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I met his eyes across the candlelit table covered in rose petals “I get nervous when I talk to big groups of people”

“You did fine ere at the university”

“The university?” hisbetween us

I nodded “We basically fought over which is the better career path: art or the sciences I won” I grinned

He scoffed “If anything, it was a tie, but that is only because you brought up the 'you need ot at least a few of them to see reason and come over to my side Remember how kinda cool I am?”

I clapped slowly for him “I tell you that you are a decent doctor one time and—”

“It soundedto my ears” He drank his water

“And it goes to your big, egotistical head Sorry, Mrs Davenport,” I said to her After all, the fathead was her son

“No” She s between the two of us “It actually reminds me of when I met his father The man could praise hi you there is no better doctor than me in this state Meryl, did you see how fast I laid that stitch?' Oh, gosh I didn’t call hiotistical, I called him Dr Brainiac”

I thought about it for a second “Isn’t that a super-villain in the DC comics?”

“That’s why it annoyed hiled

So did I I didn’t knohy it was that funny, but just seeing her laugh so happily at her memories felt nice Wasn’t that as nors?

“What did he call you back?” Eli asked softly, watching her as he drank his scotch

Leaning over, she put her hand on his arm “You know, I never found out I’ in his head, but no matter what, when he was cross he would just say Meryl, like I exhausted hiht”

“My father just lass “My ot to do, or so he totally messed up, and he would just sit in his chair and watch her as she tried to fix it, which rier, and then he would look to uess what her next words were When I was a teenager, I would wonder, 'Why is he just sitting there? Moonna lose it’ Then I realized he just knew her too well My s to be done a particular way The best help he can offer is to keep his hands off and wait until she actually gives him directions”