4. Chapter 4
four
Doe eyes stared at her. Her face smeared with dirt. But those eyes screamed, ‘Help me!’
Amanda drove her car faster to catch up with the girl as she ran into the fog.
“Stop!” Amanda shouted. “I can’t help you if you don’t stop.”
The girl vanished, swallowed by the trees.
“Amanda,” a deep voice broke through her panic.
She jerked around in the darkness but didn’t see anyone. The surrounding woods disappeared.
“Amanda,” the voice called again. “Wake up.”
Gasping, Amanda’s eyes opened wide. A man was looking down at her.
“Hey, it’s me. It’s Gene,” the voice said.
The name triggered a flood of memories, but her heart was pounding so hard, her head hurt. Still disoriented from the dream, Amanda didn’t respond.
“You hit your head last night,” he said. “Do you remember?”
Right. The accident.
“Of course I remember. It still hurts like a bitch,” she grumpily answered. “And before you ask again, like you did the last time you woke me up, my name is Amanda Garner. It should be clear by now I don’t have memory loss.”
“Wow, she wakes up with boxing gloves on.” Gene chuckled and got up to open the curtain.
Amanda buried her face in the pillow and groaned.
“Here, take these,” Gene’s voice returned.
Amanda peeked from the pillow and saw pills in his palm and a glass of water. She lazily pulled herself up and took the meds. She studied the man standing a few feet away from her. Wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, a white T-shirt, and messy hair, he looked too appealing. Her half-awake brain booted up really fast when he came close to check on her head wound.
“What time is it?” she asked.
He examined her left wrist.
“Almost seven. Does it still hurt?”
“Yes, but not too much.”
“Good, the icing worked. We still need an X-ray so we can make sure there’s no fracture or other issue.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Are your hands necessary for baking?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”
“Then yes, an X-ray is necessary.” Gene returned her eye roll with a smart-ass grin. “I’ll be working at Dr. Bloom’s Clinic for the next few months, though I’m not scheduled to start for another week. But I can get you in for an X-ray. It won’t take long.”
“Fine.” Amanda grumbled. “How do you know I bake?”
“My mom told me you’re her favorite pie maker.”
“You talked to your mom about me?”
“She wanted to know the name of the woman who twisted my arm to stay with her after her accident. She just wanted to be sure you weren’t taking advantage of me.”
He gave her a little wink.
Amanda’s jaw dropped. “No! I don’t want Martha to think I’m—”
Gene laughed. “Relax. Once I told her it was you, she was all concerned and told me to give you the best of care. I guess she must really love your pies.”
Relieved, Amanda said, “You’d understand if you’ve had one of my pies, doctor.”
“I’d love to taste your pie, Amanda,” he replied with a smile.
Now, why does that sound deliciously dirty?
Amanda could feel her face warming, but thank god Gene changed the subject.
“Talking about pie, how about some food? You think you can eat?”
“I’m hungry,” she confessed, as her stomach growled.
Gene smiled. “That’s good. Let’s start easy. I’ll bring you some toast.”
“I can eat at the table.” She got up again. “Please, let me brush my teeth and my hair, so I feel at least human again. Then I need to tend to Loki.”
“Don’t worry about him. He’s fed, and we had a quick run while you were sleeping.”
Amanda could only stare at him as he left her to do her morning routine. She didn’t know how she could thank Gene for what he’d done for her. But it was a problem for later.
She slowly pushed herself out of bed. She felt as if she’d had a grueling workout the day before. Her legs shook when she walked to the bathroom, her abs burned like she’d done hundreds of crunches, and her head… well, it felt like she’d banged it on the car window. But other than that, she felt better.
Amanda looked at herself in the mirror for the first time since the accident. She cringed.
“You’re lucky it’s only a cut and some bruises,” she told herself.
An image from her dream flashed in her mind, reminding her of the girl. It was as if her brain didn’t want her to forget.
Who are you?
Gene left her to go to the kitchen. He’d made himself as comfortable as he could in Amanda’s home last night. He’d used her shower and made a make-shift bed on her couch, though he hadn’t slept much. His system had gone haywire with a surge of need when he’d touched Amanda last night. Something he’d never experienced before when caring for a patient. It’d been stupid to comfort her because the memory of her warm body molding to his had tortured him all night. But at least she’d rested.
Amanda had slept fine for the first couple of hours. He’d had to wake her to assess her a couple of times during the night. She was lucky she didn’t sustain more damage. The incoming traffic could have hit her when she’d swerved into the other lane. He vividly remembered a truck speeding past him as he raced to get to her. The asshole hadn’t even stopped.
She’s okay.
A little bum head and wrist, but she’d be as good as new in a couple of weeks.
Gene was just putting down the plate of toast on the dining table when Amanda walked out. She had a pair of loose shorts underneath the T-shirt she’d worn to bed. He wondered how she’d put those on. Those shorts were probably easy enough to wiggle on.
Cause, man… She was really testing me with those polka-dot panties.
The memory of pulling those panties up Amanda’s legs made Gene’s mouth dry. From his position, kneeling in front of her, he could glimpse the shadow at the apex of her thighs.
Then there was her womanly scent… fuck.
Gene easily compartmentalized work and pleasure into two very different boxes. Last night—helping her in the tub, dressing her, and cuddling her to sleep—had been a whole unfamiliar territory he wasn’t sure how to classify.
Amanda rubbed Loki on the head before she sat down and drank the juice he’d found in the fridge. The dog laid his chin on Amanda’s thigh, as if he knew his human wasn’t well.
“Can I have coffee?” she said as she eyed his cup.
“Not a good idea for now. How about tea? Less caffeine.”
She nodded.
“Eat slowly. If you can keep that down, maybe you can try some fruit. I saw fresh berries in the fridge. They’re good for a jostled brain,” he said.
“My brain is just fine, thank you very much.” She searched the table. “Are you eating? I feel weird if you’re just watching.”
Patient care was on his mind, not socializing. But he supposed he’d broken enough rules already. It was just a meal.
“I’ll be right back,” he said. “You start on that toast while I brew your tea.”
“Okay, doc.”
Gene opted for something easy: a bowl of cereal and milk with a handful of blueberries. It was better than his usual gallon of coffee and a protein bar.
“How are you doing with the toast?” he asked as he sat down.
She was done with the first piece. “I’m kinda craving biscuits and gravy.” Gene laughed. “Tell you what. When you feel all better, I’ll take you for a proper breakfast.”
“Promise?” Amanda smiled.
Gene stopped chewing his first spoonful. Taking a patient out for a meal was technically not a breach of ethical conduct, if there wasn’t any romantic intention behind the meal. But he was already crossing numerous boundaries with Amanda.
She isn’t technically my patient.
There wasn’t any paperwork that formalized their doctor-patient relationship. He hadn’t signed anything for the EMTs last night. Amanda’s refusal of service had been the only thing required. And honestly, he’d just wanted to help her. It was the main reason he’d become a doctor. He hated the fact that he had to think of all these scenarios when deciding what needed to be done to help someone feel better.
“Let’s take it one piece of toast at a time,” Gene said, keeping it safe.
They ate in awkward silence for a minute.
“You haven’t changed much since high school, have you?” Amanda asked.
Gene turned his gaze to her. “Haven’t I?”
“It’s okay if you don’t remember me. I was a couple of years below you,” Amanda said, reading his mind.
He didn’t want to say it right then, but he’d had a sense of déjà vu last night on top of his intense attraction to her. A particular memory had tickled at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.
“That means you’re a few years ahead of my brother?” he asked instead.
“I think so. He might’ve been a freshman when I was a senior.”
Gene nodded. “I remember your family’s bakery. And seeing you behind the counter.”
“Yup. I’d be there when I didn’t have practice or other school things. I took it over from my parents a few years back.”
Gene nodded, remembering his mom’s story.
“And turned it into a bookstore cafe called Sanctuary. What’s with the name?”
Amanda chuckled.
“Jo, my best friend and business partner, is a book nerd and I love baking. So we now have Sanctuary, a safe place where you can read anything you want and consume large-amounts of sweets without judgement.”
Gene chuckled at her description. “I love that.”
“People enjoy coming in so far. Jo invites local book clubs and hosts her own book club every Tuesday night. I provide the guests with delectable baked goods. And sometimes host special baking lessons.”
Noting Amanda’s colors brightening, Gene concluded the bit of food and conversation were helping.
“That’s impressive. I have to stop by sometime.”
“You should. Whatever you want from the cafe will be on the house.”
“Unnecessary, but thank you,” Gene said, appreciating the gesture.
“You said you’ll be working at Dr. Bloom’s clinic for a few months,” Amanda continued after another bite of toast. “But I thought you worked in the city.”
“I’m on a sabbatical.”
“Are you supposed to be working while you’re on a sabbatical?”
Gene smiled. “Exploring other interests.”
Amanda looked at him as if he was crazy. “And your other interest is more health care?”
“Different parts of health care. I’ve worked in the ER for years now. It may be time for a change,” he said vaguely.
“And you want to come back here?”
“I’m still figuring it out.”
Amanda finished her toast.
“I just didn’t think you’d ever come back. You always seemed focused. We all knew you were gonna be a doctor.”
Gene’s brows rose. “Who?”
“Everybody in high school.”
“No.” He chuckled in disbelief. “Was I that obnoxious?”
“Driven,” she said diplomatically.
“What about you? Did you ever leave this town?”
“I did, but I had to come back.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was doing a pastry program in Rhode Island when they diagnosed my mom with an autoimmune disease. Dad couldn’t keep up with the bakery and taking care of mom at the same time. So I came home.”
“Oh.”
Gene knew what was coming and watched her expression.
“She passed four years ago.”
Unfortunately, Gene had seen many cases of autoimmune diseases. Though hard, some types were manageable, and patients could live a full life, while others could be debilitating and life threatening when it led to other health complications.
Gene touched her fingers. “I’m sorry for your loss, Amanda.”
Amanda gave a little shrug.
“Thank you. She’s better off. It was hard to watch her lose strength in her muscles over time. This was a woman who was up at three in the morning to bake bread and worked non-stop all her life, only to be rendered weak by a disease that showed up out of nowhere.”
Gene could cite information about such diseases, but she was right; none of them really knew what triggered them. So, instead of offering empty words, he diverted the conversation. “How about your dad?”
“He’s doing good. He moved to Arizona after passing the bakery to me.” She smiled. “He’s happy again, finally, and enjoying retirement.”
“And your sister?” Gene prodded.
“She’s in Oregon with her little family.” Amanda’s smile filled with joy when she continued, “I have a baby niece I haven’t had the chance to meet in person yet. I’m saving for a trip to visit them this summer.”
“That’s a great thing to look forward to.”
Gene was so glad to see the happy smile back on her face.
Not sure why, but he thought even with the bruising blooming on her cheek, Amanda Garner was meant to smile.