“Are you okay?” Vanessa asked as she patted Lucie on the back. “I told you not to drink the red punch when you’re wearing a white dress. It’s too risky. You should be drinking club soda or water.”
Lucie set the punch on the table in front of her and glanced down at her floor-length satin sheath dress with a sigh. Next year she’d have to make friends with someone on the decorations committee so she wouldn’t end up looking like part of the furnishings. Good thing she’d picked up a bit of color at the beach last weekend so at least she was visible above the strapless bodice. Still, she felt indistinguishable from her snow-white surroundings, blending in where others shined.
And wasn’t that just a metaphor for her life.
She looked over at her best friend who’d been kind enough to come as her date since Lucie had purchased two tickets a month ago with the hope of bringing Reid. Vanessa was of course radiant with her wild red-gold hair tamed in a French twist and an emerald gown that looked dyed to match the exact shade of her eyes. She drew the attention of every man in the room effortlessly. Ever the yin to her yang.
“Remind me again why you couldn’t just use my ticket and bring one of the guys from the firm with you?” Lucie asked as she scanned the room dejectedly.
“Ah. That, my dear, is because you have an inherent inability to say ‘no’ to people and agreed to be put up for auction like a piece of meat,” she said a little too cheerfully.
“Oh right. That.”
At the mention of the Date-A-Doc Auction Lucie’s stomach performed acrobatics worthy of an Olympic Gold. The auction—where guests at the ball could bid on members of the hospital staff for a date—was always the biggest fundraiser of the entire event. Lucie had never been asked to participate before, nor had she wanted to be. Unfortunately, one of the female residents came down with mono the week before and Sandy, the head nurse who embodied every depiction of Mrs. Claus ever known, begged Lucie to take her place.
The sound of a microphone clicking on and being tapped a few times poured from the large speakers at the head of the room where a stage had been erected for the event. “Can I have everyone’s attention?”
Speak of the devil.
A jovial Sandy in a lovely pale blue gown stood center stage with the auction program in hand.
“Oh, God,” Lucie muttered while holding a hand to her stomach.
“Come on,” Vanessa said, grabbing her by the hand. “Let’s go find Kyle and Eric, hold up the bar, and get you well and properly buzzed on clear alcohol until your number’s up.”
“Until my number’s up?” she repeated, incredulous, then relaxed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you mean until it’s my turn.”
“Duh-uh,” Vanessa said with a giggle.
“Actually, what you said is a rather appropriate turn of phrase considering how I feel. Lead the way, oh, wise one.”
For the next half hour Vanessa and the guys stood with Lucie and watched as men and women were called up one by one to the stage and asked to stand there as a short bio was read of their interests and hobbies like a cheesy rendition of Love Connection.
All night Lucie had managed to steer clear of Stephen. After Reid had broken her heart and solidified her theory that incompatible couples were doomed, she’d gone on one more date with him. Though she knew it was more out of spite than still believing she loved the handsome surgeon, she’d done her best to note his good qualities to prove that she could be at the very least content with him as a partner in marriage and life, should things go that far.
But by the end of the night, all she’d managed was comparing every little thing he did or said to Reid. And as she expected, Stephen fell woefully short on every level. She’d even let him kiss her at the end, hoping that a spark of chemistry would make up for other areas where he lacked. But it had only proved that kissing Stephen Mann was as exciting as pressing her lips to a CPR mannequin, which had also reminded her that her certification was due for a re-up. So at least it hadn’t been a total loss.
Despite how badly it hurt, Lucie couldn’t bring herself to regret falling in love with Reid. The few weeks they’d spent together had been the best weeks of her life. He’d taught her so much about herself and how to live life instead of simply watching from the sidelines. She was more confident, more comfortable in her own skin, and she owed that all to him.
So after a full week of crying into countless pints of Cherry Garcia ice cream—and a home intervention by Nessie and the boys—she’d picked herself up, brushed herself off, and looked to the future with her head held high.
Her biggest problem now was that she and Stephen had done a complete role reversal. After that date she’d told him that it just wasn’t going to work out. He countered with ideas of grandeur of what their life could be like and asked her on another date. To the hospital ball. The very thing she’d wanted from the beginning.