“Did you have a nice lunch?” I beamed at Amie as we walked back into the office at the same time.
“I did. I met my husband for a quick bite. How about you?” She ran her fingers down her perfectly pressed, black pantsuit while I opened the door for her.
I glanced down at my sundress and sandals, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that I would never be the fancy, pantsuit-wearing type.
“It was good.” I spent my lunch hour watching the ducks at the pond while eating a turkey sandwich, so I couldn’t complain. It was peaceful and took my mind off everything that had happened last night.
Jackson had passed out shortly after I got out of the bath, so we didn’t speak for the rest of the evening. While Jackson snored, I’d tossed and turned, thinking of the poor student who’d lost his life. By the time I awoke this morning, he was already gone, which was normal. I wouldn’t see him again until later tonight after I visited Mama. But the truth was, it was possible he would already be asleep again. Either from the whiskey or the August heat—probably a combination of both.
After listening to the voice messages, I peeked my head into Amie’s office. “Your one o’clock said they will be about ten minutes late.”
She glanced up from the stack of paperwork in front of her and stared at me over her reading glasses with a smile. “Okay, no problem.”
I walked over to the coffee bar to set out fresh cookies when I heard the quiet ring of the bell over the door, alerting me that someone had come in.
“Hi, how are you guys?” I began to speak before turning all the way around.
When I caught sight of what walked through the door, my heart began to race. My eyes were immediately drawn to the little girl, around seven years old, with long, caramel-colored hair and expressive blue eyes. She held the hand of her father, and my eyes were pulled to him, up his lean, muscular body. They shared the same hair color and captivating eyes, icy blue enough to put you in a trance. I tried not to allow myself to linger on his face, and instead, focused on the innocent child in front of me. She had a tight grip on his hand and pushed herself close to his body, staying closer with each step they took.
“Hello, I’m Landon Beck, and this is my daughter, Lindsey. We have an appointment with Dr. Ross. I’m sorry we’re a little late; I left a message.” He spoke with a deep, Southern drawl that caused me to hang onto each and every word that fell from his lips. But guilt washed over me, and I pulled myself together, knowing gushing over a patient’s father was completely inappropriate. Not to mention, I was a married woman who had no business gawking at a stranger.
“It’s absolutely fine. We’re glad you’re here. I’m Rachel.” I tried to hide my blush before continuing. “Let me go tell Dr. Ross you’re here. You’re welcome to have a seat. There’s fresh coffee and warm cookies if you’d like.” I gave him a nod before bringing my attention to the little girl next to him. She seemed nervous, and I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, so I simply gave her a quick wave with a smile. And with her ocean-blue eyes wide, she repeated the motion before I turned my back and began to walk down the hallway.
“Your appointment is here,” I spoke quietly, popping my head into Amie’s office.
She stood from her desk, and with a nod, she said, “Thank you.”
I stood to the side, allowing her to walk in front of me.
“Hello, Landon, it’s nice to meet you.” Her soft and comforting demeanor was evident as she shook his hand. Then she slightly lowered her body and turned her attention to the child next to him.
“And you must be Lindsey. It’s very nice to see you. I’ve been looking forward to talking to you.” Her smooth voice practically dripped with honey as she spoke to the child, who simply stared at her, eyes wide and voice still.
“Would you like to go to my office so we can talk?” She held out her hand while the little girl looked up at her father, waiting for instruction.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Daddy is going to be in there with you, okay?” He placed his large hand on the top of her head, then gave her shoulder a squeeze. Amie didn’t speak; instead, she just waited.
“Can I have a cookie first?” Her meek voice was almost inaudible, so soft, just a tiny whisper.
Landon looked in my direction, causing me to jump into action, while Amie beamed back with a smile.
“Here you go.” I pulled two chocolate chip cookies from the tray and wrapped them in a napkin before walking closer to where they stood. I bent down slightly, holding the folded napkin in her direction, but close enough to her father so he could take them in case she wasn’t comfortable doing so.
I couldn’t help but stare at her—she was so beautiful and so innocent. But there was such sadness in her eyes that I felt the need to weep. And unfortunately, that was the nature of this job. I saw kids who suffered, and in turn, it caused me pain. But I always tried to remember that they were here for help, and Amie was so great at her job, I could physically see the sadness fade over time.
To my surprise, she gently took the cookies from my hand and did her best to give me a tiny smile, although it was obvious it didn’t come easily for her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, staring at me with large eyes.
“You’re very welcome.” I grinned and almost had to look away as her stare pierced straight into my heart.
“How about now? Think we could go talk to Dr. Ross?” Her father ruffled her hair, and she looked up at him with a toothy grin just before she bit into her cookie.
“Okay.” She nodded and pulled his hand into hers.
“My office is just down the hall.” Amie stood straight and led them out of sight.
I took my seat at my desk, trying to focus on the tasks at hand, and kicked myself for gushing over some random stranger. Any woman would have been crazy not to notice just how gorgeous he was or the way sex dripped from his voice. But this was my place of employment, and he was a patient—or the father of a patient—and it wasn’t professional. And even if it was just in my thoughts, it wasn’t right. He came to get treatment for his daughter, not to get ogled by some secretary. I rolled my eyes at my own ridiculousness and forced myself to concentrate on my work.