7. Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Cal
The lights were on inside the practice as I approached the glass door. I paused in the hallway and braced for another round with my boss. Adam only stopped yelling at me yesterday because his patient arrived. I left as soon as my last session ended while he was treating someone else. He had every right to be angry, but there’s only so much I could take before I snapped back. I straightened my back and pushed through the door.
“Morning, Cal,” Cammie said. She appeared to be halfway through the June invoicing, and it wasn’t even seven thirty.
“Why are you here so early?” I asked leaning against the reception desk.
She gave me a weak smile and went back to work.
I blew out a breath and rubbed my forehead. “I’m sorry, Cam. I shouldn’t have left early. How long did he yell at you?”
Cammie waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. He’s harmless.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It does matter. He shouldn’t yell at either of us, but you did nothing wrong.”
Cammie shrugged. “I’m late sometimes. But like I said, I can handle him. Personally, I like to do the billing after the month ends. It’s more efficient. But he loves when I do it on a rolling basis. He should be in a much better mood today.”
She smiled, but it looked forced.
“When he finally retires, and I buy the practice, I’m giving you the biggest raise.”
Her smile looked more genuine as she reached for another invoice.
Adam burst through the glass door, glanced at Cammie and deflated a little, then saw me and puffed back up. “My office, Cal,” he said as he stormed past us.
“You got this,” Cammie whispered keeping her eyes on her work. “Hang your head and stare at your hands if you feel like fighting back. He’ll want to flex his power. Let him. If you don’t, he’ll want to prove he has it—however he can.”
Her voice wavered at the end, and a chill went through my body. “Cam, has he ever—”
She shook her head. “You don’t want to keep him waiting. It will only make him angrier.”
“Fuck Cohen. Has he hurt you? I’ll go in there right now and kick his ass.” It would have sounded more believable if I wasn’t whispering.
Cammie’s head shot up and a laugh burst from her before she slapped her hand over her mouth. Then she must have realized how serious I was. “I promise, he’s never put a finger on me.”
My stomach clenched. “I didn’t ask if he hit you. I asked if he hurt you.”
“No, never,” she whispered, waving her hands at me like I was a fly circling her latte. “Now get in there before he fires you.”
“We’re not done with this conversation,” I said walking backward toward Adam’s office.
“Yes, we are,” she said with a smile.
“Leave it open,” Adam said when I stepped into his office and started to pull the door closed behind me. An open door was a good sign, I hoped. I did as he asked and sat in a chair facing his desk.
He leaned forward and steepled his hands. “I spent some time last night reading through your online reviews, including the comments.”
Crap. If he believed Avery’s were legitimate, I might as well pack my stuff. “Adam, like I said, my ex fabricated—”
He held up his palm to stop me. “Since you believe they’re coming from one individual—”
“Who was never a patient,” I interrupted.
“Since you believe they’re all from an individual who was never a patient,” he amended, “I recommend you contact an attorney who specializes in defamation and libel.”
“You want me to sue my ex?”
“I want you to clean up your mess, Cal. Her actions are affecting your bookings, which is affecting my business.”
I shook my head. “I can’t sue Avery.” I could, but part of me felt like I deserved her anger. When she’d approached me during Church’s New Year’s Eve Party, I’d told her I wasn’t interested in a relationship. She’d assured me she was just looking to blow off steam without adding to her body count. But despite agreeing we’d only be casual, we’d fallen back into many of the same patterns we kept in high school. Dinner every Friday and Saturday night. Phone calls or texts at least once a day. In my mind, we were just having fun. She never even slept over. The moment she suggested taking a vacation together this summer, I realized she thought we’d gotten back together. I told her she wanted more than I did and ended things. I’d hurt her, and now I was paying the price.
“Why not?” Adam asked.
“She’ll calm down as soon as she moves on with someone else. I’m certain I’ll be able to remove the reviews. The process just takes a while.”
Adam let out a disappointed sigh. “Sometimes in business you have to make hard choices. You might choose to let your ex-girlfriend hurt your reputation, but I can’t. You have until the end of July to fix this, or you’re fired. I won’t have the practice tarnished by an associate. Am I clear?”
I nodded. For all Adam’s faults as a boss, I always knew exactly where I stood with him and what he expected. This wasn’t an empty threat. I was officially in deep shit. If I couldn’t convince Avery to delete the reviews, I’d be out of a job by August.
Adam shifted in his chair, looking uncomfortable for the first time since the conversation started. “I’m trusting you when you say the reviews are fraudulent, but after reading them, I’m obligated as the practice owner to watch you closely. If any of your patients seem the least bit unsatisfied with your care, I have to let you go immediately. Do you understand?”
I bobbed my head again and forced down the words I wanted to say.
Adam let out a sigh. “Don’t let this ruin your career, Cal,” he said quietly. “You’re great at what you do. I wouldn’t have hired you otherwise. You can close the door on your way out.”
I left his office as fast as I could, closing the door softly. It took everything in me not to punch it. Cammie hurried over from her desk and pulled me into my office. She shoved me into my chair with surprising strength and ran around the desk again to close my door.
“Fuck,” I said, louder than I should. I’d heard enough of Adam’s calls to know the walls between our offices were thin.
I’d spent two years building my online reputation and client list. Before Avery began her attack, I was more in-demand than Adam. He worked four days a week most of the time since, more often than not, new patients requested me. Cammie and I both hoped he’d get a taste of retirement and decide to go all in. Starting over at another practice would set my career back to the start. Worse, since I’d be working against all the negative crap Avery posted.
“Look at me, Cal,” Cammie said, plopping herself on the corner of my desk and leaning in until our noses almost touched. “You’re going to sit here, take some deep breaths, and calm down. Then, you’re going to forget about that conversation, and focus on your patients. Got it?”
I gripped my hair but nodded.
“Good. Your first appointment is with Rowan. Try to loosen up with her. You looked super tense during your first session. She wanted to switch to Dr. Cohen, but I convinced her to stay.”
“Can’t say I blame her,” I said rubbing my forehead.
“Bullshit. You and I both know you’re the best PT in this practice. Now, get your head out of your butt and show her.”
She sounded so much like my old football coach, I half expected her to order me to stand, so she could slap my ass on her way out of my office.
By the time Cammie messaged me that Rowan had arrived, my heart rate had slowed to near normal. It’d spiked a little when I read the chart notes her doctor sent. Rowan lied to me. Or misled me, which was a big problem since PT required clear communication with the patient. She’d let me assume she’d been inside a car when the accident happened. Her definition of the word “vehicle” wasn’t standard. Still, given the doctor’s report, she was lucky not to have fractured anything. She had to be in considerable pain, which meant I needed get my head out of my ass to help her. And to do that, I needed her to be comfortable with me.
“Rowan,” I said, opening my office door.
She was in the middle of an animated conversation with Cammie, but when she looked at me, her smile fell. Damn it. Our little chat yesterday hadn’t cleared the air as much as I’d hoped.
“Let’s start today with the heat mat. Lie face down on the first table, and I’ll grab it.”
She did as I asked, and I did my best to ignore how fantastic her peach-shaped ass looked in today’s leggings. She had her head turned toward me when I approached the table with the mat. Usually, I left patients to enjoy the heat and charted or started another session if the schedule was full, but today, I laid the mat over Rowan’s back and took a seat on the stool beside her.
She closed her eyes and moaned, which was normal. The heat mat felt incredible, even for someone without an injury. I was used to all kinds of groans and sighs of relief, but Rowan’s went straight to my dick, which had definitely missed the memo that she was off limits.
“This feels amazing. Can I bring it home?” she asked.
I shifted on the stool. It was like she’d asked to take me home, which she hadn’t. She didn’t like me, which was entirely my fault and something I had to fix.
“I’ll build it into your treatment plan. You might try a heat pad or electric blanket at home. The mat has wet heat, which is ideal for muscle relaxation, so taking a hot shower should help too.”
And now I was picturing her naked.
She opened her gorgeous green eyes. Her entire face had softened, and something tugged at my chest. “Can I just stay here the whole hour?” she asked.
I almost said yes. Which was ridiculous. My job was to push patients through their pain, not give in the moment they found a bit of comfort. I cleared my throat and looked at my tablet. “I’m afraid I’m going to work you hard after I loosen you up.”
She let out a little gasp, and I realized how inappropriate that sounded. “How’s Chris’s training?” I asked, hoping to change the subject. I still felt guilty for refusing to help him, but I figured he might be the best way to get Rowan talking.
“I’ve never seen him eat so much salad,” she said.
I chuckled and looked up from the tablet. She had a smile on her face, and I wanted to keep it there. “Chris is a great kid.”
Her smile grew.
“He should bulk up on protein too. Lean meats like chicken or fish.”
She scrunched her delicate nose.
“You don’t like fish?”
“No. And if I tell him what you said the whole house will smell like a Red Lobster.”
“Sashimi works too.”
“I’m not telling my brother to eat raw fish. Just the thought of it. Bleh.”
I found myself laughing. I tried to put my clients at ease with humor, but I rarely laughed along with them. I caught Adam staring at us across the room and dropped my eyes back to my tablet.
“So, I’ve reviewed your doctor’s notes. I’m hoping you might clear up some inconsistencies in your chart.”
Her shoulders tensed but I pressed on. “Could you give me more details about the accident?”
“Um, isn’t it all in the chart notes?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t match what you told me on Tuesday.”
“Why do you care?” she said. “I hurt my back and you’re supposed to help me fix it.”
“Like I said before, knowing how you sustained the injury helps me determine how best to treat it.” I should have backed off and moved to the first exercise, especially with Adam watching like a lion eyeing a kill.
“You already know, apparently. So, why ask?”
“Why wouldn’t I question a discrepancy in a patient’s chart?”
“Fine, I caught my husband getting a blow job from my boss and ran out of the office smack into the path of a tourist on a Segway. Happy?”
Her face went bright red. She tossed off the heat mat and climbed from the table.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
She opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head, and bent to grab her enormous bag. She winced and straightened before heading for the door.
I allowed myself two seconds to freak the fuck out before I ran after her. “Stair training,” I said to Cammie, loud enough for Adam to hear.
Cammie’s eyes were wide, but she said, “Great idea,” in a chipper voice. “Rowan is having so much trouble with stairs.”
I was too chickenshit to check if Adam was watching. Judging by Cammie’s reaction he was.
Rowan moved surprisingly fast for someone with a back injury and had already pressed the button for the elevator when I stepped into the hallway. The doors opened, and she disappeared inside. I sprinted down the hall and made it into the tiny car just as the doors closed, leaving me chest-to-chest with a very upset redhead.
She swiped at her eyes and spun around to put her back to me.
“Rowan?”
The elevator jolted and started to creak toward the lobby.
“Rowan, please,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.
She sucked in a breath and turned to face me, jabbing a finger in my chest. “Back up.”
I took half a step and slammed into the elevator doors. The car wobbled, and she reached out and gripped my shirt. “Come back here, you big oaf. I’m not dying in this elevator with you.”
I took a full step closer, her hands still gripping my shirt until we were pressed together, both of us breathing fast.