Page 3 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

But for now, work is the priority and I vow to do my best.

I’m nervous. It’s a given, but that knowledge still doesn’t stop the jitters from coming. The woman who tours me around the hospital, Wanda Jones, is another medical assistant who’s been working here for five years and seems like the friendliest woman.

Everyone we pass greets her warmly, and she responds with little personal questions, like how the kids are doing or about new hobbies. It’s not just other assistants, either, but nurses and doctors, too, who she treats that way. I can already tell she’s well-respected around here, which makes me even more nervous and determined to get on her good side.

“Thank you for taking the time to give me a tour, Mrs. Jones. I really appreciate it.”

She smiles. “Please, call me Wanda. And I’ll call you Olivia.”

“You can call me Liv.”

Her smile widens. “Liv sounds great. Anyway, the tour’s a must, because after this and after you meet your doctor, I doubt you’d have time for a grand tour. You know how it is with our work field.”

I have an idea since we were pretty busy at my old workplace, but I also know that’s nothing compared to how busy I’ll be here. I nod.

“Then I’ll make sure to memorize everything now, so it won’t pose problems in the future.”

The lines around her eyes crinkle. “No need for that. Just familiarization is enough. Our main task is to be the doctor’s shadow, from doing admin tasks to taking care of patients. If you ace that and don’t give them problems, then you’re right where you belong.”

Her encouraging words fill me with warmth. I smile back, then stay silent while she points out important rooms and the floor where most of the doctor’s clinics are located. Then we stop by a large hall with swinging doors.

“Now, the most important area in my opinion…” She sweeps her hand proudly. “The cafeteria! You won’t believe the selection we have here, from the appetizers to the sweets. It’s why I have these love handles and can’t ever get rid of them. The food is too good.”

No doubt about it now—I love this woman. And I think we’re going to get along just fine.

“Food is life.”

She brightens at my words. “Food is life, indeed. Come on. Let’s get you up to the floor where you’ll mostly work. Then the assistant head can introduce you to the doctor you’ll work with.”

“Sounds great.”

We keep up the chatter as we walk toward the elevators, my nervousness shifting into pumped-up as I look forward to successfully tackling this day. When I tell her about my kid being excited about my first day of work, she grins.

“My kids are scared of blood but love the brownies in the cafeteria, especially during Halloween, when they’re dyed red and look like blood. Go figure.”

I grin back. We reach one of the elevator areas, where a crowd’s already forming. I glance at a laughing group, and my grin fades as a sensation enters me.

It’s like being punched in the gut.

Recognition flares. I blink and try to bank it to my imagination playing with me, but the figure in front of me doesn’t disappear and gets even more real by the second. A gasp gets stuck in my throat before panic simmers, my heart racing harder than before.

Dark hair. Handsome. Taller than most people in the room, and yes, those dark brown eyes.

And he’s wearing a white coat that could only mean one thing…

“Who’s that?”

I blurt it out. I can’t help it, but my voice is steady enough that Wanda’s answer is steady, too.

“Hmm? Oh, that’s Dr. Jennings. Dr. Luke Jennings, Chief of Neurosurgery.”

Oh, no. Oh, hell, no. It can’t be.

But when I blink my eyes again, it is. He’s here. He’s here.

The man I had a one-night stand with, the man in my dreams this morning, the man who changed my life—and the man who I haven’t seen in seven years—is standing right in front of me.

Chapter 2

---