Page 12 of Call Out
When he took the call in the breakroom, his rugged expression hardened to unkind. The glow of warmth in his eyes morphed to ferocious. His mood shaded from fun and seductive to nettled and turbulent. There’s more to him than I first thought, and leaving me high and dry only proves my suspicions.
The cool temperature indoors is a relief, although it doesn't do much to subdue the disappointment. I hadn't realized how long I’d been tending to the flower beds until Dot came out to find me. I’m hot and bothered, and less than pleased with myself for allowing a stranger to kiss me. My blouse is damp from sweat and my knees red from kneeling. Luckily, I have spare clothes in my office for a speedy outfit swap before I finish up for the afternoon.
I undress in the washroom and lather up with soapy water. Sloshing water over my face, I stare up at my somber expression.Is this as good as my life gets?My best friends are centuries older; my dog prefers to live in a retirement home than with me, and tonight I’ll watch another movie on the couch big enough for two.
His lips still haunt me. The daring kiss we shared was dreamy and effortlessly sexy. Danny doesn't have to try to impress me, he just does. In my overactive brain, it was more than just two strangers making out. Nonna told me to love with all my heart and listen to my wise intuition. Well, she was right. My heartbeat dances to a happy rhythm for Danny, and my gut flips over at the thought of his unknown mystery.
Tap water trickles out in drips. My pulse lags to the usual lonely pace it's used to. The swell of wishful thinking swirls down the drain. I wipe the faucet after I dry off, soaking up the fantasy of a good man and tossing the towel in the laundry.
“Viv. Viv!” Dot hammers on the door. “Are you in there?”
I unlock the door, partially naked, wearing only a scarlet bra and knee-length skirt. “What’s wrong?”
“Who’s sick?” Her face blanches, and she swallows hard.
“What do you mean?” The hairs on my arm lift.
There’s no time to grab a clean blouse. Dot snares my arm and swings me into the corridor. “Why is there an ambulance here? Someone called the EMS.” She drags me to the reception hall and points at the entrance
On the other side of the glass doors an ambulance pulls up to park. The passenger door flings open. Leather work boots, followed by utility pants and a black short-sleeved shirt all lead to the man who’s plagued my thoughts the entire day. Danny turns towards the doors with flexed muscles and a confident masculine swagger.
“Why are they here, Viv?” Dot flaps her arms beside me, grabbing her heart like she needs assistance. “I can’t deal with this today. I dropped a stitch when I saw them pull in. Do you know how long it’s taken me to knit that shawl?” Her voice fades into the background.
I’m speechless when Danny removes a pair of aviators and shades his eyes with a curved hand at his brow. His presence shakes me up, capturing me in a dream where heroes are flawless. Dot dashes across the foyer and welcomes the paramedic inside.
“Good evening, ma’am. I’m here to see Viv,” he says with that thick macho cadence of sin.
“Viv?” Dot gasps and throws her arms around Danny. “Oh goodness, son. I thought someone had died.” With his head smooshed into the crook of her neck, his eyes flick up, locking onto mine. “So, you’re the guy who—” she begins.
I cough into my fist, stopping her mid-sentence. Dot rotates her head and nods in Danny’s direction.
My stern glare doesn’t go unnoticed by either of them. She runs her hands down his brawny arms and makes an odd purr like a cat. “You’re so hot you'd make the devil sweat.” Then she faces me and grins before tiptoeing to the breakfast room like she’s been caught licking cream.
A thumb hooks his belt loop, and his amber gaze drifts to the padded cups with the filigree lace detail. I’m all too aware that I’m exposed from the waist up. Sliding a hand over my breasts, I dip backwards, trying to disappear against flocked wallpaper.
“Hey.” His casual greeting ignites dangerous sparks all over me.
I try to reply, but at this point my skin tone matches my underwear, so I sidestep the wall like a crab and keep going. Ducking into my office, I rush to the closet. Earlier, I convinced myself that Danny was trouble. Now, he’s in Blossom Grove for the third time and unleashing a kaleidoscope of colors into my boring world.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” He chuckles.
I peer over my shoulder where he’s leaning against the doorway and clear my throat. “Yes, actually. I was freshening up after a busy day.”
“I’ll wait out here until you're ready.” He turns his back, tensing his shoulders as his arms cross. I stare for a few seconds, eyeing his physique and fine ass in those dark pants. Then I catch myself and grab a cream silk shirt off the hanger.
“Why are you here?” I ask, fiddling with frustrating minuscule opalescent buttons.
“We agreed on dinner, right?” He speaks into the empty corridor.
“I said I would think about it. You said you’d call,” I correct.
“I’m sorry, Viv. I was caught up with an ugly emergency. It was more complicated than we first thought. We had to involve the air ambulance.”
I take my time to button the shirt, mulling over his credible explanation. “Okay.” On a scale of excuses, helping critically injured people is right up there with the best.
“I came here to explain why I didn't call and to take you out for something to eat.”
“When?”
