by Leigh, Jo
Lisa started to follow them and had to stop herself. The instinct to help wasn’t something she could easily ignore. But she had no business getting involved. When one of the men shoved the other, one of the nurses whistled so loudly, it could have been heard in Brooklyn. The electric danger in the air mellowed.
She sighed as she did an about-face. Why couldn’t she get it through her thick skull that she wasn’t a cop anymore? Her job now was to be invisible. Minor altercations probably happened all the time in a place like this. They were handling the situation just fine.
The receptionist had mistaken her for a volunteer, which was perfect. Something she should’ve thought of herself.
She hurried down the long green hallway, saw two doors and entered the one that was open. It looked more like an exam room than an office, but there were three tall filing cabinets in the back, so they probably talked to potential volunteers in whatever room was free. On the wall, there were posters about common STDs, patients’ rights and a battered women’s shelter.
After checking the open doorway, she walked over to the old metal cabinets. The labels indicated that two of them held legal documents, while the third contained personnel files. Of course it was locked. That wasn’t a hindrance, though. It wouldn’t take more than thirty seconds to get it open, but it would be a reckless move that could get her thrown out on her ear.
Oh, what the hell. She made sure no one was coming, closed the door and rushed to the cabinet.
She had the right tool in her purse. Bless her brother’s training. He could break into anything in any office, and now she was pretty good at it herself. While it wasn’t a tactic she was entirely comfortable using, she would know a lot more about Dr. Cassidy after a quick peek at his file.
Before she’d even finished the thought, the cabinet lock popped to the open position. Just as she was about to pull out the drawer, she heard a brief knock. She spun around and pushed the lock in with her shoulder as Dr. Cassidy himself walked into the room.
His gaze was on an open file in his hand, but when he looked up, he seemed surprised. Did she look guilty? She gave him a tentative smile and inched away from the cabinets.
Whoa—howdy—he was good-looking. Even more so than in the picture on the trading card. She was compelled to take a few steps closer, just to confirm that his eyes truly were the color of whiskey. Oh, yes. A well-aged whiskey at that.
He cleared his throat, and she realized she was all up in his personal space. She retreated. Unfortunately, she backed into a cabinet, which then hit the wall behind it with a loud clunk.
Dr. Cassidy didn’t seem fazed. He caught her gaze again and with a puzzled frown said, “I’ll need you to take off your clothes.”
“Wow.” Lisa arched her brows. “You guys really take your volunteer screening seriously.”
2
DANIEL ALMOST CHOKED on his laugh. He glanced down at the file then back at the gorgeous blonde. “I take it you’re not Yolanda.”
All she did was smile and he was caught off guard again. It was her lips. They weren’t all shiny and covered in goop, just pink and kissable. Not that he had any damn business thinking of her in those terms. She shook her head and her pale hair swept her narrow shoulders, further distracting him.
Damn it, this wasn’t like him. Not on the job, patient or not.
“Uh...I assume there’s someone who needs an exam, and I’m in the wrong room?” she said.
“That’s true.” Jesus. Clearly he needed more sleep. “Why don’t you follow me and we’ll see if we can get this straightened out, Ms....?”
She held out her hand. “Lisa Pine.”
“Daniel Cassidy. So, you’re here to volunteer?”
“Yes.” She let go of his hand. “If you can point me in the right direction...”
“Of course.” He led her into the hall when all he should’ve done was gesture to the adjacent office. “We’re supposed to be getting doorplates,” he said, wondering when he’d reverted to an awkward teenager. “Are you a medical professional?”
“Nope. Just want to help.”
“That’s great,” he said. “We’re perpetually understaffed and overtaxed. A lot of people depend on the free clinics.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Here you are.” He opened the door and the woman sitting behind the desk looked up. “Valeria will take care of you,” he said and caught the woman’s startled expression. Had he gotten her name wrong? No, he was pretty sure that was right. With her side-shaved haircut, the streak of silver in her long black bangs and her numerous tattoos, it wasn’t as if he was likely to confuse her with someone else.
“Hello.” Lisa moved into the room and glanced over her shoulder the moment his willpower slipped and his gaze landed on her curvy backside. “Thank you, Dr. Cassidy.”
He quickly brought his eyes up to her face. “You’re welcome. And thank you,” he said. “For volunteering.”
She smiled.
“Well, I’ve got patients to see.” He backed into the hall and almost took out a passing nurse.
Annoyed and embarrassed, he headed for exam room 4, where his patient had been waiting too long. Before he entered, he gave her file a second look.
According to Yolanda’s intake papers, she was a sex worker. A number of them came to the clinic for their health needs. He’d order blood work on her, if she’d let him. Probably not, as all she wanted was antibiotics for chlamydia. “I hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” he said. “There was a mix-up.”
Her disgusted laugh told him he could take his mix-up and put it somewhere uncomfortable. This time, he deserved it.
For the next three hours Daniel barely had time to take a breath between patients. No neurological crises arose, but that was true most days. He was technically here as a specialist, but he’d done a lot of family medicine during his training. Another neurologist, Joseph Glick, usually volunteered twice a month, but he was taking a break for the duration of Daniel’s stay.
And Daniel had no idea how long he would be staying. For now, he was content to be there. He liked the freedom and the challenge of this understaffed madhouse. It had no MRIs or CT scanners. Half the equipment didn’t work, forcing them to improvise. It certainly kept him on his toes.
Which was probably what bothered his brother about his job. Warren was as concerned about his professional status as he was about his patients. Actually, that wasn’t fair. Warren was a great neurosurgeon, in one of the most prestigious practices in New York, and he lived for the work. Daniel had begun to prefer his life to be a little more real, a little less neat.
Like his newest patient, Mr. Kennedy. The old man was snoring up a storm on the table in room 5. Mr. Kennedy squatted in a condemned building a couple of blocks away. He came to Moss Street on a regular basis, sometimes to get a hot drink, sometimes to get some sleep, and mostly because he was a diabetic who didn’t take his medication.
It would be a shame to wake him. Which made this a good opportunity for Daniel to grab a quick cup of coffee in what they laughingly called the lounge. Maybe find out more about that new volunteer. His need for caffeine abated as he discovered the woman still in Valeria’s office. Filing. “You didn’t waste any time jumping into the fray,” he said.
Lisa turned at his voice, that smile of hers drawing him inside the office. “Seems they’ll take just about anyone.”
Valeria’s laugh reminded Daniel they weren’t alone. “No offense, but that’s truer than you know.”
“She’s signed up for three whole days,” Valeria said, and there was nothing feigned about her enthusiasm.
“Excellent. I’m sure she told you about the coffee in the lounge. I was just heading over there.”
Lisa blinked and nodded.
He glanced at Valeria, who was watching him c
losely. The woman was the eyes and ears of the staff. He imagined not much got past her.
“Yes, I did tell her about the lounge, Dr. Cassidy,” Valeria said with a hint of amusement. “I even told Lisa where the bathroom was.”
Okay, it was past time for him to make an exit. No wonder he rarely dropped by this office. “Can I get you ladies anything on my way back?”
“That’s very thoughtful of you.” Valeria leaned back in her chair and raised her brows comically high. “I’d love a coffee. Black, no sugar. And if they still have doughnuts, I wouldn’t mind one.”
He nodded, knowing news of his “visit” would spread through the office like pinkeye. “Black, no sugar,” he repeated. “What about you, Ms. Pine?”
“I think it’s about time for her break,” Valeria said before she turned to Lisa. “Just leave the files where they are. Come back in fifteen?”
When Daniel looked at Lisa, he caught her staring back, a light blush staining her cheeks. For God’s sake, he was thirty-four years old and he couldn’t have handled this more awkwardly if he’d tried. Talk about showing his hand.
“I could use a cup of coffee.” Lisa put down the work and gave Valeria a nod before leading him down the hall.
For the life of him, Daniel couldn’t come up with a decent opening line. Though he was content to enjoy the view. Lisa had a nice, easy sway to her walk. Too bad she hadn’t worn a skirt. He’d bet she had great legs...
“I understand you’re a neurologist,” she said with a backward glance. “And that you’re single.”
“What?” he said, taken aback until he caught the mischievous look in her eyes.
“And you not only graduated from Harvard, but did your residency at Johns Hopkins and just finished a neurology fellowship at Mount Sinai.”
He sighed. Gossip was as ubiquitous as penicillin at the clinic. Until today he’d primarily been exempt from it. Or so he’d thought. Nothing he could do about it, though, and in this case, he wasn’t sure he minded. “Alarmingly true, but I bet you don’t know my blood type.”
“O-positive.”
He stopped so fast the nurse behind him almost bumped into his back. “Seriously?”
Lisa gave him a wicked grin. “Educated guess. It’s the most common blood type.”
He pointed his file at her. “You’re fixing Valeria’s coffee,” he said as they entered the lounge. “And even if there are any doughnuts left, she’s not getting any.”
Her laugh was as charming as her smile, which made the sound of his cell phone ringing in his pocket an unwelcome intruder. What was worse, it was a call from Warren. Even though he let it go to voice mail, his mood plummeted. Of course he knew what his brother wanted. Just as Warren knew Daniel wasn’t ready to discuss joining the Center.
He might as well stop thinking about Lisa Pine. Starting something with any woman, let alone a volunteer, was out of the question while his world was in flux. The only thing that mattered to him at the moment was working until he crashed from exhaustion and then repeating the cycle. Filling every nook and cranny of his life with anything that wasn’t thoughts of his future. Eventually, he’d have to face his obligations. But not today.
A row of lockers against the wall, the pair of ugly corduroy chairs and two overworked coffeemakers sitting on a folding table allowed for limited space in the small room. It could hold four people nicely; six was pushing it. He reached around Lisa for a cup while watching her carefully study the pitiful selection of leftover doughnuts.
She really was a classic beauty with her flawless complexion, electric blue eyes and blond hair. She wore some makeup, but not much. She didn’t play up her looks at all. If anything, she played them down.
She must’ve felt him staring. Probably regarded him as just another sucker overtaken by her beauty. Hell, her smile alone could make a man do very stupid things. Even a physician who knew a lot about the brain and how it worked.
“I assume Valeria knows these are stale by now,” Lisa said, then glanced down and frowned. “Dr. Cassidy? Your phone?”
He still had the cell in his hand. It was his brother again. Daniel didn’t have the luxury of turning his cell off, so he might as well deal with this now. “Excuse me,” he murmured as he handed her the empty cup.
He was halfway down the hall, planning what he’d text to Warren to make him go away, when it occurred to him he should’ve said something more to Lisa. It was tempting to go back, apologize for his rudeness. But why bother? Walking away seemed to be what he was best at.
* * *
“YOU CAME BACK. I’m impressed.”
Lisa nearly ran Dr. Cassidy over when she stepped into the hall on her way to the ladies’ room the following morning. The heat rushing to her cheeks was as mortifying as the way she’d dipped her chin until she was looking at him through her lashes. She had no idea where that reaction had come from. The only thing missing was twirling her hair around one finger. “I committed to three days,” she said.
“Right. Valeria mentioned that. Another scintillating day of filing?”
She shook her head, very aware of her hair brushing across her shoulders. She’d spent a stupidly long time with her flatiron this morning. “Nope. Screening patients.”
“Ah.”
Daniel had his lab coat on, but it was open, revealing his dark-colored pants and pale blue oxford shirt. He’d worn a tie, dark blue, and oh... “Are those little pink ribbons?”
He nodded, touching the half-Windsor knot. “Breast-cancer awareness. I have a collection of message ties. They’re useful for starting a dialogue with patients. For example, have you done a self-check lately?”
She blushed again. Not because of what he’d said, but because of the image that had popped into her mind. The same image of his hands on her breasts that she’d imagined last night while repositioning her pillow a thousand times.
Their gazes locked. His serious eyes and those slightly parted lips made her mouth go dry while her vaginal muscles tightened. Appalled at the unexpected flare of arousal, she looked away first. This sort of thing—this overwhelming desire to touch and be touched—hadn’t happened to her in ages. It wasn’t welcome, either.
Daniel cleared his throat as he leaned back, distancing himself without taking a step. “I’ve got—” He held up the file in his hands. “Maybe I’ll see you later in the lounge.”
She nodded, unable to think of a thing to say. Although she did release a big sigh when he walked into exam room 1.
She continued on her way, more aware than ever that she’d made a critical error when she’d dressed that morning. Mercifully there wasn’t a full-length mirror in the ladies’ room. Regardless, Lisa saw her mistake the moment she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink.
Technically, she hadn’t needed to return to the clinic, not for the case. Sure, she’d signed up to volunteer for three days but she could have backed out.
In the end, she hadn’t been able to resist the allure of Dr. Cassidy. In addition to discovering why he was working at a free clinic, she wanted to know why a phone call had changed his demeanor so drastically yesterday. An emergency she would’ve understood, but he hadn’t even answered it. One second he’d been joking with her and the next, he’d walked away as if she’d ceased to exist. He hadn’t even returned for his cup of coffee.
But who was she kidding? The way she’d dressed and the way she’d reacted when they’d spoken made her primary reason for returning embarrassingly obvious. She’d wanted to see him again. She wanted to feel that same jolt of excitement she’d felt yesterday. That yearning for a man’s touch she thought she’d smothered for good. For the past year, she’d been very careful, kept to herself, focused only on her new career. The four months before that she’d barely left her apartment. After what she’d been through, she knew better than to get close to anyo
ne, let alone become involved.
But maybe her perspective was too narrow. Sex didn’t necessarily mean involvement, right? According to Dr. Cassidy’s trading card, he was looking to get married, but before he met his soul mate, she doubted Daniel would object to a night of no-strings sex.
Besides, he wouldn’t be with her. Not really. He’d be with Lisa Pine. After two days or even a week, she would disappear and that would be that. It would be like college. She hadn’t gone out often, but when she had, she’d made sure there would be no complications. His place only, first names, no sleeping over. The three one-night stands she’d had had been great. Of course that was before she’d met Miles. But she wasn’t going to think about him, except as a reminder that she was terrible at picking both friends and lovers.
There was one more hurdle to clear before she could even contemplate sleeping with Daniel: Heather Norris. The odds of her choosing a doctor who worked for free were close to nil. But the fact remained that if Lisa decided she wanted to bed the good doctor, she needed to be damn certain Heather wasn’t interested.
Because Lisa sure was. Although sex with him or any man would be a big step for her at this point. One reckless move could have devastating consequences.
She focused once more on her reflection and sighed. No wonder the patients she’d been screening all morning had seemed distrustful. Their vague responses on the intake questions and the way they wouldn’t meet her gaze had puzzled her. Until now. It hadn’t been because she was a stranger but because she’d dressed to impress Dr. Cassidy, not to blend in.
Rookie mistake. A private investigator was supposed to remain inconspicuous.
The time she’d taken with her makeup should have been a clue. And what the hell had she been thinking, wearing her pale peach silk blouse? She never wore it unless she had somewhere special to go. Helping sick people fill out forms didn’t qualify.
