by Krista Lakes
I chuckled. “I used to babysit for the kid across the hall from me in Chicago. He loved that show. I know all the episodes.”
“You did great. I haven't had stitches that easy in a long time.” He smiled at me and my heart sped up at the compliment. “I'd let you take care of my kid anytime.”
And suddenly I was imagining having kids with Dr. Matthews. My curly blonde hair, his blue eyes... It was so real in my mind.
“Thank you.” I hoped I wasn't blushing too hard as I pushed thoughts of adorable Dr. Matthews babies out of my head. That was not work appropriate. “Anything you need from me right now? I'm thinking about grabbing lunch while it's quiet.”
“No, nothing I need,” he said. “Go have a good lunch and don't rush it. Like Donna said, we don't have any appointments for a bit. I'll call you if something comes up.”
“I'd invite you to come with, but I suppose someone has to hold down the fort,” I said.
“Yeah. I have to chart this,” he said with a shrug. “Bring me back something?”
“Of course,” I said. “What would you like?”
“Whatever you have is fine.” Jacob pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to me. “I'll see you in a little while.”
With that, he turned and walked down the hallway toward his office. I watched him all the way, admiring the way his butt moved underneath his slacks.
He's your boss and not interested, I thought to myself. Knock it off.
I didn't stop watching though.
I checked my work email and found that it wasn't anything that couldn't wait. There were definitely some benefits to a small town office. Things here weren't nearly as hectic or urgent as they were in the city. It was nice to know most of my patients on a personal level as well.
“I'm headed to Katie's Bakery to grab a sandwich and get some fresh air,” I told Donna as I walked past her desk. “You want me to pick you up anything?”
She shook her head and lifted her lunch box up from the floor. “I brought my lunch today. Thanks, though, Hannah. See you when you get back.”
I stepped out of the office and drew in a long breath of clean air. The air here smelled sweeter and cleaner than anything ever did in the city. The overcast sky provided some relief from the summer heat. Katie's Bakery was only a couple of blocks away, so I just walked there.
Chapter 8
Katie's Bakery was the best place in town to get sandwiches. And donuts. And cake. And really anything delicious. Katie had taken over the place after her father retired. She'd won a baking show on the Cooking Network last year, which was as close to famous as anyone in Riversville was ever going to get. She was now the town celebrity.
The bakery was also the only real place to get a take-out lunch that wasn't a burger or fast-food taco.
As I pulled open the door to the bakery, a familiar voice called out my name.
“Aunt Hannah!”
I turned to see little Leigh Ann and her mom, Karina, seated at a table outside. They were eating lunch on the patio right out in front of the Bakery.
“Leigh Ann!” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“Eating lunch with Mom,” she said, matter of factly.
“Hey, Karina.” I waived and Karina's eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Come sit with us after you order,” she said.
“Yeah, definitely. Be right there.” I ran in and ordered two turkey sandwiches on Katie's famous bakery rolls. They put one for me on a plate with a drink and one in a to-go bag with Dr. Mathew's name on it. Right as I finished paying, Katie the baker, came out from the back room with a tray full of fresh-baked rolls.
“Hannah? I heard you'd moved back, but I wasn't sure it was true or not,” she said warmly, giving me a wave once she'd handed the rolls off to the sandwich-making employee. She had long dark hair and big brown eyes. There was a smudge of flour on her cheek and a speckling of it in her dark hair, making her look older than she was. She was six years younger than me, but I'd been friends with her older sister. To be honest, I'd gotten along better with Katie than I did her sister.
“Hi, Katie,” I said with a wave of my own. “Yup. I'm back. I'm working at the doctor's office now.”
“For Dr. Taggert?” she asked, coming around the back counter. We stepped off to the side of the checkout line, away from the flow of customers. She had on an apron covered in more flour and different colors of frosting.
“Kind of. He's selling the practice to Dr. Matthews. I work mostly for him,” I replied.
“Oh, that's right. He bought it. I remember now.” She shook her head and chuckled. “Honestly, I've been so busy the past few weeks it's a miracle I remember my own name some days.”
“I've been watching you on TV,” I said, feeling a little more confident that Katie and Dr. Matthews were no where near getting engaged. She didn't even know where he worked.
“Yeah, the baking competition. It was supposed to be this tiny thing and the network got ahold of it, and it kind of snowballed.” She shrugged. “But, it's good for the bakery and the town. Mayor Matthews said tourism is up. The bakery's definitely been more busy.”
“That's great,” I told her. “I'm loving watching you. The finale is coming up, right?”
She nodded. “Filming is next month and it will premier a little after that. That's what I”m working on today. I'm practicing everything they might throw at me.”
“Anyone going with you to LA for filming?” I asked.
“My dad. I don't have anyone else that really wants to go,” she admitted. “Despite the Bridge Club's attempts, I am actually single.”
“Be careful how loud you say that,” I cautioned. “The town likes their romances.”
“Tell me about it.” She sighed. “I should let you eat your lunch. It's good to see you.”
“Same. And in case I don't see you, break a leg at the competition.”
“Thanks. Tell Dr. Matthews I said hi.” She motioned to the to-go bag in my hand with his name on it, then frowned. “Actually, don't. I don't need to feed the gossip.”
“I'll tell him you say a platonic hello and that you hope he enjoys his sandwich from a business standpoint as a returning customer,” I said.
She laughed. “That'll work. It's good to see you, Hannah. I'm glad you're back in town.”
She flashed me one last grin and a wave before heading back into the bakery area. I felt a little lighter knowing that she and Dr. Matthews weren't really an item. I knew that my thoughts didn't really matter, but it made my crush feel a lot less guilty.
When I stepped out onto the patio, Leigh Ann ran up and wrapped her arms around my leg.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” I said with a smile.
I set the sandwiches down onto the table and Karina and I exchanged a quick hug.
“Hey there,” she said, resuming her seat. “It's not often I run into you during the week. Everything okay?”
“Everything's great,” I said. “Work is quiet today. We try and keep Mondays open for emergency visits since everyone waits through the weekend. I thought I'd grab some lunch since I didn't have patients.”
“It was good timing,” Karina said. “Leigh Ann and I just got here a few minutes ago. We were doing a bit of shopping and decided to grab some lunch.”
“Thanks again for coming to my parent's party on Saturday,” I said. “They loved seeing you and Leigh Ann. In fact, they sometimes refer to her as their 'step-grand daughter'“.
Karina laughed. “You know I wouldn't miss it. I haven't missed one in twenty years and I'm not about to start.”
I took a bite of my sandwich and washed it down with some orange-flavored bottled water. “It was nice seeing all of the kids play. They get along so well together. I wonder if they'll be friends two decades from now, like what happened with us.”
“It wouldn't surprise me,” she said. “They're thick as thieves. Speaking of connections, I noticed you and Dr. Matthews were hanging out quite
a bit during the party.”
I nearly choked on my sandwich from surprise. “What?”
Karina shrugged. “You and the Doctor hardly left each other’s side the entire day.”
“Oh, yeah, well.” I stumbled over my words. “We've just become pretty good friends since we've started working together. Plus, I was the one who invited him, so maybe he felt like he needed to hang out with me more than anyone else.”
Karina smiled and leaned across the table. “He's super cute, Hannah. You don't need to feel ashamed about having a crush on him.”
“A crush?” I asked, feeling my face burn as I blushed. “What? No, it's nothing like that. We're just good friends.”
“Okay,” Karina said, keeping the mischievous smirk plastered on her face. “But I know love when I see it and there was definitely something there between you two.”
“Do you really think so?” I asked.
“I know so,” she said casually.
“Maybe you just had too much of the adult punch,” I said, laughing.
“That's very possible,” Karina admitted. “Even so, I wasn't the only one who noticed.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What do yo mean?”
“Even your mom mentioned it,” she said. “Right after Dr. Matthews left the party, she asked me if there was something going on between you two.”
“Seriously?” I shook my head, causing my hair to fall across my forehead.
“It's not a bad thing,” Karina said. “I think it's kind of hot. Think about it, Hannah. A nurse and a doctor? That's the kind of things they write books about.”
“But the town...” I sighed. “Everyone thinks that he's engaged to Katie. Do you know what the Ladies' Bridge Club would do to me? My own mother told me to back off. They want him to be with Katie.”
I motioned to the bakery behind us.
“Screw 'em.”
I sighed. Karina had always been popular in school and the town adored her and Leigh Ann. She'd never felt the strength of the town when they decided on something. I had. I still had nightmares about Mrs. Thompson choosing me as the lead for the school play because it would bring me out of my shell. I had been so nervous that I had thrown up after every rehearsal and they finally gave up and let me just be in the band. The worst part was that I didn't even audition for the play.
When the town wanted something, it happened to you whether you liked it or not. The Ladies' Bridge Club was worse than the mafia.
“There's nothing between us,” I told her firmly. “It couldn't happen and even if it could, I wouldn't allow it. He's my boss for crying out loud. You and I both know that mixing relationships with work is a huge no-no.”
“I suppose,” she said, before taking a sip from her cola. “Although, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. When that happens, I don't think there's much you can do about it.”
“You got all this from seeing me hang out and play tag football one afternoon with him?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yep,” she said confidently.
“Well, then you must be psychic or something,” I said. “Or maybe psychotic. Not sure which. Because I don't think he wants anything to do with me that doesn't involve patients or their kids.”
“Right.” Karina rolled her eyes, obviously not believing me. “And you haven't thought about how cute a kid would be with your hair and his eyes. Or maybe his hair and your smile. Oh, that would be so cute.”
How did she know? “Nope. Totally haven't, and you are delusional.”
As if on cue, I heard the sound of a child crying. We both turned to look. It came from my left where a young mom was pushing a stroller down the sidewalk. I didn't recognize her and assumed she must have been from out of town. The mother stopped and checked on the her. She put more crackers in front of the girl, making the crying stop.
A little girl sat in her stroller smiling and carefully picking up each cracker with tiny fingers before popping it into her mouth. Her hair was the color of Dr. Matthews' and she had beautiful blue eyes.
The image of a baby with Dr. Mathew's eyes in my arms popped into my brain again.
I was such a liar. I wanted a baby with Dr. Matthews. I wanted him. I wanted everything that I said I didn't.
I shook my head, knowing that I was fooling myself. It wasn't going to happen.
I was still feeling the effects of Ashton on my brain, I told myself. It always happened when I worked with kids. I couldn't get them off my mind. I wanted one of my own so badly, but it just didn't seem like it was going to happen. I was saving up to afford an adoption, but the idea of being a single mother was terrifying in a different way than not having kids.
“You, alright, Hannah?” Karina asked.
I realized then that I had been blatantly staring at the woman with the child. I nodded quickly, forcing my attention back toward Karina.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” I said. “Sorry, just thought I recognized that girl.”
“Oh, no problem,” she said. “I was just telling you a funny story that happened to me at the grocery store the other day.”
“Go ahead,” I said. “I'm listening now.”
Karina began to talk and I tried to pay attention. It was nearly impossible, though. All I could do was think about was a baby with Dr. Matthews' eyes in my arms. It seemed like everywhere I looked, women were having babies. Not just at my job, though, but everywhere.
I need to have a kid and soon. Otherwise, I'm going to lose my mind, I thought, while halfway listening to Karina's grocery store story. I just need to find the right guy and it isn't Dr. Matthews.
Chapter 9
That night, I found myself completely exhausted. I ate a bowl of soup with some homemade banana bread and attempted to stay awake to watch my favorite reality show. Within minutes, though, my eyelids became heavy. I could hardly keep them open long enough to get up and turn off the television.
I somehow managed to find the remote, and once the television was off, I sat back down on the couch. I wrapped myself in a blanket that my grandmother had knitted for me as a graduation gift for getting through nursing school. My tiredness, combined with the warmth of the blanket, made me even more drowsy. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was asleep.
I had no clue how long I'd been out before a knocking came on the front door of my house. It was loud and sounded urgent, echoing off the walls. It caused me to wake up and wearily look around. When I glanced over, I noticed that the moon was shining its pale light through my windows.
It must be at least midnight, I thought. Who could that be?
After wiping the sleep from my eyes, I stood up from the couch and walked toward the front door. The knocking came again and I felt my heart leap into my throat. For a moment, I considered running to the garage and grabbing my old baseball bat. I didn't own any guns, so a bat was the closest thing I had for protection.
“Who is it?” I called out.
There was a second of silence and then I heard a man clear his throat. “It's me.”
The voice sounded familiar, but I was still hesitant to unlock the door.
“Me?” I said. “That doesn't answer my question.”
“It's Jacob,” he said. “It's freezing out here. Can you let me in?”
My head cocked to the side in confusion.
What's he doing here at this hour? I thought. He has never visited me at home before, let alone in the middle of the night. Why's he freezing? It's summer.
When I opened the door, I saw Jacob standing there in street clothes. He had jeans on and a tight blue t-shirt, along with brown cowboy boots. His jeans hugged his hips in just the right places.
“Hey, is everything alright?” I asked.
It was then that I realized I'd answered the door wearing only my panties and a long t-shirt. I quickly pulled the bottom of the shirt down, using it to cover myself up the best I could.
“Yes, everything's fine,” he said. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah, come on in.”
I held the door open for him, still confused as to why he was there, but also happy to see him.
As soon as I closed the door, he turned to face me. His eyes drifted down my body and then back up. His pupils seemed to dilate and I noticed it, despite the fact that the only light in the room was coming from the moon.
“I couldn't stop thinking about you.” He stepped toward me as he spoke, quickly closing the gap between us.
“Dr. Matthews,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“Never been better.” He placed his hands onto my hips and took another step forward, pressing my back against the door.
Without saying another word, he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss sent a burst of excitement through me. My heart was pounding behind my ribs. When he pulled away, the desire in his eyes became even more intense.
He brought his hands down my sides and around to my back. His fingers left a trail of heat across my skin. His kisses were hungry and his hands insistent.
“I need you,” he whispered between kisses. “I need you so damn much.”
Heat, desire, lust, and years of waiting all came to the surface. I wrapped my arms around his neck, plunging my tongue into his mouth. He moaned, driving me wild.
His hands slid up my shirt, palms against the bare skin of my stomach. He licked his lips, as his hand slid up my torso. I shivered as he inched higher and higher. He palmed my breasts, pressing his hips into mine. I could feel his desire and it was about to be mine.
“Yes,” I whispered. They turned into a cry of pleasure. “Yes!”
My own words echoed through the house, startling me awake. My eyes opened and I looked around, suddenly confused. Dr. Matthews wasn't there and I wasn't even in the kitchen. In fact, I found myself laying on the couch. The TV flickered in front of me, playing some after-hours infomercial about a men's hair loss cream.
Holy shit, I thought, kicking the blanket off of me. It was just a dream.
There was a desperate aching between my legs unlike anything I'd ever experienced, though. The dream had felt so authentic, but now that it was over, my body felt empty. There was nothing more I wanted to do then to go back to sleep and resume the dream where it had left off. I closed my eyes, but couldn't seem to get tired again.