by Natalie Ann
“Oh really? Who was it?” Amber asked. Amber knew everyone in Lake Placid, Rene was slowly learning in the two days she’d been employed.
“Cole McGuire.”
Amber swiveled around in her chair, her eyes lighting up, a smile wide as the sunset filling her face. “Oh, you lucky girl. I wish I went off the road first thing this morning! What a way to start the day.”
“Who went off the road?” Dena asked, walking into the office.
“Rene did and she met Cole,” Amber explained, her voice getting all giddy.
“You were treated to the McGuire Experience so bright and early this morning? Do tell,” Dena said, rubbing her hands together.
What the heck was she missing here? What was going on?
“Not much to tell, really. He stopped to see if I was okay and then waited until I was on the road again.” She wasn’t going to tell them about the embarrassing part of the accident. That she couldn’t even figure out how to drive her own vehicle and that caused her to not have control in the first place. Or the fluttering in her chest when Cole lifted his glasses. Why did he have to turn out even more handsome than she remembered? “Oh, and I know Cole.”
“You do?” Amber said. “How come you’ve never said anything?”
“Really, Amber,” Dena said. “She’s been here all of two days and you think she’s going to tell you everyone she knows? I’m surprised you didn’t know her since she’d been here so many times in her life.”
“Well,” Amber said, “I don’t know everyone, despite popular opinion.”
“If you say so,” Dena said, laughing.
“Like Dena said, I’ve been to Lake Placid a lot. Cole’s grandmother and mine were friends and we hung out as kids. Well, I hung around Celeste, Nick with Cole, but I knew him.”
“So you know he has only gotten better with age,” Amber said, eyebrows waggling.
“You’ve been crushing on Cole since you were a teen,” Dena said to Amber.
“Yeah, but he never gave me the time of day. He was always a treat to look at. Still is,” Amber said, winking this time.
Rene didn’t feel any jealousy over Amber’s crush on Cole. Not much. I mean, it’s not like I have a crush on him. Liar.
Sure, she’d hidden away from Cole whenever she visited Lake Placid, but that was because she was awkward and clumsy. All she seemed to do was have butter fingers in his presence. Every time she wanted to talk to him, she’d get all tongue-tied, then not watch what she was doing or where she was walking. Next thing she knew, he was picking up whatever she dropped or helping her out. Not much different than today, now that she thought of it.
“What’s wrong?” Amber said, turning. “You’re groaning. Are you sure you didn’t get hurt in the accident?”
She made that noise out loud? She had no idea she’d just groaned loudly, thinking of her pathetic life in front of Cole. Guys like Cole never had any interest in nerds like her, no matter how much she wished otherwise.
“No, no. I’m fine. Just thinking about how embarrassing it was to slide off the road today. It’s not like there was much snow on the ground. Oh,” she said suddenly, “I forgot. I hit the brakes when a deer ran in front of me.” There, that made her feel better than the girls thinking of her as an inept driver.
“Yeah, you need to watch out for animals around here coming into town,” Dena said unsympathetically. Seriously, these girls were rough. Or maybe not. Actually, it felt pretty good not being hovered over when she tripped and stumbled.
“Anyway, all is good now. We should get ready for work.”
“No way,” Amber said. “I’m not done talking about Cole and his super mutant powers.”
Dena giggled again. Rene felt like she was about to become the butt of some joke. “What’s that?”
“Cole has the ability to turn all women into bumbling, stumbling fools. Stuttering, stammering, and giggling. It’s like brain cells just fly out of their head.”
“Hmm,” Rene said. Imagine that. Maybe it wasn’t her, but rather these mutant powers he had. Super mutant powers. He must have had them as a kid, too. Now she felt so much better. See it wasn’t her, it was him.
Both girls started laughing hysterically. “What now?” Rene asked.
“The way Amber says he has super powers,” Dena said. “Sure, he’s good looking, and well, that deep voice with that confident swagger of his, he can make a girl lose some sense. But there are no powers there.”
“I’m not so sure of that,” Amber said, then looked at Rene. “Look at her blush right now. She really thought she was put under his spell.”
See, she was the butt of their joke. She wanted to be offended, but couldn’t. First off, it was the truth. Second of all, Dena just pulled her into a hug and said, “You have to get used to us. We’re just playing. We really are glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah,” Amber said. “Cole is one sweet wild ride himself, but no one has been able to tame him yet. Many can barely hold on. So, though he’s a treat to look at, it’s best done from a distance.”
“Are you two girls ganging up on Rene already?” Max asked from the doorway. “Don’t be scaring her away with your antics.” Max walked in and turned to Rene. “Are you okay? I heard you slid off the road this morning.”
Great, talk about embarrassing. “How did you find out?”
“Celeste called me this morning. Guess Cole stopped by for a quick breakfast and mentioned he ran into you. Just said you were nervous about being late and he didn’t want you to get in trouble over it. Not that it would have happened.”
Wow, wasn’t that sweet of Cole. Just like all those years ago, helping her out. Maybe now she wouldn’t run when she saw him like she did back then. She was more sure of herself, she could handle him just fine. Little pep talks had helped her though the last several years.
“I’m fine. I hit the brakes when a deer ran in front of me, but it’s all good. Just a little shaken up.”
“Good. I don’t want to worry about you taking off back to Virginia after your first few days here. And you two,” he said, pointing his finger first at Amber, then at Dena. “Do not scare her away. I don’t need another one of you. I like her just the way she is.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Amber asked, not looking the least bit indignant.
“Oh, I don’t know. You’re like the hot spicy imported liquor that people only drink when they’re looking for a good time. Rene, she’s the imported scotch that is shared with those that want to relax and savor the moment. The two don’t mix and they sure the hell don’t convert.” Max turned to her and winked. “Don’t convert.”
Look at that. Two men standing up for her today, and neither of it was asked for. She couldn’t remember anyone standing up for her or taking her side other than family. Well, there was Cole when she was a kid.
“Thanks, Max,” Dena said. “What am I? How come you always forget about me?” There was nothing but laughter in her voice. Rene didn’t know it was possible to work in a place like this, a professional office, and laugh as much as she had so far.
“You’re a fine wine, Dena.”
“Just a fine wine. Not one that is savored or shared. I feel kind of cheated.”
“Be thankful he didn’t tell you it’s one that is stored in the cellar and gets better with age,” Rene said.
Amber burst out laughing and wrapped her arm around Rene’s shoulder. “Oh, you’ll do just fine here.”
Max snickered a little. “She got you, Dena. Okay, let’s get to work. Rene, I’m going to give you a break this morning. You’re with me in the operating room for a few procedures. Then you get your pick on who you want to shadow the rest of the day. By next week you can start seeing patients on your own.”
“Thanks, Dr. Hamilton.”
“Max. Please call me Max when patients aren’t around.”
“Yeah, Dr. Hamilton makes him feel old. That’s why he’s marrying someone almost ten years younger than him. He needs to find his
youth.”
Rene thought for sure Max was going to be insulted, but instead he said, “Don’t be jealous, girls. You just hope you can look as good as me when you’re my age. Without any enhancements or treatments, either.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Amber said. “Superior genetics. We’ve heard it all before. I hope Quinn turns you into a balding fat man and you have to beg us to use those treatments on you.”
“Never going to happen,” Max said over his shoulder. “Rene, I’ll see you in the back in ten minutes.”
Rene watched him walk out, then turned to the girls and saw them both grinning. “Do you always talk like that with him?”
“Like what?” Amber asked.
“Kind of insulting?”
“We didn’t insult him. He’s used to us. He’s outnumbered here and he loves it.”
“Besides,” Dena said, “we bring in a lot of money. You just wait, the patients love it when we pick on him in front of them. It makes him more human to them.”
“If you say so,” Rene said, getting up and walking out the office door. Thoughts of sexy troopers, super mutant powers, and men coming to her defense leaving her mind. Kind of.
Feel Better
“How was your day, sweetie?” her grandmother, Trixie, asked when Rene walked in the back door.
“Not bad,” Rene said quickly, toeing off her boots, unwrapping her scarf, pulling her hat off, and then hanging up her jacket. Yeah, this winter thing was going to suck, she could tell already.
“I heard about your accident.”
“Seriously? How?” she asked, then winced over the slight whiny tone to her voice.
“Does it matter?” Trixie asked. “I can see you’re all right. How’s the vehicle?”
“Fine,” Rene said, grumbling. “I just slid off the road when a deer ran in front of me. I was able to pull away just fine.”
“With the help of Cole?”
Dang it, why did she decide to move here? In Virginia, no one would have known what happened to her. Then again, she wouldn’t have slid off the road there either.
“He didn’t need to help me. He just stopped to see if I was okay.”
“Aside from being a bit grouchy, you seem no worse for wear to me. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.”
“Thanks, Grandma. I’m going to change quickly and I’ll help you get everything on the table.”
She walked out of the room and up the stairs, turned right, and started to open the door to her old bedroom that she’d always stayed in when she visited as a kid. The minute she saw all the desks in there, she remembered it wasn’t her room anymore. How could she have forgotten she wasn’t staying in there? Guess she was more rattled than she thought today.
Turning, she went to another room at the other end of the hall. Nick’s old room, now hers. She actually found comfort in staying in the same room Nick had last year when he came to get away from his life. The unfamiliar surroundings were actually bringing her strength in an odd way. It was probably from using the room her brother had, since she’d always idolized him. He could do no wrong in her eyes, even in the eyes of most people who knew him.
She swapped her scrubs for yoga pants, a big sweatshirt, and fluffy socks, then made her way back to the kitchen to help with dinner.
“So aside from your little accident, how was the rest of your day?”
“It was good. Crazy busy, but still good. I know it’s only been three days, but I really think this is the right place for me.”
“Meaning the plastic surgery side of it, or just the field of medicine in general?”
She knew everyone was still surprised at her final career choice. “Max’s practice and what he does. The girls are a riot, the patients are all great so far, and no one seems overly rushed.”
“You aren’t used to moving at a fast pace, so I can see where this office environment would be good for you.”
Rene was trying not to get insulted. “It’s not that. I mean, I can move fast if I need to. I had to do it for my clinical hours. I’m faster on my feet than anyone gives me credit for. It’s just nice to talk to the patients. I mean, really get a chance to talk with them. Max’s bedside manner is phenomenal. I can’t believe how calm everyone is around him. Or how calm he makes the patients.”
“He calms you too, doesn’t he?” Trixie asked, smiling at her.
“Yeah, he does. I don’t need it, but he seems to know it helps me. So far it’s everything I thought or hoped it would be.”
Rene stopped talking and walked over to get plates out of the cabinet and then set the table while her grandmother pulled dinner out of the oven.
“I figured tonight was a good night for baked ziti. Hope you’re hungry.”
“I love baked ziti. Did you make it just for me?”
“I know it’s your favorite. Yes, I figured it’d bring you a bit of comfort tonight after a long day. I’m glad to know that even though your day didn’t start out wonderful, it wasn’t all that bad.”
“Not at all. Like I said, I really enjoy the office and the girls. Dena and Amber are a hoot. They are a little much to take in at once, but I figure I’ll get the hang of it. It’s kind of neat to hang with the cool girls.”
“Cool girls?”
“The girls that everyone wanted to be around in school. None of those girls gave me the time of day. Heck, even in college the same thing happened. But here, those two are totally the cool girls and they’ve taken me under their wing.”
“Did they pick on you about Cole?”
Rene sighed. There was nothing that got by her grandmother. Here she was baring her soul and her grandmother narrowed in on the one thing she hoped wouldn’t come up. She wasn’t even going to try to figure it out anymore.
“They did. I guess Amber had a crush on him growing up.”
Trixie laughed, filled her plate, and then said, “No need to get jealous over it.”
“What?” Rene said, her mouth full of food. She chewed and swallowed fast. “What’s there to be jealous of? I barely know Cole. I ran into him a few times growing up and was friends with his sister. Nothing more than that. Why would I care who had a crush on him? Or who dated him?”
“You’re protesting a little too much.” Rene ignored her grandmother and continued to stuff her face with food. Maybe her grandmother would get the hint. Only she didn’t. “I know he intimidated you as a child.”
“I don’t think that I’d use that word. I mean, he’s significantly bigger than me and it’s no secret I’ve always been shy, but still…intimidate? Nah,” she cleanly lied through her teeth.
“We’ll use your explanation if it makes you feel better.”
“It does,” Rene said, hoping that would be the end of it.
“So do you have any plans for the weekend?”
She’d only been living here two weeks. She’d barely gotten everything she needed unpacked. She wanted to start looking for her own place to stay, but her parents convinced her to stay with her grandmother for the winter. She hoped she didn’t regret that decision. The last thing she needed or wanted was someone watching every little thing she did or questioning her.
“Not really. I’ll probably just relax. It’s been a crazy few weeks with the holidays and the move.”
“You should get out and have some fun.”
Just to pacify her grandmother she said, “Amber invited me out for drinks this Friday, but I don’t know. I’ll play it by ear with the weather and how I feel after my first week of work.”
Trixie snorted. “How you feel? You’re twenty-nine, not eighty-nine. You should feel just fine after a week of work. If you’re going to worry about the weather nonstop, you’ll be doing nothing all winter long here. Go out and have fun. Live a little. Experience the excitement of being single and on your own.”
“I am living a little. I moved here, didn’t I? I’m trying to make some changes in my life. I think so far it’s been a pretty big change. And I’m not technically living on my own.”<
br />
“It was a big change, sweetie, but don’t stop now. Don’t say you did one thing and can sit back and slack off progressing more. Nick came here to heal and you came here to grow.”
She should have known her grandmother would have figured it out. Yes, she moved here for the change. Not just in the scenery, but in her life. Too many people knew her as the shy, nerdy, klutzy bookworm back home. Here, she wanted a fresh start. It was as good a place as any. A place she felt comfortable with, but was still different.
“I’m going to grow. I am. But I’ll do it at my own pace.”
So two days later, her pace obviously wasn’t fast enough when she found herself meeting Amber at a local bar.
Just one drink. That was what she told herself and her grandmother when Trixie all but pushed her out the door.
“I’m so glad you could come out tonight,” Amber said, reaching in and giving her a hug. She’d never been hugged by a woman so much in her life.
“I figured it wouldn’t hurt for one drink.”
“No one comes out for one drink,” Amber said, snickering. She lifted her hand to the bartender. “A beer, whatever IPA is on tap, and a white wine for my friend.”
“Maybe I want a beer,” Rene said.
“Do you?”
“No, but that’s beside the point.” She couldn’t believe she was so easy to read.
Rene reached for her wine and pulled it forward, taking a sip. It was better than she expected it to be. Then again, she didn’t drink often, even if she did enjoy the taste of wine, and she’d never learned to hold her alcohol well because of it.
Actually, she was surprised she wasn’t carded. She always had been before. Since she started wearing contacts it seemed she wasn’t mistaken for being underage as often. Maybe her attire helped, too. She tried to dress a little sexy tonight. Sort of.
The sad part was, she probably got the drink without being carded because she was with Amber, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“Pull up a stool and let’s get comfortable. It’s early yet, but the place should start to fill up soon.”
Rene looked around the bar and saw about twenty or so people at tables and stools. It was only a little after seven, and Rene sincerely hoped it didn’t get much busier. She was happy with this size of a crowd. Baby steps. She’d only gone out to a bar with friends twice before, and both times she was the designated driver that sat in the corner sipping her soda while guy after guy hit on her friends, no one talking to her. Not much fun.
