Unexpected

Chapter 24 - A mood

Sneaking over to Nick's was scary and exciting at the same time. She wanted to pinch herself to prove she wasn't dreaming. His neighborhood differed from Christine's. The homes were bigger and set back from the wide street. Most were colonials with two-car garages and long driveways.

When she arrived, he was waiting for her. Kissing him woke up sensors she didn't know she had. She worried he didn't believed her inexperience.

She couldn't stay home and think about Nick all day on Sunday, so she went to see her Aunt and Uncle.

Poppy greeted her. "You look happy. You must really like your job."

"I really do." She refrained from adding that she liked who she worked with. Liked was not quite the right word, but she didn't have a better one for the man she had spent the past two nights kissing. Her belly flip again. How could she work with him? Remembering his arms and his lips made her dizzy.

Uncle David asked if her apartment was working out. She told him she loved its convenience and coziness. She suspected he was asking about her landlord and continued to wonder what the story was with Miles Tardiff.

She pressured her uncle. "He has a reputation of being a ladies' man."

It didn't surprise Sara, because he was full of himself. Miles was good-looking, but up close he was too perfect. Nick was better looking and less vain. Nick was gorgeous even up close with his scars on his cheek, chin and forehead.

All his scars had faded, but each told the story of his youth. He told her about when he had ridden the Radio Flyer down a hill, climbed on Tim's bike at Jack's age, and Clare's hard head clipped him under the chin. She had traced each with her fingertips and kissed them. Thinking about him gave her a warm sensation in her center. She couldn't stop thinking about Nick.

Monday morning came and Sara didn't know how to act around him. Nick arrived full of smiles. Sara turned from her little work space and greeted him stoically.

He smiled at her and went into his office. Sara picked up her phone and typed a text.

🗨S: Don't act so happy. You're usually not.

🗨N: Really?

She tried not to smile, but couldn't stop it.

🗨S: Really! No more texting!

"Who are you texting?" Chloe asked.

"Just an old friend." Sara lied. How many more lies would she have to tell?

The morning passed with little interaction between them, and Sara felt confident they could remain professional. Then he purposely brushed her hand when handing her a form, and she felt his touch radiate through her body.

During the handoff, she noticed he was not wearing his ring. She nodded to his left hand, and he just shrugged. A slight smile crossed his lips, and another sensation traveled through her body.

After lunch, she stood in his doorway watching him work. He looked up and smiled. "I have some files that need your review, doctor."

Without waiting for a response, Sara entered his office. Nothing had changed since the time she worked with him on lab results. The pictures were the same; he looked the same, but everything was different. She knew what his lips felt like on hers and how he tasted and smelled. She knew how his strong arms felt around her in both comfort and passion. She scared herself with thought of passion.

He whispered so absolutely no one outside the room could hear. "I miss you."

"I am right here."

He looked up at her, and their eyes connected. She broke their gaze and returned to work.

Tim asked Nick, "Are you leaving soon?"

"Yes, just finishing up a few things."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few minutes then. Sara, go home, you work too hard."

Sara laughed. "Soon."

She stood in his doorway. He walked around his desk with an outstretched hand, inviting her to bridge the distance between them.

"I really can't stay, but I've wanted to do this all day."

He pulled her into his arms and held her in an embrace. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart. He kissed the top of her head, and she looked up. His lips were on hers, kissing her urgently. She heard herself sigh as she thought, finally. Her body responded by pressing closer to his. After a tight squeeze, he separated their lips and rested his forehead on hers.

"I have to go."

"I know." She reluctantly moved out of his embrace. "Go! You have responsibilities."

She went to visit Lily, but her mind focused on getting home to text Nick. She discovered texting was how they communicated before they kissed. Every night they would spend most of the evening talking on the phone like two teenagers, at least the way it was when they were teenagers. Slowly they were sharing pieces of their lives and learned about one another.

On days that Nick's children were at daycare, he had a few minutes longer to stay behind after everyone else left. Sara would wait before going into his office. The little time they spent together was a tease. It usually resulted with Nick groaning he didn't want to leave her. Some nights Tim stayed late, and Nick would leave with a look of regret. One night, Clare came through looking for him. Luckily Sara was just leaving his office. When she saw Clare, she turned back and said, "Thank you for your advice, doctor."

Clare said, "Sara, go be with your boyfriend, not working with my cranky brother."

Sara laughed at the irony.

During one of their nightly calls, Nick said, "Weekends when I'm on call, we can work together and I won't need to rush home."

"Unless your family comes to the office."

"I'd like to take you out."

"We can't!" Sara protested. "We could run into someone from the hospital. It isn't safe."

One afternoon, Sara purposely followed Nick when he went to the kitchen for tea. She stopped outside the door when she heard him talking.

"My kids are fine. They're none of your business."

"Relax Nick. I was just having a conversation. I was there when they were born."

She recognized Miles' voice.

Nick replied, "Do me a favor and don't talk to me."

Sara quickly turned around and rushed back to their office. When Nick returned, he was in an ornery mood. It reminded Sara of his other bad moods. Was Dr. Tardiff the cause? When Nick had seen her talking to Miles on the way into the office, he had scowled for days.

When the office emptied, she walked into Nick's office. He was packing up. He looked at her, but didn't smile. "It's not a daycare day."

She said, "I know. Are you upset with me?"

"God, no! Not you."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "Not particularly."

"Will you kiss me?"

He smiled. "Quickly."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. Harder than he ever had, but it was full of emotional need. When he abruptly ended it, he looked sad. It worried Sara. She sensed there was something going on she knew nothing about, and then she thought of her uncle's warning.