Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hannah tossed and turned for several hours and finally woke just after dawn, feeling more tired than she had when she’d gone to bed. She donned her clothes from the day before and made her way to the large kitchen.
Andrew and a pot of coffee greeted her. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she pasted on a smile. “Wonderfully, thank you.” She gestured to the coffee pot. “May I?”
“Of course.” He nodded to a cupboard to the left of the sink. “Mugs are in there.”
She retrieved a cup and filled it with coffee, then took a long sip as she leaned against the counter.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room as she drained her coffee cup, studiously avoiding Andrew’s intense gaze.
She waited with bated breath, hating the silence but dreading another conversation with him.
Finally, she cleared her throat. “Would you mind stopping by my house before we head to the office? I’d like to change first.”
“Absolutely. Are you ready?” She nodded and set her empty mug in the sink. “Let me just get my things.”
They stopped by her house just long enough for her to change and do a quick makeup job, then made their way to the health center. As Andrew pulled alongside the brick building, he reached across the console and took her hand.
“If you need anything, I’ll be here.”
She smiled, fighting the urge to pull away. “Thank you.”
She put her hand on the door handle, but he spoke, stalling her once again. “Please be careful.”
Her heart softened as she turned back to him. His eyes were serious, his face sincere, and guilt ate away at her insides. Andrew was a good guy—wealthy, sweet, caring. On paper, they made sense—they were almost a perfect match. She wished she could feel more for him.
She squeezed his hand. “I will.”
Climbing from the car, she made her way into the building. Catching a glimpse of Luke across the lobby, she felt heat climb up her neck into her cheeks. Had he seen her get out of Andrew’s car? Oh, God, what would he think?
Unable to look at him, she averted her eyes and hurried to the bank of elevators.
She could practically feel his gaze burning into her back, and she stabbed the button to summon a car.
The elevator to her left pinged almost immediately, and the doors opened.
She stepped inside and raised her eyes just in time to meet Luke’s intense gaze before the doors slid shut.
Was that disappointment she saw in those stormy hazel depths? Anger, maybe?
She let out a shaky breath and slumped against the wall, tipping her head back and closing her eyes.
She never should have gone home with Andrew last night.
There was something between Luke and her—the way he looked at her, the way he’d held her.
It meant something. Maybe she’d give it a couple of days, try to approach him and smooth things over.
A quiet ding sounded as the elevator doors whooshed open, depositing her on the fifth floor, and she ambled down the hallway to her office. Fiona’s face appeared in the doorway, and the older woman yanked the door open with a small exclamation before pulling her into her arms.
“Thank goodness you’re okay!”
Hannah fell into Fiona’s warm embrace and wrapped her arms around the older woman, soaking up her strength and compassion. Tears sprang to her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed the hug this morning.
Pulling out of her hold, she swiped her fingertips under her eyes, drying the errant tears that had managed to escape.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Fiona lamented. “Go sit down, and I’ll make some tea for you.”
Fiona had already disappeared into the kitchenette, and Hannah headed to her office and dumped her bag into the bottom drawer of the desk. Avoiding the couch where Luke and she had sat just a few days ago, she sank into one of the plush armchairs and closed her eyes.
She heard Fiona enter the room and glanced up to see the woman carrying a tray with two steaming mugs.
She set the tray on the small, round table between the chairs then handed Hannah a mug.
Hannah gratefully wrapped her hands around the warm porcelain.
She let the tea steep another moment before removing the bag and setting it on the tray between them.
Working in comfortable silence, Fiona did the same.
Hannah took a small sip, allowing the liquid to warm her from the inside out. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling, but her thoughts kept drifting; first to Audrey, then to Luke.
As she’d tossed and turned last night in the guest room of Andrew’s house, she realized that she wasn’t uncomfortable because she was afraid.
No, the discomfort was caused by the man sleeping only a few rooms away.
Guilt assailed her, and she needed to address the issue before it consumed her completely.
Andrew was a good friend, and it had been kind of him to offer her a place to stay, but she felt horrible for taking him up on his offer knowing she could give him nothing in return.
More than ever, she knew he hoped she would finally agree to go out with him.
Instead, it had reinforced her decision to tell him the truth—that there would never be anything between them.
She’d stared at the ceiling until the gray light of dawn began to push away the shadows of night, replaying the events of the evening in her mind over and over.
Despite the unsettling events of the past couple of weeks, first the phone call from the murder scene, then the altercation with Steve, she’d been more scared for Audrey than herself.
After all, the man had made no attempt to follow her when she’d run for help. For some reason, the attack against Audrey was personal. He’d wanted to hurt her, but he wasn’t desperate or deranged. Instead of chasing after her to keep her silent, he’d fled even knowing that she’d run for help.
Why? What had Audrey done to attract someone of that nefarious sort?
Was someone infatuated with her? That made even less sense.
If someone was obsessed with her, they shouldn’t want to harm her.
The nature of the assault itself screamed that it was personal but, aside from the divorce, she couldn’t begin to think of what may have prompted the violent act.
Audrey hadn’t been with any lovers since she and Scott had split up. She’d been too torn up over his infidelity, and she’d told Hannah once that it would be a long time before she could trust a man again. Making love was an act of commitment for her, just as it would be for Hannah.
Ruling out a disgruntled lover, who else could it be?
Scott, of course, but he’d seemed genuinely distressed last night.
Hannah wasn’t an expert on behaviors, but she spoke with enough people on a daily basis—she knew when someone was lying or hiding something.
The only thing she’d seen in Scott’s eyes was grief and worry.
She’d told the detectives she would stop in this afternoon to give her statement, so she’d tell them what she thought and see what they could dig up. They were more highly trained and better equipped for that kind of thing.
Now that she knew Audrey was safe, her thoughts turned to Luke. Even when she’d been beside herself with fear, he’d put her at ease, made her feel safe. She couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing him again, never feeling the way she had when he’d held her.
His eyes had swept over her, inspecting every inch, and her palms tingled at the memory of his thumb stroking softly over the tender, scraped flesh.
She turned her hands over and examined the reddened skin, the tiny abrasions already beginning to heal.
She just had to convince him that there was nothing between Andrew and her.
What he’d seen was an act of friendship only.
“What happened?”
She traced a finger over the sensitive flesh and offered a small shrug. “I think Luke saw me get out of Andrew’s car this morning.”
A lengthy silence ensued, and she met Fiona’s expression of confusion. She was asking about Audrey, not…
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she quickly spoke up to cover her blunder. “Someone attacked Audrey last night. It was pretty bad.”
Fiona raised her brows. “I caught most of that story on the news this morning, but it sounds like your version of events is much more interesting. Not that Audrey isn’t important,” she rushed to add.
A small smile curled Hannah’s lips. She may as well just tell her. Besides, some good womanly advice might come in handy.
“Well, it’s kind of a long story.” She relayed the events of the previous evening, pouring out every detail. “Anyway, I didn’t want to be home alone last night, so I stayed at Andrew’s. He brought me back to work this morning, but I think Luke saw me get out of the car.”
Fiona finally spoke. “So, by Luke, I assume you’re referring to Mr. Stone, our very handsome new security guard?”
Hannah dropped her eyes to her lap, and she toyed with a non-existent piece of lint on her skirt. “Yes. His name is Luke.”
“And since when are you and Luke on a first name basis?” A mischievous smile curved the receptionist’s mouth, and Hannah couldn’t help the answering grin that spread over her own.
“Since he kissed me last Tuesday.”
Her mouth rounded into an ‘O’ of surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because…” Hannah sighed. “Because I wasn’t sure what to do. He left me his number, so I think he likes me.” She was silent for a moment. “We got off to a bad start, but… he’s a good guy.”
Realization dawned clear and bright on Fiona’s face, and she gestured Hannah’s way. “Would Luke have anything to do with the recent change in your wardrobe?”
Hannah blushed. “A little. I was just… tired of blending in with the walls.”
“Good for you. I, for one, am glad to see the last of those frumpy suits.” With a glance at her watch, Fiona patted Hannah’s hand and rose to her feet. “Your first appointment begins in twenty minutes. I’ll let you get settled.”
Grateful for the reprieve, Hannah moved to one of the large windows. Bright morning light spilled onto the floor, and she stepped into the rectangular shaft. She gazed out over the city bustling below, watching as people went about their day.
She knew that Luke had been hired through a group called Vantage Security. She’d vaguely remembered seeing the logo on the chest of that God-awful shirt she’d cried into just over a week ago. The memory made her smile and, just as quickly, it slid from her face.
She knew nothing about him. His job here was only temporary. Once his post was up, where would he go? For that matter, where did he live? Would he travel all over the state on different security details, just disappear from her life as if he’d never existed?
Voices in the outer office drew her attention, and she knew her first appointment of the day had arrived.
A glance at the clock on the wall told her they were almost fifteen minutes early.
Eager to do something other than ruminate on what might, or might not, happen with Luke, she invited the first patients—Mr. and Mrs. Walters—into the office with a smile.
Three excruciating hours later, she sat back in her chair and rubbed her temples.
She felt as if she’d been through an emotional wringer, and she hadn’t even reached the pinnacle of the day yet.
Already, she’d had to play referee during several altercations between Mr. and Mrs. Walters, and console two weeping patients—one of whom was Mrs. Walters herself, as well as her second patient of the day, Mr. Norris.
On the cusp of retirement, Philip Norris was apparently having his two-thirds life crisis. They’d had a progressive half hour before he’d broken down and sobbed uncontrollably for the remainder of their session.
Hannah empathized with the man. She worried too, occasionally, that she’d end up in his shoes—more than halfway through life, all alone. On days like these, she longed to have someone to go home to, someone who would welcome her with open arms, cuddle her close and kiss away the sadness.
Along with that train of thought came the memory of Luke’s eyes burning into hers this morning.
She let out a heavy sigh. So much for pushing him from her mind.
Pulling open the bottom drawer of her desk, she extracted her purse and locked up her files before striding into the reception area.
Fiona was watering the plants near the windows and turned to her with a smile.
“All done for the day, Doctor?”
Hannah nodded. “Here, anyway. I still have to go to the police department, then stop by the hospital and check on Audrey.”
Fiona affected a sympathetic look. “Would you like some company?”
Touched by the offer, Hannah smiled. “I couldn’t ask that of you. Besides, I have no idea how long it will take.”
“All right,” she conceded, “but if you need anything at all, just let me know.”
“I appreciate it. And thank you again.” Hannah cleared her throat. “Especially for the advice.”
Fiona departed with a wink, and Hannah stood there for a moment, considering everything she’d said. It made perfect sense; now all Hannah had to do was find the courage to follow through with it.