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“There we go, Mrs. Perkins,” Samantha smiled and jumped as she heard the faint bell acknowledging that someone had walked in the front door to the office. “Remember, no eating or drinking for thirty minutes with that fluoride treatment.”
“Thank you, Dr. Sloan.”
“Of course – and I’ll see you in six months.”
The two women rose from their respective chairs as Samantha walked her to the front… only to see Toby’s dark head bent over a magazine, sitting in a chair.
“Why, aren’t you a big ol’ sprout like your papa, little Tobias Saxon,” Mrs. Perkins crooned, taking one look at the solitary person in the waiting room and immediately gushing with joy. “What happened to that scrawny little boy from my fourth-grade class?”
“I grew up,” Toby smiled politely.
“You sure did,” Mrs. Perkins said, reaching over to pinch his cheek. “You and your sister were precious angels… but that child, Caspar…”
“Is a doctor now,” Toby volunteered, grinning openly.
Samantha covered the laugh that escaped her as Mrs. Perkins let her inner thoughts slip audibly.
“Oh, dear Lord… he is?”
“He’s grown up quite a bit, too,” Toby chuckled, reassuring the older woman, who looked horrified at the prospect of having her least favorite student who tormented her mercilessly, someday becoming her caregiver.
“Well, let’s hope that is the case,” Mrs. Perkins said, composing herself quickly. “Thank you again, Dr. Sloan.”
“Of course.”
As Mrs. Perkins left, Samantha let out a sigh and walked over to flip off the ‘Open’ neon lights gleaming in the window before turning to look at Toby.
“What did your brother do to that poor woman?” she asked bluntly, holding back laughter.
“We’ll leave it at, ‘They had a mutual aversion to each other’…” he replied, getting to his feet. “Are you hungry?”
Samantha looked at him, realizing for the first time that he was taking this date to heart. She imagined he would wear something casual since she’d suggested pizza, like jeans and a T-shirt.
This was not the case.
Toby was wearing a crisp button-up shirt and slacks that fit him perfectly. The brilliance of his white shirt made his lightly tanned skin look even more golden, and his eyes shone.
She was wearing scrubs, her lab coat, and feeling incredibly nervous. Needing to feel secure, something normal, and a little more in her element?
Samantha immediately waved him back.
“C’mon…”
“You have a very nice office,” Toby began quietly. “I like the plants and all the motivational posters. Very upbeat and relaxing, plus it gives someone something to look at, so they aren’t so nervous coming to the dentist.”
“In the chair…” she prompted, leading him into the room next to where she’d seen Mrs. Perkins – and saw him glance at her curiously.
“I thought you were just showing me around.”
“I am – and I’m a dentist, so I want to see your teeth.”
Toby hesitated before sitting down in the chair as instructed.
Samantha knew this routine and felt herself relaxing immediately. She unfolded the little bib, clipping it around his collar mindlessly, and reclined the seat without a second thought.
As the chair leaned back, Toby opened his mouth, his curious eyes watching her silently. Slipping on gloves, she immediately fell into the automatic movements, grabbing a mirror instrument and putting it into his mouth, inspecting.
… and hesitated.
