Chapter 38
CHAPTER 38
Rainey
“May I help you?” Sarah, my coworker, says through the intercom. The doors to our unit are locked for security purposes, so we have to buzz in any newcomers. Sarah’s silent for a moment, listening to whoever’s waiting. She covers the mouthpiece with her hand and says, “Rainey, this guy says he’s here to see you. Can I let him in?”
I already know who it is, but I check out the monitor anyway and see Brody smiling up at the camera. “Yeah, tell him to come down here.”
Sarah smiles. “Come on in. If you walk straight down the hall and take the first right, you’ll find her at the nurses’ station.”
As soon as she puts the receiver down, she says, “Who is that piece of man candy?”
I have to remind myself not to glare at her—that Brody’s not mine, therefore, any woman is free to ogle him.
“He’s just a friend.”
Sarah gives me a skeptical look but doesn’t get a chance to say anything else, because Brody just rounded the corner.
“Hi, darlin’.” He sets a Starbucks cup on the ledge. “I thought you could use the extra caffeine after having such a late night.”
Both of my fellow nurses at the station snicker. I don’t care to have an audience when he produces my house key, so I round the desk until I’m standing next to him.
“Layla, I’m going to take my morning break. Will you keep an eye on 403? She’s only at three centimeters, so it’ll be a while before anything happens.”
“Sure thing, Rainey. Take as much time as you need.” She blushes when Brody winks at her. Oh brother.
I grab the coffee cup and yank on his elbow. “C’mon, Romeo. Let’s take a walk.”
I take a sip as we exit the unit. Yum, toffee nut breve . “Good choice. This is my favorite drink.”
“I know it is. That’s why I got it.”
I’m sure I look as surprised as I feel. “How did you know?”
“Because I pay attention.”
I eye him for a moment while I sip my drink. I’m trying to think back to the number of times he would’ve seen me with a Starbucks cup in my hand and can only name a few. After three years together, Adam was still buying me hazelnut lattes.
“Well, thank you. I do need an extra boost. Some idiot kept me up half the night.”
Brody smiles. “Well, that idiot thinks the lack of sleep was totally worth it.”
I lead us over to the family waiting room. We only have two patients in the entire unit right now, so thankfully, it’s empty. I take a seat by the window, and Brody does the same.
“Puhleez. You got a helluva lot more sleep than I did.”
“Sorry, not sorry,” he grins.
I hold my hand out expectantly. “Speaking of…I believe you have a key for me.”
He digs into his front pocket, then places it in my hand. “Don’t worry, I made myself a copy before I came here.”
“What?!”
He laughs. “Relax. I’m just fucking with you. On a side note, have I mentioned how great your tits look in scrubs lately?”
I bump his shoulder and take another sip. “You’re an ass.”
“I hear that a lot.”
I smirk. “I’m sure you do.”
He pinches the ticklish spot above my knee. “So…you want to come over to my place tonight for some more shitty sleep? I can pick up some dinner from Charlee’s place.”
Luring me in with Italian food. Damn, he’s good.
“I’m actually off tomorrow. The only thing I have to do is show up at Riley and Devyn’s housewarming thing at three.”
Brody swings a heavy arm around my shoulders. “What a coincidence! That’s the only thing I have to do tomorrow as well!”
Did I forget to mention Riley turned out to be Devyn’s long-lost-love-slash-baby-daddy? Now our association is even more solidified since our best friends share a child and just bought a house together. All the more reason why Brody and I have to keep this thing a secret.
“I should get back to work. I’ll text you when I’m heading over. ”
He grabs my hand as I stand. “Hey, Rainey?”
I raise my eyebrow in response.
“Pack a bag and leave extra food for Maverick. I plan on keeping you occupied until it’s time to leave for the barbeque.”
I have to suppress a shiver from the images his words conjure. Maybe sleepovers aren’t such a bad thing if they’re anything like last night.
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that, babe. Think long…and hard about it.”
I roll my eyes while I fight the smile tugging at my lips. “I’ll see you tonight, Brody.”
“Looking forward to it, honey.”