Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Physically, he was in his office on Monday morning at 10:05, but mentally, Ford was a thousand miles away. Specifically, in a little corner of Brooklyn with a dark-haired, blue-eyed man who’d stolen his heart. Their weekend together had been perfect, but saying good-bye to Nico at the airport the night before had been bittersweet, and he’d lingered in his car, trying to recapture the unique taste of Nico’s kisses.

As he’d made Nico promise him, he’d texted Ford when he landed and was home.

You know, only my mother makes me do this.

Smiling, Ford answered: Because both of us love you. I miss you already.

Miss you too. Tell me what happens after you talk to the lawyer.

His patients came and went in a steady stream, and by lunchtime, he was grateful for the break. His lawyer, Art Heron, called as he finished his lunch. Ford had placed a call early that morning and left a message.

“Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”

Art had handled the split with Lenny and the division of their property, and was well aware of the person they were dealing with.

“I have to tell you, Ford, this was not on my bingo card of shit your ex was going to pull. Do you think he knew this guy isn’t a doctor?”

As much as he and Lenny were strangers now, Ford wanted to believe there was some good in him. Simply for the fact that he’d spent almost half his life believing himself to be in love with the man.

“I want to say no. For all that Lenny is a piece of shit in his personal life, he is a good doctor and does value the practice. But aside from that, what do you suggest I do?”

“Get while the getting is good. Seriously, this could blow up in your face at any moment. If you want, I can contact Lenny’s attorney and start dissolution proceedings.”

“Can we do that, even though it’s a partnership?”

“Hold on a sec.” Art hummed under his breath. “Yes, there’s a clause here that allows one partner to dissolve the practice if it’s found that the other partner engages in any practice or behavior that has or may bring the goodwill of the business in disrepute.” A humorless laugh escaped him. “I think this is about as disreputable as one can get. And he can claim he didn’t know, but Lenny was the one who brought him in, and as such will have to fall on the sword.”

He hated what was happening, yet tears pricked his eyes at the thought of their hard work gone, as if it had never existed. He heard loud voices outside his door, and sensing a confrontation was about to occur, he ended the conversation.

“Thanks, Art. I guess, start the paper work and get back to me?”

“We’ll need to hire a forensic accountant. I don’t trust Lenny—he’ll try and pay you off with a million dollars and think that’ll suffice.”

Ford blinked. “Uh, okay. I have no idea what the practice is actually worth.”

“Trust me, Ford. When we get through, you’re going to be a wealthy man.”

As soon as the conversation ended, his door slammed open, and Lenny, eyes spitting fire, stormed inside. Marisol and Adriana hovered behind him in the hallway, wide-eyed and scared.

“Lemme tell you, if you even think of calling the police on Jose, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” His eyes narrowed. “You are unbelievable. You have the goddamn nerve to talk to me about Nico when you’re busy screwing this guy who pretends to be a doctor.”

“I didn’t know,” Lenny whined. “I met him at a convention in California, and we hooked up for the weekend. He said he wanted to move to the East Coast and join a practice. I didn’t think—”

“Yeah, you did, except it was with your dick and not your brain. You idiot. Do you realize the trouble we’re in because you can’t keep it in your pants?”

“It’ll be okay.”

“Why? You think your family can smooth this over with their money?” Ford barked out a laugh. “He’ll be lucky if he’s not arrested for pretending to be a doctor. And you for facilitation.” Proud for not revealing his nerves, Ford crossed his arms. “Hmm. I think that’s a felony. He’ll probably do jail time.” Of course, Ford had no idea what he was talking about, but he wanted to hurt Lenny for all the pain he caused.

“Jail time? Are you fucking kidding me?” If it wasn’t for his life imploding, it would’ve been comical to see Lenny’s eyes bug out of his head. The man rarely lost his cool—even during the scandal, he was able to make jokes. “I’ll take over his patients, and he’ll assist me. No one has to know.”

The sheer audacity of Lenny’s nonchalance took Ford’s breath away. It made his choice that much easier.

“He must be great in bed for you to risk your license. But I don’t give a damn what happens to you anymore, Lenny. You made your bed when you shared it with every guy who waved his dick at you. I’ve contacted my attorney, and I plan on taking steps to dissolve our partnership.”

“Wha-what?” Lenny’s voice cracked before he reasserted himself. “You’re not serious.”

“Watch me,” he said, the confidence in his decision growing with each passing minute. “I don’t know why I continued to work with you as it is. My attorney thought I was foolish, and Nico couldn’t understand it.”

“Nico?” Lenny sneered. “Your fuckboy?”

Ford rose, his hands balled into fists, and advanced on Lenny. He itched to smash them in Lenny’s face, but he refrained. “I don’t owe you any explanation.”

Nasty Lenny returned with that smirk Ford despised. “Your little Wise Guy plow you good this weekend? Is that why you’re feeling so cocky?” He snickered. “So to speak. He’ll grow tired of your boring vanilla ass as soon as he finds a richer sugar daddy. And he will because you’re not going to bleed me dry from this.” Lenny’s handsome face twisted into a mask of ugliness. “I’ll see you in court.” Breathing heavily, he opened the door.

“I’ll see you in hell first,” Ford answered and slammed it shut behind him. Shaking with anger, Ford slumped in his chair. How did it come to this? He’d given Lenny so much—his virginity, twenty years of his life, and most of all, his love and trust. While he’d never regret the choices he’d made, Ford did resent the wasted years of loving Lenny without Lenny loving him in return.

Everything happened for a reason, though, and if he’d never met Lenny, he wouldn’t have been in this practice where he was asked to be an expert witness. He wouldn’t have needed to be in New York City to meet with the lawyers. And most importantly, he never would’ve met Nico.

Nico.

A smile curved his lips. God, he missed him already. The red haze of anger melted away the longer his thoughts lingered on their weekend. He could almost hear that husky growl in his ear giving his opinion on what to do about Lenny.

Nico had that blunt, no-nonsense way of looking at life. He was a black-and-white kind of man—he loved with his whole heart, and if you hurt him or anyone he cared about, you no longer existed in his world.

His intercom buzzed. “Dr. St. Claire, your next patient is here. Mrs. Morrison is in Room 2.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and drew in a deep breath. He had to be grateful for the distraction of a busy schedule. Since he couldn’t be with Nico, work was the next best thing to keep him occupied and forget about the shit storm about to rain down on him.

“I’ll be right in.”

**

Friday found him at dinner with Art, who was being very patient and understanding as he walked him through the contract. The week had been long and arduous, with Lenny calling him throughout, making veiled threats, but Ford ignored him. As far as he was concerned, Lenny’s actions showed his desperation. Art agreed, and a wry grin tipped his lips, softening his normally stern features.

“Maybe next time you’ll listen to me and not stay in business with your ex. I know you thought you could handle Lenny, but now you can see he’s a loose cannon.”

“You’re right. I’d hoped the different schedules would work and we could coexist. It’s just that we worked so hard to get the practice to flourish, and now it’s all in the toilet.” That suffocating feeling of failure, something he’d thought he’d beaten after going to college and medical school, sent its ugly tendrils up to choke him. Success was an illusion. “Everything we accomplished, wiped out.” Morose, he finished his martini, and for the first time, seriously considered getting drunk.

“Don’t think of it that way. It’s a chance for a fresh start—new beginnings. You have opportunities. You’re young.”

“Maybe.” Earlier in the day he’d received word that Mr. Rosenstein had entered hospice, so Art’s words had little effect on his bleak mood.

“Definitely. From my review of the business records, you’ll end up with around two million dollars, which should enable you to either buy into an existing practice or start from scratch. I’ve spoken with Lenny’s attorney, and he’s working on the details of the dissolution.”

“Like getting him to agree?” It was his turn to fake a smile. “If I know anything, it’s that Lenny will be fighting it every step of the way. He hates to lose.”

“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll sign off,” Art said darkly. He closed his iPad case and slipped it into his briefcase. “I doubt he’ll want an investigation into his business practices. I predict it’ll be done within the month.”

Ford hoped so because the last thing he wanted was a protracted court fight. The holidays were on the horizon, and he’d been invited to spend them with Nico and his family. He’d hoped to have it all settled.

At home and ready for bed, he placed his nightly call to Nico, who listened carefully to everything Ford relayed about his meeting with Art.

“So by the end of the year, you and Lenny should be kaput, right? You can tell him to fuck off.”

Despite his sour mood, Ford’s lips twitched. He loved Nico’s no-bullshit way of laying it out there. Ford missed him so much, he wished it were possible to reach out and touch him. Damn technology. Why hadn’t they made that possible yet?

“Yes. The practice will close. I’ll have to start planning what to do next—where to relocate and informing my patients. I feel saddest about losing the staff, especially my assistant, Marisol. She’s been with me for years.”

Uncharacteristically quiet and serious, Nico leaned closer to the screen. “Why not make a really big move? Come to New York.”

“New York? You mean, move there?”

“Yeah,” Nico answered softly. “Move here and live with me.”

Ford blinked. “I hadn’t considered that,” he answered cautiously.

Nico’s face fell. “I guess it makes sense. All your patients are there. If you came here, it’d be like starting over. I get it.” He forced a smile. “Listen, I gotta go. Early morning tours, and the trains are all fucked up as usual. I’m sure you’ll figure out where to go and how to do it. You’re smart.”

“Wait. Are you angry with me because I didn’t say yes?”

“Nah. I get it. Don’t worry about it, Doc.” Nico blew him a kiss. “Talk to you soon.”

Before he could answer, Nico had ended their call. Automatically, Ford went to reconnect, but held off to think. They hadn’t ended the conversation with an “I love you.” Ford blew out a heavy sigh and headed out to his place of peace—the terrace—and sat on the chaise, his mind not on the glittering lights over the water, but on the conversation he’d had.

“It’s not as simple as Nico thinks. All my patients are here—my connections. My medical license. My entire professional life.”

Why did it sound like he was making excuses not to be with Nico? A good boyfriend would jump at the opportunity to live together—after all, he’d already asked Nico on his last visit to leave his life in New York and be with him. They’d discussed why Nico couldn’t move, and Ford had understood. Now Nico had lobbed the ball back in his court, and Ford had resisted without half as good a reason.

“He can’t expect me to just walk away from my livelihood.” That argument didn’t sound nearly as valid when reasoned out loud. “And yet I had no qualms about asking him to leave his job and family behind, along with the restaurant, to be with me.” Ford hated to think that the reason he hesitated was he believed his work mattered more than Nico’s. Had he become elitist? He winced at the thought.

“He had every right to feel upset. I’m the one who said no.”

With the weekend looming, Ford knew he should start looking at listings of practices for sale, or medical office space to buy. Starting fresh at the age of forty-two was a scary thought—as a kid he didn’t have enough life experience to be scared when Lenny suggested they open their own office straight out of med school, only a driving need to put as much distance between himself and his rundown past. He went along with whatever Lenny said to make him happy.

Having grown up with a mother who abused him and cared little about his welfare, Ford had learned to put his needs second because to speak up or to ask for what he wanted made him a target. It had left him mute in the face of Lenny’s subtle digs at his lack of upbringing and trailer-park background, giving Lenny a free pass for his indiscretions.

The enormity of what he’d have to face in the days and weeks ahead weighed heavily on his shoulders. First thing Monday morning, he’d speak with Marisol. She deserved to know the future of the practice. As much as he wanted to keep her, he couldn’t expect her to stay while he was searching for a new place and getting settled. He would give her a very generous severance and hope she’d be okay.

Ford spent a few more minutes scrolling, but his heart wasn’t in it, and he set his phone down, wondering instead what Nico was doing and thinking. He picked up his phone again. There was still time to remedy his mistake.