Sherry
My eyes open, allowing me to take in where I am. When I notice I’m curled into the couch’s arm, I now know why my body hurts. Tossing the blanket off me, I try to remember why I’m here and not in my bed. A flash from yesterday and last night come back to me… I can’t help but shake my head, because this is the perfect example of why I don’t have a boyfriend. I couldn’t even make it through last before I crashed on Greyson. Not to mention, I might have overeaten my weight in pizza. That flashes back to me now too, as I stare at the empty box on the table. It’s not like anything will ever come of the two of us—well, maybe a friendship, but that’s all. Greyson Davis is so far out of my league that it would never work. Also, now that I think about it, I wonder what he thinks is wrong with me. He was asking questions last night, and I never answered him. I push it down, standing to look around the apartment. Glancing down, I notice the note resting on the box.
Sherry,
Sorry, I didn’t wake you, but you were out cold… When I say cold, I mean you wouldn’t budge. Had an early appointment today, but if you need anything call the office or my cell. Please don’t walk to work this morning—
drive, take a taxi, or a bus.
G
I can’t help but let out a laugh at the whole don’t walk to work sentence. He has no idea, and this just might be fun. I toss the letter back down to the table and take off toward my bathroom. I need to get ready for the day and examine the damage of my reaction. Last time I experienced one like that it took a few days for all the swelling and red spots to expire. Brushing my teeth, I open the medicine cabinet and find my mini black case that holds the last of my birth control. Letting out a sigh, I make a mental note that I have got to find a new doctor.
Dressed, I drop some food and water in the cat bowls on the kitchen floor and make my way out of the apartment. I slow for a moment as I think about driving to work this morning. My white four-door Jeep sits in the garage untouched for longer than it should. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, I turn and head toward my parking space in the covered concrete block of a garage we have here. Jumping in, I snuggle down into the neoprene seat covers and crank her to life. I can’t remember the last time I drove anywhere, and wonder if I’ve forgotten how. As soon as I throw the gearshift in reverse it all comes back to me. To make sure I don’t fall asleep, I roll the windows down and crank up the music. Before pulling out onto the highway, I pull up the map app on my phone. I just want to make sure there aren’t any accidents this morning that would cause me to sit longer than a few seconds at a light. The real worry will be when I head home tonight after work. It’s my late evening. The sun will be setting, and that’s a whole different situation. If I feel too tired, I’ll leave the Jeep at work and walk home with the other roaming citizens of the city.
Right as I enter the office, I take in the way June is pacing back and forth in her office, throwing up her hands like she’s having a heated conversation with someone that’s attached to her Bluetooth. I look over at Luke with questioning eyes, and in return, all he can do is shake his head. Some help he is… Plopping down in my chair behind my desk, I turn everything on and pray that today is not the day June finally loses her cool. She’s a ticking time bomb that can scare the living daylights out of most of us. Especially when a deal goes south. Last year she lost a major contract with some wealthy CEO who was moving to South Beach. None of us are sure what went down, but it wasn’t pretty. I have my suspicion that she was trying to seal the deal in a less than ethic way. Shortly after that, I knew that one day I would have to make a choice on what was right and wrong. Back in my ethics class we heard all kinds of stories… Some funny. Some not so funny—like career ruining stories. Between the rumors of what June has done to become as successful as she has, and what I learned in school—it’s official—my feelings for the hot Dr. Greyson Davis have to disappear. Rules aren’t meant to be broken… They’re intended to protect all parties involved … To be the reason within … The things that keep us on a straight path in life and not meant to be used to veer away from reality.
“Sherry, my office, now,” June yells from across the room. The shrill of her voice causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand. The closer I get to her office, I feel the sweaty palms coming.
“You called, June?”
“Sit, I need your help.”
“Okay,” I say, sitting cautiously. My eyes follow her pacing back and forth, picking up momentum, taking in how she’s tapping her chin as if she’s thinking about something important. “June, what the hell,” I snap, because she’s driving me bat shit crazy at this point.
“Sorry, yes … Okay, we have a problem. Well, I think a problem, but not sure yet. You remember that client I might have or might not have slept with? Well, he’s selling the place that he just bought and needs a Penthouse now. I have no idea, but what I do know is I need for you to handle this. You show the houses, and when it comes down to the paperwork, I’ll take care of it. Can you do this, Sherry? I mean… I know you can, but I need you to focus and not look like you do right now.” She pauses, waving her hands around at my face. I know I’m still spotty and weird looking, but Lord I can cover it better with makeup if need be. But the problem is I have to make sure I don’t have another reaction until he finds a place. I nod, and then it hits me…
“You did sleep with him, didn’t you?”
“That’s doesn’t matter at this moment. What is, however, is that I need you to find him a place. He said if we can find it, he’ll list the house with us also. This is huge, and we need to do this.”
“We or you?”
“We, of course.”
“So, you’re saying that if I find him a place I’ll get commission and then a bonus from the other sell?”
“I’ll have to figure all that out, but I’m sure I can do something for you.”
“That’s not going to work. The way I see it, I get the commission on the sell; figure it out and then you come to me with a good number for the other. It’s that, or I’m not helping. Go get Frank or Miranda. At least they have their license and can get full commission. Oh, wait; that’s it… You want it all, and you know if they help they will demand that it’s all theirs,” I say as I sit back in the chair, folding my arms over my chest. I decide for good measure to cross my legs and my arms over my chest, sending her an aggressive glare. When she doesn’t deny or even flinch, I shrug it off and stand. “Look, June, I have work to do, and I don’t have time for this today. Think about it and get back to me, you know where I’ll be.”
Just as my hand touches the doorknob, I hear the release of air from June behind me. “Fine, whatever. Just get this done, Sherry. Also, you need to schedule your exam. I emailed you the list of dates.” And just like that she sits behind her empire of a desk and focuses on her monitor. I turn back around, turning up my lips with a smile as I think I just won that one for the first time with her. She’s had me help before, but it wasn’t anything like this project. Quickly walking to my desk, I pull out my phone and send a text to Ava, explaining what just happened. Now the problem is to figure out a way to not have another reaction or anything else. That also means I need to hide from the handsome doctor who’s invading my thoughts and dreams. Getting mixed up in that kind of drama is something I need to avoid, especially now with this task at hand. That’s the last thing I need. I can just see it now, two scandals. One with the ethics board knocking on my door, asking if I’ve had sexual relations with one Dr. Greyson Davis Jr. The second getting fired for having a reaction in front of a buyer that June has had or might not have had sexual relations with. Either way, I need to focus. I need to study. I need to get my exam behind me and move forward with my life. My phone vibrates against the glass on my desk. The letters highlight an unknown number. I’m used to getting spam text, so I open and prepare to delete immediately. My eyes graze the bubble, and instantly I chew on the inside of my cheek.
Unknown: Just checking to see if you are still alive and are doing better. Take a Benadryl today if you start to feel itchy. If you need any, walk over—we have a cabinet full.
Me: Thanks for the concern, but I’m alive and well. Also, thank you for making sure I stayed alive last night, but I’ll no longer need your assistance in that matter. Have a great day, Dr. Davis.
Satisfied with my response, I start responding to some emails. I need to get those out of the way so I can make a list of penthouses for Eric McBride. June might not have wanted to say his name out loud, but I knew who she was talking about. As I’m responding to more emails, my phone continues to vibrate. With each jolt, I ignore it more as I know it’s him. I’m not stupid, and I know this is the best thing to do. Plus, if it’s Ava or my mom, they will end up calling the office if I ignore my phone for too long. At my ripe age of twenty-five, I want to find something real. The kind of love that leaves you breathless from just one look, one touch, and one kiss. Yes, I’ll admit that Greyson leaves me that way when I look at him, and I got butterflies when he touched me, but I refuse to find out how that kiss will feel against my lips. It’s a no zone. Totally off limits. I refuse to allow a man whose father has had his hands in places that I’d like to forget about kiss my lips.
Hours pass by, and an endless search for apartments with the best views from the top floor have left me starving. I glance around the office, noticing everyone is busy, and June is still pacing. This time her hands are waving around as she’s talking on her phone. I decide to lock my computer, grab my purse, and take off across the street to the small pizza deli to grab lunch. Waving at the owner behind the counter, I head over to a table by the window. I love to sit here, and people watch as I enjoy a slice of pepperoni and pineapple. I’ve been coming here for so long that I don’t even stand in line to order any more. They just bring me a slice along with a Coke. Smiling up at the new waitress who drops off my drink, I grab a napkin from the holder and place it in my lap. Opening my phone finally, I see the six alerts on my text and ignore them. Instead, of reading them, I open Facebook. Scrolling through to check on my friends and family, I hover over the one post that I wasn’t expecting to see. Chris, my ex-boyfriend of two years, shared a picture of him and his new girlfriend Rebecca. In all caps are the words ‘SHE SAID YES’. I lean back in the wooden chair and release a loud sigh. Okay, it’s been over eight months since we broke things off. Apparently, he didn’t like the way my life was going, nor did he like my mild obsession with rescuing cats. Which is whatever, but still eight months and he proposed?! We were together for two years! So what if it was a college love affair. I still had a heart, and he was the last serious boyfriend I had. Even today, I can look back and point out all the things that were wrong with us. I loved him. The problem is I’m not sure if I would’ve said yes if he had asked me to marry him. Chris was demanding. He wanted life to be a certain way. He expected his arm candy to be a certain way. Hence the reason we are no longer together. Red blotches, sneezing attacks, and a person who slept through her exam didn’t add up to his standard. The night I came home from a very long nap, I sat him down and explained to him what happened. I needed someone to comfort me, rub my back and tell me that I could do this again and that it wasn’t the end of life. Instead, he stood up and looked at me like I was some slum on the street corner. After breaking things off with me, he sauntered out the door and never looked back. His loss, because I have the chance to make more than he will being a male nurse. Which let me explain that Ava loved that he was a male nurse and not a doctor. She knew exactly how to get under his skin when he pissed her off.
“I see your phone’s not broken, and you’re still alive,” the deep raspy voice booms in my direction. I don’t have to look up to know who it is. My body is already registering him from just the sound of his voice. Not looking up, I respond. “Yep, still alive.”
“Is this seat taken?”
“No, but you can’t sit with me,” I say, not making eye contact with him because if I stare up into those gray eyes, it’s over.
“Why that’s a mighty fine way to treat the person who saved your life,” he states as he ignores me and pulls out the chair before sitting. Just as he sits, my pizza arrives. It’s then that I notice his plate matches mine. My shoulders deflate in defeat. What choice do I have now? I could make a scene and move, but then that’s rude, and since I was raised better than that, I ignore the internal voice telling me to run as fast as I can away from him.
“How’s your day been? You must be busy since you’re ignoring me.”
“Yes, I’ve been very busy, and don’t you have patients to tend to?”
“I do, but you know I get a few minutes between rooms to check my phone from time to time.”
“So glad you’re taking care of them with such professionalism.”
“Nothing unprofessional about glancing at my phone before entering a room. Now, if I answered during an exam that would qualify.”
I can’t help but let a smile show as that would be kind of funny. I can almost picture this happening, which might be a little weird, but still, I can see it.
“You have a great smile when you allow it to be real, did you know that?”
“Thanks, I guess,” I say, tucking a lose hair behind my ear before I pick up my pizza to take a bite. The sooner I can finish my lunch, the quicker I can escape his presence.
“Care to explain why you’re ignoring me? I mean, I thought…” He stops and looks up at me before he continues. “I figured we could grab dinner some night, get to know each other better.”
“Look, Greyson, thank you for helping me last night and being nice about it, but this isn’t going to work. We can’t be friends, and we are not going to grab dinner.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so, do you really need an explanation?”
“Yes, I do. I find you attractive, and I’m pretty sure from the way you’ve checked me out that you find me cute.”
“Your dad used to be my doctor; technically you’re now my doctor, and we are just different. So no, we can wave at each passing in the hall or on the street, but no dinner or Netflix.”
“You inviting me to Netflix and chill?”
“No,” I say a little louder than intended.
“Want a ride home tonight?”
“No, I drove, and that means no rides either.” I have to hold back a laugh at that sentence. It sounded right in my head, but now that I go back over it, it’s pretty funny.
“Alright then, this is our last sharing of the pineapple pizza gods,” he says and shrugs it off like it’s nothing. I eye him carefully because a part of me feels that this isn’t over. Holding the half eaten slice up to him, I offer a smile in return and stare back out at the street to take my mind off the person sitting across from me. I’m afraid to glance his way. Afraid that he might be staring at me again, and I plan to avoid those eyes at all cost.