by Krista Lakes
“Don't play dumb,” she sneered. “I know you're smart. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I'm not sure what you saw, but it wasn't what you think,” I said slowly. This was not how I wanted the town to find out. Anyone but my high school bully breaking the news would have been preferable.
“I saw you two at the diner. Acting all cozy and friendly.” She gave me a dirty look. “He's taken. Even you should be better than that.”
“The diner?” I frowned until I remembered that we had gone out to dinner the other night. She hadn't seen us in the break room. “Oh. That was for work.”
“Riiiight. 'Work.'” She made the hand motions for quotation marks. “Don't mess with him, Hannah. He's the town hero and you aren't welcome here anymore. The Ladies don't like it when you meddle.”
I stared at her for a moment. “I'm not welcome?”
“Nobody wants you back in town, except maybe your parents. We're just fine without you waving your fancy degree around and acting like you're better than us,” she told me. “We all know you're just here to get back on your feet. Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. And it doesn't belong anywhere near Dr. Matthews. You ruin his relationship with Katie, and you'll wish you hadn't.”
I stood there in shock for a moment. Abigail was still the queen bee around town and very involved in the Ladies' Bridge Club. If she felt this way, then it was a good bet that most of the other people in town felt the same way. It hurt more than I expected. I'd never been loved by the town, but I'd never been hated either.
A knock on the exam room door took me from my shock and I managed to move out of the way to let Dr. Matthews walk in.
“Good morning, Abigail,” he said before realizing I was there. He stopped and stared at me. “Hannah.”
He looked so handsome. He had shaved and his dark hair was smoothed back rather than his usual messy. He wore dark blue scrubs that brought out the color of his eyes. The way he looked at me made my stomach do flip flops. I remembered his taste and the way his skin felt pressed against mine.
“Dr. Matthews,” I stammered, very aware that Abigail was watching our every move. The last thing I wanted was for her to think there was anything going on. “I was just leaving. All Abigail's vitals look good.”
“Good.” His eyes met mine and my stomach did the flip-flop thing again.
“Excuse me.” I darted out of the exam room as fast as I could. I didn't mean to, but I brushed up against him in the process and the touch sent shivers of want straight through me again. I needed to get a hold of myself.
I closed the door behind me, hearing Dr. Matthews start talking to Abigail through the wooden door.
“Dr. Matthews, it's so good to see you. How are you and Katie doing?” Abigail asked sweetly. “I hear you'll have a ring for her soon.”
“Katie and I aren't a couple,” he said gently.
“If you say so, Dr. Matthews. You two have been so discreet and proper. There's not many in town that would take their time and really make sure things are going to work the way you two have.”
Dr. Matthews sighed. “We aren't a couple,” he repeated and I could hear it in his voice that he was tired of saying it and not having anyone listen. “Now, let me see how the rash is doing.”
I stepped away from the door. I had work to do and I didn't need to eavesdrop on Abigail's appointment. I could already hear from the gentle hum of voices in the waiting area that we were filling up with patients. It sounded like it was going to be another busy day.
I didn't get a chance to say anything to Dr. Matthews all morning. We kept running into one another in our work duties, and we talked about patients and vitals and medications, but there was always either a patient or Donna around listening.
I suddenly understood why those cheesy romance novels my mom liked to read were always talking about “meaningful glances.” It was exactly what Jacob and I did all day. Our eyes tried to have a conversation that our words couldn't.
“Let me walk you out, Mrs. Johnson,” I said to my last patient before lunch. It looked like we might actually have a break.
“You are too sweet,” the elderly woman said, patting my hand as she stood up. “I wasn't sure how well you'd do back in Riversville, but you sure brought some professionalism with you.”
“Um, thank you?” I wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but since Mrs. Johnson was the preacher's mother and one of the main organizers of the Bridge Club games, I was glad she wasn't talking to me like Abigail had earlier.
“It's refreshing to see young people take the time to have manners,” Mrs. Johnson explained. “You need to find a good man and have some babies. I heard that Dan Marston is single. He and his wife just divorced last year. He's a nice man. Unfortunately, I think he's the only single man in town at the moment.”
“Really?”
“Well, there's Samuel. But he's a bit older than you.” Mrs. Johnson thought for a moment. “Who else is there? Dr. Matthews is marrying Katie, Jameson Richards is taking out Jane Andres, Jim Sands is a drunk and you don't want him, and Paul Dunes is gay. I'm afraid the selection is rather poor at the moment.”
I sighed.
“Don't worry, though,” Mrs. Johnson continued. “I'm sure you'll find someone. You're still young enough to have at least one baby. I wouldn't worry. At the next bridge game, we'll think of someone for you. You deserve to have some happiness.”
“That's very kind of you.” I cringed inwardly at the idea of my love life being the topic of conversation at the next ladies bridge game. The games were invite only and where most of the town gossip and decisions were made. It was like a mafia meeting, if mafiosos were small-town women with too much time on their hands.
I think I would have preferred the mob, to be honest.
“You have a wonderful afternoon, Mrs. Johnson.” I held open the clinic door for her. She smiled at me.
“We'll find you someone even if we have to get you a date from Des Moines,” she told me.
I did my best to smile until she was out of sight.
“You better be careful if the Ladies are figuring out your love life,” Donna said from her desk. “I'll try to stick up for you, but I can't guarantee they won't decide you need to marry Dan in the next three weeks.”
“Thanks, Donna.” I shook my head. I would not be marrying Dan no matter what the Ladies decided. “Any more patients? Or can I get some lunch?”
“No patients for a little bit,” Donna replied. “And Dr. Taggert brought everyone lunch. There's pizza in the break room.”
“Really?” I asked surprised. I had planned on a boring sandwich from home. Pizza was way better. Especially free pizza.
“He heard about the birth last night and wanted to congratulate us.” Donna took a big bite of pizza at her desk. “Go get some.”
I grinned and hurried to the break room to find Dr. Matthews and Dr. Taggert sitting at the break room table eating pizza together. I had to consciously force myself not to look at the wall where Jacob had pressed me up and made me shiver with pleasure. As if sensing my thoughts, Dr. Matthews looked up at me.
“Hannah.” The sound of his voice saying my name gave me goosebumps.
Dr. Taggert turned and grinned at me. He usually played Santa for all the kids at Christmas, and even in the summer he still had the white beard, though he kept it trimmed short. “Hannah!”
The difference in reaction to the two men saying my name only underlined how I felt about Dr. Matthews. He gave me the tingles while Dr. Taggert seemed like he was simply making sound.
Dr. Taggert stood up and shook my hand. “Jacob here was telling me how instrumental you were last night. He says he couldn't have done it without you.”
“Thank you,” I replied, not looking at Jacob. “I couldn't have done it without him.”
“I miss having a nurse like you,” he said with a smile. “Come have a seat and eat some pizza.”
I smiled and followed him to the table wher
e I sat next to Jacob. Yet again, we were unable to talk to one another like we needed to. My heart thumped in my chest every time Jacob even glanced in my direction.
“Hannah? We have a walk in,” Donna said, poking her head into the break room. “It's just a suspected strep throat.”
“I got it,” Dr. Matthews said, standing up quickly. “You eat.”
He gave me a quick smile and another one of those meaningful glances. I nodded.
“He's a good doctor,” Dr. Taggert observed as Jacob left the room. “I'm glad I picked him to take over the practice. He's doing better than I could have hoped.”
I nodded and reached for a piece of pizza. My stomach rumbled as the scent of cheese hit me.
“Did you have other people that wanted the practice?” I asked, taking a big bite.
“Two actually,” Dr. Taggert replied. “They were both from out of town, so someone native to Riversville was my preference. I wasn't sure, given Jacob's admittedly spotty history, but he's proven himself.”
I nodded and swallowed. “He's a different person than he was as a teenager. He's grown up a lot.”
“That he has. I almost regret giving him the morality clause in his contract.” Dr. Taggert paused and then picked up another slice of pizza. “He's proving that he didn't even need it with how well he's been running the clinic.”
“Morality clause?” I swallowed down a big bite of pizza.
Dr. Taggert shrugged. “I thought it prudent given his bad-boy ways. Without going into detail, he has to maintain appropriate relationships in the community. You know, no scandals. This is a business that I built from the ground up and I don't want it to fall to pieces because the man I sold it to can't keep it in his pants.”
I choked a little on my pizza and started to cough.
“Are you okay?” Dr. Taggert asked, concern filling his features.
“I'm fine,” I managed to get out. “Just swallowed funny.”
He watched me for a second before taking my word for it. “Anyway, I know that he's not really seeing Katie, but he's sure been a good sport. He knows that the Ladies' Bridge Club is the way to the town's heart. I'm glad he's got a good head on his shoulders. Upsetting them would not be good for the business.”
“And the business is still yours?” I asked, hoping I didn't sound like I was prying.
“It is. I was worried about giving up the practice, but Jacob is putting my mind at ease. A few more years of him running the clinic and keeping a low profile, and I'll be more than happy to finalize everything. I might even be ready to retire by then.”
He chuckled.
“So, you still own the practice? If Dr. Matthews screws up he won't be able to buy it?” I asked, feeling my heart sink.
“Yes. If Jacob does anything that damages the image of the practice, I won't sell it to him. I don't see him doing that, though.” Dr. Taggert took a bite of his pizza. “He's not the hot-headed kid he used to be. He makes good decisions now.”
I nodded and set my pizza down. I wasn't hungry any more. In fact, I felt a little sick to my stomach.
“Feel free to have another slice,” Dr. Taggert said, motioning to the box. “I got us plenty.”
“I'm full,” I replied. “I actually need to finish some charting. It was good to see you, Dr. Taggert. Thank you for the pizza.”
I headed out of the break room and went to my office and closed the door. Guilt weighed heavier on my shoulders with every step.
If word got out that Dr. Matthews and I had banged in the break room, the Bridge Club would be furious. They would ruin Dr. Matthews' reputation, which would hurt the practice. Given the morality clause that I'd just learned about, that meant that Jacob would lose the practice.
I couldn't do that to him. He loved this practice and the town. I was only going to be here for a year or two. It wasn't fair to ask him to risk everything to be with me when I couldn't even say for sure that I would be here in a year.
I had to give him up. No more break room encounters. We would be professionals. What happened yesterday had to be a one time thing. I was going to resist those blue eyes and perfect ass. I told myself it wouldn't be hard, even though I knew that was a lie.
I slumped into my desk chair. Between Abigail's threats and Dr. Taggert's clause, this day sucked.
A soft knock caught my attention. “Come in,” I said, straightening up in my chair. It was probably Donna coming to tell me we had patients.
Instead, Jacob opened the door. Despite my decision not to be attracted to him, my heart still sped up. I couldn't help but notice the smooth motion of his muscles under his scrubs and the way the light caressed his hair.
He closed the door behind him.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” I swallowed hard. “We need to talk.”
He nodded, but before he could say something that would make me change my mind, I spoke first.
“Yesterday was a mistake,” I told him, watching his face to see his reaction. His eyes widened, but he didn't look too surprised. “We can't do it again.”
“I agree,” he said softly. “It was the adrenaline and the situation. We weren't thinking clearly.”
I hated hearing him say it. I had this secret hope that he was going to tell me that he actually loved me and that it wasn't a mistake.
But that was something for rom-com movies and daydreams.
“We're still friends, though, right?” I asked, my heart in my throat. I liked spending time with him and the other night at the diner, with absolutely no romantic intentions, had been amazing. I didn't want to lose that.
Jacob's face softened and his shoulders dropped. “Of course we're still friends. We never stopped.”
That made me feel at least a little bit better.
“Okay. Then we just pretend that nothing happened last night.” I wanted to add on “even though you were amazing,” but that didn't feel like it would help the situation. We were trying to move away from having sex, and telling him he was a sex god wouldn't help with that.
“Exactly.” Jacob nodded, his eyes meeting mine and I swear I saw the same heat as the night before.
We stood there for a moment, just looking at one another and not saying how attractive the other person was. Luckily, there was a knock on my door before Donna poked her head in.
“Patients are here,” she announced. She frowned and looked at the two of us. “What's up with you two and the long faces? You've both been weird all day.”
“It's, uh...” Jacob stammered for a reason.
“Babies,” I stepped in, standing up from my chair.
“Oh, Well, the full moon is over and we don't have any super pregnant women as patients currently,” Donna replied. “No more surprise babies for you two.” She narrowed her eyes and looked at me. “Unless you've been having extra curricular activities.”
“What? Me?” I felt my cheeks turn bright red. Did Donna know?
“I'm just messing with you,” she told me with a chuckle. “You are so serious sometimes.” She shook her head as she walked down the hallway.
I looked up at Dr. Matthews. For some strange reason, I didn't want this moment to end. I didn't want to be apart from him, even if it meant we were just standing in my office staring at each other.
“You two coming or what?” Donna called from the hallway. “We have folks to see.”
Jacob and I looked at each other one more time before he turned and left my office. I let out a slow breath, unsure of how I felt about things.
It wasn't going to happen again. It was a one time thing. We were just friends and coworkers.
Yet, somehow, I found myself hating that and wanting so much more.
Chapter 15
I left work that day with a conflicted heart. Dr. Matthews and I worked well the rest of the day. We'd joked with patients and were even alone in the break room for a whole five minutes without taking our clothes off.
We could do this, I told myself. It would get easier with time. Mayb
e by next week I wouldn't want to jump his bones every time I saw him. Maybe by next month, I would forget just how good he felt inside of me. How I had felt complete.
Maybe.
But probably not.
I sighed as I put my car away and headed into the house. A summer storm chased the setting sun across the corn fields. Big, heavy, gray clouds filled the darkening sky and thunder rumbled as I went inside. The smell of rain on growing things and the cool breeze of a storm filled my home.
The humidity still flowed around me like water, but the storm would at least lower the temperature to something almost comfortable. I thought a quick shower and then I would sit by my window and watch the rain come in.
I ran upstairs and started the water. I tried not to think of Jacob as I undressed. I tried not to think of him as I washed my hair. I tried not to think of how he would like my legs smooth as I shaved them. I tried not to think of the way his hands felt on my hips, the strength of his fingers against my skin, the taste of his lips and the heat of his body.
I failed at not thinking of him.
I put on a pair of comfy cotton shorts and a cute t-shirt. Rain pattered on the windows and thunder rumbled overhead. My air conditioner kicked on and for the first time in weeks, I actually felt a little cool.
I went to the kitchen and started to make some dinner. I had some chicken breasts and local sweet corn and veggies. It wasn't going to be fancy, but it would taste good and make great leftovers for tomorrow. One of the perks of living in a farming town was that we had the best produce at the farmer's markets.
I started prepping the corn, trying not to think of Jacob and the way his muscles flexed. I decided I would watch TV with dinner tonight, or I'd spend my entire meal trying not to think of him and how we weren't going to be together ever again.
My doorbell rang. I paused with the corn half stripped and frowned. A flash of lightning lit the sky and rain pelted the roof. It was not the time of day to be outside.
I hurried over to the door and threw it open. Standing on my porch, soaking wet and looking hotter than hell, was Jacob Matthews.