Page 17 of Devoted

Piper and I both smirk, and then I shoot Rachel an inquisitive look. “Are you keeping him company then?”

“As a friend, yes…” She says, avoiding our faces.

“A friend with benefits?” I suggest just as Rachel rolls her eyes.

“No. Not at all.”

“Perfect! Then you can go speed dating with me,” I exclaim, yanking on her arm to get her attention.

“Jess…” She whines, knowing there’s no way I’m going to let her get out of this. “Fine. When is it?”

“This Saturday.”

“Okay. I’ll do it,” she relents. “But you’ve been warned… if this ends horribly, I will never do something like this with you ever again.” Her voice is stern as she faces me and points a finger at my chest.

“I can accept that. But this will be good for you, for us. Maybe it can help you move past the crush you have on Luke,” I slip in as Rachel chokes on her saliva. It’s cute how she thinks she’s masking her crush, but Piper and I can see it clear as day.

“What? I don’t… I mean… I…”

“Oh, now I know for certain.” I tease and flash her a wink.

“Rachel, do you like Luke?” Piper leans forward in her seat so she can see her as Rachel closes her eyes and finally surrenders to my suspicions.

“How can you look at him and not find him attractive?” She whispers, opening her eyes to find Grayson again, scaling the playground for the umpteenth time.

“True. Luke is handsome. But don’t do something you’re going to regret, okay? Although… the idea of you and Luke ending up together is something that would make for quite the story. My best friend and one of Cash’s best friends? Falling in love? That’s the kind of stuff romance novels are written about.” Piper smiles, bouncing up and down in her seat.

“Yeah, well. I don’t see that happening, so let’s forget this conversation ever happened, okay?”

Piper and I glance knowingly at each other just as Grayson runs up to Rachel. “Yeah, okay,” I scoff as Grayson and Rachel get ready to leave.

“Hey, don’t you think you’re the pot calling the kettle black, Miss I-have-a-crush-on-my-co-worker?” She says staring down at me, lifting her brow and resting her hands on her hips.

I cower a bit before recovering, brushing my long, black hair behind my shoulders, and sitting up confidently. “All the more reason why you and I need to partake in this speed dating event, Rach.” I point a finger up at her. “We’re both in sticky situations. Maybe there’s a polite, safe guy that will be there to show us the light. So I guess that means I’ll see you Saturday night.”

After Rachel and Grayson leave, Piper and I grab lunch before I head home to finish my laundry and clean my apartment before I head back to work for the next three days. I had to trade shifts with another girl to get Saturday off for the speed dating event, so my schedule will be scrambled up this week. But if that night helps me move past my inappropriate crush and maybe meet a new guy to distract me, then it’s worth it.

The next day at the hospital, I clock in for my shift and get caught up to speed on the patients currently in the ER from Alice when Brooks interrupts our conversation and sends my blood pressure through the roof.

“Hey, ladies. How’s it going today?” He leans up against the counter of our station, grinning while chewing that cinnamon gum, the scent hitting my nose almost immediately.

“I was just filling Jess in on the few patients we have right now,” Alice replies. “How are you, Dr. Bennet?”

“Oh, I’m doing okay. It was a slow night in here, so I’m glad that my shift is almost over.” Brooks worked last night and is scheduled to be off in an hour—not that I scoured the schedule to know when he would be working or not. Nope, totally didn’t do that.

“Well, I’m just getting started,” I reply when I notice Brooks’ eyes cast down to my lips. A shot of electricity courses through me, travelling up to my face as I feel my cheeks redden, so I turn away from him quickly.

“Have you spoken to Clara lately? I was wondering how Penny is doing?” Brooks inquires while my back is still turned to him.

“Actually, I did. I sent her a text the day after we discharged her. Apparently she’s not happy about her limited sexual activity for the foreseeable future,” I chuckle. “But she’s doing alright otherwise.

Brooks laughs and then clears his throat. “By the way, Jess… I really enjoyed getting to hear you sing the other night.” I glance at him over my shoulder while I notice that Alice has a Cheshire grin on her face as she watches our interaction.

“Oh. Yeah, thanks.” Smooth, Jess. Real smooth.

“Isn’t she fantastic, Brooks? Not only can she save lives, but she can sing, and you should see her dance too,” Alice chimes in.

I shoot her a wide-eyed look in warning. “Alice,” I grit through clenched teeth and I hear Brooks chuckle behind me.

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