Chapter 8
ANNA
“What the hell have you done to me?” The door to Anna’s office couldn’t bang open, fortunately, but the sound of Victoria Ellis’s hands hitting the polished wood was a startling one itself.
She looked up from her notes, astonished, as Victoria stomped in and hurled herself down onto the sofa, an arm draped over her eyes.
“Good morning, Dr. Ellis.” Anna folded her notebook shut and set it aside, stifling her grin.
Oh, she was in for it this morning, and she’d never been so delighted.
Surreptitiously, she brushed her hands down her skirt, grateful that she’d listened to her instincts and put on the most obnoxiously floral skirt in her wardrobe, an incredibly pink-rose festooned affair that she’d paired with a soft pink angora pullover.
It was said that redheads shouldn’t wear pink, but Anna had never subscribed to that theory.
“You look like my grandmother’s living room,” Victoria remarked, lifting her arm ever so slightly to reveal a mischievous light in her blue eyes. “Pink chintz everywhere, more throw pillows than sensibility should allow.”
“So you like it?” Anna asked lightly. She was pleased to see Victoria in full snarky flow. Though she wondered about the throw pillows reference. Surely that wasn’t a reference to her chest? Anna blushed at the thought and resisted the urge to look down at her bosom.
“Jury’s still out.” Victoria sat up straight and pointed at Anna with a glare of what seemed to be mock indignation. “Now. What witchcraft have you wrought? I’ve slept solidly for three nights on the bounce.”
“No witchcraft, just you being willing to try something you think is silly.” Anna grinned. “I am guessing it worked?”
“Is this what relaxation is like? I thought I knew, but this…” Victoria waved a hand, her face transforming into an expression very like wonder.
“It did seem very full of woo, that sheet you handed me. And now I wish I’d gone into Neuro because I’d love to know more about how simple breathing exercises and some chamomile tea can do so much for the human brain. ”
“I can explain it, if you really want to know.”
“Not today.” Victoria sprang to her feet and strode to Anna’s desk, where another white bakery box stood open and full of goodies. “Oh, my word. Are these jam doughnuts?”
“Stuffed with cherry preserves and coated in powdered sugar,” Anna confirmed, eyeballing Victoria’s outfit of the day. As usual, it was black and white, a simple black wrap top over a pristine white skirt. “And you’re wearing a double whammy of unsuitable clothing for jam doughnut consumption.”
Another casually dismissive hand wave, then Victoria was sitting down with a plate and the plumpest doughnut in the box, biting into it with an expression of such bliss, Anna thought it should be bottled and sold as a remedy for depression.
“Mmmm.” Her hum of satisfaction was intoxicating, and Anna shifted slightly in her chair. “God, that’s incredible.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Anna opened her notebook again. “Why don’t you tell me about everything you’ve done the last few nights?”
“What you suggested. I ate dinner—pasta, three nights going, absolute caloric nightmare but incredibly delicious. No alcohol.” Victoria gestured with the doughnut, sending a cloud of white sugar over her black top, and a splat of cherry jam right onto her skirt. “Oh, damn.”
Anna held her breath, fearing some sort of explosion.
But Victoria simply reached into her bag for a packet of wet wipes and began to dab at the spot with a deft hand. “Clumsy of me.”
“I’m not used to seeing you like that,” Anna observed. “When you’re at work, it’s like a ballet of competence.”
Victoria snorted. “I can assure you, that was hard won. I was not a coordinated child.” She smiled at the stain, a bit smugly, as it seemed to be lifting away quite well.
“I spilled everything. Knocked over glasses. Once at school I managed to tip an entire pot of spaghetti bolognese over onto my lap. Oh, Hilary never let me forget…” She trailed off, taking a sharp breath in through her nose.
Her hand paused over the lightening pink stain on her right thigh, and Anna, again, held her breath. Hilary? The same Hilary…?
But Victoria simply shook her head and carried on, dabbing at the stain again.
“She never let me forget it. The headmistress made our whole table go without dinner that night. But it was fine. We all had snacks and things stashed in our room, so we simply had a grand midnight feast.” She sighed, and then smiled ever so slightly. “It’s a good memory.”
Given her reaction to the name, presumably the Hilary that Victoria mentioned was the same Hilary that had died under her care several months ago.
Anna’s heart ached to think that an old…
school friend? Or had there been more between them?
Nonetheless, someone she knew well had come to Victoria for help and hadn’t survived the surgery.
No wonder she’d fallen apart, if that was indeed the case.
But Victoria’s peace today was fragile, new as a hatching chick. Anna decided against chasing down the Hilary line of thought for the moment. “Well. Today, you’re a poised and very competent surgeon, cherry jam on your skirt aside. Is it going to be all right?”
Victoria lifted away the wipe and inspected the spot on her skirt.
“I think the dry cleaner will get the rest of it out, and if she doesn’t, I suppose I can always have it dyed pink.
” She looked at Anna, and her eyes were positively twinkling.
“There is something to be said about a good pink. That one is a particularly nice one on you.”
The unexpected compliment had Anna sitting back in her chair, pleased. “Thank you.”
“Probably best if you don’t get accustomed to the praise,” Victoria replied wryly. “Because I absolutely detest those ballet flats.”
Anna wiggled one dark berry pink leather flat, pointing it at Victoria’s stiletto heels with toes so triangular, her own toes hurt just looking at them. “Some of us don’t want to end up in Dr. Scholl’s on an orthopedist’s orders before we turn forty.”
“I’m forty-three and my orthopedist hasn’t had a bad word to say to me yet,” Victoria shot back, rather pertly. “So there.”
“So there? I am shocked to find that you have the vocabulary of a teenager buried in that designer shell, Dr. Ellis.” Anna could only laugh. “What’s next, you’ll stick your tongue out at me?”
Victoria’s eyebrows nearly lifted off here smooth forehead. “How impertinent. I usually reserve my tongue for very close friends.”
The energy in the room had taken a turn, something sharp and electric crackling between them.
Anna sucked in a quick breath and broke the eye contact first, looking down at the notebook in her lap.
She’d only taken a few notes. Get yourself together, Anna.
“Well. I’m quite pleased to see you in this relaxed state, Dr. Ellis. ”
“Thank you, Dr. Monroe.” When Anna dared glance up again, Victoria’s face was smooth, a porcelain mask of pleasantness. The electricity in the air had evaporated. “I suppose you’d like me to continue with the whole meditation and tea rigmarole.”
“I do think that given it seems to be helping you a bit, then yes, it won’t hurt to keep it up.” Anna nodded. “It’s not a miracle cure, though, you know. We’re only just in the beginning stages of your journey to wellness.”
“That’s a very woo thing of you to say, Dr. Monroe,” Victoria said with a disapproving note in her voice.
“Well, it is a journey, and wellness is the goal,” Anna pointed out mildly. “A journey to, I don’t know, mere competence doesn’t feel like it would serve anyone well.”
“I suppose that’s fair.” Victoria shrugged one elegant shoulder, then looked at the watch on her wrist. “I’m terribly sorry, Dr. Monroe. I actually have rather a full slate today, and a number of patients to check in on.”
“That’s all right.” Anna got to her feet, setting her notebook aside. “I’m glad that you had some time to come in today and update me on your progress with the relaxation agenda. I hope you do continue with it.”
“I can appreciate the amount of sleep I’ve been getting.
” She smiled, just a bit, just the merest hint of a pleased curve to her lips as she stood as well.
She hadn’t mentioned the nightmares, but then, Anna supposed, she didn’t have to.
She was sleeping through the night. It stood to reason that the nightmares were, at the moment, being held at bay.
“Then I’ll look forward to seeing you in a few days for a further update.” Anna headed for the door, and felt Victoria closing in behind her.
They reached for the doorknob at the same time, hands brushing, and suddenly, the electric crackle between them was filling the air again. Anna knew she shouldn’t look over her shoulder at Victoria… but she did, meeting that icy blue gaze.
But it wasn’t icy at all. There was a heat there, the blue flame of a gas stove, holding Anna arrested in place. Heat wafted between them, filling the air with the scent of their perfumes, with sugar and cherry jam, a sweet heat that made Anna’s stomach twist.
They were close. Too close. She could only see Victoria’s lips, that perfect rose-pink pout, and she wanted to—
Anna jerked back in shock, horrified at how close she was to crossing an ethical boundary.
Her surprise shocked Victoria in turn, who also stepped back and shook her head.
“I’ll see you in a few days,” she said, brushing Anna’s hand off of the doorknob and twisting it open.
Without another word, she was out the door, leaving only a frisson of ozone and her expensive perfume in her wake.
Anna stood still, raising a trembling hand to her mouth, rocked with mingled regret and desire.
Two days later, the kiss that wasn’t still occupied every other thought she had.