Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt

Chapter 21

Friday morning passed in a blur. Ashley’s stomach protested loudly by the time she met Emily in the hospital cafeteria for lunch. She placed her lunch bag on the table and flopped down in the chair. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Everything ok?” Emily glanced up from her half-eaten lunch.

“Just running behind schedule today. I spilled a big bottle of hand soap, and it exploded all over the floor. Anyway, I need your help.” She reached for her lunch bag and opened it, withdrawing a container of pasta salad. “I have a thing tonight. Can I borrow something to wear?”

“What kind of thing?” Emily stabbed her salad with a fork and took a bite.

“I’ll tell you if you promise not to freak out.”

Emily put her fork on the cafeteria tray and crossed her arms. “I’m making no promises. But if you want to borrow something to wear, I need all the details.”

Ashley laughed. “Fine. Michael and I are going to meet Chef Houghton at his restaurant tonight.”

Emily’s mouth dropped open. “Michael? Are you talking about Dr. Tobers? Same guy we ran into at the bar?”

Ashley nodded. “He came to Kelly’s house last night when I was cooking. She never told me that she’s known him since he was a kid. Anyway, he offered to introduce me to Chef Houghton. Can I borrow a dress?”

“He asked you out on a date?” She let out a squeal.

“Shh!” She glanced around, but no one looked interested in their conversation. “It’s not a date, and the rest of the hospital does not need to know about this. It’s just a business meeting.”

“It is definitely not a business meeting.”

Ashley rolled her eyes and took a bite of her sandwich.

“Did he say anything to you this morning?”

“I haven’t seen him at all. I’m cleaning in the labor and delivery unit today.”

“Are you meeting at the restaurant, or is he picking you up?”

“He’s going to pick me up at my apartment.”

Emily raised her eyebrows and smirked.

Ashley threw a clean napkin at Emily, which she batted away. “Don’t look at me like that! It’s not a date. He’s only picking me up because my car broke down at Kelly’s yesterday.”

“How did you get home? Did he drive you home too? Did you kiss?”

“Shh! People are going to hear you. He didn’t drive me home. I borrowed Kelly’s car. I drove it to work today, but I need to drop it off at her house before the date. I mean, the meeting. Can you meet me there after work?”

“Sure. I’ll run by my house, grab some dresses for you, and then meet you at Kelly’s around five-thirty. What time is the date?”

“Seven. It’s not a date.”

“Fine.” Emily glanced at her phone and groaned. “I have to run. I’ll see you later.” Emily picked up her tray and left the table.

Ashley stared at her pasta and took a small bite. It wasn’t a date. They were going to go to a restaurant together, have a meeting with the chef, and discuss food. A business meeting. Michael wasn’t interested in her like that. He probably only invited her to the meeting because Kelly encouraged him. That was it. Nothing romantic.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Theresa, the nurse, sat at a nearby table, finishing her lunch while looking like she had stepped away from a modeling shoot for teal scrubs.

Ashley sighed. Michael sounded convincing when he told her that he wasn’t interested in Theresa. But it would make much more sense for him to date Theresa instead of her. Theresa had a perfect life. She had a good job, she was beautiful, and she constantly bragged about going on vacations or weekend trips.

Not like her. The closest thing she’d had to a vacation in years was an afternoon flipping through a travel magazine that a patient left after getting discharged from the hospital.

Michael deserved to be with someone like Theresa. Someone who wasn’t broken.

Ashley’s hands shook as she reached for the empty pasta container and her lunch bag. She shoved the container in the bag and fumbled with the zipper. Someone placed a manicured hand with bright pink nails on the chair that Emily had vacated and pulled it away from the table. Ashley glanced up as Theresa sat down.

“I heard you talking a few minutes ago.”

Ashley faced Theresa. It wasn’t like Theresa could have heard her thoughts. “What do you mean?”

“I heard you talking about going on a date with Dr. Tobers. Why would he be interested in you?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked over Ashley.

“Oh.” Ashley glanced down at the table in front of her as heat rose in her cheeks.

“I’m going to be nice and give you a warning. You don’t want to go after someone like him. You’ll never get him, and you’ll just hurt yourself in the process.”

Ashley swallowed hard. She glanced around to see if anyone at the nearest table could overhear them. Hopefully, the noise of the cafeteria would drown out Theresa’s voice. However, if Theresa overheard Emily, then anyone nearby could probably hear Theresa. Her throat tightened.

“He’s too far out of your league, so don’t get your hopes up. Even if he were to go on a date with you, it would be a pity date. You’ll never interest him for long. Once he gets what he wants, he’ll move on to someone better. Like me.” Theresa rapped her manicured nails on the tabletop and continued talking in her high-pitched voice. “But go ahead on the date tonight. Enjoy the water, because we both know that’s the only item on the menu that you’ll be able to afford. Unless you actually think he’d pay for your meal without expecting something else in return.”

Ashley’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t thought about that. Theresa was right. How was she ever going to pay for her food at a fancy restaurant? She still needed to wait for her next paycheck to buy milk. Her bank account would cry at the sight of the cheapest item on the menu.

Theresa stood up and delicately released a used napkin from her hand. “Oops, I dropped some garbage. You can clean it up for me.” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Don’t forget. This is your warning. He’s mine, so stay away.” She straightened up again and walked away.

Ashley watched her leave, numb and not sure what to think. She glanced around again, but no one noticed her. At least there were no obvious witnesses to what just happened. She leaned over, picked the napkin up from the ground, and placed it next to her lunch sack. It was crumpled, dirty, and useless, just like her.

Theresa was right. She didn’t belong with someone like Michael.