Page 12 of Hell On Heels
Razor nodded, giving Ms. Pricher a reassuring smile as he took over the examination. Lottie quietly stepped back, preparing herself for the patient.
As she glanced over the list, she mentally braced for the hustle ahead. It was only a matter of time before Razor would check in to see if she was keeping pace. He always kept a sharp eye on everything, especially on days like this when the clinic was busy.
Still, even with the never-ending stream of tasks and patients, Lottie found a certain rhythm to it all, a rhythm that felt like second nature after all this time.
"Alright, Ms. Pricher, I think you’re fine, just a little indigestion,” Dr. Clermont said, finishing up his notes. Standing up, Razor let the patient know that Nurse McDaniels would be in shortly to take her to the front.
Opening the door he dropped the file in the box and let Lottie know the patient was ready to go.
Lottie opened the door, “Right this way, Ms. Pricher.”
Holding the door open, she stepped back waiting for the patient to walk with her to the front. As she did, her stomach gave a small grumble, reminding her that she missed her opportunity to eat a donut.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of patients and appointments, but her thoughts kept returning to that fleeting moment with Razor when he brought her home. It was a quiet storm building inside her. A mix of attraction, curiosity, and the certainty that nothing would ever happen. At least, not unless something inside her brain decided to switch gears.
As lunch approached, she found herself standing by the breakroom door watching the small group of nurses chat and laugh. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt completely relaxed in her own skin, but for now, the only thing that mattered was getting through the day. Still, a part of her couldn't shake the feeling that, sooner or later, something would happen. And maybe it wasn’t just work she was distracting herself from.
“Nurse McDaniels, I need to speak with you.” Razor tapped a patient folder against his hip.
“Now?”
“Yes. Now.”
Sighing, Lottie followed Razor towards the office. She ran through all the patients they’d seen that morning and couldn’t think of anything she’d missed or done wrong.
But the way he held the red folder firmly, tapping it ever so slightly against his hip, made her think she’d screwed up something.
Razor pushed the office door open and held it. “Come in and have a seat.”
She wanted to be flippant, but didn’t have it in her. She’d listen to the lecture she was sure was coming and go back to work.
Dropping into an empty chair, she watched him move around the room then skirt the desk with ease. The red folder slapped against the wood as he dropped it on the desk. The sound was stark against the quiet of the room.
Razor took a seat as he stared at Lottie. He needed her to talk to him. If not him, someone. “How are you?”
Lottie raised an eyebrow at him. “Is this an evaluation or have I done something wrong?”
“I’d like to think we’re friends and that if you needed to talk to someone… you’d come to me.”
Lottie laughed. She hadn’t meant to but damn, the man was trying to be her friend and her counselor.
“I told you thanks for driving me home. I don’t have anything to talk about… with you.”
Razor nodded his head. “Why were you at the hotel?”
“Why don’t you ask Hemlock?”
He knew she was trying to get a reaction. “Hemlock was with a woman, and it wasn’t you.”
Okay, if he wanted to pry into her life she would let him. Lottie was sure Razor didn’t want to know all about her escapades with other men—attempted escapades, she reminded herself.
“Do you really want to know?”
Keeping his face void of emotion he nodded. “I asked, didn’t I?”
Lottie crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. “I met a guy there.”
“Where was he when we arrived?”
