, but his mouth stopped her. As they kissed, he undressed her. She had never been naked with him. When he let his erection out, she couldn't look away. They had been fooling around for months, including his hand in her pants making her squirm.

His finger dipped in and out of her as he whispered, "I have a condom."

She didn't feel guilty or worry about being caught, all she wanted was to feel him and be as close as possible. In the end it was awkward with her back pressed into the shower wall and him cupping her butt cheeks as he moved in and out of her. He grunted, but it didn't feel the same as his finger. That part took time, but Joey learned to make her come. The first time was in the backseat of her mother's car. They had sex wherever they could until they had dorm rooms.

Trish couldn't imagine being naked with either Putty or Jonathan on top of her. She would prefer a stranger. Her mind flashed to a smile. A stranger or the one guy she would never see again.

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