Second Look (A New Beginning Book 3)

by Connie Stephany

  “It’s in Minnesota.”

  Sam’s eyes widened. “What’s there?”

  “Most of my family and friends. It’s where I grew up.”

  “I really don’t want to see you go. If this is about what happened between us, I’m sorry I handled it so poorly. Don’t let this be just because of that.”

  Jennifer was at a loss for words so she shrugged.

  “Is that why?”

  Yes. Well, partly. “No, of course not. What happened was clearly a mistake, but it has absolutely nothing to do with my decision to advance my career and move back to family.”

  Sam inched even closer and gazed into her eyes. “I don’t think it was a mistake.”

  Blink. Blink. Blink.

  How could it be anything but a mistake?

  She wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Jennifer’s cheeks burned and she wanted to fan her face. Knowing Sam would see her blush made it get even worse until she finally looked down at her feet.

  Luckily Sam ignored her glowing cheeks and went back to his questioning.

  “What’s the position?”

  “Peds unit, head nurse. I’ll have several staff reporting to me.”

  “And you’ve already accepted?”

  Jennifer nodded.

  Sam sighed and looked disappointed. “I’d really like to talk to you about that position I mentioned. Or if there’s anything else that would make you stay, I want to know.”

  Anything?

  She mentally slapped herself.

  Jennifer looked at the clock and winced. “I need to head over to my station before I’m late.”

  Sam nodded, so she turned to leave. She was already to the door when she heard his voice.

  “Jennifer, wait.”

  She turned back to face him and was startled to see he followed her. He was standing so close she could see silver flecks in his ice blue yes.

  Does the man know anything about personal space?

  She raised her eyebrow. “Yes?”

  “Could I take you to dinner? Maybe we could discuss the position I mentioned, see if it’s something that could maybe change your mind.”

  Jennifer tried to maintain eye contact, but he looked so hopeful she was forced to look away. She really had no intention of staying.

  “Honestly, Sam, I am not going to change my mind.”

  “Okay, well, a guy can try.” His eyes searched hers. “I’d still really like to take you out.”

  Blink.

  How can I possibly turn him down?

  “Okay.”

  The corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly. “Are you free on Friday?”

  “I’ll have to look at my schedule to confirm, but I think it should work.”

  “I’ll plan for it then, but let me know if it doesn’t.”

  Jennifer nodded and then left his office. She closed his door behind her and leaned back on it to take several calming breaths. She looked up at the ceiling.

  What the hell did I just agree to?

  As she made her way to the nurse’s station on the opposite side of the hospital, Jennifer glanced out the windows and saw the neon sign for Cocktail Hour. The bar across the street was a place she seldom visited, but her co-workers and good friends, Tera and Lily, went every Thursday night for Lady’s night.

  It just happened to be where she ran into Sam the night that changed everything and made her need to leave Arizona.

  A couple months earlier…

  Jennifer was sitting on a barstool, her mouth watering as she watched the bartender make her lemon drop martini. It was her favorite mix of sweet and tart, and she couldn’t wait to take the first delicious sip after her long day.

  She heard a quiet gasp and glanced up to see an older woman staring at the bar entrance with wide eyes and mouth open in a silent “oh”.

  She saw another woman staring in the same direction and then she heard her whisper, “Who the hell is that guy?”

  Jennifer couldn’t help but turn her head towards the bar’s entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever eye candy had just walked in the door. The guy must be a celebrity or hot as hell.

  She couldn’t stop the small gasp that escaped her own lips. She wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

  Dr. Sam Taylor, her boss, was standing just inside the door. It was impossible for her to look away because he looked so incredibly hot, even more than normal. Like, heart-racing, face-flushing, panty-dropping hot.

  It was the first she had ever seen Sam outside work and she wasn’t sure which Sam she preferred. Instead of his normal suit, he was in well-worn jeans and a snug, dark gray Henley, which showed off the muscles she’d only imagined.

  Jennifer narrowed her eyes and groaned. What are you doing here? How am I supposed to relax?

  The bartender barely set her martini down before she grabbed it and tossed half of it back. She then jumped off the barstool to head back to her friends.

  The girls were lucky to find a high-top table that night near the back of the bar, but it had no chairs so the girls had a long night of standing ahead of them. She kept her eyes forward as she headed towards her friends. Just as she made it to the table, Jennifer casually snuck another look back at Sam.

  Their eyes met. Jennifer felt her face flush as a small smile appeared on his face. She returned his smile, gave him a little wave and then moved around to the other side of the table to face her friends so she wouldn’t be tempted to continue to stare.

  Tera smiled and then looked past Jennifer’s shoulder, surprise flashing across her pretty face. “Hey, check it out! I’ve never seen Dr. Taylor here before.” She whistled, and continued, “And boy, look at him. He’s getting attention from several of the ladies already.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Lily craned her neck to get a look. “Is he with anyone?”

  “I don’t know but you can ask him because it looks like he’s headed our way,” Tera said quietly.

  Seconds later, Lily looked behind Jennifer’s head and said, “Hi, Dr. Taylor.”

  Jennifer heard Sam’s low, sexy voice directly behind her. “Hi ladies. Call me Sam. Having a good night?”

  As Jennifer moved over to make room at their table, she caught a whiff of his cologne. Damn, he smelled good enough to eat.

  Jennifer had to force her eyes to stay on his face. “Hey, boss.”

  Sam looked directly into her eyes, smiled and then acknowledged her friends. “Mind if I join you?”

  Lily’s eyes widened and then motioned with her hand at their table. “Not at all.”

  Jennifer shuffled over to make room for him, but their table was on the small side so he was standing so close he was almost touching her.

  A very pretty, very young waitress came over to their table seconds after Sam arrived and leaned right into him.

  “What can I getcha, handsome?”

  Sam smiled at the waitress. “Another round of whatever the ladies are drinking and a Miller Light for me.”

  “You bet, sweetie!”

  The girl winked at Sam and gave him a small hip-check before she left their table. It caused Sam to lose his balance and lean into Jennifer. She was surprised when he didn’t move away and she took in a deep breath, his expensive cologne invading her senses.

  Um, am I supposed to move away or let him stay pressed up against me?

  Tera took the last sip of her gin and tonic and grinned. “Perfect timing on the drinks, Sam. Thanks.” She paused and said, “So, what brings you out tonight?”

  “I heard you girls talking earlier today and I thought I’d come check it out.”

  Tera raised her eyebrow and smirked at Jennifer.

  In turn, she gave Tera a glare. What a coincidence they were just speaking about him today during lunch. Tera and Lily both swore Sam stared at Jennifer every time he was around them and tried to convince her to hook up with him. She’d told them they were insane, but she had to admit she’d fantasized about it more than once.


  “Good call. Drinks are cheap on Ladies night.” Lily smiled at him and then said, “I need to use the restroom. Who wants to come with?”

  Before Jennifer could volunteer, Tera raised her hand. “I need to go too.”

  “Okay, be right back,” replied Lily, glancing at Jennifer.

  The girls grabbed their purses and headed towards the bathrooms, but not before Lily gave her an exaggerated, wide-eyed look. Jennifer just smiled back and shrugged.

  She looked over and Sam was staring right at her.

  Oh God. Think of something to say!

  “So…how was your day?”

  Sam’s eyes sparkled and her heart started to pound.

  “Good. Yours?”

  “It was good, thanks.”

  Why am I so nervous around him tonight? I see him every day.

  “Where’s Amber tonight?”

  He looked relaxed, which was a very different side to him.

  “At a sleepover tonight. I figured I better make good use of my free night and go out with the girls. They always beg me to go and I’m rarely able to come.”

  The waitress brought over their drinks. “Want to start a tab, handsome? Just need a credit card.”

  “Sure.” He reached behind him to get his wallet and handed over his American Express.

  Jennifer lifted up her martini. “Thanks for the drink. Cheers.”

  Sam clinked his beer to her glass, and nodded. “Since you have a rare night on your own, do you have a sober driver so you can enjoy yourself?”

  “What, are you my dad?” She teased him, laughing.

  He raised his eyebrow and lowered his voice. “Definitely not.”

  Oh.

  “I…I…I planned on a cab if I had too much to drink.”

  “I see.”

  He took a large swig of his beer and Jennifer could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, still staring right into her eyes.

  She needed to do something with her hands before she grabbed him and did something she’d regret. She glanced behind him and saw the pool tables.

  “Want to play pool? I bet I can beat you.”

  Sam gave her a grin. “You’re on. What are we betting?”

  Jennifer cocked her head to the side. “Betting?”

  “Sure. We need to make it interesting.”

  She thought for a second and said, “How about a drink?”

  Or maybe a kiss?

  “Well, that’s boring,” he informed her, giving her a wink. “But sure. We can make it more interesting next game.”

  Jennifer made a choking sound as she laughed because she had just taken a sip of her fresh drink.

  “What’d we miss?” Tera asked, arriving at their table. “Oh! I see the drinks got here. Thanks again, Sam.”

  “Jennifer and I were just going to go play pool, weren’t we?”

  Sam gave her a challenging smile, his eyes sparkling. He barely acknowledged the other girls.

  All she could manage to do was nod. She saw Lily hit Tera out of the corner of her eye. She glared at them before she followed Sam.

  They headed over to the one empty pool table in the back of the bar and Sam smiled while he inserted the quarters.

  It didn’t take long for Jennifer to win their first game. Not long afterwards, another martini was placed in front of her. She still had half of her second one left, so she slammed it and set the glass down on the table.

  Pace yourself.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “With my game or drinking skills?”

  “Both.”

  Sam put a few more quarters in the table and started a new game while he continued to stare.

  Jennifer was feeling more relaxed after the two martinis. She leaned up against the table and grinned. “So, since you said betting a drink was boring, what should we bet on next?”

  Sam raised his eyebrow in a challenge. “How about a request?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The winner gets to request something from the other person. Like, a ride home, or pay for lunch or something like that.”

  Say what?

  She pretended to hesitate, but sort of liked the idea. “Okay…I guess.”

  Sam’s chuckle was deep and throaty. “Nervous you’ll lose?”

  No. More like nervous I’ll win and make a fool of myself.

  “Nah, I’m good. Just trying to figure out what my request will be.”

  “I let you win that last game,” Sam told her with a cocky grin. “This one’s all mine.”

  “Sure of yourself, aren’t we?”

  As they played the second game, she noticed two things. One, he was playing a lot better than the first game. Two, if she thought he was flirting before, she was incredibly mistaken. He turned up the heat during this game and she couldn’t help but flirt back.

  He made excuses to touch her, whether to hand her the chalk or graze her by walking past her when it was his turn to shoot. He kept asking personal questions, things he never bothered to ask her before. Most of all, he didn’t take his eyes off of her.

  It should’ve been an easy win.

  She couldn’t believe it when she missed the winning shot. Jennifer told herself he distracted her by leaning up against the table and crossing his arms, showing off his muscles. Secretly, she wondered if she wanted him to win just to see what his request would be. He easily cleared the table at his next turn and won the game.

  He stood up and gave her a boyish grin. “I won.”

  “Don’t gloat. So what do you want?”

  She crossed her arms and tried to sound mad, but instead her stomach flipped and she had to push down the laugh that bubbled up.

  “I’ll let you know later.”

  Well, damn.

  She shook her head before he turned away. He sauntered over to the money machine to get more quarters. While his back was turned to her, she took the opportunity to check him out. She started at the top, gave a little more time in the middle and got down to his toes before he turned around again. She had to quickly look away so he wouldn’t catch her staring.

  As he was walking back towards her, he asked, “Same stakes?”

  “Sure.” I must be bat-shit crazy. “This game is all mine.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  This game was even more intense, with heated looks, sly touches and a lot of staring. Every time she looked at him his eyes were blazing and she caught him scanning her from head to toe more than once.

  At Sam’s last turn, she fluffed out her hair, pulled down her shirt and leaned over just as he was about to shoot the winning ball.

  “You going for this pocket here?”

  He looked at her just as he took his shot and it was just a hair off it’s mark.

  “Playing dirty?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He was scowling, but she could tell he wasn’t mad. Jennifer smiled innocently before she easily cleared the rest of the table and won the game.

  Before she had time to gloat or even think what her favor could possible be, she saw Lily and Tera approach them. Tera looked from her to Sam and then back again.

  “Hey hon, we need to get going. You need a ride home?”

  “No thanks. You live completely opposite from where I do. I’ll just grab a cab.”

  Tera gave her a wide-eyed look. “You sure?”

  “I’ll be sure she gets home safely.”

  They all turned towards Sam and she could see Lily’s mouth drop open.

  Holy. Shit. Was he offering….?

  Tera was the first to respond. “Thanks, Sam.”

  Sam gave a slight nod.

  They gave Jennifer a hug goodbye and Lily whispered in her hear, “We want details.”

  Her friends left, giggling on their way out the door. She watched them for several seconds before she turned to Sam.

  “I should probably call it a night, too.”

  What did Sam mean when he sai
d he’d made sure I got home safely? She was tempted to use her request for a ride home, but hesitated, wondering if he’d read too much into it.

  As she debated internally, Sam quietly said, “I’ll drive you home.”

  The corners of Jennifer’s mouth turned up. “Are you sure? I can just get a cab.”

  “Yeah, it’s no problem.”

  “Well, thanks.”

  He nodded and said, “Right this way.”

  Sam put his hand at the small of her back and lead her out the door. “I’m parked in the lot next to the bar.”

  “Oh, aren’t you special. I left my car at the hospital parking lot.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “And you were going to walk back there to get your car? By yourself?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s only a couple of blocks. I was either going to take a cab or we were all going to walk back to the parking lot together.”

  He visibly relaxed.

  “I’m a big girl, Sam.”

  Sam nodded and looked into her eyes. His voice went impossibly deeper. “I’ve noticed.”

  Uh…

  She shivered a little. Arizona could get a little cool at night and there was a definite chill in the air, but that wasn’t what caused her to shiver.

  “Cold?”

  Not at all. “Just a little.”

  He surprised her by putting his arm around her and pulling her in close. “Sorry, I don’t have a jacket to offer so this will have to do.”

  “Thanks.”

  She almost snorted trying to suppress the hysterical giggle that bubbled up. Was he really driving her home? And was it even a good idea? She was probably just reading too much into it.

  He smiled down at her. She never realized just how tall he was.

  They made it to his car and he opened the door for her. She was anxious to find out his request. As she got in, he interrupted her thoughts.

  “Are you thinking of what you want for your request?”

  “I sort of thought my ride home would count as my request. No?”

  Please say no.

  He shook his head. “I offered you the ride so it doesn’t count.”

  “Then I guess I have to think of one. What’s yours?”

  He didn’t answer.

  When they got to her house, he pulled into her driveway and put his car in gear.

  Should I ask him in for a drink? No. Yes. No. Shit! Yes.