by Sandra Marie
“Who said anything about a relationship?”
Only her mother would suggest sleeping around instead of settling. When her oldest brother, Adam, had announced his engagement to Elana, Mom raised her glass in a toast, eyeing their father, and saying, “Congrats on making this decision. I have ten to one odds on the whole thing falling apart within a year.”
She’d been cut off from the alcohol immediately afterward, and Cassidy was put in charge of making sure her mother stayed away from Elana’s family. She’d been mostly successful, minus the two minutes she lost track and found Mom telling Elana’s father he had a nice ass.
“You know, Steven’s filled out nicely,” she said, waggling her brows. “You gonna hit that?”
Cassidy ugh-ed into her hands and shook her head. “Been there, done that,” she said, mostly to end the conversation. It backfired badly.
“I’ve done your father many times.”
“O-kay, I think it’s time for you to go.”
“We can’t talk about sex?” Her mom’s hands flopped onto the couch in exasperation. “For Christ’s sake, Cass, you’re twenty-three years old. You should be having a lot more sex than I am.”
“Are we really gonna go there, Mom? Because I’ve kinda had the worst day, and I’ll probably say something very mean.”
She frowned, her feet dropping from the coffee table. Cassidy could almost see the distinct change in her mother’s face, going from promiscuous cougar to concerned mom in a split second. “What’s been going on, hun?”
The sudden interest in her well-being softened Cassidy’s heart, and she nearly spilled all her Halloween office party woes, but she caught the words before they came spewing from her lips.
“No,” she said. “No. I’m not doing this. I’m not having a heart-to-heart with you about my dating life. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Seriously?” Cassidy let out a hollow laugh. “Mom, you’ve been preaching about love being a sham since I was twelve.”
Her brown eyes widened, her eyeliner smudged in the corners. “Are you… Cassidy, baby, are you in love?”
“What?” Cassidy choked on her heart beat. “No. No, no, no.”
“Who is he? Where’d you meet? Is that why you were late tonight?” She stopped, a sharp gasp passing her lips. She pointed to the door and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is it Steven?”
Cassidy squeezed her eyes shut. “No… It’s no one. I’m not in love.” She couldn’t be. She didn’t know his name, hadn’t seen his face, had only spent four hours with the guy.
An incredible four hours.
Her fingers slowly rose to her neck, retracing the soft memory of his hand on her skin, the fun in his smile, the tease in his laugh.
She was not in love, but did she see it happening? Oh yeah. Yes, yes, yes.
Her mom was too silent for comfort, so Cassidy glanced over, shoulders slumping at the terrified look in her mom’s eyes.
“I’m not in love, Mom. Please don’t worry.”
A twitch pulled in the corner of her mouth. “I’m always worried.”
“Don’t worry about this.” The last thing she needed was her mom to give her another speech on protecting her heart, never trusting a man, and to never ever fall in love first.
Was it possible to fall in love with each other at the exact same time? That’s what Cassidy was really shooting for.
She blew out a long breath and felt around in between the couch cushions for the remote. Her mom was quiet while Cassidy effectively shut down any further conversation with Iron Man 3. Her mind started wandering about ten minutes in, fantasizing about finding her Westley. She’d like to think she could have one of those fairytale romances, like Cinderella and Prince Charming… or Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. Her mom seemed to think it was impossible, and considering her history with Cassidy’s dad, Cassidy couldn’t blame her.
But what if it was possible? What if the love of her life had been in her office building this whole time? Dressing in accidental couples costumes could’ve been the universe throwing them a very obvious bone.
She wanted so badly to prove her parents wrong, but with her luck, she wasn’t sure she’d ever get the opportunity again.
The provider conference room was empty, all except Jon, who squeaked the desk chair and scrolled through his phone.
The dating app Thomas had set him up on had been buzzing in his pocket so much it’d given him a bloated ego. His doctor title hadn’t deterred any girls yet… though they didn’t know what kind of doctor he was; he’d left that juicy nugget conveniently out of his profile.
He swiped through the potential matches, almost subconsciously eliminating anyone who didn’t look like Cassidy. Maybe he hoped he’d stumble across her profile, they’d match up, and they’d have a good laugh over it and fall into another backseat escapade. He shifted in his chair, blowing out a sigh as he swiped no on another blonde.
Speaking of blondes, Kami, the office manager scurried in, her long hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail. She shuffled through her conference notes, offering a busied smile at Jon before sitting at the head of the table.
“Sorry I’m running late,” she rushed out, bending to slip off her very high heels, as she did in every provider meeting. Jon set his phone down on the tabletop.
“You should be,” he teased. “Look at all of us you’ve kept waiting.”
She let out a breathy laugh as Jon gestured to the empty seats. Doctors were notorious for running late—Jon just hadn’t gotten the memo to that yet.
“O’Neal had a D&C this morning,” she said, “and the midwives are still in their own meeting. They should be here—”
The chaotic noise of the midwives filtered in, Kami’s smile widened, and she pointed over her shoulder. “Any second,” she finished. Debbie, Nat, and Pete all came in, laughing at whatever they’d been talking about. The two women sat on Jon’s left, leaving a seat between him and them while Pete slammed down on Jon’s right.
“How’s it going?” he said with a friendly pat on the back. Pete was twenty years Jon’s senior and one of two male midwives in the state. He was beloved by all his patients, who—if given the opportunity—would boast about his bedside manner, his knowledge, and how they would have a hundred of their kids delivered by him. Jon was lucky to be Pete’s first choice when a c-section was called for.
“Okay,” Kami said, rising to her feet. She started her routine pacing as the meeting began. Pete squeaked his chair along with Jon. “It’ll be a short meeting today, and I’ll catch O’Neal up later this afternoon on everything. First thing first, we still haven’t found the missing money from Blue Cross.” She tapped her finger on what looked like a bunch of bills. “They were marked paid in full, but the numbers aren’t matching up. It may be the new system we’re on, but we have Cassidy and Shellie on it. Hopefully it’ll turn up soon, and we can figure this out, especially for you, Jon.”
“Heaven forbid our doctor doesn’t get paid,” Nat teased. They all chuckled at the dig; even with the missing funds, Jon got a heck of a lot more patients than the midwives. Jon’s gut twisted as his smile died away. He hoped Cassidy wasn’t responsible for it or wasn’t that bad at her job. The picture of her walking out the door with a box full of Marvel toys didn’t sit well with him, no matter how much money was missing from his account.
“I was only saying because he’s new,” Kami said, obviously more concerned than amused by their doctor humor. “It took us long enough to find another doc for the practice.”
Nat made a face at Debbie like she was a five-year-old scolded by her mother, and they both shared a silent laugh at Kami’s expense. Jon quirked a grin at their antics. He liked the practice so far; it was a good group of people. Maybe he should be attempting to hang out with the docs more than focusing on coming off as a real person to the employees.
“That brings me to our second, and last, thing on the agenda—”
“Whoop!” Pete cheered,
his loud clap jolting Jon in his seat. “Let’s get this done so we can go home!”
“Or to the hospital,” Jon joked. There’d been too many times he’d gotten home only to be called back while his microwave dinner was still rotating.
Kami dropped her papers back on the table and sat down. “It’s that time of year again…”
The three midwives’ smiles disappeared into oblivion, and they all slammed their heads on the table like it was some ritual Jon wasn’t privy to.
What the…?
“Not it!” called Pete, his voice muffled by the table. Debbie and Nat looked to each other and said the same thing at the same time, then came down to rock, paper, scissors. Jon’s brow furrowed as Debbie came out the winner, and Nat pitched a fit, sulking in her chair like a five-year-old in time out.
“Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?” Jon asked.
Kami shook her head at Nat, then turned her eyes on him. “It’s the annual hospital protocol conference in Olympia. Per our contract, we’re required to send one person from each department in the clinic. One doctor, one midwife, one receptionist, one billing rep, and one nurse.” She lifted a shoulder. “And since O’Neal isn’t here, you’re the lucky doctor who gets to attend.”
Jon tilted his head as a heavy hand fell to his shoulder. The weathered, concerned eyes of his colleague met his. “My condolences,” Pete said, patting him twice.
It couldn’t be that bad, could it? Jon had gone to several conferences before—free food, free hotel stay… Sure, endure a couple of boring classes, but a week off sounded nice.
“When is it?” he asked Kami.
“Next week. Five days, four nights.”
“And my patients?”
“We’ll take over,” Pete said, gesturing to himself and Debbie. “O’Neal will, too. Everyone will be covered, but you’ll want to let the induction patients know. See if they want to reschedule.”
Jon nodded, making the note in his phone. “What hotel are we staying at? Do I need to make reservations in the conference block?”
“That’s all taken care of,” Kami said. “I’ll email you all the details once we figure out who is all going. We’re still waiting to hear from the reception department. Now that we know what doc and midwife are going, please let your nurses know. One of them will need to be the rep for the nurse department.”
That left billing… and since Kami didn’t say they were still waiting on that department, Jon assumed that decision was made already.
The only two he knew in the department were Cassidy and Shellie, and they were both working on the financial crisis. Did that mean she was staying behind?
His heart thumped unevenly as his thumb hovered over the notes in his phone. He prayed his voice would sound composed and indifferent when he spoke.
“So… What billing rep will be joining us?”
“What?” Cassidy hissed, trying to keep her voice low as she hid between the restrooms, eyeing her date who was examining his teeth in his spoon at their table for two.
Shellie was doing her job as best friend and giving her an out phone call, but she didn’t have to drop this on her.
“I went to that darn thing last year,” Cassidy said, turning away from her date and facing the wood panel wall at the barbecue joint. “And we’re working on those accounts for Dr. Bateman.”
“I can’t send one of those girls,” Shellie said, her voice tired. “Either of them will only rack up the business card. I don’t… exactly trust them.”
Cassidy bit her tongue. Why in the world were Hallie and Bethany still working there, then? They were idiots beyond measure; the billing department would fall apart, just like it did last year when Cassidy was forced into the conference.
She let out a sigh, turning back toward Andrew, who was done examining his teeth and now working on his hair. “You owe me one,” she told her friend.
“Thank you, Cass. Do you still need an excuse to leave?”
Cassidy wasn’t exactly having the time of her life, but she was starving and ready for the food that hadn’t come out. Andrew wasn’t her Westley—something she’d discovered almost immediately after their date started—but he wasn’t TimeShare Dan either.
“I’m good. Guess I’ll see you in a week.” With it being the weekend and the conference starting Monday, Cassidy had all of one day to prepare. Way to give me some warning, Shel. She probably volunteered Cassidy as the billing rep earlier that week and held the information hostage until she knew Cassidy couldn’t back out.
Guess she’d have to cancel her plans with Steven, too. He was only in town till Thanksgiving as far as she knew, and he’d called almost every day since the “break-in.” It’d been fun catching up, but Cassidy’s thoughts were already pulled in so many directions, curiosity at why her ex was suddenly very chatty was low on her priorities.
Cassidy hung up and headed back to the table, offering up a friendly smile and apology to Andrew.
“No worries,” he said, putting down his spoon. “I take it this is going okay, then?”
“What?”
“Since that was most likely your bail call, and you’re still here.”
Cassidy let out an awkward snort, then quickly took a sip of her water. “I-I don’t do those.”
“Hmm,” he said, disbelieving. He picked up his menu and started scanning.
Andrew was undeniably handsome—tall, with gorgeous hair and deep brown eyes. He worked in the lab right below the doctor’s office and performed most of the ultrasounds. He had a sense of style outside of his scrubs that made Cassidy shift her view of him the moment he’d stood up from the table and pulled her chair out for her.
But it hadn’t been his form-fitting jeans or pressed button-down that had her ruling him out. No, it was the first thing out of his mouth when he’d taken his spot across from her. Apparently this was his first date since he’d gotten back to Seattle—two days ago. He’d been on a leave of absence, visiting his sister and her kids in California.
“So,” he said. “Cassidy… What made you ask me out?”
A lump formed in her throat, and she quickly reached for her water to rid herself of it. She supposed there was no harm in being candid since he wasn’t going to be her Westley, but if he expected sparks at all, her admission would certainly snuff them out.
His mouth turned into a half-grin movies were centered around, and he dipped his head with a laugh. “All right… allow me to take the pressure off.”
“Yes please,” she said around her straw. She was already in need of a refill.
He set a confident hand up to his chest. “I know the effect I have on women. My absence must’ve been noticeable, and with all the girls in that office you work in, you were all probably chomping at the bit to ask me out. You were the lucky winner who got to me first.”
She raised a brow, distaste wrinkling her nose. Andrew let out a jovial laugh at her expression, and not sure what was going on, Cassidy tried to join in.
“I’m teasing, Cass.” Only her friends called her Cass. “Relax a bit, yeah? You seem a little nervous.”
She took a deep breath and tried to focus on something other than the fact that she’d gotten another guy totally wrong. This was her fourth date this week, and still no Westley. No sparks either. It was easy to slide into a hopeless funk.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…” She waved her hand in the air, playing off her mood. “I’m weird.”
He sat back in his seat, drink in hand. “So I’ve heard. Word around the building is you’re looking for guys to date.”
She choked on the ice in her mouth. “W-what?”
“Well, there was Dan on Monday, Grant on Wednesday, that guy in the family practice—”
“Winston.”
“Right.” He grinned wider. “That was last night, right?”
She nodded, heat flaming her cheeks. Stupid. She was simply stupid. Of course the word would get out. She would bet every man in the office, including he
r Westley, knew she was getting around.
She buried her face and groaned. “I’m not… There was just this… I’m probably the most innocent…”
Andrew let out another laugh at her expense. Could she call Shellie back now and get that bail?
“I’ll just go bang my head against the wall,” she said, and Andrew put up a hand to stop her.
“Please… You’re young, right? Like twenty-one?”
“Twenty-three.”
He lifted a shoulder. “We’re all dating around. I’m dating four people right now.”
Curiosity pricked at her. “Define dating around,” she said with a laugh. She had a feeling it was much different than her definition.
“We’re non-exclusive, Cass.” He set his drink down and leaned forward. “We have fun. And I bounce back to my favorite more often than the others.”
That sounded… not so fun. “What does she think?” she asked. “Does it work for you guys?”
Could that work? She didn’t see how… but in a small way, she hoped that if Westley had caught wind of her escapades, he hadn’t taken them to heart. She wanted him; she was looking for him. She was just terrible at finding him.
“He, actually,” Andrew corrected. “I’m bi.”
“Sorry, what does he think about it?”
Andrew shrugged, his playful demeanor diminishing into thoughtful reflection. Cassidy let him pick through his thoughts until he could come up with an answer.
“To be honest… he’s really the one who wants to be non-exclusive. If it were up to me, I’d have slapped a ring on it. Metaphorically.”
A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Why not tell him?”
His entire mood had shifted, like he’d been wearing a mask the whole date until that point. He shook his head, attempting to put that mask back on. “You don’t want to hear about this, do you? It’s a horrible first date story.”
Now that he’d broken the wall she had up, she felt at ease telling him. “Would it help if you knew the reason I asked you out?”
“I don’t know…” He narrowed his eyes.