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“Hey,” I say, clearing my throat.
Wow. Smooth.
Loren stares up at me with a blank look. “What are you doing here, Blake?”
“Celebrating my partner Mark’s birthday,” I reply dumbly.
“I mean, why are youhere, at my table?” she whispers harshly.
I blink a few times, unsure of my answer. “I guess I thought it would be rude not to come over and say hello,” I spit out after a while. “We are friends now, aren’t we?”
She swallows hard and nods, then turns to her date and forces a polite smile. “Rowan, this is Blake Bourgeois. Blake, Dr. Rowan LaFleur.”
He stands and reaches out to shake my hand, and I can’t help but squeeze a little more firmly than proper. “Nice to meet you, man,” Rowan declares with a wary smile. “You’re that football player’s brother, aren’t you?”
Loren snorts quietly as I let go of his hand and return to my place behind her. “Yeah, that’s me, The Other Bourgeois.”
“Rowan is a good friend of Landry’s,” Loren adds quickly, I presume as a distraction.
“I guess he set this up, then?”
She looks down at the table. “Yeah.”
“Nice. Well, I guess I’d call myself a family friend too,” I explain.
Rowan smiles widely. “Sounds like everyone knows everyone around here.”
“That’s fair, since Camellia’s so small. Although, Loren and I happen to know one another more intimately than most.”
She presses her lips together, clearly displeased with my response. “It does seem like I’ve never been able to avoid you for long,” she mutters.
I lean in slightly, catching a hit of roses and wondering whether her signature scent originates from her perfume or her shampoo. “Then you might as well quit pretending you’re so surprised and unhappy to see me,” I reply with a flirty smirk.
“Maybe I’m not pretending,” she says through her teeth.
I shouldn’t enjoy riling her up as much as I do, but I can’t help myself. I glance down and see that her legs are crossed. There’s a small tattoo on her ankle that I vaguely remember seeing before, a green leaf, and it’s killing me not to reach down and touch it.
An ankle? Seriously, man? You’re losing it.
I shake my head quickly. This is ridiculous. I’m notthatattracted to Loren Reed. And she was right before—casual sex has never been a big deal to me. There’s no reason to get all worked up over a random hookup now, especially one involving a woman I’ve known most of my life.
“You guys have dated before, I presume?” Rowan ventures after a while. He glances back and forth between us with that forced smile again.
“Not exactly,” Loren answers, just as I reply with, “You could say that.”
He raises a brow, but he looks more amused than intimidated. “I see.”
Loren fidgets nervously in her chair during the awkward silence that follows.
“So, what’s your specialty, Doc?” I begin again.
“Maternal and fetal medicine, mostly high-risk pregnancies.”
I nod approvingly, and Loren volunteers that I’m a lawyer. Rowan pretends to be impressed, but not very well.
“I suppose you and Dr. Reed work together?”
“We do. I’m very happy to refer my newest patients to him,” he affirms proudly.
