“Nurse Georgia? Do I have the right phone number?” I went cold at the voice on the other line.How in the hell did he get my number?
“Hunter?”
“Yeah, hey. Man, I’m glad this is the right number. I was worried there for a second I’d gotten a dud.”
Questions ran through my mind, but the most prominent of them all jumped to the tip of my tongue. “Who gave you my number?”
“Nurse Dakota.”
“I’m going to kill her,” I muttered under my breath, only to tune in again when I realized he was still talking.
“—so, I showed her. I figured it was a good enough deal.” I could only imagine what he had shown her, and I had no interest in delving into that conversation.
“This is such an invasion of privacy. You have no right to be calling me outside of the hospital.”
“Yeah, I know. Iknow,but listen, after what you said yesterday … then they told me today was your day off, well, I couldn’t leave things like that. I think you have a bad impression of me, and I wanted a chance to defend myself. I didn’t get that yesterday, and I thought the phone would be a better option since I could keep my hands to myself this way, and you couldn’t hit me.” He chuckled at his joke, but I just frowned vacantly at the spot on my coffee table where my eyes landed.
“I am sorry about kissing you like that. It was inappropriate, and if my mother knew, she would hit me upside the head for grabbing you. But I don’t regret the kiss. I wanted to do it, and boy, am I glad I did … It was even better than I imagined it would be.”
All that cool, confident, and cocky behavior I’d grown used to in the months I’d known Hunter seemed to evaporate, and I was acutely aware of how painfully awkward he was on the phone.
“What’s your point?” I wasn’t deliberately trying to sound sharp, but I was annoyed he had bribed Dakota somehow to give him my number, and now I was stuck—on my day off—dealing with his antics.
“I wanted to apologize because I think you got the wrong impression of me.”
“I got the wrong impression of you? Are you sure about that?” I couldn’t remove the incredulity from my voice as I spoke, making me sound bitter and angry.
“Yeah, I think you did. I spent the night thinking about what you said yesterday and replaying it all in my head. And I did not understand what you were shouting at me about.”
“I’m sorry, you didn’t understand?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m not playing a game. There is no bet. And you’re not a conquest or a punchline.”
“Hunter, stop. I’m not interested in whatever lies you’ve come—”
“No, Georgia, you’re going to hear me out. You had your rant yesterday, and it’s only fair I get a chance to talk this time. I’m sorry for the way guys have treated you, but I’m not like that. I genuinely like you. I have liked you since the first time you came into my hospital room. Maybe my antics haven’t been the best indicator of my true feelings, but when I kissed you, that was real. I wanted to kiss you, and I hoped you wanted to kiss me back. No catch.”
I was silent on the other end of the phone as I processed what he was saying. It wasn’t what I expected to hear, and my instincts told me this was another trick. He was playing nice to lure me into feeling comfortable around him, and then he would hurt me.
“No catch,” he repeated, breaking through my thoughts. “I mean it.”
“There’s always a catch, Hunter. Nothing in life comes for free.”
“My interest in you is free, I promise. I want a chance to show you this is real.”
“Well, even if that was the case, I’m not interested. And I can’t be interested. You’re a patient on my floor, you’re way too young for me, and frankly, I’m seeing someone.”
“I heard about that.” He wasn’t fibbing either. He sounded sincere and unconcerned. “So, I’d like to take you on a date first.”
“Did you miss what I just said?”
“Yes, I’m a patient. I’m too young, blah blah.” I huffed, his immaturity only proving my point. “Come to the hospital, give me one chance, and if I can’t convince you we’d be amazing together, I’ll never so much as flash a grin in your direction again. I swear.”
My heart raced in my chest as I considered his offer. Getting him off my back would certainly make the next few weeks while he was waiting for his surgery easier. But I feared the attraction I’d always felt around him would reach a breaking point, and then what? Was I supposed to choose between my career and my love life? I was forty years old. I didn’t have time to start over. Then again, I was running out of time for the love life bit, too.
“Fine. One date, and you better make it worthwhile because I had a big day planned for myself.”
“Oh, Georgia, it’ll be life-changing.”