“Can I get back to you?” I didn’t know what else to say and needed to buy my time. He took my hand and planted a kiss on the back of it.
“Sure. You let me know something later. I’ll be around a while today. I’ve got a meeting with the administrator later, but it won’t take long.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know. Thanks.” He dropped my hand and gave me a wink then turned and strolled away.
My phone let out a sound before I knew what to think about Dr. Rob, and I g
lanced down to see that it was Bre. She never called me this time of day and was usually working. I answered the phone and walked further down the empty hall.
“Bre, what’s up?” I was worried there was an emergency.
“Look, I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to get angry with me.” Those words coming from your best friend are never a good thing.
“Tell me what? Wait, what did you do?” A wave of panic flashed over me, and I held my breath to keep from biting my tongue.
“I went to Jay’s Pub last night.”
The words hung in my ear like they’d sprouted talons and were perched in my brain.
“You what? Why?” I turned and rested my head against the wall and pressed it hard to keep from banging it against it.
“I wanted to talk to him and see if he was having it just as bad.” All the anger faded as curiosity took its place on my emotional grid.
“So tell me. Is he living it up? Or was he with someone else already?” I could see him sitting on his barstool with some short-shorts-wearing, tramp-stamped hooker on his lap.
“He’s a drunk, stubborn asshole. And yes, I think he’s as miserable as you are. He’s shaved off his beard, so I almost didn’t recognize him, and he’s got some nasty baggage he’s hauling beneath the eyes. I don’t think he’s sleeping.” Bre had always been good at sizing up the situation, but I feared he might think I’d put her up to it.
“Great, he’s going to think I’m sending in spies.” I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. My anger was returning, but I fought it off, knowing she was only doing what she thought would help.
“No, I made it clear I was there on my own, but he’s not budging. I’m sorry I interfered, but I wanted to see if there was anything I could do.”
“It’s a lost cause, isn’t it? I guess I should accept the dinner date Dr. Rob offered me and get on with my life, right?”
“He asked you out for dinner? Then you should go. It might be what you need. You know that old saying, the best way to get over one man is to get under another.” She let out an evil chuckle, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s not going to happen. I’m not ready for that. But I will go. I could use a decent meal, and he’s good company.” Not to mention he was pretty to look at.
Bre and I said our goodbyes, and as soon as I returned my phone to my locker, I headed back to work and to find Rob.
He was around the corner at the X-ray lab, so I walked up next to him where the technician was out of earshot and gave him a nod. “I’ll see you then?” I lifted a brow, and he glanced over to the tech and gave me a wink.
As I walked away, a heavy weight was lifted from me. I’d taken the next step to moving on and as quick as it came, that wave of relief was replaced with sadness. It wasn’t going to be that easy to move on.
I imagined Bre in that bar talking to Aiden and could see those hard eyes glaring at her. At least she’d tried, and now I knew that while he was not happy with the situation, he was sticking to his guns.
By the end of the day, I was weary with worry over my dinner date. I had a change of clothes in my car that I kept for just such occasions, and I was able to use the shower and get myself cleaned up and smelling nice before it was time to meet Rob.
He texted me and asked that I meet him in the parking garage and I waited in my car until my friends, who had insisted on walking me out, left the lot. Then I got out of my car and went down to the doctor’s reserved area where Rob was waiting beside his car. It was no Shelby, but his decked out Land Rover was nothing to sneeze at. Aiden’s mother had a car like this, but hers wasn’t equipped with as many bells and whistles and hadn’t seen the road in over a year.
I tried to put her and Aiden out of my mind as I approached. “You look nice.” It was the first time I had seen him without his white coat or in his scrubs. This was a much nicer picture of him. He had a crisp button down with slacks that showed off his lean, muscular frame. He straightened his cuffs and opened my door.
“You look beautiful. I wasn’t sure if you’d need to go home to change. But I see you’re a lady who is prepared for anything.”
I lifted myself into the seat, and he closed me inside. I took a deep breath as he walked around the car and hoped for a nice time. I couldn’t get Aiden out of the back of my mind, but maybe I could push through. Rob was a wonderful man, serious about his work, and a true gentleman.
He drove me out to the shore to a lovely restaurant overlooking the water with a charming ambiance that seemed to compliment my mood only because it was quiet. I needed a bit of silence with all that was churning in my brain.
Rob leaned across the table after the waiter left and placed his hand on my arm. “You’d think we were in a library, it’s so quiet here.” The hushed voices of the other patrons were just as soft as his, and I smiled even though all I could think was that he was touching me. Would Aiden even care?