Chapter Eleven
Amanda rolled her shoulders as she exited her last patient room for the day and made her way to the stairwell. Working one weekend per month at the community hospital made her wallet smile and went a long way toward accomplishing the repairs on the cabins, but it was draining. Her full-time job at the rehab hospital required one weekend of work per month as well so that only left her two weekends for herself. And those had been spent doing hard manual labor on the cabins.
There was a chance, a small chance, but a chance nonetheless that Nick’s pro bono work on the houses could lead to her being able to drop the second job. She was tempted to do a happy dance when she thought of the idea of having an extra weekend each month, but squelched the urge. For now, the arrangement with Nick was perfect, but who knew how long he planned to stick around? If he decided to leave in three weeks, she’d be right back where she started, looking to hire a contractor who wouldn’t rip her off.
Nick had proven to be a hard worker in the two weeks that he’d been there. So much of a hard worker that she had to remind him a few times his body was still healing and he needed to take it easy. He’d completed a surprising number of small projects and now they were talking about tacking a bigger hurdle. She wanted to knock down a wall in the second cabin and combine the small den and dining room into a great room. The kitchen had a breakfast nook so the formal dining room was unnecessary. A larger living area would be appreciated by renters. Or at least she hoped. She also hoped Nick was physically up to knocking down a wall.
He appeared stronger and more capable every day. He hadn’t even bothered to use his cane in the past four days, which made his limp more pronounced, but he was stable enough and she didn’t worry about him falling anymore.
As if she wasn’t attracted to him enough, he was now tan and healthy looking. They spent a fair amount of time together each evening after she got home from work and she was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the pull to him. Watching his muscles bulge and flex as he repaired the motorcycle or worked on the cabin had her washing more pairs of panties than ever before.
He’d also softened up quite a bit since Kat invited him to dinner. He actually spoke to her and even cracked a joke every so often. They proved to be a good team and she found him to have many of the qualities she looked for in a man. Of course she had to overlook the fact that he was still a mystery, one that her gut told her could bring trouble. And that’s why she hadn’t acted on her feelings and had spent night after night frustrated.
Amanda shouldered the stairwell door open and started the descent down the three flights of stairs to the PT office on the first floor. A groan left her as the muscles in her legs protested. Maybe just this once she should have taken the elevator. A few of her patients had required quite a bit of assistance to maneuver and her muscles were feeling the effect.
“Amanda, hold up!” Dr. Michaels jogged down the steps after her.
And there it was. Ten minutes. All she’d needed was ten more minutes and she would have made it through the entire weekend without running into Dr. Douche.
She waited for him on the landing between the first and second floors. “What can I do for you, Dr. Michaels?”
He cocked his head and gave her a patronizing smile then made a dramatic show of looking around the empty stairwell. “Mandy, we’re the only ones in here. No need to be so formal.”
She cringed. None of her coworkers or patients called her Mandy and that’s how she preferred it. It was a small way of keeping her personal and professional life separate and she’d never given John permission to do so at work. Amanda, yes, but not Mandy.
“Well, we’re still at work.” She glanced at her watch. “At least I am for the next fifteen minutes. Did you need something for a patient?” Hopefully he’d get the hint that she was on her way out the door.
Please don’t give me an extra patient to see.
His eyes lit up and he rubbed his hands together. He really was handsome. Muscular like he spent hours at the gym, with expensive clothes and perfect grooming. Not like Nick who often had scruff on his face and wore nothing but jeans and T-shirts. And she was comparing the two why?
It was too bad John was such an ass. Or at least a horrible boyfriend.
“Perfect,” he said. “I was hoping you’d be on your way out. I have to be back in a few hours, but I’ve got some time now. Want to grab some dinner?”
Huh? She blinked and shook her head. “I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly?” She’d made it clear in no uncertain terms that their social relationship was over. They could keep things professional and amicable at work but that was it. Done. Not friends, not dating, not even social coworkers. Strictly business.
So what the heck was this grab some dinner garbage?
He turned on a charming smile and captured her hand. She tried to draw her hand back but he held it in a gentle but firm grip. A bit of unease slithered through her as he stepped closer. As though acting of their own accord, her feet stepped back until she met the cold cinderblock wall of the stairwell. Trapped.
“Mandy, look, we had a good thing for a while. Let’s just chalk up any unpleasantness to stress at work for both of us and let it roll off our backs. How about we give it another go? A do-over.”
Stress at work? Unpleasantness? What the heck was that nonsense? She loved her job and rarely took any stress home with her. And unpleasantness was quite the benign word to describe his possessive ape-like behavior.
“Dr. Michaels, you freaked out any time I spoke with another male. You accused me of cheating on you. You called me way too many times, not because you genuinely wanted to speak to me but because you didn’t trust me. I’m sorry, but you made my life more than unpleasant in the end. I’m just not interested in having that kind of strain in my life and I made you aware of that. We’re just not meant for each other.”
“So I was a little jealous. You’re really making a mountain out of a molehill here.” He waved away her concerns with his free hand. The other still held her captive.
“I’m just going to come right out and say it like it is, Dr. Michaels.”
His eyes narrowed at the continued formal use of his name and title. Too bad. There wasn’t going to be any room for mistaking her intent here. Getting so casual as to use his first name might send the wrong message.
“I’m no longer interested. That ship has sailed. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but I’m just straight up not interested in a date, or dinner, or even a friendship. Please let go of my hand. I have plans tonight.” A lie, unless she counted getting drunk and polishing off the rest of the ice cream in the freezer. But those plans were new as of one minute ago.
His lips turned up in a nasty scowl that removed any trace of what she’d found attractive about him. He crowded her against the wall and the grip on her hand became punishing.
“Ow, that hurts.” She yanked her hand back and shoved him as hard as she could.
He didn’t budge and caught both her upper arms, holding her flush against the wall.
“Listen and listen good, Mandy. You think you’re such hot shit, the way you prance around the halls trying to catch the attention of every doctor who works here.”
What? Was he crazy? Until him, she’d always had a strict no dating at work policy. Kat convinced her to break it for him. Big mistake.
“I do no—”
“I don’t know who you’ve fucked in the past, but you don’t get to flaunt yourself like a slut then act surprised when a man wants something from you.”
Amanda took a quick mental trip back through all the weekends she could recall working in this hospital. She wore scrubs and a lab coat for crying out loud. No part of her body was ever on display. Plus, she treated the male and female physicians the same, with respect and professional appreciation.
“Let me go! Help!” she cried out twisting and struggling against his hold. She jerked her knee upward and connected with his inner thigh. Not what she was aiming for but the grunt of pain he emitted was still satisfying.
“Maybe you’re just not that attached to your job here,” he went on. His fingers bit into the skin of her arms, and she gritted her teeth to keep from yelping.
“You have no control over my job, Dr. Michaels. You aren’t in my chain of command, so threats aren’t necessary. Please let me go and we can forget this ever happened. I’ll be sure to schedule myself on weekends when you aren’t here.”
Like she could ever work here again. She’d have to quit or spend every weekend skittish as a wet cat, worrying he’d come for her again.
He released her and stepped back. Relief was immediate and staggering. Both arms throbbed from where he’d squeezed her, but she ignored it.
“You’d be surprised at what I have control over around here, Mandy. I’ll give you some time to reconsider, but not long. I know you need the money from this job to get work done on those shitty cabins you own. You want to keep working here, you go out with me. Simple as that.” He jogged back up the stairs and disappeared through the door after throwing her a wink.
She sagged against the wall and breathed in and out. The arrogance of that man. Thinking he owned her job. Thinking he owned her choices.
By the time she finished her paperwork and drove home, she’d been through the spectrum of emotions more than once. Anger first, at his high handedness and how he used his physical strength to intimidate her. Sadness over the fact that she would most likely have to leave a job she enjoyed. Confusion over how to handle Dr. Michaels’ behavior. Should she report him? Should she just quit and forget it?
What if he did the same to someone else? She’d never forgive herself if she let his actions slide and he hurt some unsuspecting nurse or aide. But it was the ultimate case of he said, she said. An unwitnessed encounter in an unmonitored stairwell. He was right about having more power than she did in the hospital food chain. Would anyone believe her?
Then she circled back around to anger and stuck there for the last fifteen minutes of the drive. When she pulled up to her house, she’d really worked herself into a lather. “I hate men!” she screamed into the quiet.
After storming into the empty house, she grabbed an open bottle of wine and stomped back down the steps and out into the fading evening. Knocking down the wall in her guest cabin would be a perfect way to expel some of the ragey energy she’d built up.
Nick’s cabin was dark and the three-car garage was wide open. The motorcycle he’d been working on appeared to be gone. Looked like he’d gotten it up and running. Pinks and oranges decorated the late evening sky while the air was dry and cool. Nice night for a ride.
Part of her was disappointed he wasn’t home. She’d grown accustomed to his quiet, brooding manner and looked forward to working on the houses with him in her spare time. They usually shared a drink and she told him about her day at work. Most of the time he didn’t speak so she filled the silence with whatever came into her head. Tonight, though it was probably better she be alone. She was angry, emotional, and needy. Once she guzzled the bottle of wine she’d feel better, but having a man as sexy and tempting as Nick around might lead to some poor choices.
Choices that would feel darn good, but be stupid nonetheless.
She stepped into the dark cabin and flicked on two battery-operated lanterns. Nick suggested she cut the electricity to the house while they were working for safety reasons. He’d picked up a gas generator to use for power tools. It was something she’d never have thought of until she crashed through the wall and electrocuted herself.
First, she stripped off her scrub top, leaving her in the bottoms and a black tank top. Then she yanked the cork from the wine bottle with her teeth and spit it across the room with a giggle. No one around to judge. She allowed herself two large swallows then set the wine aside. Getting plastered would have to wait until after she went to town on the wall.
Eyeing the sledge hammer leaning against the wall, she couldn’t stop the smile from forming. This was the perfect way to exorcise John Michaels from her thoughts. Maybe she’d imagine his face on the wall as she smashed the hammer against it. In fact…
With a chuckle, she fished a pen out of the pocket of her scrub top and went to work.