“Cameron,” she breathed when she stopped in front of me.
“Evie,” I said, my voice clipped. “I hope you’re here for medical counseling and nothing else.”
She paused for a moment before saying, “I’m here with someone, actually.”
She nodded toward the reception desk. “I was on a date, and he suddenly had an allergic reaction. Turns out he’s allergic to peanuts. I had to bring him to the ER.”
“Oh.” The relief must’ve shown on my face because her expression shifted right away.
“Yeah. Gotta get that treated immediately.”
“He’s okay now,” she said.
“Good,” I replied, a little uneasy standing there with her. “Take care.”
I had already turned to leave when her voice stopped me.
“Initially, I thought Sloane would be his doctor, but they referred him to someone named Ally Sanchez.”
“She wouldn’t be,” I said, eyeing her with suspicion. Why the hell was she expecting Sloane? “Sloane works in the inpatient ward. If he came through the ER, they’d assign whoever’s on duty. Dr. Sanchez is probably covering that today.”
She looked like she was about to say something else, but then her face tightened as she glanced past me.
Then I heard Sloane’s voice. She stepped next to me, looking up at me before turning her attention to Evie.
“I heard my name being mentioned.”
Evie looked taken aback, clearly not expecting Sloane to show up and say that. She gaped for a second before finally speaking.
“I just said I thought you’d be in the ER. Like last time I was here. My date had an allergic reaction, so I brought him to the ER.”
I started glancing around, half-wondering if this date actually existed.
Sloane shook her head. “I’m not an ER doctor.”
“Well, I didn’t know that,” Evie said, a little defensive.
Then Sloane asked the question I’d been thinking. “Is he okay now? Where is he?”
“He’s settling the bill,” Evie replied quickly.
“You should go back to him,” Sloane said. “He might still be a little out of it.” She looked up at me. “Shall we go now?”
“Yes, please.” I let out a breath and gave Evie a slight nod.
“Are you two going out?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, then decided to say it. Boldly. Hoping Sloane wouldn’t mind. “We’re going on a date.”
Evie’s expression shifted in an instant—caught somewhere between shock and something that looked a lot like hurt.
“Evie!”
A loud voice cut through the room, drawing our attention—and everyone else’s in the lobby—as we all turned toward the source.
A tall, broad-shouldered guy with a full beard stood near the entrance, hands on his hips, looking impatient.
“Let’s go!” he bellowed, louder than before, not giving a damn who was watching.
