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Chapter Five
“He kissed me!”
Sitting at her dining room table, Lillian touched her lips with trembling fingers.
Good God, Steve had kissed her without her having done anything to encourage him. Reliving the scene forever etched in her memory, she gulped the rest of her drink and poured herself another.
Did that mean he liked her as a woman? Granted, he’d always appreciated her professional skills, but tonight for the first time in his life, he’d seen her as a woman, an attractive woman, rather than a proficient nurse. It couldn’t be the ten-year old dress and shoes she’d bought for a friend’s wedding that had done the trick. Maybe it had been wearing her hair down that had enticed him. Men were supposed to like long, silky hair. She assumed the hairdresser had done a good job.
Knowing she would have trouble falling asleep, she prepared another glass of her favorite drink and brought it to bed. After changing into her nightgown, she switched on the TV, hoping the news would put her to sleep. She sipped her Bailey’s, pondering his last words.
I don’t know anymore. For the first time in my life, I’m confused.
Coming from the successful, self-confident doctor, they revealed an astonishing storm inside him. Was she responsible for his sudden confusion?
The next morning she didn’t hesitate before donning her uniform and wrapping her hair into a bun. Remembering his warning not to hide anymore, she smiled. For a change, she didn’t pull on her hair and flatten it quite as much, and loosened the bun. On impulse, she swept her lashes lightly with a mascara brush and added her glasses as usual, wondering if he would notice any difference.
Although the clinical work didn’t start until eight, Dr. Winston insisted the staff arrive no later than seven to settle in, receive their schedules, and attend meetings.
Once at the clinic, Lillian walked straight to the nurses’ room. As usual, the strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee welcomed her. Brewing coffee was a ritual for Heidi who claimed no one could make a decent cup of coffee the way she liked it. Each day, she arrived ten minutes early to prepare a pot.
“Well, how did it go?” Heidi wouldn’t waste her time with a useless greeting. “I’ll pour you a cup while you talk.”
Lillian shrugged. “Everything went well. Dinner was delicious.”
Heidi arched an eyebrow. “Here’s your coffee.” She settled at a table with her own cup. “Am I going to have to pull the words out of you?”
“Actually, it went better than I expected. We went to the Boathouse, ordered a combo of shrimp and ribs, and drank wine.”
Heidi squinted. “And?”
“And chatted.”
Scrutinizing her face, the senior nurse grinned. “You’re reluctant to spill the juicy details. So I assume there were somego-oodmoments. All right, I won’t push. Glad you took my advice. You owe me big time. Don’t bother protesting, girl.”
“Who knows? We’ll see.”
“Is that why you look different today? Not sure what it is. Still no makeup. Same horrible bun and boring white uniform, but there’s something I can’t put my finger on that makes you more agreeable to look at. I’ll watch and see how our boss reacts when he meets you.”
“Don’t. Please don’t be obvious and—”
“And annoying.” Heidi burst out laughing. “Why? It’s such a pleasure to catch the boss in the wrong.”
“You’re evil.”
“I’m helping you. And I hope you can keep him here in Cincinnati, make him forget this crazy idea of living on a boat, and working on an island. We certainly need him here. The clinic will collapse without him. These two kids he’s put in charge may have an MD attached to their names, but they don’t know the ABC of running such a busy place.”
“It was just a dinner, Heidi. Don’t expect much more than that from it. He’s fed up with the way his family has treated him.”
“I can certainly agree with that, but you’ve taken good care of him. You feed him well, and now you can offer him so much more, if you get my meaning. My Italian grandmother used to say,A smart woman keeps her man with a good table and a good bed.”
Lillian glared at her. “Are you crazy? I’m not his woman, not his wife, and not a whore. Your grandmother’s slogan doesn’t apply.”
“How about becoming his beloved girlfriend? Hmm…think about it.”
Anxiety gripped Lillian. She shouldn’t get her hopes up only to get crushed in the process, her heart in tatters again. She’d asked for a dinner; he’d suggested ten. Nothing more. Dinner meant eating food.Andhaving a good time, a voice murmured in her mind, chatting, laughing and kissing as they’d done.
Nothing, absolutely nothing more could be expected from a man turning his life around a hundred and eighty degrees.
