Hayley
M y alarm goes off at three thirty a.m. Pulling the covers over my head, I let out a loud groan. I didn’t sleep much last night. You can take the girl out of night shift but not the night shift out of the girl.
Okay, so maybe it isn’t so much the adjustment from working nights to working days that keeps me tossing and turning the whole night, but the thoughts of Brooks.
The moment I would close my eyes, I’d imagine him pulling me to his chest as I confronted him.
Then his mouth would be on mine, in a kiss so hot, it could melt not just your panties off, but the ice underneath us.
Ugh! Why the hell are you thinking of him ? I inwardly scold myself. Brooks Miller is the last person I should be fantasizing about in my dreams.
I roll out of bed and throw on a pair of workout clothes before packing my work bag. Down in the kitchen, I find my mother sitting at the kitchen island, drinking a cup of coffee. I can always count on her. She’s my rock.
“Good morning, sweetheart. I know I’m early, but you know how I am. No rest for the wicked.” She smiles at me over the rim of her mug.
You can say what you want about Celeste Richards. Her perfect bond hair and wrinkle-free forehead would give you the impression she’s a capital B.I.T.C.H. Sure, she’s the head bitch in charge, when working on something for the foundation. But deep down, Mom’s a softy.
“You don’t mind that I asked you to come over early so I could work out before the day begins?” I smile softly as I pour some coffee into my travel mug.
Her smile says it all. “Not at all, sweetie. Your father was up anyway.” She sighs. “Coach Stevens and his never-ending drama. He really is an ass kisser you know.”
Douglas Stevens is four years older than me.
His parents are friends with mine, and we end up running in the same circle.
I can’t stand the man, but he obviously can’t take the hint.
I see the way he looks at me, like I’m his next victim in line for dating.
When he graduated college, my dad offered him an assistant coaching position, but now he’s worked his was way up to the big leagues.
“Well, look who his father is.” I can’t help but stifle my sarcasm.
“Touché.” She chuckles. “Well, you better get going if you want to work out before the behemoths get there.” Giving her a kiss on the cheek, I grab my stuff and walk out the door toward my car.
The parking lot is empty when I pull into the underground parking garage at the arena.
I pull my not so new 2003 Trailblazer into my assigned spot.
When the garage is full, it stands out like a sore thumb.
You would think I would have sucked it up and traded it in for something newer, but I like my car the way it is.
It was the first real thing I bought without my parents handing it to me.
I swipe my keycard against the keypad and walk the long, narrow hall to my clinic and office. Dropping my bag behind the desk before grabbing my earpods and heading to the facility gym. The perk of working for my father’s team—free access to the gym.
Four miles in on the treadmill, my cell vibrates with a text. I can’t help but smile when I glance at the screen. It’s been awhile since I let someone who isn’t Cam’s dad into my life, but Tucker Price has managed to get my heart somehow.
Tucker: Good morning, gorgeous. Just finishing up a 24-hour shift. Hope to see you tonight at dinner. Miss you.
Tucker Price is Dr. Tucker Price. A world-renowned cardiologist who I met by chance one night on an emergency consult during residency.
He strolled in with his white lab coat, dark locks combed back, and a smile that reached his deep, brown eyes.
I was crushing from the very moment he said hello and asked for my name.
Now six months in, and I can’t believe that he’s mine.
He’s who I should have been fantasizing about last night.
Me: I know. It sucks not seeing you every day. Can’t wait for tonight! XXX
I finish up my workout with some light weights before retreating to my office’s ensuite bathroom.
It’s strange that I have my own office, especially one with my own bathroom attached to it.
When I worked at the hospital, all I had was the women’s locker room and a shared on-call room.
It was nowhere near as glamorous as my office now.
I’m mid shampoo when a knock on the door startles me.
There’s no way in hell anyone would be here yet.
It was barely six when I finished up my workout.
Just as I’m getting ready to wash my body, the bathroom door handle jiggles ever so slightly before the door creaks open, my assistant’s voice following.
“Hey, boss lady.” She pauses for a moment. A bit of nervousness settles into her tone. “Uh… I know it’s early. But you first appointment of the day is already here.”
Seriously? Fuck. “Uh… okay. Have them wait. I’ll be out in like five,” I state, not hearing another word out of her.
I quickly rinse my body before grabbing the white plush towel hanging on the hook beside the shower door. I wrap it around me before exiting into my office.
“Hey — Cassidy,” I start to say, completely oblivious to the visitor sitting on the couch in the corner of my office.
“Can you tell my first appointment that I may need a few more moments to go over paperwork —” I pause for a second, getting ready to drop my towel when a voice finally stops me in my tracks.
“Well, if I knew it was going to be this kind of appointment, I would have worn my nice button up,” Brooks says through a smirk.
I clutch my towel tightly around my body as an amused look continues to grow on his face. His blue eyes are a shade darker as he does a once over of me. Drinking in my body, which is apparently too petrified to move but heating at the core.
“U-uh,” I stutter.
What are you doing standing here still, Hayley? Move those fucking feet.
“You just gonna stand there, or are you going to finish the show?” He chuckles as the heat rises to my cheek.
“Cassidy!” I yell as she sprints into the room with a devilish smirk on her face. She may be my assistant, but she’s also been my best friend since elementary school. “Can you please show Mr. Miller here to the waiting room so I can make myself decent?”
They both smirk at one another as if some silent exchange is happening. “NOW!” I yell as she gestures for Brooks to go back to the reception space.
I quickly dress in a pair of scrubs and run a brush through my hair before sloppily throwing it into a messy bun.
It’s not what I had planned, but Brooks Miller sure has proven to me that nothing he does is ever planned.
I tie my Nikes before making my way to the office door, opening it to find Brooks and Cassidy laughing.
I clear my throat, interrupting whatever the two of them have going on. Do they have something going? The thought alone has me seething deep down for some unexplainable reason.
“Mr. Miller, you may come in now,” I say, glaring at Cassidy as she continues to chuckle at my embarrassment.
“Sorry for showing up early,” he says as soon as the door is closed. “I was up and finished my workout early and thought that maybe coming in a little earlier wouldn’t hurt.”
Ugh! Who does this guy think he is?
“A little early? Two hours isn’t a little early. Appointments are made for a reason. And just because you show up early doesn’t mean you’ll get brownie points toward being cleared,” I say, while pulling his file up on my iPad. “But nonetheless, here we are. So, let’s get this over with, shall we?”
I gesture for him to take a seat on the exam table before guiding him through some range of motion exercises. My hands run down the muscles of his arms. Firm. Strong and if I weren’t in a position where professionalism is a must, I would wonder what it feels like to have them wrapped around me.
Shit.
What are you saying, Hayley? You’re literally wondering what that feels like in a professional environment. Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I write down measurements and notes on how his injury has improved. If he’s in any pain at all, he doesn’t show it. Not flinching or wincing in pain once.
“So, what’s the damage, Doc?” Brooks says, jumping off the exam table and following me over to my desk.
I could clear him. Give him exactly what he wants, but someone as cocky as he should earn it. I know I’m being childish, but who says I can’t have a little fun torturing him a little while longer.
I release a long sigh, positioning my elbows on my desk. “Well, for starters, your injury seems to be healing well.”
“So, you’ll clear me?”
Interrupting me? Rude much.
“If you’d let me finish. It’s healing well. However, I still feel it needs some more rehabilitation.” He releases an inward groan, cutting me off again. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll clear you for participation in the youth hockey camp. Seems like it’s not too strenuous.”
“What about training camp?” he rushes out.
“I won’t clear you officially for training camp until you work with one of the team trainers for a minimum of two weeks,” I say, leaning back in my chair to watch his reaction.
“Training camp’s in two weeks,” he huffs, standing from his chair.
I inwardly smile at how much I’ve gotten under his skin. Point Hayley. “Well then, I suggest you set up an appointment with Cassidy for a trainer when you leave here today.”
He looks like he wants to say something more when my office door suddenly opens. In the doorway, my father stands with a wide smile on his face, Camden in tow shortly behind him.
“There’s my girl,” he bellows as they enter the room.
I smile as I gesture for Brooks to leave. “I’ll see you in two weeks for a follow-up, Brooks. Enjoy youth camp today though.”
He nods in frustration before walking toward the door. “Mr. Richards. Good to see you.”