Second First Kiss

Chapter 3

Sage

“Oh, so you’d be glad to meet Hotchkiss for his rounds, eh?” A sneer was in Dr. McGreasy’s tone. Sage walked toward the cafeteria after changing out of her surgical scrubs. He dogged her footsteps. “Don’t you know who that guy is?”

Oh, she knew Jasher Hotchkiss, all right—that he’d been the most expert-kisser as a high school freshman that had ever walked the face of the earth. And that he performed a textbook-perfect surgery, the kind that could be used for how-to videos for med students.

Majorly attractive. Not that she was noticing.

“Did you want something, Dr. McGreeley?”

“I want you to place your bid in my ballot box at the hospital auxiliary fundraiser on Friday night.”

As if. “I can’t. I’m not attending.” Not even if they dragged her by her hair.

“I doubt that.” McGreeley kept pace with Sage even though she steadily increased the speed of her gait. “Inchy will get you.”

“No, she won’t.” Soon she’d be jogging, if only to keep out of the wake of Dr. McGreeley’s overwhelming cologne.

“You’re overlooking the inchiness of Inchy. And when she does get you, keep this in mind. Mine will be the date that includes dinner at Steaks-n-Stuff.”

“Got it.” Now she knew which ballot box to avoid anyway. Not that she’d be at that so-wrong event. No matter what McGreasy said, Inchy would not get to Sage.

Seriously, Sage could contribute to the hospital auxiliary fund much more generously by not attending the freak-show bachelor’s auction and making an anonymous gift. Considering how much she planned to donate, that only made sense. Alms before men, and all that. Even if they were Leo’s insurance alms.

“Seriously? It’s Mrs. Constantini’s spaghetti. I wouldn’t skip that if I were you.”

Oh. Dang it. Mom and Dad loved Mrs. Constantini’s spaghetti. They’d probably make Sage go just to bring them home take-out dishes.

“Aren’t you off shift now, McGreeley?”

“Doesn’t seem to be stopping you from hanging out after hours at the hospital. Why are you even here? You had the whole week off.”

“Babbage wasn’t around for the emergency surgery.” She wasn’t going to say that she’d come in just to see whether Jasher Hotchkiss really did happen to be on staff at Mendon Regional Medical Center. “Are you memorizing my work schedule, McGreeley? That’s a little creepy.”

“It’s devotion, Sage.” He laughed like it might be a joke, but it also might not.

She walked faster.

“All I’m saying is that you need to stay away from Hotchkiss. Everyone knows about him.”

Sage lurched to a halt and whirled around. McGreeley bumped into her hard, but she kept her balance. “What, exactly, has Jasher Hotchkiss done? Do you even know? You’re not even originally from Mendon. You can’t have known him more than what—two weeks? What’s your beef with him?”

McGreeley didn’t back out of her personal bubble. He looked at the backs of his hands. “He’s done nothing to me personally. But they do say he’s the worst thing that ever happened to Mendon.”

“How so?”

McGreeley went on as if he hadn’t heard her. “I don’t want you tainted by his reputation. Yes, he may be younger and better looking than I am, but I’m a much better choice for you, Sage. Don’t be fooled.”

So McGreeley didn’t even know the details. Figured. Of course, neither did Sage. Maybe she should keep it that way, for Jasher’s sake. He was an incredible surgeon. No sense jeopardizing that amazing skill set with her curse.

“Good-bye. I’m meeting someone now.” She turned back around to head the last stretch of hallway to the cafeteria.

“Not Hotchkiss, I hope.”

Unfortunately, no. “My friend. Now, stop gossiping about stuff you don’t even have information on, Dave. It doesn’t suit you.”

She didn’t look back.