Page 16 of A Very Grumpy Doctor

“Thanks,” she says softly as I pass her the bag of tacos.

I pull out onto the street.“Anytime.In fact, tomorrow I’ll cook for you.”

I try to hide my smirk as she turns to look at me like she thinks I might be the one who needs medical attention.I feel lighter than I’ve ever felt in my life as I turn and head toward her house.

A minute later, we pull into her driveway.I grab the food and climb out of my car.Alexi hops out on her side before I can go around to get her door.I shake my head as she darts past me and up to the front door.

Following her, I wedge my foot against her front door in case she tries to slam it in my face.She gives me a knowing grin as we head inside.

She keeps me on my toes.I love that.

“Looks nice in here,” I comment as we sit at her tiny kitchen table.

“Thanks.”She snatches the bag of food from me and pulls out the tacos, passing one to me.

I watch her as we eat in silence, marveling over her pretty face and sweet curves.My mouth waters for something more than food.

“Why are you here?”she suddenly asks.

“I like being with you,” I say honestly.

“No, I mean, why are you here in Wolf Valley?You have this big-city vibe about you.You’re a good doctor, so I imagine you could work anywhere.Why choose this tiny town?”

I like that she’s finally curious and wants to know more about me.

“I was born and raised in Connecticut.My parents are still there, but I wanted a change of pace.”

She lets out an unladylike snort.“Well, you couldn’t have gotten a bigger change, I’m sure.”

“The slow pace is starting to grow on me,” I admit.“But I came for the job.Being a department head at such a young age looks good on my resume.I like running things.I like being in charge and helping people.”

“So, dream job?”

“Yeah.”

The truth is that I was worried when I first got here, but I like the people I work with.Wolf Valley may be small, but we’re always busy.I get to do what I love in a place that seems to need me.And finding Alexi has made all the difference.So, yeah, moving to Wolf Valley was the best decision I’ve ever made.

“What about you?Why Wolf Valley?”I ask, finishing my last taco.

“I was born here.”

“And you never left?”

“I left for college, then came back.”

“What did you study?”

“Journalism,” she says with a wry smile.“I work for the paper here in town.Not sure for how much longer, though.”

“The paper isn’t doing well?”

“No, they’ve made a lot of layoffs recently.I have a feeling I’ll be next.”

“What will you do?Get a job with another paper?Somewhere close by?”

My head is already spinning with plans to follow her wherever she goes.

“I’m not sure.I’ve been freelancing a bit, writing and submitting to other papers and online outlets.That’s been going well for me.”