by Sierra Rose
“You’re so cheesy.” Julie shook her head. “He’s only coming because I promised him you’d have beer and wine.”
Charity smiled. “There’s whiskey, too. And rum.”
“Ahhh, a girl after my own heart. Why didn’t I meet you before Juls?”
Julie playfully punched him in the arm. “You did! You asked her out and she turned you down.”
“I did? I don’t remember that.” Simon quickened his step at the same time opening the hospital’s sliding automatic door.
“That’s ‘cause you try to pretend it never happened.” Julie shook her head, winking at Charity.
“For the record,” Charity said grinning, “I didn’t turn you down because I wasn’t interested, I had some major test I needed to study for.”
Simon dramatically dropped his head. “And to think I had a chance.”
Julie snorted. “You never had a chance.”
Charity hit the elevator button. “I think you guys did pretty good finding each other. At least you’re not thirty and still waiting to get married.”
Simon let the girls onto the elevator first. “In some countries a man is allowed to have more than one wife.”
“It’s not going to happen, Simon. Not going to happen.” Julie waved her index finger at him.
Charity laughed. She loved their banter and how easy they got along. “I’ve missed you guys.”
“Well don’t avoid coming to New York.” Julie pretended to scold her. “Move back here so you can hang with us all the time.”
“Except don’t plan too many of these mandatory hospital functions.” Simon stepped forward to make sure the elevator door would close on them. “People’ll start to realize I’m not so cool out of hospital gear.”
“You could have worn your scrubs.” Charity unlocked the boardroom door and flipped the lights on.
“See, Juls! Charity wouldn’t have minded.” He gave her a smug look. “I told you so.”
“Go ahead and change, but don’t blame me when your pillow is on the couch tonight instead of the bed.” Julie glanced around the room. “It looks fab, Charity.”
“Thanks. I really didn’t do much.” She walked behind the wet bar. “Do you want a beer, Simon?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Charity handed him a bottle and poured a glass of red wine for Julie. She wanted to wait until later.
Staff started to arrive and Charity stood between the door and the bar. She introduced herself and let them know the bar was self-serve. The room filled with doctors, nurses, and everything in between. Charity tried to make mental notes for everyone she spoke to. At ten to seven, the pizza driver arrived with pizzas stacked on a gurney. She asked the delivery guy to set the pizzas on the wall across from the large windows. As she grabbed her purse to tip the guy, she heard her father’s voice:
“…the bicuspid valve isn’t where I want it to be. We will need to monitor for the next few days.”
“I’ve already put that in his charts and spoke to the nurses. They’ll let me know if there are any changes.”
Elijah’s accent couldn’t be missed. Charity tipped the pizza boy and turned to greet the doctors. “Hi.” She smiled at her dad and let her eyes linger a moment longer than necessary on Elijah. He’d spiked the front part of his hair with some gel and the five o’clock shadow made him beyond sexy. He wore a light blue button up shirt and dark dress pants that fit just tight enough to show off his physique but still completely professional. Classy and sexy. Her mind raced back to the kiss from last night. She stared at his mouth and then nearly died when she realized she’d just traced her lower lip with her finger.
“If you’ll excuse me.” Her father stepped between them. “Dr. Skyrt is here. I haven’t seen him in ages!” Charity’s father walked over to the man and shook his hand, leaving her alone with Elijah.
“How was your day?” Professional, Charity, be professional.
“Interesting.” His fingers ran lightly over his chin. “I have to tell you something.” He leaned slightly closer to her.
“What is it?” she whispered in a quiet airy voice. Her entire body was tuned into his. She could feel goose bumps start to rise on her bare arm.
“Last night…”
“Yes?” Her breath quickened.
“That place. That food was amazing! I ordered it again for lunch.”
She straightened. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” His head tilted to the side. “What did you think I was going to say?”
“Nothing.” She waved her hand, wondering if other people noticed the room had grown warm. “I had no idea.”
“Charity!” Her father motioned her to come over. “Come meet Dr. Skyrt. He’s very interested in helping with the fundraiser gala.”
She nodded in his direction and gave one last glance at Elijah. “Duty calls.”
Her father introduced her to the older English doctor. He was witty and charming, but best of all, wanted to put money toward the hospital. Charity gave him her business card and promised to be in touch.
She glanced around the room. Most people were on their second, or even third drink, and chatting amongst themselves. She cleared her throat and raised her voice. “Everyone, help yourself to pizza and there are platters of snack foods on the table over there.” She pointed to the far wall. “I should probably introduce myself. I’m Charity Thompson, and yes, my father is Dr. Thompson.” She smiled at her dad, playing the part of the good daughter. It only had to be believable.
“Some of you may already know, Dr. Thompson is turning sixty-five…” She glanced at her dad and winked. “Am I allowed to tell them your age?”
He smiled and nodded, playing the part of the loving father.
“Yes, so with that milestone, instead of retiring, my father would like to throw a massive party to raise money for the hospital.” A question crossed her mind. “Do you have an intention on where you plan to use the monies raised?”
“I do. The oncology floor needs new equipment and whatever else we can do.”
A couple of groups cheered when he said that. Charity, for a moment, was at a loss for words. Then she realized his edge – he wanted to put it toward the floor her mother had lost her battle with cancer on so it would make him look good. Own the hospital and look like the guy who had lost his one true love. Either that, or he felt incredible guilty and wanted to try and make up for it.
Everyone stood quiet, waiting for her to speak. She realized the silence in the room was because of her. “Fantastic.” The word sounded forced. “While you grab food, please check over the printed brochure. It’s a summary of what we plan to do. To make this evening a massive success, we are going to need volunteers and ideas and word of mouth. If you want to help or have an idea to share or anything, you can email or call me. My information is on the back. I hope to get a chance to chat with a number of you this evening.” There. Her speech to get the ball rolling was done. The rest of the evening would consist of cruising the room and chatting. Having a laugh and making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. “Now, who wants a beer? And who wants pizza?”
Chapter 11
Two and a half hours later, Charity slipped out onto the balcony and stared out into the night sky. The city lights created a pretty map view. For a busy city, it was very quiet this evening from this high up.
The evening had been a success. People had just started leaving about half an hour ago. That was a great sign. Her father sat at a table with several older doctors talking shop and enjoying the twenty year old whiskey she’d kept hidden until after the pizza had been cleared away. She’d slipped it to Dr. Skyrt, whose face lit up and he went straight to her father.
The door behind her opened and Elijah walked out. He stood a few feet away from her with his hands spread wide around the railing. Neither spoke as they both watched the cars and city move below them. Charity inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“So, are we going to talk about what h
appened last night?” Elijah shifted to face her and took a few steps closer, his fingers tracing along the metal railing.
Charity glanced at him and then back to the view. “What about it?” She moved her head slightly so he wouldn’t see her smile. She took a small step toward the glass door and could feel Elijah follow her. No one inside the room paid attention to what was going on outside.
He cleared his throat. “We, um, made out.”
“Oh, right.” She turned to face him. “Sorry, I forgot.”
He chuckled and moved closer. “No, you didn’t.”
She loved the intensity in his eyes but couldn’t resist saying, “I’m glad it was memorable. I wasn’t sure I would stack up against half the nurses and interns at the hospital here.”
Elijah tapped the balcony with a finger then reached to gently trace it down her forearm and wrist. He swallowed, almost appearing shy. “Um… you were pretty…” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You were pretty… amazing. No one here stacks up to you.”
Charity’s heart hammered. She forgot to breathe. His eyes never left hers. If they somehow ended frozen in that moment, she could stay there forever.
“I think about you… a lot… Charity.” He leaned so his head was closer to hers, their foreheads almost touching but he somehow managed to not make contact. “Ever since the day we talked on the phone. I don’t have the right, but I can’t stop myself.”
She blinked and let her gaze drop down to his mouth. Soft music from inside drifted as if by some secret cue. “I’ve been thinking about you, too,” she whispered.
Elijah’s tongue ran over his lips and his hand slipped around to the nape of her neck. He pulled and the small remaining space between them disappeared. His soft lips pressed against hers.
All reason and thought slipped from her mind. All she could concentrate on was the pressure of those lips on hers and his fingers pressing along her jawline. She knew she shouldn’t be out here, and if her father saw them, he’d be furious with both of them. She hesitated and pulled back slightly.
“I’m sorry.” Elijah tilted his head and stepped away.
Her body didn’t like the emptiness from the sudden space between them. “I… I just thought we should go someplace more private.”
A shiver tingled down her spine when Elijah’s eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped slightly. The shiver ran up her back when his sexy smile appeared.
What willpower Charity had disappeared. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his with an uncontrollable passion she had never felt before.
Elijah returned her kisses, pressing his warm body against hers. Groaning, he slowly pulled away. “Let’s get out of here.” He scratched the stubble on his chin and smiled. “Can you do that? Are you allowed to slip out? What about your father?”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure it’ll be okay.” She squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry, I’m sure my dad doesn’t suspect a thing.”
“Your dad?” He walked over and held the door open for her. “He loves me.”
Charity laughed and gently tapped his cheek as she slipped by. “That’s what he wants you to think.”
Elijah’s fingers trailed down her back and traced along her side. Charity nearly moaned out loud but caught herself just in time.
“Elijah!” her father called out from the men at the table. “Come join us for a drink. I need your opinion on a case.”
Now instead of moaning, Charity had to swallow back ironic laughter. They didn’t stand a chance slipping out of the room together without being noticed. She’d gotten caught up in the heat of the moment out on the balcony and should have realized.
She spotted Julie and Simon at another table playing cards. Who had brought a deck of cards to the room? She hadn’t.
Elijah gave her a frustrated smile. “I need to go see your dad.”
“I know. Go mingle and get those men to agree to come to the gala. At a thousand dollars a ticket, that’s ten thousand dollars sitting over there.”
“Well, I’d better get over there, then. I don’t want to disappoint you.” His eyes lingered on hers before he finally walked over to the table. Someone had pulled a chair beside her father for Elijah. He sat down and was immediately poured a glass.
It wasn’t hard to see that he was well liked amongst the doctors. He was younger than a lot of them, but they didn’t seem to mind he was their chief. He must be very, very good, as her father wouldn’t settle for anything less at his hospital.
For once, she agreed with him. She walked over to Julie and Simon’s table. “What are you guys playing?” she asked as she sat down on an empty chair, which just happened to face Elijah.
Chapter 12
Two weeks passed quickly. Charity had a lot going on down in Atlanta: she held a similar staff party, she met with Forever Hope’s board and together they agreed on hosting a small event in three months and another larger one six months later. They wanted a sporting event of some kind. All great ideas which had Charity researching locations and unique possibilities.
After flying back from New York, she got cold feet over letting herself be interested in Elijah. Maybe they had a connection or some kind of chemistry, but now away from the Scott Thompson hospital, it all seemed a bit more of a dream than what was really there. It had to be based on physical attraction; the man was a demigod.
She pushed herself at work and planned several functions with the local hotspots in the city to get the word out about the hospital. The response was very positive and it encouraged her. Even in a town tight on funds, there would be ways to raise the money for the hospital.
Elijah had given her his phone number before she left and she hadn’t sent him a text or called him. She had started several times and ended up deleting the message or ending the call before it even went through. She talked herself out of it the first few days, and then when she didn’t contact him over the weekend, she felt guilty and thought it was too late to message him. She’d see him the following Friday or Saturday back in New York when she flew back.
On Friday morning she caught up on everything, and by ten o’clock she had finished her work for the day. She called the airline and found out there was an earlier flight leaving in an hour that had availability. Julie had wanted to go shopping this afternoon and do dinner in New York. Leaving two hours earlier would give her a jump start on the details for her father’s gala.
Everything seemed in her favor; the flight went quick, the car rental had next to no one there, and the roads were not that busy for a Friday. What were the chances it would continue?
Charity rode the elevator to the sixth floor and pulled the strap of her briefcase higher on her shoulder. What would she say to Elijah if she ran into him in the hallway? Should she lie and say she lost his number? It seemed unlikely since she’d typed it into the phone.
She let out a puff of air when she saw that his office was closed with the lights off. He probably had surgery. She stopped and stood outside her dad’s office with her fingers flying over her phone. She sent Julie a text to meet her at her hotel around three. She could change after she spoke with her dad. Closing the phone with one hand and fixing her hair with the other, her mind raced with ideas to go over for the gala. Most contracts and hospitals or companies she dealt with were very easy to talk ideas with and brainstorm. Dealing with her father… Grrrr! She had to stop being so paranoid and worried he wouldn’t like it. She rapped her knuckles against his door.
“Come in,” his baritone voice bellowed.
Charity walked in and almost turned around to walk out again. Elijah sat in a chair opposite her father’s desk, obviously in a meeting with her dad. Elijah looked at her and quickly glanced away before he could make eye contact. Her heart sank. She should have called him or texted or something… anything. Seeing him had her questioning why she hadn’t. It seemed ridiculous now.
“Charity! You’re early.” Her father’s voice broke through her inner thoughts.
She tore her eyes away from Elijah and forced a smile at her dad. “I caught an earlier flight.”
Awkward silence followed. Charity shifted her weight and hesitated sitting down across from Elijah. Stop this! She scolded herself. How old are you? She forced herself to walk by him and touched his shoulder. “Hi, Elijah. How are you doing?” She sat down in the chair across from him.
His eyes lit up when he smiled. “I’m good. How’re you doing? Busy?”
“Extremely.” She sent a mental I’m sorry but knew he wouldn’t hear it.
Elijah put his hands on the arm of his chair, about to get up. “I’ll let you guys talk.”
“No!” Charity and her father said at the same time. She shot a glance at her father.
“I can stay for a bit then.” Elijah settled back in his chair.
Charity cleared her throat “We’ve got six months exactly from this weekend until the gala.” She pulled her iPad out of her briefcase and flipped to the app she had programmed with the details of the next few months. “I will start advertising and preparing invites.”
“I understand the diamond theme,” Elijah said. “Is there going to be something that goes with it?”
“What do you mean?” Charity tried not to stare at his mouth while he spoke.
“Will it be suit and tie? Tuxedo?” He snapped his fingers. “Or something cool, like masquerade?”
Masquerade? What a neat idea. “What do you think?” she asked her dad.
“Me? I have no clue. I’d like it to be tux, but, and I’m trying to think like Charity here, a masquerade might get more women interested in dressing up.”
“I would go.” Elijah chuckled.
“You have to go,” Dr. Thompson reminded him.
“I know, but I’d want to go if I got to wear a mask.”
