12. Smooth And Easy
12
SMOOTH AND EASY
“ H ow much candy did you buy to hand out tonight, Coy?” Mandy asked him.
She was one of his part-time dental assistants.
“I’ve got a ton,” he said. “You know me and my sweet tooth. But what doesn’t get handed out will come in here.”
“I think it’s great you hand out toothbrushes with the candy,” Abby said. They were in the break room and he was getting a coffee before they started for the day.
He normally downed it fast, then brushed his teeth to get the taste out of his mouth before he started to work on patients.
“Got to cover my bases and be a responsible dentist,” he said, grinning.
“That’s what makes you so great,” Abby said. “Did you know he did those things, Angel?”
“Did I know what?” Angel asked.
She never volunteered she knew things that others might wonder about. It appeared that only Sarah and Maria knew that Angel was Spencer’s sister because no one had commented on it since.
“That he handed out toothbrushes and candy at Halloween?” Abby asked.
“I think I heard that somewhere,” she said, smiling. “I should do the same, but I’m not sure if I’ll get a lot of kids at my place tonight. I’m prepared if I do. I hope.”
“Grab some toothbrushes when you leave,” he said.
“If you don’t mind, I will,” she said.
Coy thought things might be awkward after Friday night, but it wasn’t.
He’d had more fun than he thought he would.
They’d had dinner, watched a movie and laughed while she jumped at a few scenes. She even spilled some popcorn but then helped him clean it up.
The hour on the beach by the water in front of the fire was the best.
They talked the whole time about college and professors that they’d both had.
He never could talk like that with anyone else. Not even Spencer because he didn’t get it any more than Coy would talking about Spencer’s law professors.
But everything with Angel was so smooth and easy.
She pulled out of his driveway close to ten thirty that night and he didn’t see or talk to her again until she showed up for work on Monday.
They went back into their routine of staying late when the office was closed, but it wasn’t as late as it’d been before she started.
“I don’t mind at all,” he said. “This will let everyone know where you work too.”
“I haven’t talked to all that many in the apartments.”
“Why not?” Abby asked. “You seem so outgoing and friendly. You’re attractive. I thought for sure you’d be finding some guys to go on dates with.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. The tone was off on Abby too, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Or maybe it was just the idea that Angel could be dating and he didn’t know about it.
No, she wasn’t. If she was, she wouldn’t have come to his house days ago and spent hours watching movies and talking.
“Thanks,” she said. “I think. But I’m still getting used to living here and finding my way around. I’m open and friendly at work, but maybe at the end of the day I’m sick of people.”
Coy started to laugh because there had been a few times he’d felt the same way.
“It’s hard to find men on the island,” Abby said. “I know. I try.” Abby was looking at him, but he turned away quickly.
“I’ve got a few things to do before we get started,” he said and walked out with his coffee to his office.
“She’s not too obvious, is she?” Angel asked quietly when she walked into their office.
“Who?” he asked.
“Never mind,” she said.
He got up and shut the door. “No, say it.”
“Abby,” she said. “She flirts with you every chance she gets. You can’t tell me you don’t see it.”
“I see it,” he said. “Which is why I walk out of the room. She’s obvious but not so obvious that I want to make it uncomfortable by calling her out on it. I’m the boss and things could get tricky.”
He’d talked to his father about this and had been advised to just ignore her and never be alone with Abby if he could avoid it.
It was something he’d been doing for a good year since she’d been employed.
His mother told him if he had a girlfriend or ever talked about a woman that it’d stop.
He was damned if he was going to date someone just to get an employee with a crush to back off.
“I didn’t think of it that way,” she said, frowning.
“Why the look?” he asked.
“What look?’ she asked.
“You frowned. How come?”
“I didn’t know I was,” she said. “Guess I did it without thought. But that does stink for you to be in that position.”
“It is what it is,” he said. “I’m not alone with her, so if you ever see her come in here or a room and no one is around, I’d appreciate you popping your head in.”
“Sure,” she said. “I can watch out for you like Spencer has you doing that to me.”
He laughed. “Not quite the same thing, but you get it. Are you excited about handing candy out tonight?”
“Yes. I hope I get some kids. No way I want to leave all that candy in my house.”
“Why?” he asked. “I’ve heard you’re a junk food eater.”
Her jaw dropped. “That’s horrible. Spencer told you that?”
“It’s the only person I would hear it from,” he said, laughing. “I don’t think you’re too bad.”
“Can I confess that I thought you were some health nut when I was in your house with my family? Not that I was going through your stuff, but I was trying to find things.”
“I’ve got snacks in the pantry.”
“When I saw them I realized that you were human.”
He laughed. “Trust me, I’m human.”
“I know. I almost opened your jar of M&M’s and took a fistful out.”
“You should have,” he said. “I’ve got them there for the kids.”
“Oh, they aren’t yours?” she asked.
“Not really,” he said. “I’m more of a baked goods person. Like those cookies you brought and I ate three of them.”
“Don’t forget the apple pie you brought home too.”
“See,” he said. “Not a health freak. But I believe you had a big cookie and a piece of pie too.”
“Guilty,” she said. “And I’d do it again.”
It was this easy banter the two of them had that he loved.
He had it with Spencer too, only that was different.
This was something more that he told himself not to even think about.
“But you only had one candy bar during the movie.”
“I didn’t want you to judge me,” she said. “It was hard deciding between that and the gummy bears.”
“If you’re not doing anything this weekend, maybe we can try for another movie and you can have your gummy bears. Unless of course you bought some to hand out and will have them tonight.”
She laughed. “I didn’t buy anything I like because if I don’t get any trick or treaters then I’m stuck with them all and that’s not a good thing. The last thing I need is a cavity and have to get you to fix it for me.”
“Aww, you’d let me do it?”
“You don’t think I’d go to another dentist on or off the island, do you?” she asked pretending to be hurt.
“In that case, if I need to have anything repaired in my mouth, you can do it for me.”
She burst out laughing. “We are warped, aren’t we?”
He held his finger up in a pinch. “Maybe just a little.”
“I like working here, Coy. It’s more fun than I thought my first job would be.”
“I’m glad to know that,” he said. Which told him maybe he had to tread carefully to not make it a hard situation for her.
“We should get to work,” she said. She opened her drawer and took out some sugar free gum and popped it in her mouth.
“Toss me a piece,” he said.
“Don’t you have to brush your teeth and gargle first?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. “You just had coffee. I had mine at home.”
“Doesn’t mean I might not want a piece of bubble gum.”
“I don’t blow bubbles with it,” she argued.
“You do,” he said. “When we are sitting here at night doing our notes you snap and pop your gum.”
She handed him the package. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Why haven’t you said anything?”
“Maybe I find it cute,” he said.
She stared at him and he figured he pushed it. “You mean cute for a kid,” she said. “Like annoying.”
“That too,” he said, laughing.
“I’ll be more aware, but that also means I’m going to be watching out to see if you do it too.”
He laughed. “I won’t.”
“We’ll see about that.”