Naughty & Nice

by J. S. Scott

  “Looking for double pay to afford that perfect life and snappy style of yours?” she asked. Okay, so she was being a bit of a you-know-what, but they hadn’t exactly gotten along in the past and she might as well remind him that she wasn’t about to fawn over him like the other nurses used to.

  And yeah, her conscience was reminding her that they’d done good work together and that he was actually a decent guy who had tried to do well by her friend, but it hadn’t worked out. Beth was over it; Katie should be, too.

  Except she was pretty sure that if she softened her stance in their mini war he would go in for the proverbial kill. The man had so many rules and regulations memorized, as well as that fat stick shoved so far up his hiney it was a miracle he could bend over to tie his polished Oxfords. Only a man such as Nash could make her life hell for the next few days, and she’d taken these extra holiday shifts to chill out and avoid situations that would make her head explode, thank you very much.

  “You like my style?” Nash asked, eyes narrowed.

  Yes. Now go away. Forever.

  “Too pretentious.”

  In truth, she loved the fact that Nash never wore stained, worn-out or disheveled attire. He exuded classy confidence and his blond hair was always perfect. She’d hated his old Blueberry Springs condo for only one reason: she’d wanted it to be hers. It had been a homey blend of comfort, style, and modern simplicity. In other words, it had stood for everything Katie didn’t have in her life.

  “Above my station?” he asked.

  “Not exactly.” She smoothed her ponytail. “Just trying to be bigger and better than everyone else. As usual.”

  He leaned against the counter and whispered in a low, suggestive voice that sent shivers through her soul, “Maybe I am bigger and better than everyone else, Katie Reiter.”

  Okay, that was a different side of Nash. Definitely. She needed to close her mouth and stop imagining him taking her in the little storage closet just down the hall, her name on his lips as he…

  Oh, wow. This whole being on the rebound after being dumped by one’s long-term boyfriend was messing with her brain. That’s what it had to be. Not…lust. Not for Nash.

  Yuck.

  He grinned, as if knowing the effect he was having, and patted the counter’s worn surface. “I’m back for two days.”

  “Is it day two?” she asked hopefully. The sooner he was out of here the better.

  Nash’s serious blue eyes took her in. She smoothed her ponytail again and stood a tad taller, matching his height. Hm. She could have sworn she was taller than he was.

  “Day one. Hour one.” He straightened his crisp, white doctor’s coat. “Filling in. Being a nice guy. All that. It is possible, you know.”

  “How did I not know you were coming? I must have missed the hounds of hell howling to announce your imminent arrival.”

  “Well, Miss Head Nurse, I know this is may be news to you, so I’ll break it to you gently. The gist of it is you don’t know everything.”

  What. A. Jerk.

  “I didn’t miss you one iota.”

  His eyes darkened with what she could have sworn was disappointment, if it had been pretty much anyone other than Nash.

  They stared at each other in silence and Katie wondered if he’d heard about the party she’d held when he’d finally returned to the city to resume his oh-so-amazing career somewhere not filled with backward, casual, unprofessional hicks. Old anger stirred as she thought of his consummate professional attitude and let’s-make-things-better, gung-ho persona.

  In other words, it had been nice having him gone. Really nice.

  “You look well,” he said. “Is Will treating you right?”

  “Well, he dumped me, so yes. I suppose from your viewpoint, he is treating me right.” Go figure that the one time Nash deigned to ask about her life it was to poke a finger in the festering sore of being dumped when she’d been expecting an engagement ring.

  Men. So typically unreliable.

  Nash’s expression closed and Katie resisted the urge to ask about his own love life. Not because she wanted to know—it was Nash, after all. But because that would be a sore worth poking. It would also likely be the very definition of awkward, seeing as, one, her brother was the reason Nash wasn’t happily married to her best friend. And two, her best friend had dumped him. For her brother. Full circle. A whole big tangled ball of awkward.

  Plus, add in the whole yay-he-left-town party thing.

  “We have a suture in ER room three,” Nash said quietly.

  He seemed bothered by her banter. Where was his usual spunk? His volley back over the net? That knowing smirk that used to drive her mad and make her vow to get further under his skin next time?

  He couldn’t leave her hanging here as the big bad bitch, could he?

  Well, he was Nash, so yes he could.

  But maybe he really had changed. Which would mean she’d have to be nice.

  Boo. Hiss. That wasn’t going to happen. Him playing Mr. Nice Guy was probably a game aimed at getting back at her for decorating his Beemer with streamers when he’d left town.

  “Amy is dispensing meds, so you’re on.” He turned, glancing over his shoulder expectantly when she didn’t fall into step behind him like the perfect little nurse she was supposed to be.

  She was starting to really despise nursing. Even more than usual.

  “Of course,” she muttered, hanging back enough to prove that they were most definitely not walking together.

  Approaching room three, where town gossip and newspaper reporter Liz Moss-Brady was apparently waiting for them, Nash turned, trapping Katie unexpectedly in a small, blaringly white corner. His eyes were serious and oh so blue. She froze, not knowing what to expect.

  Hot diggedy, he smelled good. The same cologne as her brother, she’d guess, except on Nash it smelled…sexy. Definitely not an innocent scent. It was as though someone had taken all the testosterone in the world, all the sexiness and…no.

  This was Nash. Her supervisor for the next two days.

  She inhaled involuntarily. Yep, totally different than on her brother. On Nash, the scent was as though Daniel Craig and Ryan Gosling had morphed into one megasexy being that contained their appeal as well as the pull of a dreamy accent such as Pierce Brosnan’s and the primal ferocity of Wolverine. All wrapped into one man. One scent.

  Completely dangerous.

  And her body had noticed. Was definitely reacting. Knees weak and jelly-like. Pulse throbbing. Clammy anticipation swinging through her nerve endings. Check, check, checkity-check. Her body was gearing up in a way that was similar to the primal “give it to me”’ call of the wild. If she were a rhesus monkey, her butt cheeks would be a shocking red right now.

  Ew. Not a sexy thought. And now she’d never be able to inhale around her brother without feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

  Great. Thanks a lot, Nash Leham. You big monkey bottom.

  “Katie,” Nash said in his serious-doctor-melodrama voice. “Can we just drop it?”

  “Drop what?” She glanced at his hands. So perfect. Clean. Strong. Deft. No wonder he was a good doctor, a good surgeon and likely a very good lover.

  She returned her attention to his face so fast she just about gave herself vertigo. What was her problem today? Unused hormones lingering around, not realizing that having been dumped she simply didn’t need them messing with her? Because it had been two simple, carefree weeks and the hormones should just go away and never come back until she said it was safe.

  Right now? Not safe.

  “This.” He pointed to her chest, then his own. “Whatever invisible thing we’ve been fighting, let’s drop it and enjoy the next couple of days.”

  Katie tried to form words.

  He smiled as though confiding in her, and her knees weakened again. “We’re a good team, Katie. One of the best. Let’s rock it out of the park.”

  They were a good team. Even though they were always fighting and trying to on
e-up and cut each other off. Well, no…that was mostly just her. Trying to take him down a notch. She couldn’t help it. She hated the fact that he always knew everything. And now he was telling her to get over it so they could be a team, because she was the one who always started it.

  How embarrassingly immature of her—but only because he was totally calling her on it.

  “We complement each other,” he continued. “You are incredibly organized and knowledgeable and I have always admired that.”

  Katie sank against the wall. He was complimenting her? This wasn’t the first time he had, but it was the first time she’d actually listened and believed it to be true, not part of some overarching game. That was the difference. She’d been competing with him, but now he wanted a teammate.

  However, you couldn’t always trust men, though. Take Will, for example. She’d bought him a five hundred dollar car stereo system, thinking she had to balance out an engagement ring. Now it turned out she was going to be one of many gracing the gift returns line in the city after the holidays. Couldn’t her ex at least hinted that he was leaning toward “I don’t” instead of “I do”?

  “Now that there is no longer a conflict of interest between us, can we work together in harmony, Katie?”

  She struggled to comprehend Nash’s words.

  His coat brushed her Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer nursing scrubs. “Can we?”

  “Um…” Her voice squeaked. “What conflict of interest?”

  “I’m no longer stealing your best friend from your brother.”

  Katie had to look away. Elephant in the room recognized and confirmed? Checkity-check-check-check.

  It was true, though. She—and the majority of Blueberry Springs—hadn’t given him an easy time when he swept in and wooed Beth, while Katie’s brother, Oz, tried to get his life together so he could return to his soul mate.

  “Friends?” Nash’s voice was low, hope evident in his sharp blue eyes. His wonderful shoulders were frozen, waiting for her to say yes and make things easy. Or crush him with a no.

  How could she do that to a man like him?

  Easy. She was Katie Reiter. He was Nash Leham.

  However, she couldn’t. Not today. Call it a flash of holiday goodwill, or intoxication by a scent that should be outlawed around women who were on the rebound, but she nodded. She shook his hand, ignoring the zing that tore through her at his touch.

  “Fine,” she said. “Friends. Nash. Dr. Leham.” Damn. Which side was she on now? This was confusing. “What do you want me to call you?”

  “Nash is fine.” There was a hint of a rogue smile curving his lips, and Katie wondered if years ago he had, indeed, been intentionally, and with well-disguised gusto, volleying those shots back to her all those years ago. But most of all, if she was about to get slammed now that she’d temporarily let her guard down.

  * * *

  “I heard you were back, Nash Leham!” Liz crowed, cradling her left hand, which was well-bandaged. “How long this time?” She pushed Katie aside to give the doctor a half hug.

  “You didn’t have to injure yourself to come see me,” Nash scolded, taking a seat near the gossip.

  “Oh, you,” Liz said, blushing as she tapped Nash’s thigh with her good hand. Katie gaped in wonder. Liz? Blushing? Over Nash? Had to be the cologne. It had a wild and far-reaching effect.

  Katie turned to him. “Weren’t you in favor of scent-free hospitals?”

  Nash glanced away almost sheepishly. “I forgot. So!” he said brightly to Liz, who was preening her gray-streaked hair. “Let me guess…cut yourself preparing a Christmas Eve feast?”

  “No, wait,” Katie interrupted. “That’s not something you would forget, Nash—Dr. Leham. Uh, Nash.” She turned to Liz for support. “Am I right or am I right?”

  “She does have a point,” the reporter agreed.

  “I wanted to smell good,” he muttered as he inspected Liz’s bandage. “Now about your hand.”

  “Subsection 8.1.7.” Katie grinned, gleeful to have that one memorized. “You might also care to know that the penalty is a day’s pay.” Oh, she had him now.

  “Upon second warning.”

  Darn. Of course he had more memorized than she did.

  The doctor returned his attention to the patient. “Brussels sprouts?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I’ve seen the way you cut them. This was bound to happen. Didn’t I tell you that?”

  Liz looked contrite. “You did.”

  Okay. This was weird. Not only had he changed, but he’d somehow dazzled Liz into liking him—a lot. And the professional shield he used to wear had been replaced by…warmth. Caring. He’d always cared, of course, but this…this was…Katie liked this.

  But something was up. He wasn’t a man who forgot and wore cologne to work.

  “Katie, could you pass me fresh gauze? The two-inch.” Nash had unwound Liz’s bandage and was waiting for Katie’s help. She flew into action, grabbing a stack of four-inch squares as well as antiseptic. She fumbled as she handed them to him.

  “You okay?” he asked, setting down those supplies to reach for the ones he wanted.

  “Right. Yes, of course.” She felt like a nurse on her first day, and could tell he was enjoying throwing her off guard. But instead of wanting to punch him or declare it “game on,” Katie eased her stool closer to him, curious to find out whatever else was different about him.

  Was he still a big jerk?

  Was he still single? What if he was married and had kids?

  And why was disappointment igniting within her at the thought of him being happy with someone else?

  They slowly fell into a quiet work rhythm where words weren’t required, while Liz nattered away, asking all the questions Katie wanted answers to.

  Kids? No.

  Married? No.

  Seeing someone? No.

  Still heartbroken over Beth? No.

  Were they still actually friends? Yes.

  Was he looking to start a new relationship? Yes.

  Did he want Liz to hook him up with her niece, Nicola, who’d just moved to town? No.

  Did he make management level in the city? Yes. (Come on, Liz. Everyone knew that.)

  Liking the city? Missing Blueberry Springs.

  Katie laughed, breaking their wordless working spell. “You miss Blueberry Springs? Yeah, right.”

  Those icy blue eyes were on her again. “I did.”

  “Why?” She didn’t mean to sound as if she was scoffing. But really, why would Mr. Fancy Management Pants want to come back here? What was there to miss for a person such as Nash, who was always looking for the next rung up the promotion ladder?

  Those eyes. They kept staring at her. Poking. Delving. Finally, he said quietly, “I missed the people.”

  Right. That wasn’t it. He was definitely up to something. She broke eye contact and began tidying up. “Keep your hand dry for at least forty-eight hours, Liz.”

  Nash interrupted, taking over the dos and don’ts of suture care, leaving Katie biting her bottom lip to keep from telling him off.

  “You two sure work nicely as a team,” Liz said when he finished his spiel. “Did you hear Katie and Will broke up? She’s single, you know.”

  Nash gave Katie a glance out of the corner of his eye. “I heard, yes.”

  “Katie has very good style. I think the two of you would make a fine couple.” Liz eyed her speculatively. “You’re looking trim, Katie. Volleyball? Or are you dieting? You know who is dieting? Jen Kulak.” She turned to Nash. “She’s the new nature guide who almost burned down the town.” Liz addressed Katie again. “I’m sure of it. She lost a lot of weight when she moved here a couple of years ago. But that’s good. When she gets pregnant it will be much easier to tell.” She laughed.

  “Liz, did you need anything for the pain?” Katie began ushering her out of the room, her winter apparel bundled in her arms. “I heard there’s a storm coming, so you should likely head hom
e while you can.”

  “Not coming until tomorrow.” Liz pushed against Katie, angling herself to call out to Nash, who was escaping. “Let me know if you change your mind about my niece. You are a fine catch and it would be a shame for you not to pass on those genes, if you know what I’m saying?”

  True that, sister.

  Wow. Okay, Katie needed to go stick her head in a snowdrift. She’d officially…well, she wasn’t sure what, but it couldn’t be good.

  “Thank you, Liz. I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

  Katie forced herself to keep from whipping around to see if Nash was serious. Why would he be considering Liz’s niece when, right in front of him, Katie herself had so much to offer—including a lovely, volleyball-toned body?

  Puhlease.

  Oh, what was her problem? She was relieved to be single. The last thing she needed right now was a man complicating her life.

  She sighed. A man would be nice, though. Except for the part where they dump you, unexpectedly, in a humiliating heap. And then there was tidying up after them. Reminding them to fold their laundry. Clean their apartment. Buy new clothes. Get off the couch and live a little.

  And anyway, she was on the brink of change. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Any day, she was going to become an interior decorator. Any moment her life was going to change…

  Right. And how was that going to happen if she never pulled up her lacy thong and got her butt cheeks in action in order to make it happen? That was why she was still working here as a nurse, feeling more worn-out than ever.

  “How’s your dad?” Nash asked, startling Katie out of her thoughts. Liz had paused to chat with someone down the hall, and cast them a curious glance.

  “Oh, um, fine.” Katie smiled and adjusted her scrubs. “Thanks.”

  “His heart has been good?”

  “Yes. Thanks.” That was the other thing holding her back: her father. Harvey Reiter had had a heart attack, literally, when Oz had told him he was quitting the Reiter and Son accounting business. Katie had scoffed at her brother for making a big deal about changing course and following his dreams. But now she kind of got it. It wasn’t easy.