Page 33 of Knight
“I know,” she said airily. “But LA traffic is a bitch. I couldn’t afford to live as close to the hospital as I’d like. So I better head out.”
“All right. Drive safe.”
“Not likely,” she said, “but I’ll try to make it to the hospital in one piece. Report in later. I want to hear all about your first day, Dr. Donovan.”
“You too, Dr. Gill.”
“I like the sound of that,” she practically purred. “Ciao for now!”
My bagel popped up in the toaster. I pocketed my phoneand got out the tub of cream cheese. I’d gone shopping over the weekend. I hadn’t wanted to eat Knight’s food—not that I could, anyway, since he’d been down to nothing but beer and deli meat my first day here.
I smeared my bagel with a thick layer of cream cheese and took a big bite just as Knight entered the kitchen in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Morning,” he said, as if we hadn’t already seen each other while half-naked. “You all good to go for your first day?”
I swallowed my bite with difficulty and chased it with a gulp of now cooled coffee. “Yeah. I’m sorry I woke you up so early. You could have gone back to sleep.”
He shrugged. “Figured I might as well get some work done outside before I have to be at the tattoo shop. It’ll be cooler now than after work.”
I smiled weakly. If he was going to pretend I hadn’t made a fool of myself this morning, I’d happily do the same.
“Off to do battle with more weeds?”
He’d spent a good chunk of his days out there over the weekend. I’d seen him mowing, edging, and spraying some sort of weed killer.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten most of this street done, but there’s more to do to the south.”
I nodded. “Good luck with that.”
He pulled open the fridge and took out a garishly bright green can of BeastMODE energy drink. I wrinkled my nose as he tipped back the can and swallowed a big mouthful of toxic waste.
“Good luck today, Angel. I’ll see you later.”
I opened my mouth to correct him, but he was already walking out of the kitchen. Ah well. He’d been the one to close the door between us this morning. The one to resist when my will had collapsed like a house of cards. That wasmore important than calling me Angel, right? He clearly wasn’t the one with boundary problems. No, that was me, apparently.
I’d never struggled to resist anyone before. But then, I’d never lived with a previous hookup, either. I just needed to rewire my brain to see Knight as a roommate and not a sexual partner. With a little time, this attraction would surely fade.
I finished my breakfast, rinsed my dishes, and headed out. Knight had been a distraction, but as I approached the hospital, my nerves came raging back. My stomach did somersaults as I parked and walked into the building. Dr. Rose had given me instructions to report to her third-floor office.
I rode the elevator up, smiling politely at an older gentleman holding a bouquet of flowers.
“My Nancy just had a pacemaker put in,” he said. “She should be going home today. Those nurses keep her up all night, poking and prodding.” He gave a rusty laugh. “She’s been mighty cranky. Misses her bed.”
“I’m sure she misses you, too.”
“Ah, well. I doubt it. I snore like a grizzly bear. Her words, not mine.”
I laughed with him. “Well, still better than nurses poking and prodding her all night, right?”
The doors slid open on the second floor, and he gave me a nervous smile as he stepped out. “You might be right about that. Wish me luck!”
The doors slid shut before I could answer, but I mentally willed him good luck, anyway. He’d reminded me of the reason I was here in the first place, the reason I wanted to be a doctor, and that eased my nerves.
When the elevator doors opened again, I stepped onto the third floor. I approached the nurses’ desk. “Hi, I’m looking for Dr. Rose’s office?”
A woman with short dark curls glanced up. “Are you a patient?”
“No, uh…doctor,” I said.
