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I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince Suzie or myself, but just to be safe I took the back exit out of the hospital to avoid running into him.
Cal
“Hey, Doc, where’s the party?”
Over the past two days, Teddy’s crew had grown by three more men, and I knew that was a direct result of her wanting to finish my house as soon as humanly possible without negatively impacting the job.
The thought made me smile.
“Party? This is just my way of saying thank you guys for the hard work this week. It’s pizza, wings, and beer. Is that all right?”
Travis Ricci flashed a wide smile and glanced at his phone. “It’s better than all right. It’s after five and we’re officially off the clock. Put away the tools first and whoever wants to stay, can.”
A round of cheers went up and the men worked quickly to pack up the tools and stack the materials under protective coverings until tomorrow.
“Thanks, Cal,” Travis added. “Makes Thursday feel like a Friday, and I like that feeling a lot.”
“The place is looking just how I imagined and I’m grateful.” I set the boxes and the first six-pack down on the wooden table Hannah had made for one of her craft blogs before going back for two more packs of beer. “Napkins and plates are in the kitchen,” I told Travis before disappearing inside.
I was tempted to go straight to Teddy because I knew she was working on the kitchen, but after twelve straight hours in the ER with more than half of them spent in the operating room, I needed a hot shower to wash the hospital stench off me before I made my approach. I knew she didn’t mind me sweaty when I was shirtless; I still couldn’t stop seeing the heat in her eyes when they raked over my body.
Ten minutes later, I found Teddy and a middle-aged man finishing up one final set of cabinets. The mudroom was just about complete, and the cabinets were all done. She’ll be finished soon. It was a thought that didn’t sit well with me. I needed more time, and I knew Teddy would go back to keeping her distance as soon as the job was over. It was now or never.
“Wow, you guys work fast.”
Teddy gifted me with an annoyed look over her shoulder, which I ignored because the view of her in fitted jeans on that ladder had my own jeans tightening considerably.
“That’s why you pay us the medium bucks,” she deadpanned before turning back to her colleague. “Secure?”
“Yep. Perfectly level, too.” The older guy smiled, and Teddy smiled back. “We did good today.”
“We did,” she agreed. “Thanks for your hard work.”
“Just doing my job,” he assured her with a sheepish shrug of his broad shoulders.
“Hey guys, Doc brought us thank you pizza and wings,” Travis called out, startling his sister. “Hurry before it’s all gone.”
Teddy looked around at the mess in the kitchen and sighed. “You go on and I’ll clean up.”
The guy didn’t look sure about that. “You sure, boss? It’s just a few more minutes’ work. I’m happy to help.”
She laughed. “If you don’t go now, there will be nothing left, and I happen to know Cal here only buys good beer.”
He looked at me and I shrugged. “She’s right.”
“In that case I’ll just say thank you, and I’ll save you one.” He shuffled off with a smile and a grateful nod in my direction. Seconds later, the screen door smacked shut, leaving me alone with Teddy.
Just where I wanted to be. “Looks like it’s just you and me.”
“And almost half a dozen workers in your front yard,” she added with an amused laugh. “Is there something you need, Cal? The dishes are in the dining room.”
“Don’t mind me, I’m just enjoying the view.” The words came out just as she bent over to sweep up some debris. “Need some help?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’ll just stand here and enjoy the view until you’re ready to talk to me.”
Teddy shook her head and laughed. “Do you ever quit?”
‘Quit’ wasn’t a word in my vocabulary, as cheesy as that sounded. It took a lot of work to become a doctor, a surgeon, and to work the emergency department on a regular basis. I didn’t quit, not ever.
“Not when it’s something or someone I really want.” I flashed a playful smile when she peeked at me over her shoulder.
“Until you get bored, anyway.”
Is that what Teddy thought of me? “What does that mean?”
Teddy stood with a sigh and wrapped up a big black bag filled with trash and set it in the mudroom. She released the elastic band holding her thick hair up and ran her fingers through it before she looked at me straight on. “Alana. I’m sure at some point you really wanted her, and then you got bored with her.”
