by Pratt, Lulu
“Thanks so much! I think the kids really had a good time,” Lauren smiled.
“I’m sure they did,” he hollered, practically yelling into the mask.
“Now, for you, we think there ought to be a special reward. It must be hot in there!” He over-enunciated every word as though the costume affected my hearing. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet right now.”
“Let me first switch out of this costume,” I explained, but Dr. Gleeson either didn’t hear me or didn’t care. Instead, he excused us and left Lauren standing alone as he walked me down the hallway.
Feeling the sweat drip down my back, I was relieved when we arrived at an office that appeared to be our destination. The doctor walked into the room and I saw through my mask a man standing at a desk looking at a file folder. I followed, but I found myself bouncing back off the door jamb as my costume was too wide. Turning myself sideways, I maneuvered through the doorway crablike.
I knew exactly who he was – the mystery doctor who stormed into the Easter festivities. I’d looked for him afterwards, and hated the disappointment in my gut when I realized he was gone.
There was something about him that was alluring, but only in the way that men could entice me these days – as someone I would have been attracted to. Everything in my life was now a before and after – two versions of myself.
Three months ago, I was someone different. Engaged to marry my college sweetheart Mike, I was on the road to my own modern fairy tale. We’d been together for three years when he popped the question surrounded by our closest friends.
It was one of those obligatory proposals, where you both know it’s the next step, so you take it although there’s nothing urging you forward. Mike was nice and comfortable, but you don’t marry someone because they’re nice or comfortable. Still, I was ready to go through with it.
I was getting older, and it was time to settle down and buy a house, get lawn furniture and plan an overpriced wedding with guests who had either invited you to their wedding or you expected to be invited to their wedding. I dove into the planning less than a week after the engagement. Busying myself with a wedding, I began touring venues around the city.
I knew Mike wasn’t excited, but neither was I, so I figured it was normal. We were going through the motions, and I’d done it so many times it felt natural.
Even now when I replayed my life like a movie, I still felt I would have continued to go down the dead-end road to marrying Mike, if I hadn’t saw it. It, of course was him on top of my sorority sister in our bed.
Turns out the two had been sleeping together for half a year – five months prior to his proposal. That was what bothered me the most. Not that he cheated, but that he proposed to me while he was cheating. Who does that?
Actually, I think his explanation was what bothered me most. He told me I was too focused on my career, barely leaving time for him. He was the one who always coached me through how to close deals, celebrating with me at our favorite bar. But there, still in the bed we shared, with a bottle blonde replica of me holding our duvet to cover her gigantic implants, he told me my career was the problem.
I burst into laughter, alarming myself as much as my audience, but it was utterly unbelievable. I felt like I was in an episode of one of those cheesy soap operas, the ones with awful acting.
There wasn’t anything that could make me stay with him, so I left without another word. The following day, when I knew he would be at work, I went with Lauren, my mom and dad to retrieve the things I needed, and I hadn’t so much as texted him since. His texts had stopped after a week.
Since then, men were fun objects to look at and nothing more. I was not looking for a relationship or even a fun night. If a man I dated for years could propose to me while banging my sorority sister, I didn’t have much hope for a stranger treating me better.
I liked to think I was better off than the woman mourning a bad break-up, because I didn’t miss Mike. I felt lighter, younger, happier. In fact, I felt I’d dodged a bullet by discovering his infidelity before putting the deposit down on a reception venue or wasting more years in a dead-end relationship. But I wasn’t at all looking to find a replacement for him.
I was done with men for now, despite Lauren’s constant attempts to take me on a double date with a ‘nice guy’ her fiancé worked with. If there was one thing Mike had taught me, there was no such thing as a nice guy. And I never had to learn a lesson twice.
Snapping to the present, I hear the doctor beside me clear his throat.
“Tristan,” Dr. Gleeson called across the office, a strange excitement dancing on his lips.
Slowly, the man put down his paperwork, his eyes scanning Dr. Gleeson first, and then me. I was mortified to meet him in a bunny costume, but fortunately it allowed me again to gawk at him unknowingly.
He was more than handsome than I first realized, with bone structure that would be more fitting for modeling. His brown hair fell across his face as he looked at us, and he brushed it behind his ear to reveal those hazel eyes. Now I noticed the traces of green throughout them as he stared at the costume so intently, I felt naked.
Suddenly, it was even hotter in the costume. Too hot for comfort.
Chapter 4
TRISTAN
I’D JUST FINISHED rummaging through the last of my case files for the day. A few patients had shown unexpected improvements, and my mood was better than usual. It can take a toll on your mental health, constantly dealing with such grave news. My latest lecture at Stanford was dedicated to helping new medical professionals prepare for the overwhelming burden working in medicine comes with.
Over my mental grumblings, taking note of additional treatments to offer to a particular patient, I heard a soft commotion at my door. I looked up to see Robert, his face flush with excitement, and then the bunny mascot from earlier struggle to enter the office.
Straight out of a sitcom, the volunteer first tried walking in regularly, and then turned to their side to manage the narrow doorway. As I put down my file, I noticed Robert’s smile was a bit mischievous, but before I could call him on it he was introducing me.
“Dr. Tristan Hill, I wanted to introduce you to one of our bright new volunteers,” he began, using my entire name in a way that felt too formal from him. Rarely did he use more than my first name, even in the hospital. Personally, I found it offensive, but Robert was a difficult man to be cross with.
In this moment, however, I wished he laid off the formalities. The last thing I wanted was to intimidate the young student further. There was no doubt they’d heard my name before, most likely joining the volunteer board for an opportunity like this. Straightening my tie, I rounded my desk, extending my hand to meet the volunteer, when the head of the costume revealed a face I wasn’t expecting.
“I’m sorry. It was so hot, I couldn’t take it anymore,” she smiled, glancing over at Robert apologetically. She was unknown to me and absolutely gorgeous, but not in a way I was used to.
Her hair fell over the back of the costume in blonde waves as a strong desire to see the rest of her body brewed deep in my chest. Turning to me, she stared deep into my eyes or at least that was what I felt as I got lost in the ocean color of hers.
“I’m Ingrid.” She flashed a carefree smile as she extended a hand. We both looked down and she burst into laughter, remembering hers was still covered in white fur. “Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry. I’ve been in this costume too long. But yes, I’m Ingrid. I think I’m the newest volunteer here.”
Again, she turned to Robert, this time as a way of fact checking. He nodded, returning his attention to me as the mischief in his smile suddenly made sense.
An awkward silence fell over the room as Ingrid and I embarked on a stare down. It was a proven way to make people crack, and I reveled in watching people search for an ice breaker as their nerves set in. She was different, unintimidated, and airy.
Even in a bunny costume she didn’t appear to be embarrassed, which I found to b
e amusing. In my office, she was sizing me up.
“Ingrid, Tristan has been wanting to get more involved with the volunteers, and today he was very impressed with the Easter performance,” my colleague began, and I watched him intently, curious where he intended to take things.
“You really can’t go wrong with a mascot and face paint. Why do kids love to face paint so damn much?” Ingrid interjected, a soft giggle following her rhetorical question.
I was intrigued by Ingrid’s lack of etiquette. She spoke like she had no idea who I was, a rarity within these walls.
“Well, Dr. Hill mentioned to me that he wanted to take whoever was responsible for such a performance to dinner,” Robert repeated the bullshit proposal I’d already forgotten about.
Gritting my teeth, I glared at him harshly, and he turned away with a smug expression to look at Ingrid instead. There was no way I was going out to dinner with her. I’d assumed she was a college pre-med, but it was clear she had no intention of furthering a career through her volunteer work.
The last thing I needed was a woman thinking I was trying to hit on them, or even worse, spark a new relationship. Unlike Robert, I wasn’t looking for a distraction from work. I loved what I did, and because I performed so well, there was little time for anything else.
Dating was impossible, which worked perfectly well for me. I’d never been interested in sharing my life with a woman, or putting her concerns above my own, or those of my patients. It was all too involved and demanding.
In college, when friends would deal with love triangles and the tribulations of dating, I could never understand it. Why would anyone subject themselves to such risk of heartache when there were such better ways to spend your time?
Ingrid looked like the type of woman who loved dating. I imagined she had an idea for where we could go to dinner and what she would wear. She probably had a picnic basket already packed and ready to go in her backseat.
I couldn’t believe the predicament Robert was putting me in, although a small part of me did acknowledge it was at least partly because of my own doing. How could I have put my foot so far in my mouth without thinking things through?
I had to find a way out of this, because sitting across from Ingrid for an evening was beginning to feel like torture. She’d probably want to know all about my personal life, inserting how much I needed to get out and enjoy the city.
I could tell she was one of the born and raised LA girls, her skin just bronzed from regular trips to the beach. She didn’t want anything to do with a guy like me. I didn’t date and had never made an exception. No, she needed to turn and walk out of my office if she knew what was good for her.
“Well,” I held my hand up, ready to ease my way out of the commitment I’d made less than an hour ago.
“Ingrid has only been volunteering for a few weeks, so this is a great introduction to the staff. It’s a wonderful way to show how much we care and support everything they’re doing. And I personally want to commend you, Dr. Hill. It’s an incredible honor,” Robert continued, cutting me off.
He wasn’t going to make this easy for me, but I didn’t care. There was absolutely no way I was going out to dinner with a woman I was certain would consider it a date. Before morning I’d be on some gossip blog, for all I knew.
Ingrid watched on in silence as I clenched my jaw listening to Robert carry on about how important my offering was. An emotion I couldn’t quite read danced on her full pink lips as her blue eyes looked on in amusement. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was enjoying this.
Chapter 5
INGRID
IT WAS OBVIOUS the prestigious doctor was out of his element. Standing in his pristine office as Dr. Gleeson continued to fight him to live up to his prior commitment, I glanced over at the tall oak bookshelf displaying several awards.
I could see in his stance that he was not used to anyone, especially Dr. Gleeson and a woman dressed in a bunny costume, telling him what to do. The rebellious nature in me flourished, watching his jaw tighten in frustration. He was even more attractive with a temper, just as he had been when he stormed into the conference room earlier.
“So, Dr. Hill, you do still want to honor the volunteers who are doing so much good for the patients of the hospital, right?” Dr. Gleeson asked after finishing his spiel.
Dr. Hill’s temples answered truthfully, but his mouth spoke differently. “Yes, of course.” His words were forced and short. He turned to me, and I could feel my pelvic muscles tense with desire. “What’s your favorite restaurant… Ingrid?” he asked, and my heart fluttered that he remembered my name.
Before I could answer, Dr. Gleeson again interrupted. “Of course, a gift card wouldn’t show Ingrid how much she means. She can afford a gift card. You may not know this,” the doctor turned his attention to me, and I thought it might be for fear that Dr. Hill’s glare would leave a mark. “But Dr. Hill is the top pediatric surgeon in the entire state of California. Medical schools have courses dedicated to his accomplishments and ground-breaking techniques. If you plan to apply to any of the top medical programs, a dinner with him is as good as acceptance,” he beamed as I fought back my own laughter.
Seeing the two men duel in some confusing debate was more amusing than stand up. Dr. Hill, obviously the more uptight of the two, was now turning red, his anger brewing. But Dr. Gleeson had always been kind to the volunteers and so I felt a loyalty to him, although I didn’t have a dog in the fight. Whether for a bet or pure entertainment, he wanted to force the brooding doctor to take me to dinner, and so I figured I’d join in on the fun.
“Well, I have absolutely no plans of attending medical school, or any more schooling for that matter,” I began, noting the look of relief on Dr. Hill’s face before I continued. “But I did have a great turn out and approval rating at the Easter event.”
“No one could argue that,” Dr. Gleeson agreed, nodding with encouragement as though he knew exactly where I was headed.
“I mean, look at me,” I glanced down at my costume. “I made sure to give the kids all I had.”
“Again, I’ve got to support her on this, Tristan,” Dr. Gleeson added.
“Robert, I think everyone is clear where you stand. Please let Ingrid continue,” Dr. Hill glared across the room.
“Well, since you are one of the top surgeons,” I said, “I’m sure you could afford one of the restaurants I’d never treat myself to. And I would say we all can agree I’ve earned it. But you know, the restaurants I have in mind, they’re not the type of places you go alone. I’d look lonely and weird. It would be best if you came with me, but we don’t have to talk shop. Just volunteer stuff, so kind of a night off,” I shrugged with hope.
“You know, Ingrid, I do not at all doubt that you’ve earned an evening out, at whatever restaurant you’d like. The only problem is, I don’t really get nights off. My schedule here at the hospital is nonstop, so–” Dr. Hill began what was sure to be a rejection but again Dr. Gleeson interrupted.
“Actually, tonight is perfect. You’ve already finished the afternoon rotation and I’m all set up for the evening. I have the resident staff and more than enough nurses. We’ll be fine. You two go ahead and get out,” he moved across the room, practically pushing his colleague across the office.
“Robert, I have notes to make,” he argued.
“No, no. We’ve got everything handled. You two will have fun. Thanks so much for all you’ve done, Ingrid. The entire staff thanks you. And again, we appreciate you showing our gratitude, Dr. Hill,” he finished as we were both in the hall.
“I guess you just got kicked out of your own office,” I giggled.
“I guess so,” he looked over his shoulder, sighing deeply.
“Well, Dr. Hill, you can back out now. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Oh, don’t back off now. You were going just as hard as Robert in there,” he scowled.
“It was all in good fun.”
“Well, go get
out of this costume so we can get a bite to eat,” he glanced at his watch, but my mind was stuck on the thought of him thinking of me undressing. “I’ll meet you back here in fifteen minutes. I just need to take care of something.”
“Yes, of course,” I shook my head, trying to shake the thought from my mind. Rushing to the locker room, I struggled to make sense of my rambling thoughts.
I had a strange attraction to Dr. Tristan Hill, like nothing I’d felt before. Men had been invisible to me for the past few months, ever since I caught Mike cheating on me. While I was far from having butterflies of love floating in my belly, there was something there. A fleeting feeling I thought I’d grown immune to.
Tristan was just the type of man I would have fallen for in the past – uninterested, ambitious and dangerously attractive. An alluring combination that had always been my go-to. Lauren always said most women’s type was all physical, but mine was more of the total package, something she claimed to envy though I didn’t see the point. My picks had never amounted to anything, so my grading scale was clearly off.
Slipping out of the heavy costume, I felt relieved of more than the excess weight. Sweat dripped down my body and I took a quick shower to refresh. Excitement coursed through me at the realization that I would finally get the chance to try out one of the premier restaurants in the city, the ones I only had access to because of my job. They booked up months in advance, but after a successful ad campaign, I had open favors I’d always been unable to call in.
I’d been telling the truth when I said you couldn’t go to these places alone. What I’d left out was how desperate I’d look requesting a reservation for one. As I stepped from the shower, wrapping one of the complimentary towels around my slim frame, I was ecstatic to finally rub elbows with the rich and famous clientele who frequented the restaurant.
