A Date with an Admirer

by Dover, L. P.

  “Are you aware the state of North Carolina has a strict indecent exposure law?”

  “No, but I wouldn’t doubt it. I really wasn’t exposing anyone. I had a mishap in the bathroom and needed to get out of my clothes.”

  “Why not change in the bathroom?”

  “Have you seen the bathroom in this place?” I point toward the door. “It’s why I’m out here changing. I probably have hepatitis or some other disease from the infestation growing inside.”

  “Used the wrong bathroom, huh?”

  I sigh heavily. “Why not lock the door?”

  The officer chuckles. “I’m going to need your driver’s license.”

  “Of course.” I bend over and pick up my shorts, flip them upside down and shake the legs until my wallet falls out. I spy it warily while it sits on the dirt ground, looking for any wet spots which might indicate someone’s fecal matter. I use the toe of my shoe to flip it onto its side and repeat my process. Still, I’m not confident it’s clean and search for a rag from the back of my car. After some maneuvering, I finally fish my license out and hand it to the officer, only he doesn’t take it.

  “What’s your name?” he asks.

  “Tanner Hayes.”

  “Address?”

  I give him my new address and tell him I moved back from California. He nods, writes everything down and leaves me there, holding my ID between my fingers through the rag. Even he doesn’t want to touch it.

  When he comes back, he tells me to have a good day after reminding me not to change my clothes in public again. He also gives me a handful of disinfecting wipes, which makes me want to hug him, but I refrain. After wiping everything down, I’m finally on my way back to town. I drive right to the phone store to get my replacement, but of course, it’s closed. I don’t know how long I sit there, staring at the door, willing the manager to come out and tell me they’re open, but long enough to know I’m losing my freaking mind . . . all over a woman.

  11

  Sophie

  The afternoon turned into night, and the night into morning. Tanner never called back which hurt my heart more than I could’ve ever imagined. Guess that’s my answer from him. I look in my rearview mirror and no amount of makeup can hide my true feelings. I haven’t talked to Ellie yet, but her car is already in the parking lot. It’s time to get to work. I’ll just drown myself in extractions, fillings, and the occasional emergency tooth ache visits.

  Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow and get out of my car. My patients will start arriving soon and I have to look professional. I walk in through the back door and a couple of my hygienists say their good mornings to me. I say it in return, plastering on a big smile like I always do.

  Ellie is in her office when I turn the corner, dressed in the same royal blue scrubs as me, and her eyes widen when she gets a good look at my face. She slides her chair back and stands. “Has he not called you?”

  I shake my head. “Has he called you?” I counter.

  Her brows furrow. “No. I figured you two made up last night after I left.” She looks down at her phone. “Strange. Usually, he calls me back. I hope he’s okay.”

  Now she has me worried. What if something happened to him? The front desk buzzes in my first patient so I back up toward my office which is right beside Ellie’s. “Keep calling him Ellie. I have to know he’s okay.”

  She nods and I can see the concern on her face. “I will.”

  I try to be optimistic about things, but I really am worried for Tanner. Please let him be okay. Once in my office, I put on a clean lab coat and wrap my ponytail into a neat bun. I look at the schedule on the computer and the day is full. My first patient is Marjorie Thatcher. She’s here for a temporary crown and is known to have a severe gag reflex.

  Releasing a heavy sigh, I close my eyes. “Please don’t let her throw up on me.”

  A knock sounds on my office door and I turn to see Lexi Hoffman with a big smile on her face. She’s twenty-four-years-old with bright blonde hair and wearing the usual royal blue scrubs like everyone else on Mondays. We all thought it’d be nice to color coordinate, so I let my assistants and hygienists come up with a schedule.

  “Good morning, Lexi,” I say, returning her smile. “Did you have a good weekend?” She’s the best dental assistant I’ve ever worked with. That’s why I pay her top dollar to stay with me.

  Lexi steps into my office. “Sure did. You?”

  A laugh escapes my lips, but there’s no humor in it. The night I spent with Tanner was phenomenal, but it all went to shit with my stupidity. “Yes and no,” I reply. Her brows furrow with concern, but I wave her off. “I’m hoping things will get better though. Just waiting on someone to call me back.”

  Lexi nods. “Okay. You had me worried there for a second.”

  “Is Mrs. Thatcher ready to go?”

  She nods again. “Yep. And I have the trash can close by in case she throws up her breakfast. She told me she had eggs, bacon, and three pancakes.”

  The thought makes me cringe. I really don’t want to see all that come up. “Great,” I grumble, “just what I need.” I follow her into the hallway, and she turns into the first examination room. Before going inside, I glance over at Ellie’s office and lift my brows when she looks at me. She shrugs and shakes her head, mouthing the word nothing. I can tell she’s really starting to get worried. This isn’t how I wanted to start my day.

  * * *

  Well . . . it turns out I was able to get through Marjorie Thatcher’s crown appointment without her throwing up on me. She gagged a bunch and we had to take breaks, but we got it done. Thank God.

  Throughout the morning during my breaks, I checked my phone but there was nothing from Tanner. Inside, I’m conflicted. On one hand, I’m worried something happened to him, especially since he hasn’t returned Ellie’s calls either, but on the other hand, I’m furious. If he really wanted to be with me like he says he does, then why would one misunderstanding turn him away? I just don’t get it.

  Sitting in my office, I look up at the clock and it’s almost lunch time. All my morning appointments are done, and I just finished my last patient’s hygiene exam. On top of that, I did a total of six fillings, three extractions, and a crown. Not bad for a Monday morning.

  “Sophie.” Ellie’s voice catches my attention and I turn around quickly. She nods toward the front of the office. “Since it’s almost lunch and everyone’s leaving, I’m going to run by Tanner’s house. This isn’t like him to ignore me.”

  I want to join her, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. If Tanner listened to my message, he knows how I feel. The ball is in his court now. “Go,” I say. “And call me as soon as you find him.”

  She’s already turning for the door. “I will.”

  The office is quiet and most everyone has left except my two front desk ladies and Lexi. She walks quickly toward the sterilization room with a tray full of dirty instruments. Instead of going to the break room, I go into the examination room and glove up so I can help Lexi clean. I spray down the chair and all our equipment.

  Lexi walks in and gasps. “Oh my God, you scared me. What are you doing?”

  I wipe down the chair and smile. “Thought I’d help so you can get out of here for lunch.”

  She sighs. “You don’t have to help me, Dr. Peterson. There’s still ten minutes before lunch time starts.” She reaches into the jar of alcohol wipes and pulls out a few. “Besides, my hubby left me a text message and said he’s running a few minutes late. We’re meeting at Chantilly’s if you want to join us.”

  I shake my head even though I really do love Chantilly’s. They always bring out mini poppyseed muffins and strawberry butter for an appetizer, and their chicken salad is to die for. I could really use some of their chocolate cake right about now too, but . . . “No. Enjoy your time with your husband.” Maybe one day I’ll be able to do the same. At the rate I’m going, it’s not going to happen.

  “Okay,” Lexi replies, “if yo
u change your mind that’s where we’ll be.”

  Once the room is cleaned, I take off my gloves and toss them in the trash. Lexi finishes placing the protective bags over the instruments, and when we walk out, my front desk lady Karen charges toward us. She’s a petite woman in her late fifties with short red hair and a round build. She also happens to be my parents’ neighbor. When she got laid off from her job at the bank, I hired her immediately.

  “Thank goodness, I caught you in time,” she calls out breathlessly. “We have a new patient just walk in the door. Says he’s in pain.”

  With it being lunch break, I don’t want Lexi having to stay with me. I look over at her and she shrugs. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  That makes me smile. “Enjoy your lunch. I got this.”

  Then I turn to Karen. “Get him to fill out the paperwork and I’ll bring him back.”

  Karen blows out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Dr. Peterson.” She disappears back up to the front desk and when I walk by the glass door, my breath catches in my lungs. I gasp and flatten my back against the wall. There’s no new patient at the front desk. It’s Tanner. He’s here. More importantly, what the hell’s going on? Why didn’t he just say he’s here to see me? Then again, maybe he really does have a tooth ache, but if that’s the case, he should’ve gone somewhere else.

  “Dr. Peterson, are you okay?” Lexi asks.

  I grab my chest. “Yeah.” I quickly look at Tanner again, standing at the front desk with his pen flying across the paperwork impatiently as he fills it out.

  Lexi comes up to me and peeks around my shoulder. “He’s cute. You know him?”

  Moving away from the door, I bring her with me. “It’s Tanner Hayes, Ellie’s brother.” I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks, and of course, Lexi notices it.

  She tries to hide her smile and fails. “Yeah, I heard he was coming into town. Did something happen between you two?”

  Memories of the other night flash through my mind. I shake my head to make them disappear. “Just a little. Long story short, we had an amazing night and then I freaked out. He tried to tell me how he felt, only for me to shut him down. I tried to apologize but he’s been ignoring me.”

  Lexi snickers. “I can tell you like him.”

  I rub my aching chest. “God help me, I do. He infuriates me though. I’m pissed he hasn’t called me back.”

  Karen rushes through the glass door to us and hands me Tanner’s chart. Lexi holds her hand out for it, her eyes twinkling. “I have an idea to make him sweat. It’ll be payback for not calling you back. That is, if you don’t mind?”

  Grinning, I hand her the file. “Go for it.” I hide around the corner so I can hear what she says to him. A couple seconds later, I can hear the glass door open and the sound of them walking into the examination room.

  “I’m sorry you’re having a tooth ache, Mr. Hayes. My name is Lexi and I’m Dr. Peterson’s assistant. Do you mind showing me where you’re hurting?”

  Tanner sighs. “Is there any way I can just see the doctor?”

  “Well,” Lexi says in that sing-song voice of hers, “Dr. Peterson always likes for me to get all the information first.”

  “Okay, fine,” Tanner agrees, sounding defeated, “it hurts here.”

  I peek into the room and I can see Lexi looking at his mouth. She winks quickly at me and smiles. “All right, Mr. Hayes, I just need to take an x-ray and then put some topical around that tooth so the doctor can numb you up. You’re most likely going to need to have it taken out.”

  It takes all I have not to burst out laughing. Tanner jumps out of the seat and holds up his hands. “Hell no. My tooth’s not going anywhere!”

  And at that moment, our eyes meet. My heart flip flops in my chest, and there’s no denying the chemistry between us. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at him. “That’s for ignoring me.”

  Lexi clears her throat. “Okay, I think I’m going to go. Unless you really have a tooth ache?” she asks, turning to Tanner.

  He shakes his head. “I have an ache, but it’s not in my mouth.” The way he looks at me is so serious it makes me tremble. Lexi backs out of the room and I mouth the words thank you to her as she leaves.

  Tanner nods toward the hallway where Lexi just walked away. “Did you put her up to that?”

  “Nope,” I say with a sardonic smile. “That’s just Lexi’s humor.” Silence fills the air and I sigh. “Why didn’t you call me back? Ellie and I have been worried about you.”

  “Where is she?” he asks.

  I waved a hand in the air. “Out looking for you. She left about ten minutes ago to find you.”

  He runs a hand over his face which has more sun on it than it did yesterday. “I’m sorry. I’ll call her. Yesterday was a shit day for me. Like literally. When I heard your message this morning—”

  “This morning?” I cut in. “It took you that long to listen to it?”

  A laugh escapes his lips. “Believe me, Soph, if I could’ve listened to it earlier, I would have. I knew you’d be angry so that’s why I came here instead of calling you back. I didn’t think you’d see me otherwise.”

  “Where did you go yesterday that you couldn’t call anyone back?”

  “Well,” he began as he took a step toward me, “let’s just say you’re going to love this. I drove to the beach to catch a few waves but ended up not being in the mood for it. On the way home, I stopped by a local dive and dropped my phone in a toilet full of literal shit.”

  Gasping, I slap a hand over my mouth. “Seriously?”

  He nods. “It took all I had not to fucking puke all over the damn place in there. But then it gets worse.” I wonder if he’s telling me the truth, but I can see the sincerity in his eyes. He takes another step toward me. “As my phone falls into the shit-filled toilet, it splashes all over me. By this point, I’m regretting ever leaving your house in the first place. I should’ve just stayed there until we worked everything out.”

  He stares at me all serious and it’s so hard to keep a straight face. In my mind, I can see it all … him in a disgusting bathroom with shit all over him. “So, you’re covered in shit in a dingy bathroom. What happens after that?” I ask, keeping a hand over my mouth to hide my smile.

  He comes closer and I’m dying for him to pull me into his arms. “After that, I go out to my Jeep and strip down, only for a cop to show up and threaten to arrest me for indecency. But when he saw and smelled the shit all over me, he let me go. Guess he didn’t want to touch me. Hell, I didn’t want to be anywhere near myself.”

  “Oh my God, Tanner, that’s insane. So, you weren’t ignoring me then?”

  Reaching for my hand, he pulls me close. “Of course not. I would never ignore you, Soph. By the time I got back into town last night, the phone store was closed. I went there first thing this morning to get a new one and that’s when I found out you left me a voicemail.” His hands cup my cheeks. “Believe me, I was scared to death that you wouldn’t want to see me. That’s why I came here pretending to be a patient. I figured Ellie would play along if she was here.”

  I have no doubt she would. “She came to see me yesterday,” I confess. “Turns out I was wrong about everything. There’s nothing to worry about with her. All she wants is for us to be happy.”

  Pulling me in tight to his body, he brings his lips down to mine. “Does this mean you’re not scared to be mine now?”

  I kiss him again. “I’ll always be scared of getting hurt, Tanner. Love isn’t easy.”

  Tanner rubs a thumb over my lips. “No, it’s not, but we’re going to make it work. I’ve waited a long time for you and I’m not about to screw that up. I’m in it for the long haul.”

  His words make me smile. “Good. Guess we’ll see where the road takes us.” Taking his hand, I lead him to my office and shut the door, locking it behind us. “And we can start here.”

  Tanner kisses me deeply and slides a hand under my shirt to unclasp my bra. “I’m f
alling in love with you, Sophie. I wish you knew how much.”

  I pull back and look right into his crystal blue eyes. “I know the feeling.”

  THE END

  * * *

  You’ve had A Date for Midnight, you’ve met your admirer, and now it’s time for some Good Luck!

  Want more from Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover? Check out their Society X Series with Dark Room, Viewing Room & Play Room

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