Page 50 of I Knew You
The physician assistant’s smile was the first thing that struck me, followed by his height (at least six feet), broad shoulders, and angular jawline. He had to be around my age, given the attractively deep grooves and fine lines in his features. Shoulder length, blonde hair was neatly gathered at his nape in a tie. Stormy gray eyes rested on me. Warmth radiated from him, and my heart beat a little harder. I felt out of my element with his considerable presence.
My eyes did a quick sweep of his form, and Kallie’s voice popped up in my mind unbidden, “Probably not the only thing that’s big.”
“Miss East?” he asked, his voice low and smooth.
I could only nod.
“I’m Hunter Kearsley, the physician’s assistant here. How are you today?”
He shook my very sweaty hand with a firm grip, and I tried not to cringe at the moisture in my palm. He then went over my prognosis and what they’d been informed of from Dr. Billingsly’s office. He stood ridiculously close to me, making the windowless room seem boiling for an autumn day.
“So, we’ll get some blood drawn for labs today and try toget your scans scheduled for Thursday. Does that work? I want to try and get you in as soon as possible, but I have to pull some strings.” He winked, and something inside me fluttered. “Dr. Kaveh will bring you in for a proper consultation on the scans next week, and if she sees no issues, we’ll schedule you for surgery within the next few weeks.”
I couldn’t manage to do anything but stare at Hunter Kearsley. I hadn’t spoken one coherent word since he’d entered. He continued talking about the excellent facilities and asked about my pain. I barely heard what he said.
“Are…are you okay, Miss East?”
You’re staring at him and not responding, you idiot!
“Y-yes,” I recovered, my voice too shrill for the occasion.
“Are you sure?” He waited.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a second. “Yes. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. It’s just been a couple of hard weeks, you know? I’m still adjusting to the surgery news. And I lost my job in Charlotte. Then I came here alone to have surgery, and now I’m crashing with my brother’s best friend, which feels like an inconvenience even though he insists it’s not.” The words came out faster than vomit. Thankfully, I caught myself before I started confessing about the soon-to-be fraudulent marriage.
I glanced up at him, expecting to find a firm grimace or at least a look full of puzzlement. Instead, he was smiling broadly.
“And here I was, wondering how I could ethically ask you about yourself, and you just volunteered so much I was curious about.”
My heart stuttered.
Was he…flirting with me?
He was so attractive. Why would he want to know more about me? That couldn’t have been what he meant.
“You could have asked,” I replied, not knowing what else to say, and my nerves amplified at warp speed.
“Tell you what.” He smiled and handed me a small business card. “I can’t think of anything better than giving you this card and you deciding if you want to text or call that cell number at the bottom.”
I bit my lip, trying not to appear as stunned as I was. I reached out and took the card.
“I mean, maybe?—”
“Think it over. A friendly conversation is all I request.” He motioned toward the badge, which was attached to his shirt, displaying his credentials. “I’m sure I’m not supposed to ask patients out. I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know.”
My cheeks burned. Hewashitting on me!
I nodded profusely. “Got it.” I tucked the card into my pocket.
“It was nice to meet you, Miss East.” With a parting smile, he pivoted to leave.
“Julianna,” I replied, sitting up a little straighter. “Call me Julianna.”
Hunter Kearsley’scard burned a hole in my pocket as I went to get my blood work. I could feel it while I shopped in the discount food store to pick up some off-brand snacks and ingredients to make chili and cornbread for Bram.
As I drove back from Roanoke to the farmhouse, the mountain wind in my hair and the feelings of pure freedom mingled with the heady awareness that I, Julianna Joy East, had been noticed by an attractive and successful guy who wasn’t Bram. Contacting Hunter Kearsley was out of the question, though. The thought of it made me ill with nerves. Plus, how would Bram feel about it?
It shouldn’t matter what he thought. Sure, he and I were going to be married, but for convenience. Then I imaginedtrying to explain the situation to Hunter, and I shook my head at what my life had become for health insurance and an inheritance. I pulled the Jeep into the garage, and my phone alerted with a text.
