by Tina Beckett
“You don’t have a board, I take it.”
“Not of the surfing variety, no.” A flicker of enthusiasm colored her voice and it lit a matching one in him. How long had it been since he’d actually gone anywhere with a woman? It wasn’t a date. But it could be fun. He was allowed to have fun, wasn’t he?
“It’s okay. We can rent a board.”
“Whoa.” He held up a hand. “I’m not planning on climbing on a surfboard. I was just going to watch.”
Like a voyeur.
“You don’t even want to paddle out? You don’t have to stand up, if you don’t want to. You’ll be bored if you just sit on the beach.”
Doubtful. He turned his scarred hand so she could see it. “I’m not exactly able to use this the way most people can.”
“It’ll be fine. Believe me. There are surfers who are missing limbs and still get out there and catch plenty of waves.”
He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be one of them, but he didn’t feel like arguing the point with hospital staff passing them in the hallway. “So what time would we need to leave?”
“Do you want to meet at the beach or here at the hospital?”
“Beach.” The word came out without hesitation. He had no idea if she’d be wearing a bathing suit under her clothes, but he certainly didn’t want to meet out front if she was only wearing some kind of cover-up. The gossip chain would have a field day with it. And there was no way he was showing up in board shorts.
“Okay. Well, the tide should be right and the shops open at around ten a.m. Can you swing it if we meet a half hour before that? We’ll want to go over some basics. Or you could take a class.”
“No. No classes. I don’t plan on making a career out of surfing. But yes, I should be able to make time to come out.”
“I think you’ll like it.” She grinned. “Even if you don’t plan on making a career out of it.”
She tucked her phone back in her pocket and held up her electronic file. “Well, I’d better get back to something that actually is my career. I’ll see you Wednesday at nine thirty?” She suggested the name of a local surf shop as their meeting place.
“I’ll be there.” He wasn’t sure why or how this had happened, but it had. And there was no way he was going to back out and be stuck explaining that his reasons involved a mental tug-of-war over her choice of beach attire. “Anything special I need to bring?”
“Nope. Just yourself and some swim trunks.”
Swim trunks. She’d just cemented every reservation he’d ever had about Wednesday’s trip.
Instead of swim trunks, maybe he should settle for bringing along what was left of his sanity. Because going to the beach with her was not on his list of smart ideas. In fact, it might just be the dumbest thing he’d ever agreed to. But it was too late to do anything but own his decision...and hope for the best.
* * *
Addy pulled her surfboard out of the walk-in closet and ran her hand over the smooth, glossy surface. What had she been thinking asking Garret to go with her? Being with him was hardly going to fill the ticket of taking some time for herself.
She was on edge around him. Had been ever since he’d come to the hospital three years ago. She’d just been careful, because, unlike her husband, her marriage had been important to her.
And look where that had gotten her. Maybe she should have been the first to have an affair.
Her nose crinkled. Not that Garret would have agreed to be her partner in crime. Besides, it wasn’t in her to cheat. She was loyal to a fault. It showed in her friendships, and she’d thought in her marriage.
Except that had all been an illusion. Like the perfect wave. It teased and beckoned you to paddle out and see what it was all about. Only it was rarely as glorious as it looked from the shallows. Up close you saw the imperfections and the flaws hidden within the turbulent whitewater.
And a surfboard was incomplete without a wave, just as a marriage was incomplete without trust. That was something she’d never get back again, even if she’d allowed Leo to stay and they’d gone to counseling as Garret had suggested.
And there was the fact that, once discovered, he’d moved right in with his lover.
Oh, well. That part of her life was over. At least it would be once the divorce was final. The sooner the better.
Picking the board up, she set it on the forbidden bed. She gritted her teeth and forced that thought from her mind. Tomorrow if she had time, she’d wax the board up and get it ready for its first outing since her ex had moved out. Garret was right. She had been working too hard. But the alternative was nights like tonight when she had nothing to do but think. And that wasn’t good.
All she had to do was get through this evening, and then tomorrow morning she could work her shift, come home again and on Wednesday she’d be out on the water. Not alone, but out there just the same.
She wasn’t sure why she’d asked Garret to go with her, but now that she had, she was relieved. Having him there would keep her from backing out and sitting at home brooding the day away. Because she didn’t dare show up at work. He would have her head.
It was up to her to show him that she knew how to cut loose and have fun.
Or at least pretend to. Because deep down inside, with everything that was currently going on in her life, she was pretty sure she was going to be anything but a fun date.
No. Not a date. This was an outing. To prove a point.
How did that saying go? Fake it until you make it? Well, she’d better start faking being a fun-time girl, and soon. Or Garret was going to figure out the little secret that she’d been hiding.
What secret was that? That she had eyes for her boss?
She gulped. No, she didn’t. And it was up to her to prove that once and for all. If not to him, to herself.
CHAPTER THREE
ADDY SNATCHED THE brochure from the information desk at the front of the hospital in dismay. Oh, Lord, she hoped Leo didn’t somehow see this.
And if he did, would it matter?
No, not at all. But she hadn’t wanted a lot of attention placed on her. Maybe she’d better make sure she emphasized to Garret that she wanted that donation kept as anonymous as possible. Marching to the elevators, she got in and pressed the button for the fourth floor. She had no idea what she expected him to do about this, but she’d at least like an assurance that her name wouldn’t be attached to the pearls.
Going to the door, she knocked and waited for him to respond. When he called for her to come in, she saw that he was with another doctor. Jake Parson, the pediatrician from the first floor.
“Dr. Santini, what can I do for you?”
Oh, so they were back to titles again. She gritted her teeth. Of course they were. It wasn’t as if Garret were going to greet her like a long-lost friend. They weren’t friends. They were colleagues.
Actually, they weren’t. He was her boss, even though it didn’t quite work like that in this type of setting.
And she was taking her so-called boss surfing. Another possibly messy situation, if not handled the right way.
Unfortunately, she had no idea what the right way was.
“I didn’t know you were with someone. It can wait.” Realizing the auction brochure was still in her hand, she tried to shift it so it was hidden behind her leg. She certainly didn’t want to talk about this in front of anyone else.
“Jake and I were just finishing up.”
Hmmm, okay, so he used Dr. Parson’s first name, but not hers?
Maybe realizing he’d been dismissed, the other man stood, throwing her a quick smile as he shook Garret’s hand and slid past her with a murmured goodbye.
Once the door closed, Garret came around the side of his desk, nodding in the direction of her hand. “What didn’t you want him to see?”
So he had noticed.
&nbs
p; Now that she was here, she felt kind of idiotic. He more than likely had nothing to do with the marketing division of the hospital’s fund-raising events.
“It’s the pamphlet for the auction.”
“May I see it?”
She gulped. It was obvious he didn’t have a stack of them lying around his office. He probably hadn’t even seen one yet. Hesitating, she finally pulled the brochure from behind her and held it out for him to take.
A soft whistle sounded as he glanced at the cover. Then he looked up. “I didn’t know they were going to put this on the front.”
“Neither did I.” He’d put the pearls in his safe, so he had to have helped set up the picture, but from his reaction he’d had nothing to do with the photo’s placement. “Is there any way you can make sure my name is not attached to them?”
“Is this because of your ex?” He frowned. “I can have the pamphlets recalled, ask them to be redone, if you want. I’m not even sure how they came up with these so quickly.”
“No, it has nothing to do with Leo. I’m feeling a little ridiculous even bringing this up here actually. It was just a shock to see the necklace front and center.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your name isn’t listed anywhere. I think the pearls were easier to capture in a simple photo than some of the other donations.” He flipped the top page open. “Although they did put some of the cruises on the inside.”
He glanced up. “They’re not family heirlooms or anything whose ownership can be contested, are they?”
“No. He bought them at a jewelry store.” She held up a hand. “And don’t ask me if I’m sure again. Once I make up my mind you’ll find I don’t change it easily.”
He made a pained sound in the back of his throat. Before she could ask what it meant, though, he said, “Can I keep this copy?”
“Of course.” She gave a wry smile. “There are plenty of them around the hospital, I imagine.”
Garret indicated the chair the other doctor had vacated moments earlier. “Have a seat.”
“Don’t tell me I’m in trouble again. I’ve tried to keep my hours to pretty much what I’ve been assigned.”
“No, I actually wanted to talk about tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
Oh, the surfing trip. Suddenly she just knew he’d changed his mind about going. A wave of disappointment crashed over her before she could stop it.
You should be glad!
She lowered herself into her chair and braced herself for the news.
“You do realize I’m almost forty, don’t you?”
She blinked, not sure where he was going with this. Oh, Lord, he hadn’t guessed about that weird little crush she was developing, had he? She was in the middle of a divorce, for heaven’s sake. The last thing she should be doing was scoping out his broad shoulders and the way his waist gave way to narrow hips. Except she found herself doing just that. And more.
Even his damaged hand held an odd attractiveness. Maybe because it belonged to him. And this particular “him” had a lot of physical attributes going for him. Attributes she’d noticed against her will.
It was because she was almost single again and Garret was the first hunky man she’d interacted with since her breakup. It had to be that. She prayed it was that.
Yes, she’d been looking forward to seeing him on a board and no amount of self-recriminations were going to change that.
Time to ask where he was headed with that particular question before her thoughts went even more haywire. “What does almost being forty have to do with tomorrow?”
If he warned her off him, she was going to slink away, never to be seen again.
“Let’s just say I’m a little less sturdy than I used to be.”
Sturdy? Sturdy?
That was where the crack about his age had come from?
She laughed out loud. Partly in relief. Partly in disbelief.
Up went his brows. “I didn’t expect that news to be quite so funny.”
“It’s not that.” She struggled to catch her breath before it betrayed her in another fit of giggles. “You do realize that I’m only five years away from being forty, don’t you? So I could take your words as an insult to all of us who are over thirty.”
“You don’t look thirty-five.”
Oh, God. Did he think she looked older? But how to ask...?
“Do I look more sturdy? Or less?”
This time, he was the one to laugh, his chuckle rushing across her like a warm sea current, curling around her toes and almost pulling her feet out from under her. She put her arms on her chair as if the tug might be real.
“Do you really want to know?” he asked.
“I thought I did. Surely you have access to the hospital staff members’ personnel records.”
“I do. And you look much younger, although I realize very few doctors make it out of medical school before their late twenties and then with specializing and residency...”
“Well, I’d like to think I’m pretty sturdy for my age, and I bet you are too. At least if a surfer falls, he lands on a more forgiving surface than, say, a frozen mountain.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
The phone in her pocket buzzed. She pulled it out, glanced at the readout and frowned. “It’s the nurses’ station.” She pressed Talk and put it on speaker. “Santini, here.”
“Addy, we have a family who’s been involved in a house fire. They’re en route as we speak. Five people, one adult, four children, one of them an infant.”
“How bad?” Addy knew it could be anything from smoke inhalation to third-degree burns.
“Two burn victims, but I don’t know the extent of it. ETA ten minutes.”
“I’m on my way. Call Dr. Hascup and see if he can come in. And make sure we have some rooms ready.” Having a doctor there from the hospital’s burn unit was a must.
She ended the call and glanced at Garret, hating to ask since she’d promised she would only request consults on neurological cases.
“I don’t know how I can help, but I can at least do triage and direct the nurses.”
She sagged with relief. “Thanks. How much use do you have of that hand?” She stood, then realized the question might seem insensitive. But she needed to know before things got hectic.
“I can pick things up with it, but it’s more like those claw games that drop, grasp and lift. I can’t do anything with it that requires fine motor skills.”
Her heart ached at what that admission must have cost him, but there wasn’t time to do much more than digest the information. “You can still wield a stethoscope, do visuals and call out treatment orders, so you’ll do.” It was better not to make a big deal over it.
“I can do that.” He stood. “Now, let’s go wait for our patients.”
* * *
He wished he had full use of his hand.
Everyone else was in place outside and knew their jobs. Everyone, except for him.
His screaming nerves almost drowned out the scream of a siren as an ambulance rounded the corner and pulled into the bay of the ER.
He could do this. All he had to do was use his brain. Not his hand.
A blast of hot summer air met him as the sliding doors opened to let him and Addy outside. Despite his feeling like a fish out of water, adrenaline pumped through his system in a steady stream. At least that was familiar.
The gurney from the first squad hit the ground with a bump. He went to it as Addy met a second vehicle.
A toddler, who couldn’t be more than three years old—and unconscious—came into view, her face streaked with soot. She was clad only in a T-shirt and pull-up diaper, which was understandable since they were at home and the heat index today was closing in on one hundred degrees. The EMT held an oxygen mask over her face. Good. At least she was brea
thing on her own. “Vitals?”
“BP ninety over sixty, pulse ninety, respiration forty-five. No burns, but she was found in a smoke-filled room.”
Right on cue, the girl’s diaphragm spasmed in a series of harsh, dry coughs.
Her vitals weren’t bad, all things considered.
“Take her inside while I check on everyone else. Anyone critical that you know of?”
The technician nodded. “An infant is pretty bad, and the mom has burns from a pan of grease that caught fire. She tried dousing it with a bucket of water and—”
The flames would have gone everywhere. It played out in his head, and he winced.
The EMT went on, “She has burns mostly on her hands and arms, but luckily the actual fire didn’t reach her. A neighbor saw smoke coming out of the window and called 911.”
“The other kids?”
“She was holding the baby while cooking. When she threw the water, some of the hot oil hit her, and she must have dropped him. I’ve heard he’s bad, but I had my own patient to take care of, so I’m not sure the extent of it.”
The sound of raised voices came from somewhere behind them.
“This is not the time, Leo! Let me treat my patient.”
Garret frowned at the EMT, who’d glanced back to where the voices were growing in volume. “Go ahead and take her in. I’ll deal with the other patients.” Then he headed to where Addy stood, a tech not quite blocking her way, but close enough that it would be awkward for her to try to move around him. Another man who must have been his partner was near the back doors, shifting from foot to foot, obviously not comfortable with the situation. Garret looked the EMT near Addy in the eye, already surmising who he was.
“Is there a problem here?”
The tech—who Garret remembered seeing before—drew himself to full height, but took a step back as if realizing he now had an audience. “No. No problem.” He then looked at Addy. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“I don’t think so. And right now I have a job to do. So do you.”
Garret’s brows lifted. So this was her ex-husband. The man was cocky and confident and obviously hadn’t expected Addy’s negative reaction to whatever he’d said.
