Her story shed new light on the whole situation with the ethics committee. I suddenly couldn’t hold it against her anymore. Not when I knew what it took for her to get her courage up to call me out. “Well, if there is ever anything you need, let me know.” I shoulder-bumped her. “Friends are here to back each other up, right?”
Emma wiped the tear away with the back of her hand and forced a smile, saying, “That’s right.”
I stood up and used our clasped hands to pull her to her feet, reluctantly letting go once she was steady. I would have held on to her for the rest of the day if she’d let me, but I didn’t want to push my luck. And make no mistake, I considered myself one lucky man to have had those few moments with Emma.
“Why don’t you finish showing me your favorite parts of the museum?”I motioned for her to lead the way.
She paused for just a moment, her eyes darting around as if trying to decide where to go next. “How much do you know about Ol’ Abe Lincoln?”
“Probably not as much as you.”
She ducked her head, chuckling. “Let’s start there.”
I happily followed her through the rest of the tour. Knowing more of her history gave me more of an appreciation for Emma. Despite the hard things she had been through, she had an uncanny way of finding things that brought her joy. I guess she truly took to heart the saying my grandma used to tell me: “You can find whatever you look for.”
I didn’t retain many of the details of what Emma said after that, but what I did retain was her pure love of history. It was good to see her like this. It helped me feel complete somehow.
I didn’t understand how that was possible, but I wanted to figure it out.
Chapter Thirteen
Emma
“So do you think that handsome three-o’clock shadow is going to come by this morning?” Becca asked. She hadn’t stopped teasing me since I had come home from the museum on Friday.Maybe I had worn a goofy smile for a couple hours that was hard to wipe away. But that didn’t mean that I was head over heels for this guy. We’d had a moment. A hand-touching, eyes-connecting, heart-throbbing moment that I’d floated on all weekend.
“Probably, since he works here,” I replied sarcastically. I couldn’t help it. I was trying to keep my expectations for Alex and myself in the friend zone, and Becca wasn’t helping.
The nurses’ call button went off in room 3, and I used that as an excuse to give myself some space from my well-meaning but hopelessly romantic best friend.Our Friday night Hallmark binges would have to stop if this was the result. Either that, or I’d have to find her a boyfriend to take out her romantic expectations on.
The truth was, I didn’t know what to say when Becca said stuff like that. I couldn’t deny that there was an attraction between me and Alex, but I firmly believed it was in my best interest professionally and personally not to act on it. We were just friends.
I had almost talked myself into believing that my feelings toward him were parked in the friend zone when I came out of the patient’s room and saw him charting at the counter with his back to me. Even with his white coat on, his broad shoulders and trim waist explained in detail his fit figure. His dark hair was slightly mussed, and I wondered what had caused him to run his fingers through it.
I had the sudden urge to be by him, to drink in his manly scents and bask in the warmth that radiated from his skin. The feeling was so strong it took me off guard and erased any chance I had of appearing calm and collected. I scrambled for an excuse to talk to him even as my feet carried me closer.The volunteer clipboard rested on the counter next to him. I seized the tiny excuse and held to it like a lifeline.
I put my hand on his back, thrilling in the feel of his taut muscles beneath my palm even as I mentally smacked myself for being so forward—and at work, even. “Are you still looking for things to do?”
He lifted one side of his mouth in a grin that made my heart melt like butter. “Hello to you too.”
I could smell the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread on his scrubs. This man sure knew how to make a good impression.If I wasn’t careful, I’d wrap both arms around him. I dropped my hand and leaned into the counter, needing support for my weak knees. “Hi.”
He grinned. “What did you have in mind?”
I suddenly had a whole lot of things in mind, but I wasn’t about to say any of them out loud. I’d had a plan when I’d come over here. … My fingers tapped something plastic, and I glanced down to see the sign-up sheet. “Service,” I blurted like a dork.
His forehead creased. “What kind of service?”
I pointed to the clipboard and explained, “The migrant farm worker physicals that the hospital does each year. It is a free clinic where all the workers that help in the soy and corn fields around here can come and get some much-needed health care. I’ve done it every year since I moved here, and one thing I will tell you is that they always need more docs.”
He chuckled at my enthusiasm. “I don’t think they will need my specialty that day. My work environment is usually a little more … sterile.”
He was half serious but also teasing me, and I had to admit I liked the combination.My heart raced just below my ribs, and I prayed he couldn’t hear it. “No heart surgery—thank goodness. But do you think you could dust off those old med school adult physical skills, to help some people out?”
He chuckled again, looking back down at his charting. “When is it?”
I smiled inside and out; at least he hadn’t said no. Even though it was a work environment, it would be a chance to spend more time together. We could team up and see how that worked out without the pressure of an actual date. Though we worked on the same floor, our time actually working together was limited, since he spent most of his career in the operating room and I spent my time in recovery.
“They sent the emails out the first Saturday in August. You can reply electronically through that, or on the sign-up form right here.” I handed him the clipboard.
