Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
A mina was thankful she didn’t hear from Mark for the remainder of the week. She needed this space to figure out her next move. But she couldn’t shake the impending doom she felt. He’d pop up again for sure. And according to her calendar he was supposed to propose to her soon.
She shuddered thinking about it. Mark had been super secretive about where he wanted to take her and she’d gone along with it. To her surprise, his parents was there along with her Aunt Sharon and cousin Candace at one of Mark’s favorite steakhouses.
Amina thought it was the happiest day of her life but looking back on that day she wasn’t really happy. She hated the restaurant because the lighting was too dim and the tables were so close together to maximize the amount of customers they could legally fit inside the building. And to make matters worse, they were seated so close to the kitchen the sounds from the staff was so loud the people around them practically yelled to be heard.
Mark thought he was doing her a favor by ordering the meal for her even though she didn’t like what he’d chosen. His mother kept making snide comments about her hair and outfit.
Candace openly flirted with Mark, most likely to get under Amina’s skin and her aunt was loud and rude to the wait staff. Amina had held herself so erect under Mrs. Caldwell’s judgmental stare she could barely taste a bite of her food.
When the proposal finally came, Amina was proud of the simple diamond solitaire Mark had presented her but she was quickly put on the defensive by Candace who pointed out that it wasn’t a full carat.
The final humiliation had come when the pastor decided to say a few words to bless the union and made a point to note that it was a woman’s duty to take care of their man and to provide as many children as the lord willed.
Amina shuddered with embarrassment when she remembered that dopey smile she’d worn that night as if it was so special marrying into that family.
“What an idiot I was,” she said to herself in the mirror. She studied her reflection for the eighth time in the last ten minutes hoping she looked good enough to be seen with Dr. Han for their dinner date.
She tugged at the braids around her shoulders and inspected them for stray strands. There was nearly an inch of new growth, and she didn’t have enough time to take them down, thoroughly cleanse her scalp and deep condition her hair before her date. To solve her dilemma, she wrapped a black silk band with a bow around her edges to go with the black and red dress she chose.
It was one of the nicest outfits she owned. It was a black short sleeve off the shoulder corset bodice with red flowers that gave just a hint of cleavage. It flowed into an A line skirt that fell just below her knees. She felt really girly in it. However, the one time she’d worn it on a date with Mark, he’d called it cheap looking.
That memory was enough to make her want to change but it was too late. Dr. Han would be picking her up in less than five minutes.
She gave herself one last look in the mirror. Her makeup was minimal, just some eyeliner, mascara and a neutral lip gloss.
The doorbell rang, cutting into her inspection. She grabbed the black heels she laid out and rushed down the stairs.
Her heart skipped several beats as soon as she opened the door. Dr. Han was undeniably an attractive man but seeing him in all black with a strand of his thick hair casually resting on his forehead, Amina could only stare. The first two buttons of his short sleeve shirt was undone showing off a hint of a tone and tanned chest.
She’d never seen him wear jewelry before but he sported a gold chain and bracelet. In his left ear was a diamond earring that was at least a carat but it might have been bigger by Amina’s estimation. To top off his already sexy appearance, he smiled at her with the assurance of a man who knew he was hot shit.
If she didn’t already know he was a well-respected physician in his field, Amina would have guessed he was a high fashion model or an actor.
She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m a little early but I was really looking forward to our date tonight.”
Amina couldn’t stop the smile that curled her lips as her insides fluttered. “Date? I thought we were just two friends getting to know each other.”
He winked and showed off his perfect teeth. “Let’s play it by ear, shall we?”
She bit the inside of her bottom lip to stop herself from gasping out loud. God he was sexy.
“I’m sorry where are my manners? Won’t you please come in?” She stepped back and gave him enough room to enter her house.
As he walked past her she caught a whiff of woodsy cologne with a hint of spice. She was a sucker for a man who smelled good. Was he deliberately trying to make her panties wet?
“You have a nice house. It’s very colorful.” Ethan observed as he followed her into the living room.
She didn’t detect any sarcasm in his voice. Mark thought her décor was tacky. The house was decorated by her grandmother who loved bright colors and crystals. Amina had grown fond of the flamboyant tapestries and paintings on the purple walls accented with vermillion.
After Granny died, Amina didn’t have the heart to change anything around, nor did she want to. It somehow kept the warm memories alive for her. It was only when Mark had moved in and he’d insisted on a complete reorganization of the house did the beautiful walls get coated with a dull a lifeless white. It was like he’d wanted to erase all the character out of the house. And she’d stupidly agreed in the name of love or what she thought love was.
“Thank you. I can’t take full credit for the decorations. Just a few touches here and there. This used to be my grandmother’s house and I didn’t change much after she passed away.
He stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
An electric like current shot through her body when Ethan touched her. Amina jumped in surprise. “It’s okay. She passed a couple years ago. Just before I started working at the practice. Ugh, let me grab my purse and we can get going?”
She quickly backed away from him embarrassed by her reaction to a simple touch. Amina grabbed her purse which she’d left on the coffee table. “Okay, I’m ready?”
When she turned to face him there was a slight smile on his face. “Are you nervous?”
“Ugh, of course not. Should we get going?”
He held out his hand to her but she walked past him as if she didn’t see it. Amina didn’t trust her reaction if they were to touch again.
Dr. Han was a true gentleman, opening the passenger door for her to his sleek black BMW. The soft leather cream interior screamed expensive. She’d only seen his car in the parking lot. Never in a million years did she think she’d actually ride in it.
Amina clasped her hands in her lap, as nerves made them shake.
They rode to their destination in silence for the first few minutes. She wasn’t sure what to say because she never imagined she’d be going out to dinner with someone other than Mark, let alone her boss. The way it happened still boggled her mind. She felt like any moment she’d wake from this dream.
“I’m sorry I didn’t really get to talk to you much this week, because of the two surgeries I performed.”
“I’m aware. I scheduled them.”
“Yes, of course you did.”
An awkward silence, fell between them, and Amina stole a glance at him. His profile showed off a square jaw and a fresh fade. Had he gotten a haircut just for this night out with her? She noticed how tightly he gripped the wheel making the color drain from his knuckles. Was it possible he was nervous too?
That couldn’t be it. She’d never seen him anything other than confident with staff and patients.
“You have a nice car.” The second the words were out of her mouth she groaned in embarrassment. That had to sound dumb to him. Of course he already knew that.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it. Look, Amina?—”
“Dr. Han—” she began.
They laughed, breaking the tension.
“You know, Amina, I have a name. We’re not in the office. Please call me Ethan.”
“Okay…Ethan.”
“Say it again.”
Was it her imagination, or did his voice drop an octave?
She squirmed in her seat. “Ethan.”
“Good. Don’t forget that. Now what were you about to say?”
“It’s just…I never imagined us going out to dinner together.”
“We’ve been out before.”
She shrugged. “Yes, the time you and Dr. Carter took all the office staff out as a thank you for the hard work. That’s not the same. I mean, just the two of us.”
“True, but I think it’s past time we did this don’t you agree?”
“I’m going to be one hundred percent transparent. When you initially asked me out, I kind of thought it was a joke and I went along with it. But now that we’re here, I don’t know what to say. My nerves have been completely on edge and I feel like I’m deceiving you.”
“Deceiving me?”
“Yes. I…I accepted this date because I was mad at my boyfriend and it was wrong of me. If you want to turn this vehicle around and end things right here, I’d understand. I just hope you don’t think less of me.”
She kept her head down and her gaze focused on her lap, afraid to see his expressions. He had to be completely disgusted with her. She was unsure about being here with him in the first place, especially now that Mark had revealed his true colors sooner than she expected.
To her surprise he pulled over to the side of the road. This was it.
She sighed. This was kind of what she’d been expecting in the first place.
“Amina, I’m sorry but…”
“It’s okay if you want to take me back home. This probably wasn’t a good idea to begin with.”
“Amina, if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have suggested us going out. Maybe the timing isn’t the best, but right now there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you. As your boss, I may be crossing the line by telling you this but, I’ve been interested in you for a long time and not just as my office manager. But as a woman.”
There were several things she imagined he’d say to her when he pulled the car over but this was not one of them. Maybe she actually was dead and this was her little piece of heaven.
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. At the risk of sounding like a complete dirt bag, I believe there’s some interest on your end as well. A spark, if you will, even though I’m aware you’re in a relationship. But I can’t help but think you’re not completely happy in it.”
He wasn’t wrong. Had she ever been genuinely happy with Mark at all or did she delude herself into believing she loved him? Was she simply flattered because an attractive guy who seemed to check all the boxes at the time, showed her romantic interest? The fact that she’d met him so soon after her grandmother’s passing probably had a lot to do with it.
Amina opened her mouth to respond but the words remained stuck in her throat.
Ethan released a heavy sigh and raked his hand through his hair. “I just fucked up didn’t I? I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position. Please be assured, this won’t affect your job in any way. Forget I even brought this up. I’ll take you home.”
He pressed the button to start the car again and as if her body had a mind of its own, she placed her hand over his. She wasn’t reborn just to make the same mistakes over again. “I don’t want to!” she blurted out.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean…I don’t want you to take me back home. I want to continue with our plans.”
He raised a brow. “Really.”
“Yes. You were weren’t wrong. I’m not happy in my current relationship and I haven’t been in a long time. I wanted to break things off with him this week, but he’s...he gets kind of scary when he doesn’t get his way.”
Ethan took one of her hands in both of his and gave it a light squeeze in earnest. “Did he hurt you?”
Amina shook her head. Technically he hadn’t…yet. That little push against the wall, however was all the remainder she needed of what he was more than capable of. “Not really but he made it clear that he wasn’t going to allow me to end things easily.”
“Shit!” He released her hand and slammed his hand against the wheel. “I suspected something... but I never said anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“The times you came to work with long sleeve shirts in the middle of summer or when you started wearing heavy makeup. And then when you quit—” His eyes widened. “I mean, ugh…I meant I can only imagine something like that would happen if you stay with a guy like him.”
His face turned a dark shade of red before he quickly glanced away.
Amina froze. “How…how do you know about things that haven’t happened yet?”
He swiveled in his seat to face her again. “Haven’t happened yet? Amina? You’re going to think I’m completely bat shit for saying this but…did you die and come back as well?”