Page 12 of Taking Root

Chapter Six

Adrian snuck a peek at his phone. Missed texts from Danny. He continued down the hall to his last patient of the day, his footsteps echoing behind him. At this point, he wanted to douse his scrubs in fire. The fluorescents glared down on him as he passed the nurses’ station.

“What’s that smile on your face, Adrian?” one of the older nurses, Sandra, called out. She’d shown him the ropes all through his residency and didn’t hesitate to tease him about being a green attending doctor. He swung over to the counter and leaned on the bleached white surface.

“A guy’s not allowed to grin?” The weight of the long day began to fray the edges of his nerves, but once he left this place, he would caffeinate and press the reset button. After texting every day this past week, he’d convinced Danny to go out for dinner, and it felt a hell of a lot like a win.

“Suspicious, that’s all,” Sandra drawled. The lavender streaks she’d painted through her silver hair glistened under the bright lights. “Most of the time you trot on by with your brows furrowed and a mighty grim expression on your mug. You might as well confess now—we’ll get it out of you anyway. Have you started seeing someone?”

Adrian ran a hand through his hair, the giddiness rising in his chest unbidden. Sure, this might be a temporary thing due to whatever had her hopping counties at the drop of a hat, but his heart hadn’t caught the memo. “I have a date tonight. Don’t get your hopes up, though. It’s not like I’m carrying her down the aisle.”

“What’s that? Our dear doctor Dukas has a new lady in his sights?” Carmen leaned in beside Sandra, her dark eyes sparkling. Gossip traveled between the two of them faster than fluid through an IV, but when he and Betty crashed and burned, they’d been quick to offer the compassion he needed, even if it meant shit talking Betty to kingdom come to get him to grin.

“A date,” he clarified. “Not a new anything. She’s not interested in the long term.”

Sandra crooked her brow. “She knows you’re pretty much incapable of anything else, right?”

He rolled his eyes, tapping his clipboard against the counter. “Enough with you guys. I’ve got patients who need attending to.” He pushed up and continued walking down the corridor toward his final patient.

“Good luck tonight, Doctor,” Carmen called out behind him, amusement in her voice. Adrian groaned. They’d be talking about this for the next week. Sandra’s words lingered, because she knew him as well as anyone did. Even though he wanted to try enjoying his time with Danny one text or encounter at a time, he couldn’t lie to himself. He was getting attached, and fast, which promised yet another heartbreak when she had to leave.

The patient’s room stood out at the end of the hall. Time to get his head in the game.

***

Adrian pulled up to the address she’d listed, Magnolia Courts apartments, and he parked his gunmetal gray Mustang. He adjusted the cuffs of his black sportscoat, feeling way overdressed from the transition out of scrubs. Even with the engine shut off, he felt like he raced along the highway. What was he even thinking? He went from “let’s be friends” to making reservations at Siren’s Call on the edge of town for one hell of a swanky date. Because he could keep things casual.

The biggest surprise was Danny agreeing to go on essentially a date. She’d swung back and forth like a pendulum every talk they had, a push-pull that had him confused as anything. She seemed just as perplexed.

Adrian’s phone buzzed again, but this time it was the siblings extraordinaire. Both Nellie and Lex were demanding he show up at family dinner tonight. Mom already gave him an earful of “be carefuls” when he mentioned going on a date, since the situation with Betty catapulted her into smothering territory. He loved his family. He truly did. However, sometimes, especially as of late, the amount of texts had him straining at the seams, tires burning on the asphalt as he spun in place.

He slipped his cell into his pocket and hopped out of his car, making his way up the slate walkway to the building entrance.

Giving patients bad news didn’t make his palms sweat like they did now. Long-term relationships and a short dating history made him shit at the whole process. He never thought he’d be back in the dating pool, least of all not with the girl who’d inspired some truly terrible poetry back in high school.

He strode up the first-floor steps, wishing he hadn’t downed three cups of coffee when he’d gotten home. If he guessed his nerves would betray him this spectacularly, he would’ve stuck with water. At the end of the hall, apartment 4B stood out in gold lettering. He lifted his fist to knock. Sure, he could navigate his way around the hospital, wrangle his siblings, and take care of his parents, but something about Danny cut him off at the knees.

It wasn’t too late. He could cut a quick retreat and spend the night in his sweats with a container of chicken lo mein.

The door creaked open.

“Thought I heard shuffling out there,” came Danny’s husky voice. Once his gaze landed on her, all reasonable notions evacuated his brain. Her copper hair gleamed like a ripe tangerine, the strands straightened, and her green eyes matched the emerald swing dress accenting her curves. He ran a hand through his hair, trying not to appear like a slack-jawed idiot.

“You look gorgeous.” The words tumbled out before he could help himself. Compliments tended to flow around her, but he meant every single one.

A blush lit her cheeks, accentuating the scattered freckles on her face. She shifted to make room for him to enter, and the glimpse of her porcelain calves leading into those black pumps seared into his brain. All he could see was her long legs wrapped around his waist, those heels digging into him. Down, boy. Maybe Lex was right, and he needed to get laid.

“You’re looking mighty fine yourself. Welcome to my shitty abode,” she said, walking behind him even as she left her apartment door wide open.

Adrian wandered inside, hoping to soak in more details about her, to devour any of the information he was hungry for. However, her walls were barren, furniture sparse, and the studio apartment resembled more of a prison cell than anything. His chest squeezed tight. He couldn’t imagine how she’d lived all these years having zero connections, unable to display the colorful personality that burst from her with every move and look.

“So,” she said, glancing his way. “This is just a friendly game of dress-up, right? You haven’t told me where you made reservations for. I’m betting on the local diner.”

Adrian snorted and offered an arm. “God forbid I want to do something nice. You can bemoan the lack of corn fritters from Susanna’s when we get there.”

Danny grinned, this smile reaching her eyes. “I’m more entertained at your inability to casually do anything—whether it’s friendship, dating, or fucking.”

He arched a brow. “Oh? Who says I can’t casually fuck?” The word caused the heat in the room to skyrocket, percolating between them with all the desires he restrained.

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