“I’m glad.” Nathan beamed.
“Now what, though?” Zoe asked. “I’ve seen all Seven Wonders of Islingburn.”
“Now,” Nathan said, “I think we’re ready for the next step.”
Zoe paused, her third strawberry halfway to her mouth, and looked up at him. He was very close — while she’d been distracted by the fruit, he’d moved to stand next to her. Her heart beat out a drum-like rhythm in her chest, and her knees went weak. Nathan wore a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that somehow looked even sexier than his lab coat. He leaned a little closer, and Zoe’s breath caught. It was happening. He was about to kiss her. That was the next step, wasn’t it?
“What is the next step?” she asked, her voice a little breathy.
“Filming.” Nathan grinned and stepped past her, tossing a strawberry into his mouth. “What else would it be?”
Zoe let out the breath she’d been holding. He wasn’t going to kiss her. That was a good thing. She needed to focus on filming the pitch and putting something good together, not on romance. Not even with the “Hottest Doctor Alive.”
Still, as they headed back to town, trading ideas for good shots and storylines, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Again.
CHAPTER 15
NATHAN
“Excellent.” Zoe looked down at her camera. “Just one more shot.”
Nathan tickled the baby’s stomach, and the infant giggled, her tiny hands fisting then splaying like starfish. They were at a well-baby appointment, Nathan’s fifth appointment of the day, and everything was going perfectly. Zoe had gotten shots of him interacting with patients that she said looked great. She’d also taken pictures and videos at his appointment yesterday, plus a few more on Sunday of him walking around town, eating with his family, and standing at the viewpoint. Nathan wasn’t sure how those shots made for great television, but Zoe seemed confident, so he was, too.
“Perfect,” she said, smiling at him and the baby. “We’re all good.”
“And so arewe.” Nathan handed the smiling, bubble-blowing baby back to her father. “Thanks again for letting us film.”
“No problem. We know we have the cutest baby in Vermont, so we have to share her a little.” The baby’s father winked, and Nathan smiled.
“Officially, I can’t say anything about who thecutestbaby is, but she sure is cute.”
The parents beamed, and Zoe leaned forward, cupping her hand beside her mouth as though sharing a big secret.
“As an impartial third party, I can definitely say that she is the cutest.”
Everyone chuckled, and the parents picked up their infant and filed out. Nathan turned to Zoe, who was looking through pictures and videos on the small screen of her camera.
“Well, what do you think?” Nathan asked, leaning against the exam table to look over her shoulder. She was looking at a shot of him helping an older woman onto the table. She was so focused on the pictures that Nathan had a moment to look ather.She was dressed formally again, but her hair was half down and half pulled back in a clip, which made her look much softer and more approachable than when she had the tight bun.
“Honestly, I kind of think we have everything we need,” Zoe said. “I’ll stay for the rest of the day to make sure I have all the right shots, but it’s time to make the pitch.”
“Really?” Nathan chuckled. “All it took was a couple of hours?”
“Well, if you’re willing to smile now and then, it really doesn’t have to be hard,” Zoe said, rolling her eyes playfully.
“Will you need help putting the pitch together?” Nathan asked. Zoe shook her head.
“That would be like me trying to help you diagnose patients.”
“It would make things worse,” Nathan filled in. “Fair enough.” A thought occurred to him, and he took off his glasses and started polishing them. “Will you go back to New York to work on the pitch?”
“No, I’ll stay here.” Zoe’s tone was casual, and her attention was still focused on the camera’s screen. “I might need to get a couple more shots or ask your opinion about something. Next week, we’ll go to New York together to actually do the pitch, but until then, I’ll stay here.”
“Sounds good,” Nathan said. He tried to keep his tone casual too, but he was smiling. Spending the weekend with Zoe had been fun, really fun, and he’d enjoyed seeing a different side of her. He’d also appreciated the opportunity to show her around Islingburn and give her a glimpse of how great small-town life could really be.
And yes, in a few moments over the weekend, he’d wanted to kiss her. When he’d watched her close her eyes and smile as she’d eaten her first farm-fresh strawberry, for instance. Or when he’d walked her home after dinner. Or when she’d sat on the log and squeaked as she first put her bare feet into the cold river. Or when she’d charmed his whole family at their Sunday evening dinner with funny stories about PR work and life in New York.
Or basically when she didanything, because Nathan found her very attractive and it was hard to ignore that. She hadn't wanted him to kiss her at the viewpoint, though, and he wasn’t going to push her into anything. Ifshekissed him or gave him a clear sign that’s what she wanted, he wouldn’t hesitate to take her into his arms, slide one hand into her soft blond curls, perhapspress her lightly against a wall, and kiss her until they were both breathless.
