Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Audrey smiled at the receptionist—Stella, according to the name tag pinned to her chest—and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Dr. Audrey Stanton. I just accepted a position here, and I’m supposed to start training today.”
The young woman returned her smile. “Of course. I’ll let Becky know you’re here.”
Audrey had spoken with the woman in the HR department during her initial interview two weeks ago, and she had given her a brief rundown of what to expect.
It was strange for her to work in a practice like this that was government funded.
She and Scott had opened their practice in the health center right after they graduated, so she had never had any experience working in a large practice like this.
She took a seat in the lobby and smiled at one of the patients nearby. Becky came out just a few moments later, greeting her with a smile.
“Dr. Stanton, good to see you again.”
“You, too.” Audrey shook her hand, then fell into step as they made their way past the reception desk and down a long hallway. Patient exam rooms lined both walls, and she nodded greetings to the nurses as they passed them.
“This will be your office.” Becky paused beside a door at the end of the hall and held out a hand, gesturing for Audrey to enter first. “There’s a key in the top drawer of the desk if you’d like to leave your things here. I have some paperwork for you to fill out, and I’d like to show you around.”
“Of course.” Audrey left her purse, and they began the tour of the facility.
It was designed in a basic U-shape, with the receptionist desk front and center.
Doors to the exam rooms were located on either side, and the patients would be directed through the doorways to either station A on the left or station B on the right.
A young male nurse in blue scrubs stood behind the desk, and Becky smiled at him. “Nate, this is Dr. Stanton.”
“Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand with a smile, and she shook it.
“You as well.”
“Are you new to the area?”
Audrey shook her head. “No, my husband and I actually had our own practice over in the health center downtown.”
Something flitted across his features at the mention of her husband—her ex-husband—but she didn’t bother to clarify that they were almost divorced. She had no intention of dating a man she worked with, and she saw no reason to give him false hope.
“That’s great. I’m sure you’ll like it here. Everyone’s awesome to work with.”
“That’s good to hear, thank you.”
Becky turned to Audrey. “I’ll introduce you to the others later, but if you don’t have any questions at the moment, I have some paperwork for you to fill out.”
Audrey nodded. “Lead the way.”
The remainder of the afternoon was spent filling out paperwork and studying the requisite training materials.
She also met another dozen nurses and another physician, Dr. Elijah Kellerman.
As good as she was with names, her head felt like it was spinning trying to absorb all of the new information.
It was both the same and completely different from the small practice she and Scott had together.
She truly felt like it was a good fit for her, though, and she could see herself there for a long time.
By the end of the day, she was exhausted. She stumbled through the front door of her condo and absently petted Peanut on the way to the bedroom. As she passed the kitchen, she checked to make sure that he had food and water, then proceeded on through to the bedroom.
Kicking off her shoes, she crawled into the middle of the bed and lay down.
She’d just barely closed her eyes when the vibrating of her phone caught her attention.
Digging it from her purse, she glanced at the screen.
She didn’t recognize the number, and she hesitated for a moment before swiping her thumb across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” Her heart leapt at the sound of Carter’s deep voice.
Though they had only shared one night together a week and a half ago, his presence seemed to permeate her bedroom.
She could still feel him, smell him next to her, and she closed her eyes as his deep voice washed over her. “How’s the new job?”
He knew about that? She fought to modulate her voice as she spoke. “Good. How did you know about that?”
A low chuckle filtered over the line. “You underestimate me, red. I make it my business to know everything about you.”
“That’s not creepy or anything,” she quipped.
“I prefer to think of it as dedicated,” he corrected.
Despite herself, a smile tugged at her lips, and she forced her mind to get back on track, needing to take control of the situation. “I see. Whose number is this? I didn’t recognize it.”
“It’s my cell,” he responded.
That’s why it hadn’t looked familiar. When they had spoken previously, they had used the office phone number to communicate. They lapsed into silence for a moment before Carter picked up the thread of conversation.
“So what do you think? Do you like it?”
“I do,” she admitted. “I’m actually really excited.”
“Good,” he responded. “I’m happy for you. This was your first day, right?”
“Is that a question or a statement? I thought you knew all about me,” she teased.
“Never know,” he responded in that seductive drawl. “I’ve been known to be wrong once or twice.”
Her brows shot upward in disbelief. “Did you just admit that you were wrong?”
“Only once in a while,” he replied. “But don’t tell anyone.”
She laughed, and she had the sense that he was smiling on his end, too.
“So, did you get all settled in today?”
“A little bit,” she said as she lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “Most of it was training, getting used to the feel of the office. And the computer system—God, that’s a nightmare.”
His laugh washed over her like a warm caress. “That’s always the worst, isn’t it?”
“It is,” she agreed. She let out a long yawn, and she heard Carter take a deep breath on his end.
“Well, you sound exhausted. I should let you go relax.”
“Okay,” she whispered as a pang of disappointment pierced her heart. Silly as it was, she wasn’t quite ready to hang up yet. She wasn’t able or willing to offer more at the moment, so she kept her mouth shut. Carter seemed to understand, because he spoke just a moment later.
“I’m glad you’re doing well. I’ll talk to you soon.”
The phone clicked off, and she stared at it for a long moment, a mixture of anticipation and worry settling over her.
He’d called… Why, exactly? To wish her luck with her new job?
She bit her lip and replayed their conversation in her mind.
It had been brief and friendly, but it lacked the overbearing confidence Carter normally threw her way.
He’d said he would talk to her soon, but not when.
Was this just a friendly conversation, or was it more?
She told herself it was stupid, that she was reading too much into things. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, but she couldn’t help the satisfaction she felt that he’d reached out to her. She truly enjoyed Carter; she just wasn’t sure that she was ready to offer him everything he deserved.