“Oh my God.” I covered my mouth. They were delicate and gorgeous. And expensive.
I touched the petals of purple and white. They felt like butterfly wings. And my stomach felt like butterflies were dancing inside. I was excited and nervous and slightly horrified. I couldn’t accept another gift like this from a patient. Especially a patient that made me feel the way he did.
I covered the flowers, not sure what to do with them. It wasn’t like I could toss them in the trash. They were too beautiful. And I certainly couldn’t leave them with the nurses—the gossip would never die down. I tucked the box under my arm. My only choice was to take them home. Damn that Wes Blakefield. Damn him.
I walked through the door, carefully placing the delicate package on the counter. I searched through the cabinets for a vase. I didn’t even know if I had one here. E
verything came standard with the apartment. I spotted one in the cupboard over the refrigerator. I stood on a stool and retrieved it from its high perch. After filling it halfway with water, I arranged the flowers. The purple and white petals floated in the air. I couldn’t help but grin. No man had sent me flowers like these before. I could only imagine what he had spent on them.
I took out a bowl, ready to heat some soup, when my phone rang. I dug through my bag until I found it.
“Hello, this is Dr. Ashworth.”
“Hey, Doc.”
My stomach gripped. The butterflies came to a full screeching halt.
“How did you get my number?” My mind raced. Did I give it to him? Did he somehow hypnotize me with his eyes to get it?
“Pulled a few strings.” He laughed on the other end. “Did you like the flowers?”
“Oh, the flowers.” I stared at the exotic blooms. “They’re beautiful, but you can’t send me things like that. I’m your doctor.”
“It’s just a thank you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well thank you for the thank you, but…”
“And did you like the Wranglers gear? How about the chocolates?” he asked.
“They were all great. And delicious.” I had almost devoured the entire chocolate collection last night, drowning my misery in the candy. “But none of this is necessary. Really. A simple thank you is enough.”
“You know what I do think is necessary?” His voice was deep and low in my ear. I couldn’t help the chill it sent to my toes.
“Don’t tell me you’re already out of your prescription?”
His laughter was warm. “No, this isn’t a medical call.”
My stomach flipped. “It’s not?”
“No, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head for the past few days.”
“Oh,” I whispered. I wasn’t about to tell him I had the same problem. It didn’t help that every day he sent me a reminder.
“I want to take you out.”
I shook my head. “You can’t. That’s not going to happen.”
“Come on, Doc. It’ll be fun. You seem like the kind of girl who could use a little fun.”
“And what does that mean? I’m fun.” Since I had left D.C., there was nothing fun about me. But he didn’t know that. Or did he?
“It’s only dinner.”
“So that’s what the flowers, chocolates, and jersey were all about? This is your way of asking me out?”
“Did it work?” I could hear the sexiness dripping off his lips without even seeing him.
“I-I—” He had me completely flustered. Damn it. “The gifts were nice, but—”