Page 45 of Babies at Coconuts

She watched as his eyes crinkled and had a feeling he knew she was up to something. “I love your curly hair. Do you take after your mom or dad?”

The nurse gave her an ‘aw shucks’ look. “Neither. I’m the only one with curly hair. Lucky me.”

“You are lucky. Do you know how many people would kill for a head of hair like that?” She cocked her head, turning on her best charm as she adjusted her dress.

The tall nurse smacked his lips and stood. “Why don’t you fill out the incident report, Curly? I’ve got my own paperwork to do for several, um, actual patients.”

“Yeah, man. I’ve got this.” Curly felt her ankle again. “Are you sure you don’t want this x-rayed? I can get you to the Radiology Department in two minutes. Of course, they may be backed up and you’ll sit in the hall for two hours but—”

Alex held up a hand. “I’m positive. I don’t need an x-ray and I won’t sue the hospital. You won’t get into trouble unless your friend spills the beans. I’m perfectly fine. Besides, my friend is having a baby, er, his girlfriend is. Anyway, I don’t want to miss the happy news. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you, Curly?”

The nurse grinned. “Guess not. I’m all about new beginnings and life.”

Alex extended her arm. “Good. Thanks. Help me up.” She paused. “If you ever need to open a checking account or take out a loan, hit me up. I work at Show-Me Bank.”

His eyes twinkled. “I might just do that. What’s your name? I’m Alec.”

She bowled over laughing. “You won’t believe this but I’m Alex. Alexandra, actually, but everyone calls me Alex.”

“Alec and Alex. Interesting.” He pulled her to her feet. “I’ll ask one more time if you want a doctor to look at this.”

“Nada, Alec.” She winked. “You can take that to the bank.”

“To Show-Me Bank. Cheesy but whatever.” He took a step and turned back. “Wait. Weren’t you with a guy earlier?”

Gulping, Alex said, “Not with him exactly. He’s a friend of a friend. Actually, this is his wedding day. He married my best friend’s son. It’s complicated.” Wanting to get the nurse off track, she said, “Remind me where the coffee is again.”

“Follow me.”

The nice nurse assisted Alex with finding the coffee area and even helped her carry a few cups into the waiting area. She cursed herself for the ploy because he truly was a kind man. But with Tony’s antics and Gabe in New York, the last thing she needed was a third guy in the mix. Cheerfully, she pushed the door open with her hip while holding three cups of coffee. The nurse followed her inside with another three cups. “Thanks, Alec. You’re one of the good guys.”

A slight flush crept up his neck. “You’re welcome. Watch where you’re walking, okay?” He set the cups on the coffee table and exited, his eyes glued to Alex the entire time.

Hope sighed. “I peeked out the window. Only you could fake an accident and end up with a cute guy.” She put her hands on her hips. “Wait. You rear-ended a cop two years ago, and now he’s your boyfriend. Why don’t these things ever happen to me?”

Alex shrugged. “Dumb luck, I guess. Who wants more coffee?”

Suzy sat next to her husband, Izzy scrolled Facebook, and Bill read a newspaper. Mama Gia held court with her sons, and Suzy’s mother was sound asleep on her father’s shoulder.

“It doesn’t look like I missed anything.” Alex sipped her coffee and complained about the cold java as Fernando burst through the door.

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