What's Left of Me
Page 18

I glance down at my watch. I have forty minutes until I need to check-in. I’ll be here a while.
I make my way over to the fake granite desk that Shannon sits behind, glancing down the hallway as I do. I know Parker is here somewhere. A part of me hopes to see him while the other part wants to avoid him at all cost.
The side door opens. Looking over Shannon’s shoulder, I come face to face with the person I was just thinking about.
“Good morning Shannon,” he says. “Aundrea.” He says my name with a slight nod before turning to his right and heading down the hall.
Hmm. Not the reaction I was expecting. Wait, what was I expecting?
“How do you know Parker?” she asks, giving me a sideways glance.
It all becomes clear now. I don’t know how I didn’t put two and two together before. The night at the bar. Shannon talking to Parker. They work together. She wasn’t flirting with him. This revelation makes me smile. Not that I should smile because I don’t care. Right? No. I don’t. Okay, maybe a little.
“Oh, I met him at Genna and Jason’s the other night. He came over for dinner.” I try to say it nonchalantly.
“He’s so hot. Hey! If you work here, you can join me in eyeing him all day. He’s great man candy!”
Shaking my head, I say, a little too irritated, “Um … no. He’s not that hot. And no, I won’t be working here.” I bite my lip, hoping I sound convincing.
Apparently I don’t. She gets a look of recognition. “Oh, does someone already have a crush on the new doctor?”
“No.” I shake my head in disgust.
“Uh huh. Right.”
“I’m just going to go find Genna now.”
She laughs behind me.
I make my way back to Jason’s office. His door is locked. I can hear voices two rooms down, which I believe is where the other exam rooms are. I scoot down the wall, resting on the floor with my head back against the wall, deciding to sit here in the peace and quiet until Genna comes out.
I take my Kindle from my purse so I can get in a chapter or two of this paranormal romance book I can’t seem to get enough of. I’m right at the spot where she’s about to find out who—or what—he really is, when somebody clears their throat. I peek up to see Parker standing there in all of his hot gloriousness. “Hello, Aundrea.” Reaching down, he takes my hand and helps me to my feet.
Parker reaches behind me to unlock the door, then pushes it open and motions me through. I walk past him into Jason’s office. The office is different from when I last saw it. There’s a cherrywood desk directly in front of me with two small, cream-colored chairs sitting directly across from a big black leather chair with a white coat hanging on the back. A small laptop and bronze desk lamp sit next to a tiny green and white plant in a round antique silver base. To my right is a small bookshelf filled with books, a silver digital clock and a picture frame of Parker standing with two other men and one woman.
I turn around quickly at the sight of the picture. “This is your office?” I ask Parker who is just watching me intently.
“Yes.”
“But this was Jason’s.”
“Yes, was. He is now down the hall.” He doesn’t elaborate any further and I don’t ask questions.
“Okay. Well, I better go. I was waiting for Genna. We have plans and we need to get going.”
“They’re just finishing up. Maybe five more minutes? Have a seat. Talk to me for a minute.”
I make my way past a big green plant by the door as I move to sit in one of the chairs. “You want to talk, so talk.” My tone comes out more annoyed than I intend, but I don’t correct it.
Parker closes the door, then walks over and sits on the desk right next to me, completely ignoring the two empty chairs in the room. “I’d like to talk to you about working here. I have a feeling the tutoring”—he makes air quotes as he says “tutoring”—“was fabricated. I hope not on my account?” He quirks an eyebrow up.
“I can’t work around you,” I say truthfully.
“Why not?”
Because with one taste I want more. Then, when I do, the satisfied feeling that overtakes me is an electric high. Something I can’t get enough of.
“You know why.”
“No. Please enlighten me.” He sits back on the desk, crossing his arms in front of him. That stupid sexy grin is back and I want to slap it right off.
“I don’t have to explain myself. It wouldn’t be right working here. Not after we …” I don’t elaborate. I don’t think I need to explain to him what we did.
“After we what, Aundrea?” He leans forward, bringing his face close to mine.
I watch his mouth as he talks, and think how sexy his lips are, poking through the short whiskers that frame his mouth. His beautiful mouth.
Get it together, Aundrea.
“I’m real—”
Cutting me off, he quickly adds in a low, hoarse whisper, “Before you say no again, let me tell you that I’ll be on my best behavior the entire time.” I watch as he puts his hands up in the air, as if in a freezing motion, with his lips in a straight line.
“You won’t try to make a move on me?”
“No.” A grin is forming on his face.
“Not once?”
“Well …” The grin becomes wider. I raise my eyebrows at him, and he sighs. “Okay. Okay. I won’t make a move after you agree.”