After they left, Blake kneeled down to help Carli put away the rest of the blocks Parker had been playing with.
“Thanks for your help tonight. Sorry I was late.”
“I work in a hospital. I understand how emergencies arise.”
“Did Annie say you don’t have a car? How were you planning to get to the Baby Sign class Monday?”
“I have a car.” She stood and brushed her hands down her skirt. “I typically take the T into work, so I don’t have to pay for parking. Call me a cheapskate, but I don’t make the big doctor bucks.”
“How about I drive you to the class?”
Her expression was wary. “I don’t want to take you out of your way. I’m sure I can get there on my own. Thanks, though.”
“Where do you live?”
“Medford, but—”
“See? It’s on the way there. Less car fumes in the air and another place to park for someone else. I heard you telling Annie the parking was limited.”
Her face tightened, and she forced a smile. “Fine, but what if you’re called into work. I’ll be left stranded.”
“I’m not on call Monday.” What other excuse was she going to throw at him? He’d shoot them all down. Not to mention, he still needed to apologize.
Her expression showed she wanted to say no but realized it made sense. “Fine, but I’ll meet you here at the hospital.”
“You said you get out at four. We don’t need to leave that early.”
After stashing the basket of toys on a shelf, she moved toward the door. “I can always find work to do. Plus, I’ll need to grab something at the cafeteria before we go. I’ll meet you there at five-thirty. That should give us enough time to get to Stoneham depending on traffic. You know 93 north can be backed up.”
Her skirt swished as she left. There hadn’t been an opportunity to apologize. Next time. She’d be in the caf Monday, most likely by five to eat. He’d catch her then.
The fork stopped halfway to Carli’s mouth. Blake hovered in the doorway of the hospital cafeteria, his gaze roaming the room.
“What is he doing here? It’s not even five o’clock.” The words escaped before she could stop them. Hopefully, they hadn’t carried far.
Still, Dr. Priya Khatri, seated across from her, looked up from her salad. “Who’s here?”
Blake had spotted her, nodded, then moved to get in line for food. Maybe he planned to leave her alone until their suggested meeting time of five-thirty, which would be great because his presence made her a little unbalanced. Like when her CIs were first turned on.
“No one.” She lifted the fork back to her mouth to avoid the conversation she knew her friend, who was a radiologist in her department, would want to have.
“Your cheeks are pink,” Priya said, her mouth twisted to the side. Unfortunately, when she looked around, Blake was headed their way with a tray in his hands. “Ooh, he’s yummy. Your dessert?”
“Stop. It’s totally business.”
“Too bad.” Her friend held her water bottle in front of her mouth to hide what she was saying from the man approaching. “I consulted with him a few weeks ago on one of his patients. He was quite nice. Personality and good looks.”
“Dr. Khatri, good to see you again. Carli.” Yes, that boyish smile was charming. “Can I join you, ladies?”
“Of course.” Priya indicated the chair next to Carli. There’d be payback for this.
“I didn’t expect to see you until five-thirty.” Had she kept the annoyance from her voice?
“You’d planned to meet?” The radiologist smirked, though her eyes narrowed in clear annoyance that she hadn’t been let in on the secret.
“It’s business. I’m working with Dr. Wentworth’s family, getting them information and resources. We’re carpooling to a Baby Sign class tonight.” Yeah, carpooling sounded better than he was giving her a ride. More professional and job oriented.
After taking a bite of his chicken sandwich and chewing, Blake said, “I needed some food, too. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
