Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt

Chapter 11

Ashley dug her feet into the polished floor and yanked back on her cart seconds before ramming into the broad, muscular chest of Dr. Michael Tobers. The cart jeered sideways and tipped—that stupid broken wheel. If Dr. Tobers complained about this, Gwen wouldn’t care that the accident could have been prevented if she’d listened to Ashley and fixed the cart.

He shouldn’t even be on the unit now. He should have left fifteen minutes ago.

Her heart started racing. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize her. She crouched down to grab the empty bucket and box of garbage bags that had fallen to the floor. She reached up with her other hand and yanked the elastic holding her hair in a ponytail. The elastic snapped, and her hair fell over her face.

She glanced up through her hair. He hadn’t moved.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. Maybe he would walk away now. He never paid her any attention before, so today should be no different. What were the chances that Gwen would fire her if she pulled the hospital fire alarm?

She started to feel lightheaded. She placed one hand on the floor for support and the other on her forehead.

Maybe he’d leave without seeing her face. Maybe he wouldn’t realize that they sat at the same table at the bar yesterday. Even if he did, maybe he wouldn’t humiliate her. Maybe he wouldn’t accuse her of lying to him last night or laugh at her for thinking that a doctor could be interested in someone who, well, cleaned toilets for a living.

He muttered something quietly. Why hadn’t he left yet?

She cleared her throat and tried to speak clearly. “I’ve got this. Things fall off my cart all the time. I’ll get it cleaned up and be out of your way.” Go away, go away, go away.

He crouched down next to her and reached for the boxes of tissues that had fallen off the cart.

That smell again. Spicy, with a hint of something else. Something woodsy, earthy. He was close. Too close.

“You don’t need to help. I can get this.” She took a big inhale and reached for something, anything.

Her hand made contact with a box. And his hand. A small shock went through her.

She pulled back quickly. Too quickly. She let out a gasp as she lost balance, fell sideways, and landed with a thud. A dull ache grew in her hip.

“Hey, are you ok?” He didn’t sound like a self-centered snob.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

He held out his hand.

“I’m fine. I got this. You can go away.” She bit her bottom lip and stared at the floor. He was actually being helpful. It would be so much less weird if he mocked her.

He let out a soft laugh that sent shivers down her spine.

Great. Was this his plan? Act like a decent human being and then mock her once she let down her guard? Her face was starting to burn.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know you can get this. I just thought I’d help. Need a hand standing up?” He still sounded friendly, the same way he sounded around his patients. Her stomach dropped. He probably thought of her as a patient right now since she fell and could be hurt. No wonder his patients rated him highly on feedback questionnaires. His voice could melt anyone’s heart when he acted like a caring person.

Ashley bit her lip hard and glanced around the floor. She needed to maintain her focus. She wrapped her fingers around an unopened box of gloves and threw it on the cart. The moment of truth had arrived. No way to keep hiding on the floor. Time to stand up and hope he didn’t cause a scene.

He offered his hand again. She took it and closed her eyes briefly. His grasp felt good, like the calm before a tsunami.

She stood and faced him, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. The tall man standing in front of her exuded confidence, strength, power. Her cheeks grew hot as she stared at his broad jaw with a hint of dark stubble. The same eyes that looked at her curiously the night before were now narrowed and focused. She had no idea what thoughts were going through his mind.

Ashley inhaled deeply. She let go of his hand and turned to her cart.

“Thanks for the help. I’ll just . . .” She let the sentence trail off. His eyes didn’t show any sign of recognition from last night. She pointed to his hand. “Can I have the tissues?”

He looked down as if surprised that he held the box. He tossed the box from one hand to the other. “I’ll keep this box. I’m, um, running low on tissues in my office.”

“Whoever is cleaning your office tonight can replace them.”

“No, that’s ok. I’ll just keep these.”

Ashley frowned.

“You worked in the clinic yesterday, right? I meant to tell you—” He glanced over Ashley’s shoulder and stopped talking mid-sentence. She didn’t care. He’d already said enough. He didn’t need to finish the sentence to send her the message. He complained to Gwen, Gwen put her on probation, and now she could count on being fired by the end of the day for assaulting him with the cleaning cart.

She scowled and turned her head to see why he continued to stare over her shoulder. Theresa jogged over, looking perky and gorgeous, like always.

She should have run away without her cart when she had the chance. Mean wasn’t a strong enough word to describe that woman. If anyone should be placed on probation, it was Theresa.

Her voice came out in a high-pitched tone. “Dr. Tobers, I’m so glad I found you. A few of the nurses were going to order lunch today, and I knew I just had to find you and see if you wanted to order too. What kind of person would I be if I let you forget to eat? I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Theresa’s eyes narrowed as she glanced back and forth between Ashley and Dr. Tobers.

Dr. Tobers rubbed the back of his neck and turned to face Theresa. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not interested in ordering lunch today. If you’ll excuse me, I have patients to see.” He gestured for Theresa to move out of his path, but she made no motion.

“Is she bothering you, Dr. Tobers?” Theresa tilted her head towards Ashley and spoke in a loud whisper. “I can call housekeeping and report her if you want. She should know better than to interfere with the doctors.”

He shook his head. “There’s no reason to file a complaint. I needed tissues.” He held up the box for Theresa to see. He turned to Ashley. “Thanks, A—hmm, what’s your name?”

Ashley clenched her jaw and pointed to her name tag. “Ashley.”

“Right. Thanks, Ashley.” He turned back to Theresa. “Let’s walk back to the clinic together. I changed my mind about ordering lunch.”

Theresa gave Ashley one last look, her nose turned up as though she smelled something rotten. Finally, Theresa and Dr. Tobers walked away together, leaving Ashley by herself.