Henry laughed. "Anyone who is cocky at his age is being as such for a reason. He's thirty-one, Ansley, not twenty-one. He might look youthful, but he's not a boy. If he's still holding out the cocky card, then I would reckon that it's due to him protecting himself. Women only like cocky for a night."
"Oh no. Not you too." My smile grew wider. "You've fallen for him."
Henry moved back and laughed again. "I haven't, but I do believe you might."
"He paid you, didn't he?" I finished my review and walked to the door as Henry gave me a few words of advice.
"Ansley."
I glanced over my shoulder. "Yes, old friend?"
"When a doctor performs heart surgery, how many days is it before we force the patient to get up and walk, though it hurts so incredibly bad?" He pursed his lips.
"As soon as they wake up and get through the first twenty-four hours."
"Right. When something is broken and gets fixed, you don't wait for a complete healing to occur. You move forward, and in the movement, the healing begins. Hear me?"
Tears blurred my vision. I was so broken from my divorce, and the loss I believed would always be mine that I'd stopped breathing, stopped living for the last year. I nodded and turned to walk out.
"Ha! I told you that I-" Parks bounced on his feet, but his expression softened as he caught a glimpse of me. "Ans. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I turned my face and wiped my tears on the sleeve of my scrubs. "Just a memory shared between me and Henry. I'm fine. Great job. You won."
"You sure?" Nancy moved up beside me and helped me remove my gloves and other garb. "You need to talk?"
"Nope." I grabbed some paper towels and wiped my eyes before turning to see Nolan walk into the room. Fucking great.
"Doctor Parks. It's come to my attention that you've just broken a record." Nolan's voice boomed in the small room.
I glanced back to see a new nurse standing on the other side of the glass, her smile so big it looked like it might crack her pretty face. She had been an extra in the surgery. It would seem she was trying to get Parks on her side. Too funny. Did she not know that he was a fuck 'em once and leave ‘em kind of guy? Doctor Feelgood didn't hang around for seconds.
My nasty thoughts helped to push away my sensitivities thankfully.
"Thanks so much. I have Aiden to thank for that. He pushes so hard that you make it or break in half trying," Parks responded.
I started for the door, not wanting to partake in the ass-kissing ceremony. Nolan stopped me.
"Doctor Crawford. Did you congratulate your brother's protégé? You might have a few things you could learn from him."
Stopping, I turned and forced a smile on my face. "Of course I congratulated him. He did an incredible job." I glanced over at Parks, who funny enough, looked like he might be sick. "Feel free to teach me your wickedly talented ways anytime."
"Ansley," Nolan started.
I turned and walked out into the hallway, close to unraveling again.
"Ans. Wait." Parks jogged after me as I walked down the hallway. "We have tomorrow off. Dinner. Six tomorrow night. I'll come get you from your place. Text me the address."
"No." I turned to face him as the door to the OR opened, and Nolan walked out. He was too far to really hear us, but I had no doubt that he would be concerned with our closeness. I stepped back to save myself another fight. "You did a great job. That's more than enough of a prize. We're here to save lives and do it effectively. You did just that."
His eyes darkened a little. "Tomorrow night at six. A deal is a deal."
"Fine, but I'll meet you there. You're not picking me up. Period." I clenched my jaw, unwilling to budge. There was no way I was going out with him. I'd end up in bed with him and then... I'd fall in love. There was no fucking way I was adding another loss to my list. And he would most certainly be one.
"Alright. We can meet there." A ghost of a smile played along the side of his mouth, drawing me in far too deep.
"I'm not going to be an ounce of fun. I can promise you that." I let my eyes move across his impossibly handsome face. His five o'clock shadow looked so damn good on him, his lips so kissable.
"You let me be the judge of that." He winked and turned, walking back toward Nolan.
I stood there for a moment, trying to remember where I was headed. Right. My office to sulk.
Great.
Chapter 11
Parks
A day off felt weird. I was used to putting in extra hours and killing myself back at St. Marks, but things were different at Boston Gen. I wasn't a core part of the team. A part of me lamented over the loss of being so fucking important, but I'd be back home soon enough.
I dressed while I watched the news that morning and tried not to get too excited about my date with Ansley that night. Aiden would fucking kill me if he knew what I was up to, but maybe I could keep things friendly. I wasn't interested in a relationship, but a thought kept arising that I knew would get me in trouble.
I needed to let it go, but I couldn't.
Did the beautiful girl want kids? Did she need someone to help her out with that?
I wasn't ready to be a daddy, and I didn't ever want to settle down or get married, but being a sperm donor to a broken-hearted princess? I could manage that part. We could never tell Aiden what I'd done.
"Fuck that," I mumbled and grabbed the keys to the bike. That baby would come out looking just like me, and then what? Would I really be able to walk away? I thought I might. Maybe it was a conversation for another time. It's not like Ansley and I were on good terms in the slightest.
She'd let down her guard a little the day before, and I'd ramrodded my talent into the middle of the calm, causing another storm. But it was to impress her for fuck’s sake.
I got on the bike and drove the hour down to my dad's place, enjoying the wind in my hair and the vision of what the night could be if we just had fun together. She needed some fun, and I was just the guy to offer it up to her. No sex. Well, maybe no sex. Aiden flashed in my mind again as I drove up to my dad's house. Did my mentor really think that me and Ansley wouldn't hit it off?
"Hit it off might be pushing it a little." I parked and laughed at myself. I could make lemonade out of lemons any day of the week. Fuck, I could make orange juice out of lemons given the right circumstances.
I knocked and opened the door, walking in to find the place spotless. "Thank God," I mumbled and stopped at the edge of the kitchen to hear my dad laughing with someone. A woman.
"You like it, really, Ray?" She put her hands on her hips, and the look she gave my father was one of a challenge.
"I do. I'm not usually a cinnamon roll kinda guy, but this is delicious." He was up and dressed. Miracles do happen.
I needed to make myself known before I was discovered and looked like the creeper I was being. "I love them. Got a few extra for me?"
"Parks?" My father turned and extended his arms. "Son! It's good to see you."
He looked so damn good that I had to choke back my emotion. His face was clear, his eyes bright, his mood lifted. I moved into his arms and gave him a warm hug as I winked at the pretty woman behind him.
"Good to see you too, Dad. House looks great." I breathed in deeply and moved back. "It smells like heaven in here."
"Missy here is an excellent cook and keeps the house clean."
"Missy? Nice to meet you." I extended my hand to her and smiled. "I thought I hired two different people for those duties. I'm pretty sure they were both men, right?"
My dad chuckled. "I fired those assholes." His eyes lit up as he glanced over at Missy. "And asked that they send the prettiest woman they had. They outdid themselves."
She blushed. "Ray. Stop it." She turned to me and nodded. "Your father is doing a lot better. I'm very happy to help you both in any way you need."
I watched her closely, making sure that there was a validation of her humility that she put on display. When she glanced back over at my dad, her
cheeks grew pink again. Wow. Something was going on between them.
"Excellent." I turned and walked to the stove to find a baking dish with three thick cinnamon rolls drenched in icing. "Oh yeah. I need one of these."
"Have them all," my father responded. "Grab a plate and let's go talk on the back porch. It's beautiful out there."
"Oh yeah?" I glanced around to find Missy was gone and my dad watching me. "Alright. I like the sound of that. I have a date tonight, so don't let me lose track of time, yeah?"
"Of course not." He lifted his wrist and tapped his watch. "Missy found this old thing for me. I'd almost forgotten I had it."
"That the one Papa gave to you?" I fixed a quick plate and turned to follow him out back. The house was immaculate and much to my surprise, the pictures of my mother were gone. There was no sign of her anywhere. I could have wept right then and there.
"Yeah. I love this old thing. I need to give it to you before I die. Don't let me forget." He chuckled as I groaned.
"Can we talk about something other than you dying?" I moved out onto the porch with him and dropped down in a lawn chair, surprised as hell to see some living plants scattered around the porch. It was serene, beautiful.
"It's going to happen one day, silly." My dad sat down and leaned back before looking over at me. "But not as soon as I thought, thanks to you."
"Me?" I cut a piece of the roll and shoved it into my mouth, groaning loudly at how good the damn thing was. "Why me?"
"Because you saved me the other day. I hadn't gone a day without drinking in years."
"And you have since I saw you last Saturday?"
"Yeah." He smiled. "Today."
"Because that pretty girl in the kitchen likes you?" I laughed and shoved more of the pastry in my mouth. The woman could bake for sure. Though I didn't care what she could do if she helped me save my dad's life. He was just about all I had left in the world.
"You think she likes me?" He chuckled. "I'm too old for that shit."
"No, you're not. You're only fifty-eight, Dad. Life stops when you let it stop. Until then, live the fuck out of it."
"And what about you, boy?" He turned a little and studied me. It was damn good to see him focusing on something - anything. "Who is this date with tonight? You've never mentioned a date to me before."
I had, but there was no point in reminding him. He'd been drunk every time I'd talked to him before. I couldn't honestly remember a time when he wasn't drunk.
"She's a brilliant neurologist at Boston General." I shrugged. "She's beautiful, dad, but she's damaged goods."
"You are too." He chuckled, causing me to smile. "Why are you so scared to love, Jacob?"
"You know why." I turned my gaze to the backyard and shoved half of the other roll in my mouth.
"Your mother can't haunt us both forever, son. Let her go."
I swallowed and licked my lips. "Ansley is her name. She's four or five years older than me."
"Older? Interesting. I thought you usually went for the young, bimbo type."
"Oh, I do." I finished off my breakfast and leaned back, stretching my legs out. "She's also Aiden's younger sister."
"Your mentor from New York?" He stiffened.
I laughed. "Right? It gets better. Her ex-husband is the Chief of Staff at Boston General."
He snorted. "Well, this sounds like a challenge you're not going to be able to pass up."
"I don't know." I set my plate down on the ground beside me and turned my attention back to him. "She's everything I want in my life, but that scares the shit out of me."
"Good. Then you're right where you should be." He turned and closed his eyes. "Life is too short to let fear shut you down."
I held my tongue. Fear wasn't what fucked up my father's life. It was a beautiful woman in a red dress. And thanks to her, he'd become an alcoholic and shaved years off his life. I only hated one person in the world, and it was her.
Sadly enough, I knew without a doubt that he still loved her. I refused to admit to myself that maybe I did too...
****
I checked my watch and set the menu down on the table in front of me. Ansley was forty minutes late. She didn't seem like the type of woman that would be late at all. My phone sat on the fancy table in front of me, and I wanted so goddamn bad to reach out and call her, but I couldn't.
She wasn't coming, and I would have to man up and realize that for the first time in my adult life, I'd been stood up.
A smile haunted the side of my mouth when I thought about the balls this woman had. She'd lost the bet, and yet she didn't have the courage to pay up?
It was dinner for shit's sake.
But was it?
I stood and dropped a fifty on the table before walking through the busy dining room. Couples sat around candlelit tables, laughing and leaning in toward one another. The sight of everyone but me enjoying life left a bitter taste in my mouth.
What the fuck was I thinking? I should have taken her to a ball game and grabbed a hot dog. She would have been comfortable there, but she seemed like too much woman for a casual encounter.
I took the long way home and was a little surprised to see Aiden's name pop up on my phone as I walked into the house. I lifted my cell phone to my ear and closed the door.
"Hey, you. What's hanging?"
"Hey, buddy. How is Boston treating you?"
He didn't really want to know. "It's good, man. I've been over to see my dad a few times, which was rough, but I worked some shit out for him. The hospital is beautiful, and your sister is wicked talented."
"Yeah. She seems to like you."
I laughed loudly before dropping down on the couch. "She fucking hates me, but it's alright. I'll do my job and get out of here. This is her turf, and she's not willing to share it in the slightest, nor should she be."
"She's very protective of her career." He let out a soft sigh. "It's all she has, or at least, that's what she believes."
"Why is she still working at Boston Gen, Aiden? Nolan is around her all the fucking time. I can't imagine being around someone I was with for years, and now I'm not. That's just an emotional mind field."
"It's like you said, man, it's her turf. She's not going to walk away from it just because Nolan Reigns runs it. She's tough as hell, and she's there to prove that."
"It's killing her. She's angry as fuck and so mean."
"Yeah. I was worried about that."
"What do you want me to do, Aiden?" I ran my hand down my face. "I've tried to use humor, flirting, cockiness, everything to get her to wake up."
"It's not your job, my man. Someone will come into her life that reminds her it's worth living."
"And if that's me?" I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself.
"Parks. You know as well as I do that you're not the commitment type. Please do me a favor and don't fuck over my sister. She's got enough to deal with. Period."
"Alright. I just have this knight in shining armor shit going around in my head."
He laughed. "Well, stop. That's not the part you usually play."
I left the conversation there. I didn't want to know what part he thought I played. It would have hurt far more than my ego.
It would have damaged my heart - what was left of it.
Chapter 12
Ansley
Guilt raped my insides as I pulled up to the hospital the next morning. I should have just called Parks and let him know that I wasn't coming to dinner. It was rude and childish for me to stand him up. Had he been some guy I'd met in a bar, no big fucking deal, but he wasn't. He was my co-worker for the next three weeks.
Three long weeks.
I sat in the car in my parking spot until someone knocked on the window. Nolan. Fuck my life.
"Hey." I opened the door and got out. I had little to no choice but to be cordial with him, no matter how many fights we got in, or how much I hated him some days. He was my boss.
"You alright?" He lifted his perfect eyebrow and mo
ved back. "You look upset. Something happen?"
Life?
"I'm good. I didn't sleep well last night." I shrugged and leaned over to get my things. "Parks set a new record for us, hm?"
"Yes. The guy is quite impressive." He moved back as I closed my car door and walked toward the hospital. "You think there's any way that you could talk with Aiden about encouraging Parks to come join us?"
I bristled immediately. "Why would we need Parks? We have me and Henry."
He smiled in the cocky way that used to drive me wild with lust. "You know that you need a stronger partner than Henry, Ans. Come on, now."
"It's Ansley," I barked and turned my attention to the front. "If you want him, get him yourself. I'm not interested in a hot-head, cocky, bastard of a doctor working in my OR. Period."
"Ouch." He reached for the door and opened it for us. "I'd almost say you like him."
"I don't give a shit what you'd almost say." I turned and walked toward my office, not sure if I hated my insecurity or my loneliness more.
"Get him for us, Ans. Seriously."
I ignored him and walked into my office, closing the door behind me. "Get him yourself, asshole," I mumbled and dropped my things on my desk. I didn't have a surgery until two that afternoon, but I was insanely behind on research. It occurred to me to lock the door, but I let it go. The blinds were down, and everyone knew not to bother me unless I left my door open. Unspoken rule.
Guilt raged through me again as I sat down and pulled out a few files I wanted to study. I owed Jacob an apology. I needed to get our weird-ass relationship back on track. We weren't friends, and we wouldn't be lovers. We worked together. Period.
I yelped as my door flung open and Parks walked in, closing it behind him. The look on his face said I had a big fucking apology to give.
"You know what? I figured you were a bitch by the way you act around here, but never in a million years would I have thought you capable of being less than classy." His eyes were stormy with emotions, and his skin was flushed. He had worked himself up over the drive into work no doubt.
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