Chapter 4
Liza
“Come in!” I yelled. Bianca came in my front door as I was strapping my sandals on my feet. “Hey,” I greeted her. She’d come to get me in a rideshare, so we didn’t have to worry about cars later.
“You ready?” she asked. “I got us a great VIP table at the club.”
Bluewater had one club and one bar. Bianca had turned into a regular celebrity, thanks to her online influencing career, so she always got a great table at the club. The bar didn’t care who was famous, so we just took whatever table we could if we went there.
“Awesome. Livvie is meeting us there.”
Bianca cocked her head. “I think I’ve met her. Is she Miss Olivia’s granddaughter?”
I shrugged. “No idea. Who is Miss Olivia?”
“She owns the catering half of the business that Wayne owns?” Bianca raised her eyebrows at me. This was probably something I should’ve known already.
“Of course,” I said, trying to catch up.
Everything sort of fell to the wayside while I was working so many clinical hours, but I did want to be a good friend to Bianca.
Wayne was her boyfriend, and he had opened a personal chef business, partnering with a local caterer to use her facilities.
I knew he sometimes helped her with her catering, too.
“I’m guessing it’s her, because I met her when she catered a lunch at the hospital. ”
Bianca snapped her fingers as I grabbed my purse. “Cool. She’s nice, though I’ve only met her a time or two.”
Hopefully, we’d all be friends soon. I hadn’t had time for friends in so long, I was eager to build up my tribe now.
I fluffed my hair, grabbed my purse and we headed outside for the rideshare. Bianca was going to come back here and crash afterward for girls’ night, so we’d share the ride back home, too.
With nobody to say goodbye to, we hurried out the front door, pressing the code to get out without setting off the silent alarm. The building was secure, but Bert was already gone for the day, and we didn’t have a guard at night.
Livvie stood outside the club when we arrived. “Hey,” I called, waving at her. “We’re here!”
Bianca got out of the car, and when Livvie’s gaze landed on her, she grinned. “Hey, I know you. Bianca, right?”
Bianca laughed and held out her hand for a shake. “Call me Bee. It’s a very small town, we shouldn’t be surprised.”
We laughed and went inside, skirting the dance floor to follow Bianca to the VIP section. The lounge was very chill. We didn’t have to yell over one another to be heard, so that was nice.
Livvie was quiet at first, but I started working on her. “So, how do you like catering?” I asked. “You seemed comfortable with it yesterday.”
“It’s okay. I’m new to town, though I spent a lot of time here as a kid, with my grandmother. I’m working part-time for her,” she gestured toward Bee. “And I guess in a way for Wayne, too, since they partnered up.”
Bee nodded. “Though, he said you’ll be taking over the business eventually?”
She shrugged. “I suppose so. I prefer baking, but Granny is getting older. I don’t know if I want to stick to baking or train to take over the whole catering business.”
“What if you partnered with Wayne?” I asked. “Is that a possibility?”
Livvie’s eyebrows went up. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that. I could do all the baking, maybe do a limited partnership with him myself.”
Bee winked. “I’ll mention it to him. Maybe he’ll be down for it.”
Livvie nodded. “The only thing is, if he does, I don’t have anything to fall back on. When Granny offered for me to take over a few years back, I didn’t want it at the time. I was a little too young then. But now I’m wishing I’d taken her up on it.”
The conversation moved forward to men and sex, and as we drank, we all laughed and loosened up. “So, what about you?” Livvie asked me. “Any hot men on the horizon?”
The hot nutritionist’s face flashed through my eyes, then, less welcome, so did Dax’s. “Nope,” I said, holding my hand up. “No man for me, and I’m glad about it. I never saw what an effed-up relationship Dax and I had until it was over.”
“Amen,” Bee said with one eyebrow arched. “I’m glad I didn’t know you two when you were an item, because I don’t think I ever would’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“What happened?” Livvie’s eyes were wide and questioning.
“He cheated,” I said. She gasped, but I held up my drink.
“No, at this point, I’m actually glad he did.
Now I see what a lowlife he was, and how boring.
We never did anything! Never went out, there was no spontaneity, no vigor.
We acted like we’d been married forty years, and we were barely engaged. ” I sniffed. “Good riddance.”
I didn’t get many weekends off, but I was off until Monday this week, so I didn’t hold back. I could sleep all day tomorrow and recover from the hangover.
Livvie was so easy to get along with that Bee and I took to her right away. We danced until they shut the place down and told us we had to leave.
We called a rideshare, and the club security waited with us while they came. Bee and I took one and Livvie took the other. I gave Livvie a big hug. “I had so much fun,” I said sincerely.
“Me, too!” Bee chimed in as we headed for our ride. “Seriously, we are doing this again!”
Livvie nodded eagerly. “You’re on.”
On the way home, my phone rang. Ugh. My mother again.
I was far too drunk to deal with her, especially at three in the morning.
I hit the button to reject the call and send an auto text that I’d call her the next day.
It wasn’t unusual for her to call so late, and it didn’t at all mean she was in some sort of trouble.
I woke to missed calls from her frequently, and it was, unfailingly, some drunken rant or another.
Lately it had been about me going back to Dax, and I didn’t want to hear that at all.
I had finals approaching, so the next day I took headache medicine, sipped on water all day, and studied away my hangover after saying goodbye to Bee.
I did the same Sunday, sans the migraine.
After a shower, I put on fresh PJs, not even dressing, ate a frozen pizza, and went to bed early.
It was a heavenly weekend, for me. Usually, I would’ve only studied.
The addition of girls’ night had done the trick.
As a result, I woke up bright and early on Monday morning, before my alarm.
I was out the door, walking calmly and sedately to the lobby’s front door and spending a moment with Bert before driving toward the hospital.
I even had time to stop at my favorite coffee shop, across the street from the hospital, and grab a bite to eat.
It was going to be a great day. I just knew it. I walked from the coffee shop with my extra-large latte and a bag full of donuts for my floor. I was headed to the top, the last of my rotation, the cardio floor. When I finished on four, I’d be done with my degree.
As people exited the elevator, I finally got a little room to breathe.
An amazing scent overpowered the donuts and tickled my olfactory senses.
Without looking up from my phone, I mumbled, “You smell great.” He chuckled in reply, which made me smile, but I didn’t want the guy to think I was coming on to him, so I kept my gaze on my phone for another second before looking up…
and straight into the light brown eyes of the man who had been touring the hospital with Dr. Anthony the month before. “Oh,” I breathed. “Hello.”
Goosebumps erupted all over my body, and a zing of desire danced down my spine, straight to my… core.
He was handsome as all hell, and he was of course the one who smelled amazing. Bluewater was flooded with attractive men, like they were drawn to the town somehow, but this dude was next-level handsome.
Not that I had time to notice. Maybe in another year, I could think about dating someone, but for now, all I did was look and appreciate the many gorgeous males in the area.
He met my gaze steadily with a smile in his eyes, though he never returned my greeting outside of smiling. Whoa, damn. More desire, and big butterflies. I broke his gaze and breathed a small sigh of relief when the elevator dinged for the fourth floor.
My relief was short-lived. Hottie McBrowneyes got off on the same floor. What was it about this man that made me feel so flustered?
He walked next to me as I headed toward my nurses’ station to drop off the donuts. I waved at Rebekah and shook the bag at her as he kept walking.
Dr. Abby came out of one of the patient rooms. She was normally on the maternity ward, but she came up to four sometimes for a gyno consult.
She brightened when she saw McBrowneyes.
Her posture changed slightly, too. She straightened her spine and tossed her thick blonde hair over her shoulders as she walked toward him.
Oh, so she was interested in him. Well, he did have that effect. At least it wasn’t only me.
Then, why did her interest in him make me want to yank her pretty hair out? It made no sense.
Oh, well, he was just extra hot. Nothing to get excited over. I sighed and grabbed the paper waiting for me, with any updates to my rotation. There was nothing new, so I turned to get the report from the night nurse, but Dr. Abby waved me over.
“Liza, this is Toby Miller, the hospital’s new lead nutritionist. Mr. Miller recognized you from his first visit and wanted to thank you for your kindness.”
I furrowed my brow at both of them. I’d never actually spoken to the man, but they didn’t give me a chance to say anything.
Mr. Miller jumped in first. “I didn’t have time to talk to you during your first visit, and wondered if you’d be free to chat during lunch?” His voice was captivating. I’d forgotten how deep and melodic it was. I hoped neither of them caught the shiver that went up my spine when he spoke.
Shit. They were waiting on me to reply. I had no idea what he’d have to talk about with me.
“Lunch,” I said, mainly because what else could I say?
They were both waiting on a reply, with Dr. Abby giving me a curious look with her head cocked to the side.
I was pretty sure she was interested in the man.
I sure didn’t want to be on her bad side. I’d loved working with her in her ward and really wanted to do it full-time.
Dr. Abby raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes at me. I was taking way too long to respond. No way was I pissing her off, so I declined as politely as I could. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Miller. I’ve already promised to have lunch with my nurse supervisor, Rebekah. I do thank you for the offer, though.”
I was insanely curious what in the world he could possibly want to thank me for, but not enough to risk my dream job. He looked disappointed. Darn it, I also didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. “Maybe Dr. Abby is free for lunch?” I asked, smiling at her.
“As it turns out, I am,” she said. “Meet you in the cafeteria?”
He nodded with a polite smile on his face. “Sounds fine.”
Dr. Abby turned away from Mr. Miller and winked at me, then headed toward the elevators, leaving me staring at the nutritionist. “Well,” I said awkwardly.
“I’ve got rounds. Nice to meet you.” As I hurried away, I could’ve sworn he was staring at me.
I didn’t have to turn around. His gaze bored into my back.
And made me tingle all over again.