Chapter One
Emily
“Make it stop,” I groaned as my phone rang, my toes hovering over the lip of the bathtub, seconds from dunking in. The water inside was full of sparkly bubbles from the bath bomb, taunting me with its peach scent and promise of relaxation. I took my phone off the counter, and a quick glance at the screen showed me I had no choice but to answer. “Hey, it’s Emily.”
“I’m sure I’m the last person you want to hear from right now.”
I laughed at my coworker, a triage nurse for Dr. Kaplan, a concierge doctor I worked for a few times a week, tonight being one of them, so I could actually pay all my bills and save a little each month. “If I wasn’t about to soak in a much-needed bathtub, I’d probably be a lot happier to hear from you.” I checked the time on my phone. I had an hour until my on-call shift technically ended. “Whatcha got for me?”
“I’m going to text you an address. The patient’s file will be in the system, should you need to access it. The visit shouldn’t take you too long. Heck, you might even get back before your bathwater gets cold.”
I snorted.
When it came to anything medical, at this hour of the night, nothing ever moved quickly.
“I’ll leave in two minutes,” I told her.
“If you need me, you know how to find me.”
“Sure do.”
I lifted my towel off the closed toilet seat and wrapped it around me before loosening the plug in the tub, mentally waving at the peach-bombed water now going down the drain. I sighed as I left the bathroom and went into my room to throw on a fresh pair of scrubs. Once I was dressed, I tied my long blond curls into a high ponytail and grabbed my nursing bag. After entering the address into my Maps app, noting the distance was a bit too far to walk, I ordered an Uber, the car arriving by the time I got outside my apartment building.
Nestled into the back seat, I pulled up the last text I’d gotten from my best friend and shot her a message.
Me:I’m fully aware that you could be having sex right now (and if you are, a part of me hates you, LOL) and you might not see this until tomorrow morning before your run. I just need to tell you, I miss you. I miss you not being home. I miss not talking to you every second of the day.
Me:And I miss you not being in the bedroom next to mine so I can pop in and bitch about being called in to work an hour before my shift ends, like I was tonight. Currently in the back of an Uber on my way to see a patient. FML.
Maya:I’m getting ready for bed. Don’t worry, sex already happened on the kitchen counter while we were making dinner. Ha!
Me:I really do hate you.
Maya:YouLoveme.
Maya:I’m sorry you’re off to see a patient. I bet the only thing you want to do is take a bath and go to bed.
Me:In ways only you understand.
Maya:Will it be a hard case?
Me:Don’t know. Haven’t even looked. I just want it to be over with so I can get home and go to bed.
Maya:Text me when you get back, I don’t care what time it is. And see you tomorrow at work.
Me:XOXO
The car came to a stop in front of a large, fancy high-rise, and I held my bag against my side as I got out of the back seat and headed to the entrance. The door to the lobby opened when I was only halfway up the sidewalk, the doorman saying, “Nurse Emily Wren,” while he stared at me.
The scrubs gave away my occupation, and the badge across my breast—if he could even see it from there—showed my name, but it was still a little jarring to be addressed before I even got to the door.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m Emily.”
Dressed in an all-black suit and tie, he was the size of a linebacker, with a gaze as intense as a hockey goalie. I imagined not even an ant could get past someone with his stature and build.
“We’ve been waiting for you. Would you mind showing me some identification before I escort you to the elevator?”
As soon as I reached him, I pulled out my ID and handed it over.
