Page 1 of Craving Cooper

Chapter One

Mallory

I turn the key in the lock, switch the sign on the door to say ‘closed’ and pull down the blind that covers the frosted glass, letting out a sigh of relief. I might not like weekends, but for once, I’m glad it’s Friday.

For some reason, it seems to have been a stressful week. I don’t think Doctor White has had any more patients than usual, although he had that difficult root canal treatment on Wednesday morning, which meant I had to rearrange two of his afternoon appointments to today. So, maybe that’s it.

Or maybe I’m just tired.

Tired and fed up.

No. That’s not true. I’m not fed up, I’m…

I snap to attention as Greta comes out of the lunchroom, closing the door behind her. I’m pretty sure she’s been working here since before Cooper even took over the place, although neither of them has ever confirmed that. Even so, she’s never one to hang around once the day is done, and I barely have time to get back to my desk before she wanders out here to the reception area.

When she’s not wearing her pale blue scrubs, she looks completely different, and I smile up at her as she stops off to say goodbye.

“How do you feel this week has gone, with the new system?” I ask. It’s not really a ‘new’ system, but an addition to the old one, which enables me to ping an alert through to the computer in the surgery when the next patient arrives. It’s supposed to stop the appointments from running over, but if today’s an example of it working, I’m not sure how successful it’s been… which is why I’m asking the question.

“It’s been okay,” she says. “It’s helpful to know the next patient is waiting… although that doesn’t mean we can deal with the existing ones any faster.”

“No. I suppose not.”

“Are you doing anything nice this weekend?” she asks, shifting her cardigan from one hand to the other while she fishes in her purse for her keys. She’s wearing navy pants and a white blouse, but I guess she’s decided the cardigan is superfluous, and I can’t say I blame her. It might be the beginning of October, but the weather doesn’t seem to have heard about the changing seasons.

“I thought I’d catch up on some laundry,” I reply. “And some sleep.”

She shakes her head at me, and not for the first time, I wonder how old she is. I know she’s married, with two grown-up daughters, but I still wouldn’t like to guess at her age. There are times when I could easily believe she’s still in her thirties, given the way her blonde hair curls so neatly around her perfectly made-up face. But then, one of her daughters will call, reminding me that’s not possible.

“You should get out more,” she says. “Make some friends.” Her smile widens as she leans a little closer over my desk. “I’m sure there are plenty of young men around here who’d be honored to go out with a young lady as pretty as you.”

And at times like that, she feels like someone’s grandmother, handing out sage advice to the younger generation. She couldn’t be my grandmother, though. I don’t have one. That’s to say, I must have had one – or two, to be more precise – but I haven’t got a clue who they are… or were.

“I don’t know about that,” I murmur, feeling myself blush, and with another shake of her head, and a wave of her hand, she heads for the door. She has to unlock it to get out, and despite the exhaustion creeping through my limbs, I get up and re-lock it again, bringing the keys back with me this time.

They belong in the top drawer of my desk, and once I’ve put them there, I sit in my chair and set about closing down my computer for the weekend.

I’m sure Greta meant well, but what she doesn’t understand – because no-one could – is that I’m not interested in any of the young men in Hart’s Creek. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with them, but they don’t do anything for me.

How can I be so sure, you ask? That’s simple, really…

It’s because I’ve already met the only man I’ll ever want.

The problem is, his name’s Cooper White, and I work for him.

No… that’s not the problem.

The problem is, Cooper’s already seeing someone else.

My heart sinks at the thought of Meredith Sims, the voluptuous red-head, who’s occupied his life and his bed for heaven knows how long.

I genuinely have no idea how long they’ve been together. Certainly a lot longer than the three months I’ve been working for him… more’s the pity.

I jump at the sound of his surgery door opening. It’s one of two in the back wall of the reception area… the one on the right. The other one leads to the restrooms. From where I’m sitting, I can see a third door, which is marked ‘Employees Only’. That’s the lunchroom, although there’s a small, curtained changing area in there for Greta to use, on the opposite side to the kitchen, where we can fix ourselves coffee and lunch, if we want, and sit to read the local newspaper during our breaks.

I’m not looking at that now, though. My attention is fixed on Cooper. He’s on the phone, and he wanders out, leaving the surgery door open, a smile etched on his face as he comes into the reception and sits in one of the dark gray chairs that line the wall across from my desk. They’re comfortable enough, and after a second or two, he lounges back, crossing his legs and nodding his head, even though the person he’s speaking to can’t see him.

“Okay,” he says. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. And stop worrying, will you? We’ll get it done.”

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