Page 21 of Beating Heart
I hadn’t been out in so long. I wasn’t sure I was up for that much socializing.
“I’m working late on Friday, so I’m not sure I’ll be up for it. But I’ll keep it in mind.” I held up my coffee. “I need to get to work. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
They both shouted their goodbyes, and I heard Peyton saying something about getting my phone number and Demi telling her to back off and stop being pushy.
I sucked in a long breath once Winnie and I were outside, and I made my way to work.
“You look nice today, not that you don’t every day, but I don’t know… something’s a little different today,” Lana said as she waggled her brows.
“What?” I said, looking down at my dark, dressy jeans and blouse, which weren’t that out of the ordinary for me. I usually shifted between dresses and pants and skirts, but it didn’t really matter once the lab coat was on. “I look the same as I always do.”
“Nope. Your cheeks are kind of flushed, and your hair looks a little bouncier.” She eyed my shoes. “Those have those red soles, don’t they? You brought out the fancy shoes!”
I was laughing hard. “I just thought they’d be fun with this outfit.”
So maybe I took a little more time getting ready today, knowing I’d be seeing Nash. Not for any particular reason. He was just a good-looking man, and I didn’t mind the way his eyes raked over me that night I’d had a beer with him. So yeah, a girl needs a boost every now and then, and he had a way of making me feel… boosted.
When he wasn’t growling or annoyed with me, that is.
“Your first patient is Cutler ‘Beefcake’ Heart. You know all the single women in town are obsessed with his father,” Lana said, stretching out the Beefcake part and handing me Cutler’s file. The kid was definitely going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up. He had all the women under his spell already.
“Really? Is he that good-looking? I hadn’t noticed.” I smirked, and her head fell back in laughter.
“Sure, you didn’t. You haven’t told me, even though I’ve tried like hell to pry it out of you… do you have a special someone back home?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m single. And the only relationship I want at the moment is one with myself.”
She raised a brow. “Ohhhh… do tell. Those are words of a woman scorned.”
“Nothing to tell. Just dated the wrong guy and am happy to be single and on my own right now.”
“I get it. Before I met Carver, I dated this absolute jerk. I don’t know what I was thinking back then. But once I kicked his ass to the curb, I met my sweet husband. It can happen when you aren’t even looking for it.”
“Well, then, it would have to bite me in the ass because not only am I not looking, I’m making a conscious effort to stay the hell away from all men for a while.”
“I guess he really did a number on you.” Her gaze softened, and all the humor was gone. I hated that. When I showed how hurt I was. It made me feel weak. I was already dealing with being blindsided, but I sure as hell was not weak.
My head was held high. My heart was still beating. And I’d proven I could survive just about anything.
“Well, I would say he surprised me with who he was. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that being on my own has been really nice, and I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a long time. So maybe I was settling all along, you know?”
“I get that.”
“All right, I need to go reply to a few emails and get my doctor coat on.” I chuckled and knocked on the counter twice. “Let me know when they get here.”
I called for Winnie to follow me as I opened the back door, and she ran out to the yard, dropping down to lie beneath her favorite tree.
I spent the next thirty minutes responding to emails and reading about some new asthma treatments that were working well for kids. I jotted down some notes just as Petra knocked on the door to let me know that Cutler and Nash were in room one.
“Nash said Cutler has been coughing a bit this morning, and he was glad they had an appointment already scheduled today so that you could listen to his chest.”
I nodded. I was happy he hadn’t thrown a fit that Doc wasn’t here. He was here for a follow-up, and I was glad he wasn’t fighting me about doing it. Doc wanted to retire, and he’d earned it. But he felt guilty completely walking away, so he was doing this the only way he felt comfortable, and he still popped in twice a week.
“Okay, I’ll head in there now. Thank you, Petra.”
“Don’t tell anyone, but Cutler’s my favorite. I think he’s everyone’s favorite. And for good reason.” She winked and handed me his file, and I walked down to room one.
“Hey there,” I said when I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.
