Chapter Thirty-Four
Lexa
I was still trying to focus on work to keep from falling apart and to make things worse, I’d been trying to keep a distance from Dr. Rob whenever possible. My luck ran out at the end of my first break when he came down the hall and cornered me.
“You look beautiful today.” I wondered if he was being serious because my eyes had been so red lately with all the crying and late nights, but he smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Thank you.” I was a little taken aback by his proximity, but there wasn’t anyone else down the hall.
“I was wondering if you’d finally let me take you out for dinner since we both have the night off.” His smile was so sincere and sexy. I should have been moved by it. I should have been chomping at the bit to be alone with him, and I knew any other nurse I knew would be.
“Can I get back to you?” I didn’t know what else to say and needed to buy my time. He took my hand and planted a kiss on the back of it.
“Sure. You let me know something later. I’ll be around a while today. I’ve got a meeting with the administrator later, but it won’t take long.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know. Thanks.” He dropped my hand and gave me a wink then turned and strolled away.
My phone let out a sound before I knew what to think about Dr. Rob, and I glanced down to see that it was Bre. She never called me this time of day and was usually working. I answered the phone and walked further down the empty hall.
“Bre, what’s up?” I was worried there was an emergency.
“Look, I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to get angry with me.” Those words coming from your best friend are never a good thing.
“Tell me what? Wait, what did you do?” A wave of panic flashed over me, and I held my breath to keep from biting my tongue.
“I went to Jay’s Pub last night.”
The words hung in my ear like they’d sprouted talons and were perched in my brain.
“You what? Why?” I turned and rested my head against the wall and pressed it hard to keep from banging it against it.
“I wanted to talk to him and see if he was having it just as bad.” All the anger faded as curiosity took its place on my emotional grid.
“So tell me. Is he living it up? Or was he with someone else already?” I could see him sitting on his barstool with some short-shorts-wearing, tramp-stamped hooker on his lap.
“He’s a drunk, stubborn asshole. And yes, I think he’s as miserable as you are. He’s shaved off his beard, so I almost didn’t recognize him, and he’s got some nasty baggage he’s hauling beneath the eyes. I don’t think he’s sleeping.” Bre had always been good at sizing up the situation, but I feared he might think I’d put her up to it.
“Great, he’s going to think I’m sending in spies.” I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. My anger was returning, but I fought it off, knowing she was only doing what she thought would help.
“No, I made it clear I was there on my own, but he’s not budging. I’m sorry I interfered, but I wanted to see if there was anything I could do.”
“It’s a lost cause, isn’t it? I guess I should accept the dinner date Dr. Rob offered me and get on with my life, right?”
“He asked you out for dinner? Then you should go. It might be what you need. You know that old saying, the best way to get over one man is to get under another.” She let out an evil chuckle, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s not going to happen. I’m not ready for that. But I will go. I could use a decent meal, and he’s good company.” Not to mention he was pretty to look at.
Bre and I said our goodbyes, and as soon as I returned my phone to my locker, I headed back to work and to find Rob.
He was around the corner at the X-ray lab, so I walked up next to him where the technician was out of earshot and gave him a nod. “I’ll see you then?” I lifted a brow, and he glanced over to the tech and gave me a wink.
As I walked away, a heavy weight was lifted from me. I’d taken the next step to moving on and as quick as it came, that wave of relief was replaced with sadness. It wasn’t going to be that easy to move on.
I imagined Bre in that bar talking to Aiden and could see those hard eyes glaring at her. At least she’d tried, and now I knew that while he was not happy with the situation, he was sticking to his guns.
By the end of the day, I was weary with worry over my dinner date. I had a change of clothes in my car that I kept for just such occasions, and I was able to use the shower and get myself cleaned up and smelling nice before it was time to meet Rob.
He texted me and asked that I meet him in the parking garage and I waited in my car until my friends, who had insisted on walking me out, left the lot. Then I got out of my car and went down to the doctor’s reserved area where Rob was waiting beside his car. It was no Shelby, but his decked out Land Rover was nothing to sneeze at. Aiden’s mother had a car like this, but hers wasn’t equipped with as many bells and whistles and hadn’t seen the road in over a year.
I tried to put her and Aiden out of my mind as I approached. “You look nice.” It was the first time I had seen him without his white coat or in his scrubs. This was a much nicer picture of him. He had a crisp button down with slacks that showed off his lean, muscular frame. He straightened his cuffs and opened my door.
“You look beautiful. I wasn’t sure if you’d need to go home to change. But I see you’re a lady who is prepared for anything.”
I lifted myself into the seat, and he closed me inside. I took a deep breath as he walked around the car and hoped for a nice time. I couldn’t get Aiden out of the back of my mind, but maybe I could push through. Rob was a wonderful man, serious about his work, and a true gentleman.
He drove me out to the shore to a lovely restaurant overlooking the water with a charming ambiance that seemed to compliment my mood only because it was quiet. I needed a bit of silence with all that was churning in my brain.
Rob leaned across the table after the waiter left and placed his hand on my arm. “You’d think we were in a library, it’s so quiet here.” The hushed voices of the other patrons were just as soft as his, and I smiled even though all I could think was that he was touching me. Would Aiden even care?
“Yeah, it’s like everyone has a secret.”
“Well, you’re in much better spirits, so that’s good to see. I was worried about you for a while there. You weren’t yourself. I’m still not sure you’re back a hundred percent.” He gave me a knowing smile, and I waved it off.
“Yeah, the lawsuit settled and with that over, I can move on.”
“I’m sorry I had to send you home the other day, Lexa. It’s just, even though I like you, I can’t let those emotions get in the way with my responsibility.”
“Think no more of it. I understand. It was totally unprofessional of me, and I’m much better now. I mean, there’s still a sting, but nothing to keep me from being focused. I won’t be turning over any carts anytime soon.” I rolled my eyes and looked away.
I was a fool to think I’d be able to get Aiden off of my mind. The whole time I talked about being reprimanded at work, I couldn’t help thinking how I’d met Aiden. I got quiet and stared down at my plate when my food was brought. How could I eat and have a good time when my heart was breaking inside? I smiled and nodded a lot and spoke when needed.
I was on my game when it came to faking things, but I still hadn’t touched my food ten minutes after its arrival.
“Is there something wrong with your food?” Rob gestured to my plate, and I took a deep breath and shook my head.
“Not at all.” I took a hearty sip of wine and a bite of my shrimp linguini. I couldn’t start falling apart now, especially when I’d tried so hard to put up a front.
“I was going to bring you to Soto’s, but I didn’t think you’d like it as much.” I remembered Aiden mentioning Soto’s and how he’d like to take my parents and me so he could meet them.
The idea of us having a nice family dinner had been a dream, one that would never come true, but I remember thinking how wonderful it would have been for us to have all sat down together as if the lawsuit had never happened. As if the accident had never happened, too. I wondered what Shawn and Allison would think of this mess. If we’d met through them instead of the way it had all turned out, would it be any different? Would we be together?
“I’ve heard of Soto’s. Aiden wanted to take me.” I don’t know why I mentioned his name but when I did, Rob’s expression fell, and then he recovered with a polite smile.
“You’re thinking of him, aren’t you?” His smile was a bit melancholy, and I felt another wave of guilt wash over me. I shouldn’t be leading him on.
“I can’t help it. Open wounds bleed, as you well know.” I twirled my noodles on my fork and took another sip of wine.
“Still fresh, then? I didn’t realize that was what was going on. I figured it was the settlement. I heard that your family didn’t get what they were asking. It was on the news, actually.” I was sure he added that last part so I wouldn’t wonder if he’d heard it through the gossip channel at work.
“Yeah, well, let’s not ruin a nice dinner going into details.”
“Agreed, but it’s not like we’re dining alone. I understand, you know. I had a tough relationship once, and I wasn’t ready to move on for a while. I’ll make a deal with you, though. When and if you’re ever ready to, you’ll let me know.” He patted my hand across the table and then took another bite.
“Deal.” I lifted my glass of wine, and he put down his fork, and we toasted. I felt a little off, but I was determined to enjoy the rest of our meal and our friendship.
“You know, I’m glad we did this.” He took another sip of wine. “It’s not often I get to sit down and eat unless I’m in the car. You know the last three meals I had I was standing up at the counter at my house.” We shared a laugh, and I knew exactly what he meant. There were times that even as a nurse I got too busy to eat and had a little sleep. It was nice talking to someone who I had something in common with.
We shared more of our quiet conversation about work, and in the end, he drove me back to my car, and we ended the night with a friendly hug. I pulled away from that embrace knowing there was only one man for me.
I got in my car and glanced down at my phone. I hadn’t pulled it out during dinner because I thought that was the tackiest thing anyone could do and I didn’t want to make Rob feel worse about how things were going.
As the screen illuminated, I saw that Aiden had tried to call and my heart skipped a beat.