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“Thank you.” Aria got up so she could hand her the basket. “I want to keep the flowers here, though. They’re beautiful.”
“One of these days…” Janessa let out a long sigh. “Maybe I’ll get a chance at love.”
“Hopefully, you will. I didn’t see this happening when I moved here.”
“Neither did I,” Janessa said with a laugh. “Happy surprise all around.”
Aria hoped everyone thought it was a happy surprise. Well, she knew it wouldn’t be a happy surprise for Nora, but hopefully everyone else that it mattered to was happy about her relationship with Gareth.
Janessa headed to the stockroom with the basket, leaving Aria alone with her thoughts. She struggled, at times, to accept that what she had with Gareth was real.
After her engagement had ended so painfully, she hadn’t thought she’d ever be interested in another relationship. But she hadn’t anticipated someone like Gareth coming into her life.
Over the past several weeks, Gareth had proven just how into her he was. Though he had a fairly busy schedule most days, healwaysmade time for her. Even if it was just to call her for ten minutes to talk before they fell asleep.
Aria had been used to hearing from her ex when it was convenient for him. He’d been busy with his career, as she had been with hers, so a couple of days could go by without them talking. But she’d been ok with that, not realizing that it could be so much better.
Her life was already so intertwined with Gareth’s that it would be weird to not hear from him each day. The nice thing was that it wasn’t just her wanting to hear from him, but that he also wanted to hear from her. He’d told her she could call him anytime, and if he couldn’t talk, he’d get back to her as soon as he could.
She still hadn’t seen him that day, which was probably just as well, since right then, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to keep her feelings hidden. However, she could still thank him for the basket.
The basket!! It’s amazing. Thank you so much!
She knew he was with a patient, which meant it would be a little bit before he got back to her. After sliding her phone into the drawer so she wouldn’t check it obsessively, she spent a few minutes making phone calls for appointment reminders for the next day.
Just before noon, the last patient of the morning left. Janessa had asked Aria to place an order at a nearby restaurant for lunch for everyone, so Aria waited at the front desk for the delivery.
“Janessa said to come help you with the food.”
A smile formed on Aria’s face before she even turned to see Gareth. “That was nice of her, and of you.”
Gareth grinned, but then winked at her before schooling his expression. Aria wanted to say something more to him, but she knew she didn’t dare.
“When we get back to work after lunch, could you phone the lab and see about blood results for Mrs. Stanton?” Gareth asked. “I checked, but they’re not online yet. I’d like to have them for her appointment, if possible.”
“Sure. I can call over now while we wait for the food.”
“Thank you,” Gareth said with a smile.
Aria placed the call, hoping that someone would answer even though it was close to noon. When a woman answered, Aria asked about the lab results while Gareth went to wait by the door. Before she was finished, the food delivery man showed up.
Gareth took the order, then locked the door and gave her a smile before he carried the food to the staff room. When Aria finished the call, she got up and left the receptionist's desk, eager to spend a little time with Gareth.
When she got to the room, her stomach twisted at the sight of Nora sitting beside Gareth, leaning into him. Knowing that she couldn’t react or sit beside him, Aria slid onto a chair beside Janessa, leaving one empty between herself and Gareth.
He glanced at her, a quick smile crossing his face. It was a safe smile. One that Nora couldn’t read anything into, though it was likely she still might. The one consolation was that it was the same smile he gave Nora. The smiles Aria loved the most from him seemed to be reserved strictly for her.
And she had something very special to look forward to that would more than make up for the distance they needed to keep right then. Since she’d woken up that morning, she’d had a low-level hum of excitement in anticipation of their dinner.
“Since you don’t have plans tonight,” Nora began, leaning against Gareth’s arm. “How about we grab some dinner?”
Aria stared down at her food, trying not to react to Nora’s words.
“I never said I don’t have plans tonight,” Gareth replied, his tone even. “It’s not like all other plans stop just because it’s Valentine’s Day.”
“They don’t for me,” Janessa said.
“Me either,” Jay added. “In fact, I actually try to have some sort of plans on this day, just so I don’t feel sorry for myself and eat all the ice cream in the house.”
