Page 49 of Hold Me Instead
“This is a little something for the whole team, and that includes you. I’m at a loss for what to do. People are showering my family with food. Everyone’s working their ass off. You’ve put in a shit ton of overtime.”
“I haven’t—” Her voice broke as he pressed closer, and she sucked in a breath.
“Everyone’s been through a lot. And things have been operating like normal here. That, for sure, is due to you.”
She scanned his face, from his deep brown eyes to the laugh lines that were dimmed by a frown, and she found herself frowning as well.When her eyes traveled back to his, she discovered he’d been doing his own mapping of her.
“Take the cupcake.” A beat. “Please.”
She slowly took the plate from his hands and waited for him to step back. “Thank you,” she said quietly. When she had enough clearance to get around him, she started toward the hall, angry at her stomach for rumbling in excitement. She didn’t want his food. They needed to talk. After she ate though, because with the way the day had been going, it’d be safer for everyone that way.
“It’s snickerdoodle,” he said.
She stopped, looked at the cupcake, and inhaled discreetly. Her body hummedhell yesin response, but she didn’t look back as she continued down the hall. With each step, she vacillated between the appreciation of his nice gesture and the annoyance that he was somehow usurping her team.
But she wouldn’t let that stop her from eating the delectable treat.
What she needed to stop? Thinking about how nice it felt to be close to him. Again.
“I need to get out more,” she muttered. She shoveled some cupcake in her mouth, eyes rolling in delight at the first bite, and wrapped up her break determined and a little more confident, feeling like her day had turned around.
Until her last appointment.
The appointment itself wasn’t the issue—it was that she was the doctor assigned to it.
“God damn it, Zachary, you cannot switch our patients!” Charlie stormed into their office and slammed the door shut.
All patients were cleared for the day, clients gone, and only a few staff remained. Might as well have it out with him now.
Zachary’s eyes were wide with surprise. “It was just the one this afternoon—”
“Not ‘just the one.’” She released a wild laugh. “You did the same thing last Friday, without explanation. And you know, I let it pass. That was a rough day, not sure if you recall, but your kindness was enough for me to let it slide.” So much so, she had forgotten until this moment. “Now another one? No.”
Zachary turned his chair to face her completely. “Trust me, it was better this way.”
She crossed her arms, shifted her stance. Waited.
“Today’s was a follow-up appointment. A quick one.”
“I’m well aware. Which means whatever you had to do wouldn’t have been delayed much. Oryoushould’ve talked to me, not gone through our staff.”
He rubbed his palms over his thighs. “I didn’t recommend a follow-up appointment. I think she just wanted to ask me out again.”
A burst of incredulous laughter erupted from her. “Are you fucking serious?” Her arms flew out to the side. “Grow the ‘F’ up, Zachary!”
He was watching her with such an amused expression, it pissed her off. He made it worse by speaking.
“Do you only allow yourself one F-bomb a day or something?” he asked.
“Oh myGod!” She spun toward the wall, grasping her hair. When she turned back to him, she felt crazed. “You’ve been acting like a…a…”
“An idiot? My sister likes to use that.”
“No, no—don’tyou dare help me call you out! It makes you even more of an—”
“Ass?”
“Ugghhh!”
