SKYE
My phone buzzedas I stood at the sink in the upscale bathroom the size of my apartment, washing my hands. I dried them and pulled it out of my purse to see that it was a text from Ri.
Ri:How’s it going???
Me:Fine.
Ri:Fine? Just fine?
Me:This isn’t a date. I’m working.
Ri: When you’re done, take a detour to Pound Town.
With a roll of my eyes, I slid my phone back into my purse. The seed that Ri had planted in my head earlier today had grown roots and blossomed. I kept thinking about what she’d said. Nick slept with people three times and then moved on.
During high school, I didn’t have any boyfriends. I’d been too focused on getting good grades for scholarships. Not having a safety net had fueled my focus. My first and only relationship was with Tim, Callie’s father. We’d been together for ten months.
Technically, it was an affair. But I hadn’t known that at the time. I believed that we were in love with each other. I’d never engaged in casual sex.
The thought of being with Nick with no strings attached had consumed my thoughts the entire night. It didn’t help that nearly every time I looked at him, his eyes were trained on me. It could be the delusion of the crush, but maybe Ri was right. Maybe he was interested in me.
The problem with that train of thought was that it led to me considering and imagining things I had no business entertaining. Things like him backing me against a wall and kissing me senseless. Things like him pinning me down in a bed and pushing inside of me. Things like him bending me over this counter, pulling up my dress, and fucking me from behind while I watched in the mirror.
I shook my head. Allowing myself to go down this road was dangerous.Nothingcould happen between us. It might be an unspoken rule not to get involved with a patient’s family members, but it was still a rule. Not only that, it was also unethical. It was wrong.
Determined not to allow my mind to spend any more time in the gutter, I shook my head, trying to erase the images and thoughts like an Etch A Sketch as I grabbed my purse and headed to the door.
When I reached out to grab the handle, the door opened, and Peyton walked in. I’d met her a few weeks ago at Nick’s house. She was engaged to Nick’s friend Maddox, who was a co-founder of the charity hosting the fundraiser, Fostering the Future.
“Hi!” she beamed at me.
“Hi.” I smiled.
“Are you having fun?”
“I am, and Naomi seems to be enjoying herself.” Guilt washed over me as I remembered why I was here tonight and why I was in Nick’s life in the first place.
Naomi had been quiet tonight, but I could see that she was so proud of everything Nick has accomplished. I knew the event must have been overwhelming for her, but she was handling the situation with class and grace.
“Good.” Peyton smiled. “I love your dress, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
“Where did you get it, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I looked down at my dress. “I don’t know where it’s from. It was sent over with a rack of dresses a few hours before the event.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Did Nick send them?”
I nodded, and her lips parted in a wide, knowing smile.
Not wanting her to get the wrong idea, I rushed to explain, “I think he just wanted to make sure I had something to wear since I’m working. He got Naomi’s dress, too.”
Her eyes twinkled. “He always takes care of people he cares about.”
