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“I want to,” Caroline says with a smile.
“Well, thank you.”
I grab the bag and smile, waving goodbye to Heath and Caroline as I hurry back out to my car.
Ken’s clinic is only a block away and I park in the lot a minute later. The lot is empty and I hope that I’ve caught him in between patients. I grab his food and the flowers from the back seat before I head inside.
Ken is at the front counter alone, working on some paperwork, and I hesitate, wondering if I should interrupt him. He looks so serious, his lips twist into a scowl as he scribbles something down. My dad always hated when I interrupted him, and I would hate to cause Ken more stress.
I start to doubt if the flowers would be a good idea after all but before I can back out, he looks up, pinning me in my spot with those eyes of his.
I can see his emotions warring in those deep, dark depths. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to stop what he’s working on, but also I can tell he craves contact with someone who isn’t a patient and who isn’t looking for something from him. I square my shoulders and decide to move forward with operation Brighten Ken’s Day.
“Hey,” I start, shuffling forward and setting the flowers and food on the counter next to him.
“Hey, what’s all of this?” he asks, his eyes bouncing back and forth between the food and the flowers.
“I went to grab lunch and thought maybe you could use something too.”
He licks his lips, opening the takeout container and he grins as he sees the burger and fries inside.
“Thanks, I did miss lunch today. The flowers are beautiful too,” he says before he pops a french fry into his mouth and studies the bouquet.
“No problem. I know that you’ve been busy with work lately.”
“Yeah, we really need to find a new nurse,” he says with a sigh before he takes a big bite of his burger.
He finishes it off in about two seconds flat and I wonder if I should go grab him the burger that I grabbed from myself from the car.
“Have you had any luck with finding someone?” I ask as he grabs his water bottle and takes a drink.
“No, not yet. We have a few more interviews lined up soon though.”
“I hope that you find someone soon. I’d offer to help but the sight of blood…” I say, trailing off as a shiver works its way down my spine.
“Yeah, not a fan?” Ken asks with a laugh as he wipes his hands and tosses his trash in the can next to the desk.
“Not at all. I’m way better with flowers.”
“Yes, you are,” Ken says, looking over to the arrangement.
“Thanks,” I say, trying to will the blush from turning my face into a bright red tomato.
“How’s the shop going? You inherited it from your great-aunt, right?”
“Yeah, she passed a year ago and I moved out here from Chicago to take over. Things have been going well.”
“Cherry Falls must be quite the change of pace from Chicago,” he comments and I nod, leaning against the front counter.
“It is, but I love it. I like the slower pace, how everyone knows each other. There’s just more of a sense of community here, at least for me.”
Ken nods, thinking about something, and I want to ask him about himself. Where is he from? Did he always want to be a doctor? Does he have any family? I want to know everything about him.
He studies my face like he’s seeing me for the first time. I could swear he’s about to say something, to ask me out, but before he can, the clinic door opens and his next patient walks in.
“I’ll let you get back to it,” I say, trying not to show my disappointment.
“Thanks for the food and the flowers,” Ken says and I smile as I turn to leave.
