Page 40 of The Scars I Bare
Terrified.
“I’d better get to work,” I said, unsure of what else to say.
No, that was a lie. I knew what to say.
Thank you.
But the words wouldn’t come out because, as I stared at that coffee, I became increasingly aware of everything it could mean.
All those emotions I felt.
All those terrifying, wonderful emotions.
With every cup of coffee he brought, every smile and conversation we might have, these feelings I had for him, they’d only multiply.
Boundaries would be breached. Secrets would be spilled, and—
“Have a nice day, Dean,” I said, leaving the coffee behind on the counter, where it belonged.
It had been a crazy day at the clinic.
But I’d come to quickly realize, every day at the clinic was a crazy day.
So far, I’d seen several locals and a few tourists, and I’d even bandaged up a local chef after a snafu with a knife.
Feeling a bit out of breath, I took a peek into the waiting room, grateful for its current empty state. Although the chairs out there were old and in need of a serious upgrade, they were calling my name, begging me to take a break after being on my feet all morning.
Thank God for the blessed lunch break.
Jake purposely blocked off an hour in the middle of the day to allow us to catch up. He’d explained to me that we’d sometimes end up working right through it depending on the day. Other times, if we were lucky and patients had arrived and left on time, we’d get a few minutes of peace to collect our thoughts, rest our feet, and even get to eat.
Right now, all I wanted to do was put my feet up and close my eyes.
And so, I did. The moment my feet left the floor felt like heaven. I nearly moaned as my body curled into a chair. Old and clumsy as it was, it could have been a freaking bed of clouds for as happy as I felt to be off my toes.
“I’m sorry about this morning.” Dean’s voice filled the silent room.
I cracked open an eyelid, finding him behind the counter, several files in his hands. He clearly didn’t understand the lunchtime rules of rest.Did this man ever relax?
“Pardon?” I asked, his piercing stare already making my heart flutter.
I tried not to think about how often that happened.
“The thing on the road. I should have been more careful.” He paused, setting the files down on the counter as he gathered his thoughts.
I took that moment to sit up in my chair, pulling my knees to my chest.
“I used to be able to drive without thinking, you know? Like, out on Highway 12, late at night, we’d all go off-roading on the dunes. It’s funny because, back then, I never thought about it—driving with one arm on the wheel.”
He looked straight ahead, deep in his memories, before he continued, “Anyway, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t expect anyone else to be on the road. It was stupid of me.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, realizing I’d been so flustered by his arrival this morning, I hadn’t even bothered to ask why he was here in the first place. I’d just assumed he was bringing coffee.
But he was still here.
He held up a file. “Helping out Jake,” he explained. “He said you guys were being taken over by files and needed a hand.”
“Oh,” I replied lamely. “I guess that’s part of my job.”
