I tried to make it remain as patient and doctor, so by the time they left my office, we had been talking about medical issues and not going out for dinner. I didn’t want that to be the last note I had with this woman, especially since her daughter might not go through with the dinner after all.
“I’m surprised she didn’t put her foot down when her mother said she wanted you to join them for dinner,” Nick said when I asked him about it.
I laughed.
“Me, too. Part of me hoped she would, but I guess she’s like me in that regard. Cares too much to make her mom happy than to say she would rather not go to this dinner.”
“Don’t act like that’s the reason you’re going.” Nick winked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but he didn’t let me off the hook that easy.
“Of course, you don’t. Because you totally take the time to go to dinner with all your patients. And it has nothing to do with the fact she has a beautiful young daughter she brought along to lure you to dinner with,” he teased.
“Oh, come on,” I said. “Harper will be a nice addition to the company at the dinner, but that’s it. I’m not going to make a move. That would be unprofessional.”
“You’re treating her mom, not her,” Nick reminded me.
“Even still,” I said.
I let the conversation dwindle. I didn’t want to argue about it right there at the office, but I had to admit, he had a point. I wasn’t breaking any rules by going out with Harper – if she wanted to go out with me, that is. Perhaps her attitude about the whole thing was because she’d said something to her mom, and her mom had taken the information to invite me out to dinner.
Nick was right.
I wouldn’t be disappointed if there was a spark between me and Harper. Not that I had any time to get involved with a real relationship, but there would be some fun nights for a while. I saw her checking me out, which told me she found me attractive.
I really just had to ask her out to drinks, and I was sure she would be mine.
With a shake of my head, I pushed it all out of my mind. I had a lot to do with my day, and I didn’t have the time to sit and daydream about Harper and her mother.
I had more patients coming in.
Tonight would have to wait.
SIX
Harper
My mind was spinningas my mother spoke to Dr. Hall.
I couldn’t believe she actually asked him out to dinner. It was something I could see her doing, but at the same time, never actually thought she would go through with it. She had mentioned more than once to me that he was a good-looking young man, and she hoped I would have the chance to cross paths with him one day.
But, I didn’t see her inviting him out on what could be considered a blind date at this point.
“Come on now. You thought he was good looking, I know you did,” she said with a shake of her head and a broad grin on her face. “I saw the way you looked at him when we walked in.”
“I didn’t think he would be so young, or hot, okay, fine,” I admitted. “But I can’t go out with your doctor! Mom, that’s too weird.”
“There’s nothing weird about it. I know I’m sick, and there’s a good chance I’m going to stay sick. I might kick the cancer for good, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is something I just have to deal with,” she said.
“Mom, don’t-”
But she interrupted me.
“And with that being the case, I would love for you to settle down with someone. You work so much, and you don’t really work the kind of job that gets you out of the house and meeting men,” she said. “So when I found someone I thought you would like, I knew it was just a matter of time before I found a way to make sure the two of you went out sometime.”
“So you thought it would be perfectly normal for you to just announce that you thought the two of us should have dinner tonight?” I asked with a small laugh of disbelief.
“You understand I put myself in there, right? I put that cover in place in the event you didn’t come or something else went wrong, but there’s also the fact that this guy has been my doctor. There’s clearly not going to be any awkwardness with that,” she said.