“Sure, sounds great. Good night—” I almost said McDaddy. Ugh, damn Ivy for planting that name in my brain. “Good night, Edward.”
“Good night, Milly.”
Oh, that deep voice. Shit. I make my escape, ducking down the corridor, out the hospital, straight to the employee car park. I get in my car and drive back to the clubhouse. Once inside, I make a beeline for the kitchen to grab my trusty apple and spot Ivy and Sophie at the counter.
“Oh, she’s home.” Ivy claps with glee.
I look between the two of them. “You two look suspicious.”
“Ivy was telling me about McDaddy.” Sophie says his name salaciously.
I laugh. “There’s not much to report, sorry.”
They both whine.
“Between patients and paperwork, we didn’t have free time. But I can confirm he has a six-pack.”
They both squeal. “And how do you know this?” Ivy prods.
I click my tongue. “It was innocent. I was grabbing my bag, and he walked out of the shower in just a towel, so I left and gave him his privacy.”
“Boo!” Sophie groans, giving me the thumbs-down. “You’re no fun. That’s when you stick around and say, ‘Do you need help with that towel?’?”
I giggle at her enthusiasm. “No, no, and no. Anyway, it was a hectic day. He’s still learning, but he wants to meet for coffee tomorrow.”
Sophie wiggles her eyebrows. “So it’s a date?”
A loud thwack comes from the pantry. I peer around to see Twitch rubbing his head. He overheard us. I cringe.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
He turns with a fake-ass smile on his face. “Yeah, sure. So tell me about this date you’re going on tomorrow?” There’s no mistaking the passive-aggressive tone.
“Yes,” Ivy adds. “Fill us in.”
“First, it’snota date. It’s just two work colleagues having coffee.”
Twitch gives me a look that suggests he doesn’t believe me. I’m too tired for this conversation. I grab my apple. “I’m off to bed. Night, guys.”
“Sureeeee,” Sophie says, stretching the word, winking at me. “So when is thisdate?”
“The coffee catch-up,” I stress, “will most likely be at lunch,ifwe actually get a lunch break.”
“I want a full report on McDaddy after your next shift,” Sophie calls out.
I snort at her. “Good night.” I emphasize my words before going up the stairs and into my room, though with every step the guilt rises for saying yes to the coffee. It’s just a meeting between colleagues. We’ll be spending time together, so it’s fair to say we need to get along. Trying to explain that to a jealous Twitch will be difficult. But do I even owe him an explanation? We aren’t together, so why do I still feel so bad?
FIVE
MCDADDY
Milly
The next morning,I wait for my latte by the coffee machine. I’m desperate for it. It wasn’t nightmares that caused my dreadful night’s sleep—it was a handsome, pierced biker with a sexy smile. I have an emotional hangover, and I’m unable to stop the feelings I have for him. I hear footsteps and peer over to see the man himself walk into the kitchen. “Were your ears burning?” I mumble to myself.
He gives me a funny look. “What did you say?”
“Nothing,” I quip.
