In His Corner. Vina Arno

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СКАЧАТЬ now. This man was going to entail a detour.

      A stream of patients and their families arrived. The waiting area was suddenly packed. She glanced down at her wristwatch. “You know what? I have to go back to my meeting.”

      “Okay, Doc. You can go—just as soon as you give me your home address.”

      It sounded like a command, something she could ignore. But why was it so hard to resist him? She found herself fishing the pen from her trouser pocket. A diversion was inevitable. “Do you have a piece of paper?”

      “No need.” He extended his right palm. “Write it here.”

      She held his gaze. Those eyes, a cross between green and brown, rendered her helpless. She was about to disclose her home address to this stranger. It was unexplainable, completely unlike her. Where were Kristin and Molly when she needed them?

      She wrote her address on the palm of his hand. It was powerful, befitting a man who made a living with his fists. Knockouts were his forte according to YouTube. The violence of boxing made her queasy, but she’d enjoyed watching him.

      She tucked the pen back into her pocket. “Sometimes I have to work overtime. It’s possible that I’ll have to cancel at the last minute.”

      Chickening out was more probable. She could escape to Oakland, put in a couple of hours administering diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines to kindergarten-bound children who wouldn’t be admitted to school otherwise. The clinic would be beyond grateful for her free service.

      “I understand.”

      “If I’m not at home, it means I’m still working.”

      “Understood.”

      There was a slight ridge on his left eyebrow. She ached to touch it. Something inside her was melting, her common sense evaporating with every breath she took. The children’s vaccinations could wait another day. School wouldn’t start until August.

      And just like that, she put her fingers on his forehead.

      He bent his head to adjust to her height.

      “Give it another week and there won’t be any trace of the cut.”

      He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You did a fine job, Dr. Carr. I thank you for it.”

      His kiss was electric, sending a shock down her spine. She snatched her hand away. She was perilously attracted to this man. It went against who she was. “I have to go.”

      “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

      Siena fled the waiting room, but she didn’t go back to the meeting. She’d already been excused from it, plus she was too rattled to sit still inside a room. Instead, she looked for Kristin at the allergy clinic where she worked as a nurse. They found a ceramic vase for the rose. Siena carried it as they sought Molly at the physical rehabilitation center.

      Molly was in the reception area, saying goodbye to a patient. She was a physical therapist who nurtured her patients as much as her friends—the mother hen of the group. Among the three, she was also the only one with a discreet little office where her friends could confide in her.

      As soon as the patient left, they went inside the room. Siena recounted the Juggernaut’s unexpected visit. Unlike Siena, her friends were not surprised. They had predicted the Juggernaut would pursue her. They couldn’t wait to go on a triple date since their boyfriends were huge boxing fans.

      “I let him kiss my hand in front of people in the waiting room,” said Siena, still holding the vase. She stood, while her friends sat in chairs flanking a desk. “Not only that, I agreed to go out with him tonight. In the Tenderloin District. What was I thinking?”

      “That’s it. It’s official. You’re a slut, Dr. Carr,” said Kristin.

      “And we’re so proud of you!” squealed Molly.

      They burst out laughing.

      Siena’s best friends were opposite and similar all at once. Kristin was a petite blonde, while Molly was tall and dark-haired. The former was gregarious, the latter reserved. They were college best friends who were the same age, twenty-seven, and dated guys who were best buddies.

      They had taken Siena under their wing on her first day at work, after she’d found out that the delivery of her scrubs had been delayed. She’d worn a black Alexander Wang suit and five-inch pumps that day. Without her uniform, she would have been forced to go home and change outfits. Thank God, Kristin and Molly had been there. Siena had borrowed Kristin’s old scrubs and Molly’s extra pair of Keds. That was thirteen months ago, the beginning of a close friendship.

      When Siena and Michael broke up, her friends had been there for her. She was glad to have both of them on this unpredictable day. “What should I do?”

      “Well, you’ve already agreed to go out with him,” said Molly. “You better leave at exactly four o’clock. Go home, take a shower, and wear something skimpy.”

      “And if you’re feeling brave, skip the bra,” added Kristin.

      Siena tightened her grip on the vase. “I’m a little scared to go to the Tenderloin.”

      “Sweetie, you’re strangling the poor vase.” Kristin took it from Siena’s hands and set it on the desk. “Look at you, you’re all stressed out. Sit down.”

      Siena pulled out a chair and fell into it.

      “Now, tell us—what are you afraid of?” Kristin narrowed her eyes. “Drug dealers? Muggers? You’re going to be with the Juggernaut. He can beat anyone to a pulp.”

      “I don’t know… It’s too soon for me to date again.”

      “I disagree.” Kristin held up her right palm in a stop-right-there gesture. “Michael started dating that bimbo from San Francisco General one week after you guys broke up.”

      “I don’t care what Michael does. This has nothing to do with him.”

      “Are you afraid to go to the Tenderloin, or to go out with Tommy Raines?” Molly spoke in her physical therapist’s voice, firm but nonthreatening.

      “I guess I’m scared of him.” Scared of falling for him was more like it.

      “Why?” asked Kristin and Molly at the same time.

      “I don’t believe you.” Molly clucked her tongue. “Any girl would kill to go out with the Juggernaut.”

      “You’ve seen him naked.” Kristin looked exasperated. “You can’t be afraid now.”

      “I don’t know.” Siena shook her head. “He’s a twenty-two-year-old boxer. He’s just so different.”

      “Different from Michael? Different from you?” Kristin’s right eyebrow rose. “Are you saying you’re too good for the Juggernaut?”

      And there it was—the elephant in the room. He was not the same caliber as her past boyfriends, but her liberal East Coast upbringing told her he deserved a fair chance. СКАЧАТЬ