Just One Kiss: A Harbor Pointe Novel

by Courtney Walsh

  “And this monitor will tell us that?” Josh asked.

  “If the results are inconclusive, we’ll keep digging.”

  “Isn’t it possible he just overheated? Or didn’t get enough to eat?” Josh sounded hopeful. As if his saying so could make it true.

  “I suppose it’s possible, but we’d like to be sure,” the doctor said.

  “We appreciate that.” Josh nodded.

  It struck Carly how grown up Josh seemed. That rebellious teenager with the chip on his shoulder had been replaced by a mild-mannered, successful adult. She knew he had money now, but she was fairly certain that wasn’t what had changed him.

  He caught her watching him, and she did her best to recover. “Uh . . . So what do we do in the meantime?” Carly knew the doctor needed to be the one to give the directives or Jaden wouldn’t listen.

  “Take it easy,” he said.

  “The indoor training facility opens this week,” he said. “I’ve gotta be there.”

  “You can be there,” Dr. Willette said. “You just can’t train.”

  Jaden huffed. “You serious? We start conditioning for the high school team next week.”

  “Jaden.” Carly’s tone warned.

  “I can’t sit out, Ma,” he said. “We’ve got a new coach. He doesn’t know me yet. If I miss the summer practices—”

  “We want to avoid any other problems,” Dr. Willette explained, keeping his attention on Jaden. “If you’ve got an undiagnosed arrhythmia, strenuous activity could exacerbate the issue, increasing the likelihood of a serious episode. Jaden, hopefully it’s not forever, but it is for now.”

  “What do you mean ‘hopefully’?”

  Dr. Willette paused. “I don’t want to get ahead of things here. We should just wait and see what the monitor tells us.”

  “No,” Jaden said. “Are you saying there’s a chance I won’t be able to ski?”

  Carly’s heart sank. Jaden’s worry was palpable.

  “Like I said,”—Dr. Willette kept his tone calm to offset Jaden’s rising temper—“we don’t have any evidence of anything. It’s too soon to jump to any conclusions.”

  Jaden glared at the floor, clenching and unclenching his fists. Carly knew all her son heard was “hopefully.” Beyond that, no other words mattered.

  The doctor met Carly’s eyes and smiled, but only slightly, as if he knew what she was up against.

  “We’ll make a follow-up appointment for a week from today,” he said.

  “Great,” Jaden mumbled.

  Carly smiled, embarrassed.

  “Thanks, Doc,” Josh said as the man stood.

  “I know this isn’t the way you want to spend the first week of the summer.” Dr. Willette still focused on Jaden. “But your health comes first. We want to take the best possible care of you.”

  He clapped a hand on Jaden’s shoulder, shook Josh’s hand and then turned his attention to Carly. “Call me if you have any questions at all.”

  She shook his hand and noticed he held on a few seconds longer than she thought he would. She looked up and found his eyes fixed on her. He smiled, then walked out of the room.

  “That guy’s a creep,” Jaden said.

  “No, he’s not,” Carly argued. “He has a really good reputation around the hospital.”

  “Sure he does.” Jaden groaned as he jumped off the exam table.

  “You will follow his advice until we know if you have a medical issue,” Carly said.

  Jaden pulled the door open and Carly followed him into the hallway, Josh close behind. To an onlooker, they may have looked like an actual family.

  They walked past the nurses’ station and out into the lobby, where Carly pushed the button for the elevator and they waited for their escape.

  “So, I suppose you’ll be heading back to Chicago now?” she asked without looking at Josh.

  Jaden crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the light above the elevator, which was apparently sitting on the fourth floor.

  “No,” Josh said. “I think I’ll hang out until we get everything sorted out.”

  “Why?” Carly hadn’t intended the question to come out with that horrified tone, but that’s exactly how it sounded. “I mean, what about work? Jaden says you work all the time.”

  “I told you, I want to make sure you guys are okay.”

  She shot him a look as the elevator arrived and the doors opened. Jaden got in and Josh followed, leaving her standing there alone.

  “You coming?” Josh asked.

  She hesitated another second, then stepped inside. “I can give you an update, or you could even come back in a week for the follow-up appointment.”

  Josh pushed the number 1 and the elevator doors closed. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get rid of me.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and drew in what was meant to be a calming breath, that did not do its job.

  “I was thinking about renting a place for a few weeks,” Josh said. “I think it’s important that I’m here.”

  “Now you think it’s important that you’re here?”

  The elevator opened to reveal the lobby in front of them.

  “Yeah, Carly,” Josh said. “Is that okay with you? If I want to make sure my kid is all right?”

  Jaden walked out. “This’ll be fun.”

  Fun. Right.

  They stepped out of the elevator and Carly put a hand on Josh’s arm while Jaden continued toward the front door. “We can’t spend the next few weeks fighting. It’s not good for him. We need to do everything we can to keep his stress levels down.”

  “Then stop fighting with me,” Josh said. “Let me be here for him if he needs me.”

  She exhaled a sharp breath.

  “I’m not going to flake out on you guys,” he said.

  “It’s not ‘us guys.’ It’s just Jaden. I don’t need or want anything from you, got it?”

  Josh’s eyes scanned hers, something he’d always done, as if he could see straight down into her soul. “Look, Carly, I know you’re scared. You don’t have to hold it together one hundred percent of the time.”

  She took a step back. “That’s exactly what I have to do, Josh. Because I’m the parent. And when you’re the parent, you don’t get to fall apart.”

  He stilled. “Well, you can let me be the strong one for a change.”

  “Maybe. If you were reliable. But you aren’t, and we both know it. So just do me a favor and don’t make this whole situation worse, okay?”

  He didn’t respond, but she could see she’d wounded him.

  And as she walked away from him, she told herself not to feel badly about that at all.

  9

  It turned out having Josh in town wasn’t entirely disastrous. Over the next several days, she was able to keep working because he’d volunteered to hang out with Jaden.

  Carly might be taking things a little too far, but she didn’t want her son to be alone—not until they had concrete answers as to what had caused the fainting in the first place.

  “You’re treating me like I’m a baby,” he’d told her.

  Carly shrugged her response and plastered a look on her face that clearly communicated two words: Too bad.

  So far, Josh had shown up when he said he would.

  Carly was cautiously hopeful he would at least get that right.

  On Friday, she sat in the cafeteria with Justine and Sasha, eating a salad and drinking a Diet Coke, when their conversation was interrupted by Dr. David Willette, who appeared beside their table as if out of thin air. She’d seen him a few times around the hospital, but never in the cafeteria and never in such close proximity.

  All three of the nurses looked up, but he was focused on Carly.

  “Dr Willette,” she said.

  He smiled. “I saw you sitting over here and thought I’d come say hello.”

  “That was nice of you,” Carly said.

  Justine nudged her with
her knee, and Carly could practically hear the teasing she’d have to endure later. The faintest hint at romantic interest would have them giggling like schoolgirls the rest of the day.

  Plus, she’d made the mistake of commenting (out loud) that she wasn’t looking forward to tackling the wedding activities on her own. Carly had grown comfortable in her independence, but if she was honest, she was lonely.

  How did she reconcile the two?

  “Could I talk to you for a moment?” Dr. Willette asked.

  Carly glanced at Justine and Sasha, who wore matching raised eyebrows and sheepish little grins. She wanted to set them straight. Dr. Willette was her son’s doctor. Not someone for them to ogle.

  She stood. “Of course.”

  He walked toward the windows that faced the hospital courtyard.

  “Probably something about Jaden,” she said to her friends.

  “Uh-huh,” Justine said knowingly.

  Carly rolled her eyes and walked toward the doctor, who greeted her with the same kind smile he’d given her the other day.

  Her heart sputtered. What if he had something to tell her about her son? What if it was bad news?

  “Is this about Jaden’s tests?”

  “Oh, no, nothing like that,” he said. “Sorry, I should’ve led with that.”

  She agreed but didn’t say so.

  He wore navy blue scrubs and a white coat, and Carly took a moment to look at him. He was handsome in a sort of understated way. Clean, well-groomed, well-spoken—these things went a long way.

  But he was her son’s doctor. And he obviously wanted to discuss something about Jaden’s care.

  “I wondered if you might be willing to have dinner with me,” he said.

  Or not.

  She’d asked around about him, collecting information on the man whose expertise would determine what direction they headed in with Jaden. She was duly impressed with Dr. David Willette, and thankful he was there when Jaden needed him.

  But dinner? That she hadn’t expected.

  “We can keep it simple—something low-key, if you want.”

  She frowned. “You’re asking me out?”

  He tilted his head to one side and smiled. “I guess I am.”

  She laughed. A nervous laugh, she realized. “Oh.”

  “I know it’s a bit dicey since I’m treating your son, but I have to be honest, I’ve noticed you around the hospital, even before Jaden’s episode.”

  “You have?”

  He took a slight step closer. “Look at you. How could I not?”

  Did he want Carly to list off the ways?

  Still, the compliment sent a blush to her cheeks.

  “You intrigue me, and I haven’t felt interested in anyone since I moved here three years ago.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of pressure,” she said.

  He laughed. “No pressure. I’d like to get to know you better is all.”

  “I’m really flattered,” she said. “It’s just—”

  He held up a hand to cut her off. “You’re about to tell me it’s a bad idea because we work together and because I’m Jaden’s doctor.”

  She laughed. “I was, actually.”

  “I understand. It’s just, I don’t meet anyone outside the hospital. I go to the gym to play racquetball at four in the morning. Do you know what kind of people are at the gym at four in the morning?”

  She shrugged. “Crazy ones?”

  “Pretty much.” He laughed. “Just think it over, okay? You don’t have to give me an answer right away.”

  She didn’t respond—what did she say?

  “But don’t wait too long to put me out of my misery.” He smiled down at her. “Can I see your phone?”

  She hesitated for a beat, then handed it over. He scrolled around, then typed something and handed it back to her, open to her contacts, where he’d been added as David, not Dr. Willette.

  “So, you’ve got my number now.”

  She nodded.

  “I hope to hear from you.” He walked away, leaving her standing by the windows in a daze. Seconds later, Sasha and Justine were at her side.

  “What did he want?” Justine asked.

  “He wants to take me out for dinner,” Carly said.

  “Are you going to go?” Sasha asked.

  Carly looked at her, then at Justine, then snapped out of whatever it was that had just come over her and walked back to their table.

  “You’re going, right?” Justine sat down beside her.

  “I don’t know. He told me not to answer, just to think it over.”

  “What is there to think over? He’s smart. He’s handsome-ish.” Sasha shrugged.

  “Handsome-ish?” Justine shot her a look from across the table. “Wrong. He’s just plain handsome. He’s successful and stable and smart and he’s obviously got great taste.”

  Carly took a drink of Diet Coke and shook her cup, which was mostly ice by this point.

  “Why are you dragging your feet?” Sasha wanted to know.

  “We work together,” Carly said. “It seems a little unethical.”

  “How many times have you actually seen him at work?”

  “If we dated and it ended badly, you know I would start seeing him everywhere.”

  “That’s probably true, but what if you dated and it didn’t end badly?”

  Carly groaned. “He’s Jaden’s doctor. We’re in crisis mode over here. You should never make big decisions in crisis mode.”

  “You’re not in crisis mode,” Justine said.

  It felt like she was. It felt like they’d been white-knuckling it since Jaden’s episode at the parade.

  “And this really isn’t a big decision.” Sasha piled her garbage onto her tray. “Is this about something else?”

  “What else would it be about?” Carly cleaned up her mess, and they all stood, moving toward the nearest garbage can.

  “A certain ex who has recently reentered the picture, maybe?” Sasha tossed her trash and put the tray on top of the can. “I saw him at the hospital the other day. He’s hot.”

  Justine gave her a shove.

  Carly rolled her eyes. “That’s crazy. Josh stopped influencing my decisions a long time ago.”

  Sasha raised her eyebrows in that annoying mocking way that said Uh-huh, sure he did.

  “Josh being here is a giant pain in my neck.” Carly walked toward the exit. “But I have zero feelings for him other than frustration.”

  “Frustration is just a step away from passion,” Justine said.

  “That’s not even true,” Carly said.

  “I’m just saying—this perfectly nice doctor asks you out after, let’s be real, quite a long dry spell, and you have to think about it?” Sasha pushed the glass door open and they walked out of the cafeteria. “There must be a reason.”

  “She has a point.” Justine poked the Up button on the elevator.

  “There are reasons, but none of them are Josh,” Carly said.

  “So, what are they?” Justine asked.

  “He’s Jaden’s doctor. I work with him.” Carly shook her head. “Aren’t those deal breakers?”

  But were they? People dated their co-workers all the time. She was an adult. He was an adult. And Dr. Willette was a good catch. He was all of the S’s—single, straight, stable and successful. He had a lot going for him, and he was interested in her. This wasn’t the kind of thing that happened every day.

  Actually, this wasn’t the kind of thing that happened ever. Her dry spell really had been embarrassingly long.

  Plus, he wasn’t Josh. And regardless of what her fellow nurses thought, that was actually a huge “Pro” on the list she was making in her mind.

  “What’s happening?” Sasha’s eyes widened. “Your whole expression just changed.”

  Carly smiled. “I think I want to go on a date with the doctor.”

  Both Justine and Sasha grinned at Carly as she pulled out her phone and scrolled until she found Dr. Willette�
��s (David’s) cell number. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard and she could feel her friends watching her. Neither of them appeared to be breathing.

  She quickly typed I’m in for dinner, then hit Send before she changed her mind.

  Seconds later, a reply came back: Good. How’s tomorrow night?

  Perfect.

  She tucked the phone in the pocket of her scrubs just as the elevator arrived. Without looking at her friends, she got inside and pushed the button for their floor.

  She had a date.

  A wave of nerves rolled through her belly.

  Oh. She had a date.

  It had been a long time since she’d had to think about date things—what if she’d forgotten how to have a conversation or what to wear or what if they had nothing in common?

  Or what if he wanted to kiss her at the end of the night—did she even remember how to kiss anymore?

  Breathe, Carly. It’s just a date.

  She’d tell herself that over and over until she believed it.

  10

  Josh may not fully understand everything about his son, but he did understand video games, and with Jaden on activity lockdown, that meant the two of them had hours to play.

  He wasn’t complaining, and so far, Jaden wasn’t either. He had a feeling it wouldn’t last—his son’s being content with hanging out with him and not training. They’d already gone to the indoor training center twice “just to check things out.” It was nice to see Jaden so invested in something.

  Hard to see him have to hold himself back from it.

  Truth be told, Josh had been swatting away a singular thought on and off since Jaden’s last appointment—what if he can’t ski anymore?

  If Jaden’s moodiness was any indication, he was swatting at the same idea. Too many unknowns sent the mind spinning. He’d already decided that no matter what—one of his main goals would be to try and keep Jaden’s spirits up.

  For the time being, that meant a lot of Super Smash Brothers.

  They were in the middle of a battle when the door opened and Carly walked in. Josh had a pizza on the way, and he hoped that by keeping an eye on Jaden he was making Carly’s life a little easier.

  Jaden didn’t look up from the screen when his mom entered, but Josh did. How could he not? Even after all this time, Carly was his favorite thing to look at.