The Blush Factor by Deborah Bladon
Chapter Fourteen
Faith
“Are you sure?”I gaze down at the paper bag in my hand and the plastic containers in it. “This is a lot of food.”
“I’m sure,” Sadie says with a smile. “I’m very sure.”
All I can do is thank her, so I do with a hug. “I appreciate this more than you know.”
Her hand pats my back in that motherly way I miss. I haven’t had a hug like this since I left Connecticut to move to New York. I thought my parents might visit at some point because they fly to Maui and California several times a year to see my sisters, but I live just a few hours from them, so they expect me to hop on a train to go home when the mood strikes. I haven’t felt the pull to do that yet.
Sadie takes a step back when I end our embrace. “I do know, Faith. If you ever need food, you come here and tell them your meal is on the house. I already spoke to the manager about it. You walk in, and the chef will surprise you with something delicious.”
Carte blanche at an expensive restaurant in New York is a big deal. It’s a big fucking deal and something I won’t take for granted.
“I’m speechless,” I say with a tremor in my voice. “How can I thank you for this?”
“Kick ass in school.” She rests both of her hands on my shoulders. “I’m going to be front and center in the audience the day you graduate from medical school, so make me proud.”
That’s all the impetus I need to do my best every day.
“I will,” I promise. “I’ll kick ass.”
“Not mine, I hope.”
Sadie’s eyes widen at the man standing behind me who just uttered those words. I don’t have to turn around to see who it is because I’d recognize that voice anywhere. It’s the only voice I’d ever heard that makes me ache everywhere.
“I’m Matt Hawthorne,” he says, offering a hand to Sadie. It brushes against my arm before it connects with hers. “You are?”
“Dr. Sadie Reynolds.” She shakes his hand. “You’re a veterinarian, aren’t you?”
Matthew takes that as an invitation to invade my space. He moves next to me, sending my senses into overdrive because the man smells delicious.
I steal a glance at him before realizing that’s a huge mistake.
He’s dressed in a dark blue suit with a white button-down shirt that’s open at the collar again.
Damn, he’s stunningly handsome.
“I am,” he admits. “Have we met before?”
“No.” Sadie shakes her head. “My kids and I were dog sitting for a friend a few months ago, and our house guest cut his paw on a walk. We brought him in to see Dr. Hunt. Maybe you know the patient. He belongs to Noah and Alexa Foster.”
“Rex Foster,” Matthew says. “I do know the scoundrel. I removed his stitches two weeks after his injury. You did the right thing bringing him in.”
“I would have stitched him myself, but he wasn’t having that.” She laughs. “Donovan has a magic touch with animals. I suspect you do too.”
I catch Dr. Hawthorne’s eye when I glance at his face. I’m not about to blush over a discussion about the magic in his touch, so I clear my throat. “I should get home. I need to study.”
“Of course.” Sadie hugs me again, but it’s brief and lacks the comfort of our last embrace. “I can call a car for you.”
“No need,” Matthew interjects. “I just finished my dinner and ordered an Uber. Faith and I live in the same building, so we can share the ride.”
Um, no, we can’t.
My nipples are hard, and my dress is short.
If this isn’t a recipe for embarrassment, I don’t know what is.
“I was planning on taking the subway,” I blurt out and ramble on for good measure, “I love the subway.”
Both doctors look at me, but it’s Sadie who speaks first. “Nonsense. Go home with Dr. Hawthorne, Faith. That bag is heavy. The wind has picked up, and you’ll save at least twenty minutes in an Uber.”
I can’t argue with any of that logic, so I don’t.
Matthew’s hand brushes against mine as he reaches for the twine handles of the bag I’m gripping in my fist. “Let me take that for you, Faith.”
I hand it off without question. I need my hand away from his because nervous energy is coursing through me at breakneck speed.
“Remember what I told you, Faith,” Sadie says. “Kick ass.”
Nodding like a bobble head toy, I whisper, “I will.”
“It was good to meet you, Dr. Hawthorne.” Sadie offers him a smile. “Be sure to get Faith home safe and sound.”
“I have every intention of doing just that,” he says in a low tone. “And it’s Matt. Please call me Matt.”
Sadie leaves us alone with a wiggle of her fingers as she disappears into the restaurant’s kitchen.
“Shall we, Faith?” Dr. Hawthorne extends an arm, inviting me to wrap my hand around it.
I do tentatively, wishing I had caught a glimpse of him at his table. I can’t help but wonder if he was just on a date. Not that it matters. He’s doing me a favor by sharing his ride with me. That’s all this is. It’s a neighborly good deed, and I can’t forget that.
