“Do you work a lot?”
I took a moment to think. “Not really. I’m an attending, so my time of staying in a hospital all hours of the day and night are over. I’m on a pretty regulated schedule now.”
“Do you like routine?”
“Yes.” I studied him. “You don’t?”
“Not at all. I don’t like to be still.”
Another personal tidbit of his filed itself away in my mind. There was something about Chris that made me comfortable. Sure, I’d started out awkward, but the more we talked, the more relaxed I became. Was it because he’d asked about work, or did something about the man himself put me at ease?
“What’s an average day look like for you?” I asked.
“Average, huh?”
I nodded.
“It looks like me going into the center and checking on the animals that live with us either permanently or temporarily. Usually, I feed them breakfast unless a staff member has beaten me to the office. Then I answer emails, make phone calls, fill out grant paperwork or whatever funding details I need to. Then we do classes with schools and homeschooling co-ops.”
“Really? What kind of animals permanently reside with you?” His job fascinated me. I couldn’t imagine hanging out with animals all day long. The longest amount of time I’d spent with an animal was dissecting animal cadavers in college.Make sure you keep that to yourself.
“Well, there’s Kimble, the ferret.”
I chuckled. “AKindergarten Copfan?”
“Yes!” His eyes lit up. “My staff is too young to catch the reference.”
I groaned. “When did we become middle-aged?” At least I assumed he was around the same age as me.
“Probably around the time we stopped listening to current music.”
“It’s trash,” we said simultaneously.
The sound of our laughter mixed so harmoniously I stopped, breath catching. When had I ever had a moment like this with a man? My stomach clenched, and I stepped backward.
“Uh, I think I’ll go find my seat now.”
Chris glanced around the place. “Good idea. Maybe we’ll be seated next to each other.”
Please no.I couldn’t sit next to this man and attempt to schmooze whomever else was at the table. My mind would be too focused on cataloging how his eyes crinkled with delight or the way he smelled. If I saidmountain man, would everywoman on the planet understand that was a total swoon-worthy scent? How could I sit next to Christian Gamble and keep my wits about me?
Erykah, you’re an award-winning surgeon. Of course you can keep your cool. Remember the self-control that envelops you in the OR? Focus on that for the dinner. Surely one man won’t weaken your resolve as you network.
Except I’d been talking to him nonstop from the moment we caught eyes.
Sounds like the perfect meet twice.Because our meet cute was officially over the love of burgers.
Too bad I couldn’t text Ellynn and have her save me from myself. But like all the times before, I would gather my inner strength and do what needed to be done. And right now, Operation Stay Away had commenced. Satisfied with my plan, I walked around the round tables until I found my name ... right next to Chris’s own placard.
We were seated right next to each other.
Four
Someone had turned down the temperature.
It took everything within Chris not to show his confusion. One minute he was having a great conversation with Erykah, the next minute she looked like she wanted to be seated anywhere but right next to him.
He’d thought their shared laughter meant the dinner would go by quicker. But the one-word answers coupled with her avoiding eye contact meant something completely different.
