Her blue eyes dance with amusement. "You keep spacing out on me. You're either preoccupied or I'm really boring."
"No, you're not boring at all." I stand up and her hand slides off of my leg. A slight frown crosses her face before she looks at me, the smile firmly back in place. "I'm just preoccupied, that’s all. What were you saying?"
She steps toward me. Holy fuck, she's bold. "I asked if I could maybe go out with you and your friends sometime. You know, to get out and meet some new people outside of work." She raises her eyebrows in question and gently bites her lower lip, but what sets off the alarm bells in my head is the hopeful look in her eyes. No way in hell am I going to do anything to mess up the groundwork I've laid with Harley. I hate to be a dick, but Avery needs to know that I'm not interested.
I step back, leaning a hip against the desk. "Sure, we could go out sometime," I say nonchalantly. "I'd be happy to introduce you to some of my friends."
"Great," she says, her smile growing even brighter than it already was. "I can't wait."
I rub my hand against the back of my neck and divert my eyes. Fuck, I hope this doesn't come out wrong. "Avery, you and I are friends...and if we go out, it will be just as friends."
Her face falls but she quickly recovers, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. "Oh. Umm, yeah." She nods slowly. "Absolutely. I wasn't...are you dating someone?" she asks, tilting her head.
I appreciate her audacity. I wish every woman would say what she is really thinking or ask for what she wants. "No, I'm not, but there is someone that I really care about."
Her eyes soften in understanding and her hand grazes my arm lightly. "She's a very lucky woman." Running her hands down the front of her scrubs, she takes a deep breath and sighs before stepping back. "I better get back to work."
I reach in my pocket as she walks down the hall. All this talk has me thinking about Harley. It makes me happy, knowing that she's in the hospital and I could run into her at any time. Pulling up my contact list, I click on Harley's name. I wonder if she ever changed her number? Only one way to find out.
Me: Did you enjoy your tea?
What I really want to say is 'you looked amazing the other night,’ but I don't want to scare her off so I'll stick with the tea.
I make sure my phone is on silent and shove it back in my pocket. "Callie, who's up next?"
I spend the next forty minutes examining an elderly gentleman with chest pain. "Callie, Mr. Pierce is going to be a direct admit to cardio. I've already talked to Dr. Davis and he's writing orders now."
"I'm on it." Callie is a great nurse, but she's not very talkative and prefers keeping to herself. "You're free for a little bit, Dr. Grawe. Dr. Pierce took the next patient."
"Thanks," I murmur, pulling out my phone on my way back to the break room. I unlock the screen and my heart pounds at the sight of her name.
Harley: Who is this??
What does she mean, "Who is this?" How many people does she have buying her tea?
Me: Are there other doctors bringing you tea? Give me names so I can kick their asses!
I pour myself a cup of coffee, anticipating her reply. My phone lights up almost instantly.
Harley: How did you get my number?
Me: Shot in the dark. You never changed it. Have lunch with me.
I stir my coffee impatiently, hoping that she'll say yes.
Harley: I can't.
Me: Why not?
Harley: I would but I brought something. I was going to eat on the run.
Me: What did you bring?
My knees bounce nervously under the table. I stare at my phone for a full minute before I realize what I'm doing. Jesus Christ, when did I grow a fucking vagina?
Harley: I brought a pack of dog nuts to eat.
Me: Uhh... that's an interesting lunch choice. Do you cook them or eat them raw?