When We Met

by Marni Mann

  “You’re buying?” Emily responded.

  The redhead removed his wallet, counting the bills inside. “I’ve got about seven hundred on me.” He cupped his hand around his mouth and shouted, “Hey, Caleb, do you have any cash on you?”

  I looked in the direction the redhead had yelled, and a man at the back of the bar line had turned at the sound of his name, now facing us.

  Caleb’s eyes were such a radiant blue that I could see them from all the way over here.

  The redhead waved him over, and Caleb looked in his wallet as he approached, stopping once he reached his friend.

  “I’ve got about a thousand,” he answered. “Why?”

  As the last word left his mouth, our eyes fell upon each other, this handsome man’s incredibly sexy gaze holding me captive. One that was unapologetically covering my entire body.

  Despite the wave of heat moving across my face, I was frozen.

  And suddenly, the connection between us was broken when Emily squeezed my arm and said, “Are we selling these brutally uncomfortable seats for seventeen hundred dollars”—her eyes widened, moving to each of the girls before returning to me, signaling that was her preference—“or are we going to sit here for only an hour and then leave, like we planned to all along?”

  Caleb came in closer, resting his hands on the table. “I have an idea.” His eyes were aimed at me. “How about we buy you a drink while you think about it?”

  “Is it too early to tell you I love you?” Emily teased.

  The redhead held up his left hand, showing a gold band around that important finger. “You’re about five years too late in doing that.” He nodded toward Caleb. “But that one is as single as they come.” He checked the screen of his phone and held it up to his ear as he said, “Smith, how’s Dubai?” before he walked away from the table.

  “Please excuse Joe,” Caleb said, his eyes still on me. “He can be a little on the aggressive side.” He held out his hand. “I’m Caleb Hunt.”

  “Whitney Scott.”

  “Whitney,” he repeated, as though he was testing the way it felt on his tongue, in a voice that sent chills down my body. His long fingers enveloped mine, his strength something I wished I could borrow every time I needed to lift my patients. “It’s nice to meet you,” he continued, slowly releasing me to introduce himself to the other girls before eventually asking, “Now, what can I get you ladies to drink?”

  I showed him my fresh beer. “I’m good for now.”

  “Not me,” Emily replied, holding the bottle to her lips, chugging until it was empty. “I’ll have another.”

  Rebecca asked for one as well.

  Fiona was the last to respond. “Me, too, and I’ll even get you a waitress.” She held up her hand, calling one over to give our order.

  “While we ponder your irresistible offer,” Emily said, “tell us everything there is to know about you, Mr. Hunt.”

  He laughed, running his hand through his hair, the shade of a dark roast. His smile was spectacular because his lips were so full, his teeth perfect.

  “Boston native,” he began, “thirty-three years old, graduated from Tufts, and I work in finance.”

  “And single,” Rebecca emphasized.

  “That too,” he agreed.

  Emily leaned across me and said, “Caleb, what does one need to do in finance to have that much cash in one’s wallet?”

  He licked across his lips, a move so casual but he made it look extremely seductive. “I’m a financial advisor.”

  “What did I miss?” Joe interrupted, putting his hand on Caleb’s shoulder as he rejoined us.

  “Is everything all right with Smith?” Caleb inquired.

  Joe nodded. “He was just checking in.” He then glanced at each of us. “So, do we have a deal?”

  “I have a better idea,” Emily replied, a grin growing across her face. “My friends and I are only going to be here for a little bit, grabbing some of their tacos and a few beers before we go outside to watch the race. How about we score you guys some seats, and you can join us and foot the bill? My girls can drink but definitely not seventeen hundred dollars’ worth.”

  “That’s a hell of a deal,” Caleb said. “I’m in.”

  “Hold on, my friend.” Joe’s focus moved from Caleb to Emily. “I’m curious … how are you going to get two extra chairs? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but this place is standing-room only.”

  “We have this little thing called a connection,” Fiona taunted.

  Emily smiled at Fiona and then at Joe. “Do we have a deal?”

  “We certainly do.”

  The waitress came to our table with a large bucket of beers, and Rebecca said to her, “Hey, Jules, keep those coming, and please grab some seats for the guys.”

  “You got it,” Jules replied.

  I felt Caleb’s eyes on me and shifted in his direction just as he said, “I’ve given you my bio; now, it’s your turn.”

  “My turn?” My brows rose as I hid the shyness I was suddenly feeling. “I’m not nearly as interesting as you.”

  “Let me decide that. Give me three things I would never guess about you.”

  “Hmm.” He was putting me on the spot, his attention causing my brain to stop working, not knowing which angle in which to answer. “I’m a foodie, except I despise chicken.”

  He smiled.

  “Traveling is something I want to do more than anything in this world, but I’ve been nowhere. And I’m positively terrified of cats.”

  “Cats?”

  I shoved a hand into the pocket of my jeans, feeling how sweaty it was becoming. “They’re far too sneaky and sly for my liking. I prefer the honesty of dogs—you know where you stand with them at all times.”

  “And you have a sense of humor.”

  “I really don’t; that would be Emily. She constantly makes me laugh out loud and somehow negotiates her way into free beer and tacos.”

  As his gaze narrowed, I was instantly reminded of how delicious it was. “She might have just earned herself a job offer.”

  “She’s a teacher, and she loves her kids more than life. It would take an awful lot to pull her away from that.”

  “What would it take to pull you away?”

  “Me?” I chuckled. “I’m not a negotiator or good at finances. I’m an RN; you wouldn’t want me.”

  “I’m not talking about a job, Whitney.”

  I knew my face was turning multiple shades of red, and I just couldn’t hide it.

  “How about this?” he started. “I have about an hour before you leave the bar. In that time, let’s see if I can earn a date with you.”

  I squeezed the bottle with my other hand, feeling the condensation drip to the bottom, my back now just as sweaty. “I’ll drink to that.”

  His stare moved right through me as he clinked his beer against mine. “Cheers, Whitney.”

  Eighteen

  “Whitney,” Emily sang as she washed her hands at the sink next to mine. “Caleb is Ben Affleck delicious. Seriously, girl. Wow.”

  As a Boston native herself, Emily compared all men to Boston-raised celebrities; in her eyes, they were the most attractive.

  “I don’t disagree.” I checked the little makeup I’d put on in the mirror, tucking the stray hairs back into my hat. “And somehow, his number is now in my phone and mine is in his.”

  She pulled a towel out of the dispenser. “Somehow, huh?”

  I reached for one as well, wiping my hands with the harsh material. “It’s the beer’s fault. He keeps buying, and I keep drinking, and now, my phone has one more contact in it.” I tossed the soaked paper. “I don’t expect him to call; I’m not that naive.”

  She put her arm over my shoulders as we walked out of the restroom. “Are you kidding? Of course the man isn’t going to call. He’s going to text because no one in their right mind likes to talk on those damn things anymore.”

  “Oh my God.” I laughed and searched for our table.
<
br />   The bar was so crowded that I could only see the tops of their heads, except when my gaze shifted once more and Caleb’s eyes gobbled up mine.

  “My Lord,” Emily said under her breath. “Before I die, I pray a man looks at me the way he’s eye-fucking you right now.” She gripped my fingers and squeezed. “I hope you jump on him and hump that stare.”

  I turned toward my best friend. “You’re absolutely crazy, you know—”

  My hands went to my ears, the rest of the words getting caught in my throat, my feet coming out from under me as the loudest noise I’d ever heard blasted around us. My shoulder hit the floor first, my body tucking into a fetal position, while I still blocked my eardrums as the volume vibrated through me. The second the sound began to die down, my eyes opened, and one thought entered my head.

  Emily.

  I pushed myself up, my shoulder throbbing from the impact, and I investigated the ground around me. Emily was only a few feet away, lying on her back, and I dragged myself over to her.

  “Are you all right?” I checked her arms and legs, holding her face steady so I could examine her. “Does anything hurt?”

  “I don’t know … I think I’m okay.”

  I didn’t see any blood, just dust on her cheeks from the dirty bar floor. I brushed it off and got her hair out of her eyes as I helped her sit up.

  “Whitney, what the fuck was that?”

  I glanced around the room, taking inventory of what was happening in here. Many of the people had fallen like us, others clinging to the person beside them or the table, their faces full of concern.

  “Does anyone need medical attention?” I yelled, making sure I was loud enough for everyone to hear.

  There was lots of murmuring, but I didn’t get a response.

  I slowly rose from the ground, helping Emily do the same. “You’re still feeling all right?” I asked her. “No dizziness, light-headedness?”

  “I’m good.”

  “I need to go check on the others.”

  Even though Rebecca and Fiona had been nurses for as long as me, I didn’t know what shape they were in, if the blast had hit them stronger than us. I held on to Emily and rushed toward our table. Joe was helping Fiona off the ground, and Caleb had his arms protectively over Rebecca’s head, so nothing could hit her.

  “Is everyone all right?” I asked the group.

  Caleb unraveled himself, Rebecca slowly coming out of his cave, their expressions full of shock but no indication that any of them were hurt.

  “What the hell was that?” Caleb asked.

  “I don’t know.” I looked toward the front of the bar.

  The windows had shattered, the glass webs making it impossible to see through. But I still heard the screams of terror coming from outside, and my feet started moving on their own.

  “They need our help.”

  I reached the door, and the smell of something burning was in the air the moment I got outside. About twenty feet away, at the finish line, was where I saw the clouds of smoke.

  “Whitney, wait,” I heard from behind me, hands suddenly on me, not allowing me to take another step.

  I knew it was Caleb before I even turned around.

  “That was some kind of explosion.” His grip tightened. “There could be ten more that go off at any second. I’m not letting you anywhere near the street.”

  Fiona and Rebecca rushed out as well, halting once they saw me with Caleb.

  “Listen to the screams!” I shouted at Caleb, trying to rip his hands off my waist. “They need my care.” Adrenaline was surging through me, anxiety pulsing in my chest as I thought about all the lives in danger, the people on the ground, the injuries this had caused. “Caleb,” I added when his fingers didn’t loosen, “let me go.”

  The sound of sirens was far in the distance; it was a miracle I could even hear them over all the yelling and cries.

  He turned me around to face him. “Where are they all going to be taken once the ambulances come?”

  “The hospital.”

  “Then, that’s where they’ll need you most.”

  He was right.

  I looked around, trying to get my bearings, figuring out how to get back to the West End from here. “The three of us work at Mass General,” I told him, Fiona and Rebecca still standing with us. “We’ll have to take the train.” I glanced past him, my brain not connecting where the station was located.

  “You’re not doing that either,” he said. “I’ll drive you. I only live a few blocks from here.”

  Before any of us could respond, his hand was on my lower back, and we were jogging toward his place.

  Nineteen

  Caleb: Hey, Whitney, the news said the hospitals are maxed out from the bombing. I hope to hell you’re hanging in there. Have you gotten a chance to sleep? Eat?

  Me: Hi! It’ll be a long time before I see a bed or a meal, I’m afraid. Thanks for checking on me.

  Caleb: In about an hour, there will be food in your break room, enough for the whole floor. Go eat—that’s an order. ;)

  I skimmed the words of Caleb’s text as I ran down the hallway, shoving my phone back into my pocket when I reached the patient’s doorway. The unit secretary had said the patient’s pain was intolerable and he needed assistance. After quickly reviewing his chart, I saw he’d had a spinal fusion, the bombing fracturing multiple vertebrae in his back that were now surgically connected.

  I could understand why the poor guy was miserable.

  “I’m here,” I said as I entered the room, grabbing gloves from above the sink. “Let’s see if I can get you some comfort.”

  “Cut my fucking leg off!” he shouted. “I can’t take another second of this!”

  The monitor showed his heart rate was skyrocketing, his response telling me his pain was at a ten on our scale. “I’m going to call the doctor about increasing your dose.” As I neared his bedside, his skin was clammy, his neck lifted in an uncomfortable angle, his feet far too low for the surgery he’d just had. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll have you feeling better.”

  I pressed the pain pump that would deliver more meds through his IV, and I began working on his positioning.

  “Come eat,” Rebecca said as she found me kneeling in the supply room.

  I was digging through the bottom shelf, my brain so delirious that I couldn’t remember what I was even looking for. “I don’t have time. I—”

  “You’re going to crash if you don’t put something in your stomach.” When I still didn’t move, she grabbed my hand and hauled me up. “Girl, you’re making me get all nursey on you.”

  We laughed as she led me into the hallway and then through the door of our break room. I wasn’t sure why she wasn’t taking me to the cafeteria, where there was much more than just the leftover bags of chips and uneaten fruit that we normally found in here.

  Once we stepped inside, I understood.

  Each of the three counters were covered in catering platters and baskets of desserts. A large table had been set up in the middle that held even more varieties of both.

  The text I had read earlier came flooding into my mind.

  Caleb.

  Rebecca handed me a plate. “The unit secretary said someone sent it over.”

  I gripped her arm, keeping my voice low. “It was Caleb.”

  “You’re joking.”

  I took out my phone and showed her his text.

  “Oh my fucking God,” she groaned, reading the screen. “He’s hot and sweet? I can’t even right now.”

  I stuck the plate under my arm. “I’ll catch up. I need to send him a message.”

  “Thank him for me, please.”

  I moved to the far wall, out of the way of those trying to get to the buffet, and I began to type.

  Me: I’m blown away by your generosity. You’ve made us the happiest unit in the hospital, and we appreciate you so much. I don’t know how to thank you for this, but … thank you, thank you, thank you.

 
Caleb: You can say yes to a date. That would be more than sufficient.

  Me: I’d say you’ve certainly earned yourself one.

  My phone rang a few seconds after sending the text, Caleb’s name appearing on the screen. I chuckled as I heard Emily’s voice in my head, telling me he would never call, and said, “Hi,” as I brought it up to my ear.

  “I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

  “I’m really tired, sore, probably a little manic at this point.” As I watched Rebecca shove a cookie into her mouth, holding one up to see if I wanted it, I tried to think of how many hours I’d been at the hospital. I couldn’t come up with that answer, but I nodded at my friend and held out my hand. “And I’m starving.”

  “That exhausted, raspy voice sounds incredibly sexy on you.”

  A burst of tingles shot down my body.

  Even in this state, his words had an extreme effect on me.

  Rebecca placed a chocolate chip one on my palm, and I took a bite. “Yum,” I said, chewing. “Caleb, this cookie is amazing, and so are you for sending all this stuff.”

  “I hope it’s enough to feed the staff. If not, I’ll send more.”

  Nurses I knew from other units were coming in, telling me word had gotten out.

  “You’re feeding more than just our floor, and we’re not even close to running out. Thanks again, times a million.”

  “You guys are healing our city. I’m happy to do it.” He sighed, his tone changing. “It could have been us out there.”

  Every time a patient had come in by ambulance, the same thought had entered my mind. “I know.”

  “Listen, we’re safe; that’s what matters. Try to get some rest, if that’s possible, and eat up.”

  I finished the rest of the cookie. “You’re a good guy, Caleb.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “I trust my gut; it never steers me wrong.”

  He was silent for a few moments and then, “I’ll talk to you soon, Whitney.”