The room collectively held its breath.
Erin continued to exhibit calm, despite the fact Hong-Wei knew the man was terrified. “I believe we’ll speak right here.”
The only thing giving John Jean away was the barest flicker of flint in his gaze before he smoothed his expression back in place. “Very well. Where is our president? I don’t see him in your little… collective.”
“I’m here.”
Nick stood in the doorway of the cafeteria, Jared at his elbow. Nick looked as wan as Erin, but he too was composed in the kind of way men were when resigned to their death. Nick said something to Jared, then waded through the throng to stand behind Erin.
John Jean turned on the CEO. “Are you part of today’s shenanigans?”
Nick’s expression remained calm. “I stand by rescinding the policy and the position of looking for ways to retain employees, yes.”
The fact that he couldn’t control the situation was clearly irking John Jean, and he wasn’t able to hide his ire under his usual veneer. “Since you acted without consulting us, I assume this means the two of you are content with being removed from your positions?”
“If you remove them, we’re removing you.”
Hong-Wei didn’t know who called the threat—the voice sounded familiar, but that made sense since he knew pretty much everyone in the room—and before he could attempt to place the first speaker, other calls joined in. It took less than fifteen seconds for the throng to tip toward being out of control, but then Rebecca’s sharp voice cut across the room, via the microphone the cook used to call out special orders.
“Ladies and gentlemen who have come out here today in concern for your hospital—thank you. To the human resources director and CEO who saw this clearly important need and took it upon themselves to act—thank you. And to the longtime members of the St. Ann’s board who have worked so hard for so many years to make this hospital the great institution it is today, who had the wisdom and vision to hire people such as Nick Beckert and Erin Andreas and to recruit doctors such as Dr. Wu, who made this hospital a place people like my wife and Dr. Gagnon and Dr. Kumpel and Simon Lane would come home to instead of taking their talents away from Copper Point—to this board I give my most heartfelt thanks, because without this foundation, we couldn’t stand here today. A round of applause, please, for all these people.”
The room became a thunderous echo of people clapping, except for Nick, Erin, and the board, who stood in stony silence. John Jean shifted his glare to Rebecca.
Hong-Wei bit his lip to stop his grin.
Rebecca continued looking so smooth and professional in her suit and wine-red lipstick, her dark hair and brown skin and her youth a beautiful contrast to the white hair and wrinkled pale skin of the board members who had come out in their old-man khakis and golf shirts. “We’ve had our rocky moments at St. Ann’s and in Copper Point. But together, I know we can make this a great future.” Smiling a smile that could eat John Jean’s for breakfast, she met the president of the board’s gaze head-on. “We don’t need to talk about firing anyone or driving any of our doctors away. And so long as we can all agree to work together, for the future, for each other, there’s no need to talk of voting anyone out.”
“But we’re all voting for you,” someone called from the back, and the room erupted into applause again.
Rebecca put a hand on her chest as if that was the last thing she’d been thinking of. “I do appreciate the thought. But I’m not campaigning here today. I only wanted to speak up for my wife’s place of employment, and for the town I love so much.”
John Jean murmured something to the rest of the board, and they quietly filed out of the room, past at least fifteen smartphones that had been streaming Rebecca’s speech live to different social media outlets. As the room became a blur of sound and chatter and people closed in on them, Owen leaned in to speak in Hong-Wei’s ear.
“I’m pretty sure you could reschedule those surgeries you cancelled for tomorrow, because I’m thinking you don’t need that interview any longer.”
Hong-Wei drew Simon to his side and kissed his cheek, shutting his eyes as he inhaled in a breath of his scent. “No. I really don’t.”
Chapter Seventeen
December
SIMON WAS in the kitchen, lifting the lid to his pot and biting his lip as he worried over the contents, when Hong-Wei opened the door to their apartment, took one whiff, and groaned aloud.
“Oh my God.” He hung up his coat, kicked off his shoes, and stepped into his slippers before stumbling across the floor to the kitchen as if in a drugged haze. “That’s beef noodle soup. That’s my grandmother’s beef noodle soup.”
Simon’s heart beat faster when Hong-Wei came up beside him, hovering over Simon’s shoulder as he peered into the pot. “It is. She gave me the recipe when we visited, and while you were out with your parents, Hong-Su and your grandmother gave me some tips on how to make it. We didn’t have time to go through it ourselves, but Hong-Su Skyped with me as I did test batches at Kathryn and Rebecca’s house. I can’t promise it’s exactly right, but I’ve done the best I can, and I’ll keep trying to do better.”
“You did test batches?” Hong-Wei stuck his face deeper into the pot. “Oh, it smells exactly right. Let me have some.”
Simon swatted him away and put the lid back on the pot. “It’s not ready yet, and besides, we need to wait for the others to get here.”
Hong-Wei looked horrified. “You mean I have to share?”
Simon gestured to the twenty-four-quart stockpot. “We have more than enough.”
“You seriously underestimate how much of that soup I can eat.” Hong-Wei drew Simon into his embrace, looping his arms around Simon’s waist. “Fine, but I’m not sharing you.”
Simon draped his arms around Hong-Wei’s neck and kissed his lips. “How was practice?”
“Good. Ram is all excited because he found some competition he thinks we can clean up in. I’m going to have to find surgical coverage, but if they hire a second surgeon in time, it’ll be easy.”
“Sounds like fun. Did you find a time when we can have the quartet over?”
“Probably not until after the first of the year. Ram has to be with his family over break, and Andrea is traveling too. They all have finals coming up as well, and end-of-semester grading.”
“Well, keep telling them to find open weekends, and we’ll cook something.”
Hong-Wei peered over Simon’s shoulder at the pot, a look of yearning on his face. “I still can’t believe you made beef noodle soup.”
“Of course I did. You’ve been craving it since I met you. I only hope it lives up to your expectations.”
Hong-Wei smiled and stroked Simon’s cheek. “It’s coming from you. That’s more than enough.”
They set the table together and selected the wine, though Simon had to keep a close eye on the kitchen because Hong-Wei was determined to sneak a bite of the soup. Simon had bread warming in the oven as well, and a salad tossed and waiting in the fridge. Hong-Su had suggested the recipes for both, saying they went well with the soup.
“I ran into Rebecca at the grocery store.” Simon set a spoon beside a knife. “She says the board meeting was almost boring this time. Not even one of them murmured well, I never. I think she was disappointed.”
“They don’t know what to do with a self-possessed woman. They haven’t seen one in the flesh, only read about them in scary stories.”
“They have one living among them now. I think she’s trying to get Amanda to run for the seat opening up in six months. They’re terrified.”
“Oh, my. Two women, both of color. Whatever will they do?”
“Sit back and take it.” Simon sighed. “I invited Erin to dinner, but he declined again.”
Hong-Wei tweaked his nose. “Wear him down like water on a stone. It’s how I won you, after all.”
Simon snorted and kissed Hong-Wei’s chin. “No, you came after me like a CEO in an Asian
drama.”
The doorbell rang in the middle of their kiss, and Simon pulled away reluctantly, shaking an admonishing finger at his fiancé. “Keep setting the table. Leave my soup alone.”
Hong-Wei glowered and continued to lay out plates. Simon watched him all the way to the door.
He was swept up in Owen’s embrace as soon as he opened it, and when he was done yelping to be put down, he had to nag Owen and Jared to remove their shoes. He was in the middle of handing them the guest slippers when he heard the clatter of metal and the sound of Hong-Wei’s moan from the kitchen. As soon as he turned around, he saw Hong-Wei with a spoon dangling from his hand as he sank against the side of the counter, an expression of ecstasy on his face.
Simon dropped the slippers and stalked back to the kitchen. “Wu Hong-Wei, I asked you to wait!”
Ignoring this burst of outrage, Hong-Wei set aside the dish and took hold of both of Simon’s hands. “Simon Lane, will you marry me?”
Simon huffed. “Yes, in June.” Unable to stand it any longer, he let out a hesitant breath. “So… how was it?”
“You take incredible notes. If you make it a few more times at my grandmother’s elbow, I’ll never know the difference.”
Simon blushed from his head to his toes. “Now stop, don’t feed me lies.”
“It’s nothing but the truth. This soup seals the deal. You’re the man for me. The only man for me.”
As Simon beamed with pride, Hong-Wei caught Simon in his arms and swept him off his feet, dipping him gracefully to the side. Simon looped his hands behind Hong-Wei’s head, ignoring the catcalls of his best friends, enjoying yet another romantic moment with his perfect hero.
His man, his one and only. Forever.
More from Heidi Cullinan
Sometimes family chooses you.
At forty, Vincent “Vinnie” Fierro is still afraid to admit he might be gay—even to himself. It’ll be a problem for his big, fat Italian family. Still, after three failed marriages, it’s getting harder to ignore what he really wants.
Vinnie attempts some self-exploration in Chicago’s Boystown bars, far from anyone who knows him. Naturally, he runs smack into someone from the neighborhood.
Between working two jobs, going to school, taking care of his grandmother, and dealing with his mother’s ongoing substance abuse, Trey Giles has little time for fun, let alone dating someone who swears he’s straight. Yet after one night of dancing cheek-to-cheek, Trey agrees to let Vinnie court him and see if he truly belongs on this side of the fence—though Trey intends to keep his virginity intact.
It seems like a solid plan, but nothing is simple when family is involved. When Vinnie’s family finds out about their relationship, the situation is sticky enough, but when Trey’s mother goes critical, Vinnie and Trey must decide whose happiness is most important—their families’ or their own.
HEIDI CULLINAN has always enjoyed a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. Proud to be from the first Midwestern state with full marriage equality, Heidi writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s no such thing as too much happily ever after. Heidi is a two-time RITA® finalist, and her books have been recommended by Library Journal, USA Today, RT Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading romance and manga, playing with her cats, and watching too much anime.
Visit Heidi’s website at www.heidicullinan.com.
You can contact her at [email protected].
By Heidi Cullinan
With Marie Sexton: Family Man
COPPER POINT MEDICAL
The Doctor’s Secret
TUCKER SPRINGS
By L.A. Witt: Where Nerves End
With Marie Sexton: Second Hand
Dirty Laundry
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Doctor’s Secret
© 2019 Heidi Cullinan.
Cover Art
© 2019 Kanaxa.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-854-6
Mass Market Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-100-9
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64080-855-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018943361
Digital published April 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
The Doctor's Secret Page 28
