Page 45 of Ellie 1

I should have been annoyed because the man didn’t need to be cute to me when he was already so sexy, but… I really had needed the laugh and it was funny.

I stopped on the way home and decided Saturday nights were now going to be my self-care and spa time. I bought some overpriced bath bombs for the huge tub I never got a chance to soak in. A few hydrating masks and even exfoliating foot peels.

I even grabbed a few exfoliating scrubs that normally made me feel stupid for using them like I was playing into the gimmick. The sales lady told me that was because I bought the daily ones at Walgreens. These were weekly ones that really got the job done.

She was confident though and promised a money-back guarantee if I wasn’t grossed out by what came off my skin.

I was. She won. Enough said.

But I liked the spa night. I had wine and delivery and had a conditioning mask on my hair while eating in my new spa robe. It was… I was worth this.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have the money for it.

I even took the time to plot out my own damn month, not just everything for the hospital. I had a personal planner that Inever used, and it was nice to pull it out and really take stock of myself and what I had coming out.

Not much personally. My regular appointment to get waxed.

Was that really it to my month?

No, not even close. Once I started thinking about what I’d been putting off, the list grew and grew.

I decided to see if the department heads wanted to time-share a personal assistant. I definitely needed one, but coming up with the lists and thinking of things for the person to handle to make it a full-time job would… Be another job for me and stressful.

I was aiming forlessstress.

Fine, it wasn’t the new year, but spring was a good time to reassess and do better too.

Monday morning, I walked up on a staring contest between Tommy and Clark... No, Dr. Fitz or at least Fitz. He wasn’t Tommy anymore as we weren’t together in any way.

Hell, I was embarrassed I’d ever gotten involved with him. Yeah, he was Fitz.

But there was a staring—no,glaringcontest going on.

“Best to let them be idiots on their own,” Joyce suggested when she realized I was slowing down to get involved.

The way she said it made me worry it was about me. No, Fitz had way too much to deal with to care about me and our twice-a-month fun. He just didn’t like to lose or be told no. He was way over that by now.

Apparently not.

I was about halfway through my lunch when I froze in my next bite as Fitz just pulled up a chair and sat down, joining Joyce and me completely uninvited.

Plus, the entire cafeteria turned to look at what was going on because I didn’t think I’d ever had lunch with Fitz.

Ever.

Maybe if I had to talk to Alan and he was sitting with the trauma department, but… Nothing like this.

“Is there something you need, Dr. Fitz?” I asked him, glancing from his tray to his face, clearly asking what the fuck he was doing.

Joyce snickered. “Besides manners? I’m sure a lot.”

Fitz shot her a quick look but then slapped on a smile. “No, I just thought it would be nice to have lunch with you.”

The audacity of this man was seriously over the top. “How lovely foryouto decide that all on your own and just make it happen.” I gestured between Joyce and myself. “And we don’t get a vote? Aren’t important enough to beaskedif you could join when you weren’t invited?”

He frowned, glancing around the cafeteria before giving a chuckle. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just the cafeteria, not like I crashed a reservation somewhere.”

“Gaslighting,” Joyce coughed giving the shit look right back to Fitz this time.

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