Page 35 of Bloom: Part 1

“The first time I met this doctor, he reprimanded me,” James said. “He was tough and had high expectations of my work from the moment I entered his department. For the past year and ahalf, I’ve had the privilege to work under his tutelage and have learned so much from him. To many, he might be cold and insensitive, but he’s one of the best damn doctors we could ever find. He’s invaluable to me and to this hospital, so it’s with great honor that I present this award to none other than my mentor and friend, Dr. Logan Collier.”

If James’s entrance had been met by thunderous applause and chuckles, mine was heralded with a scattering of the same. Head held high, I walked up the stage. I was under no misconception of how the staff viewed me. Too strict. Too short tempered. Too selfish. I was fine with all that as long as I got my work done.

James held out the award to me. “You deserve this, Dr. Collier.” He gave me a hug, and the crowd clapped louder as I accepted the award. The trophy was heavier than I’d anticipated. When I was first told about the honor, I didn’t put much stock into it, but holding it in my hand now, it felt different.

My work mattered. Maybe there was such a thing as redemption after all.

“Thank you, James,” I said into the microphone. “And be careful walking in those heels. I won’t accept a sprained ankle as an excuse not to come to work tomorrow morning.”

Laughter resonated through the audience as I squeezed James’s shoulder. He stuck out his tongue and grinned. My god, he was right. We were almost two decades apart, but he was the first friend I’d had in years.

Unlike others, he didn’t hate me because of my short temper. He didn’t stay away because of my scowl. He didn’t flinch because of my abrasive words. I’d thrown up all the walls I could when he started working at the hospital, but he’d wedged himself into my life anyway, refusing to leave me to my solitude.

Just like Bloom.

No, not like Bloom. The relationship I had with James was purely platonic. I didn’t feel like running away whenever James got close. But I’d been avoiding Bloom all night.

I scanned the faces, searching for him. He wasn’t where I’d last seen him, and I’d kept my eyes glued on him all night. Had he slipped out when I accepted the award?

“Dr. Collier, I know my dress is stealing your breath away, but you really should give your acceptance speech.”

I jolted back to reality at James’s teasing quip and the ensuing bout of laughter. Clearing my throat, I forced a smile while running my gaze over every seat. “Well, this is the right place for that, James. I’m sure we have a cardiologist in the house.”

Several hands went up, to which I nodded. “I want to say I’m deeply honored to receive this award and to be recognized—” Price was also missing. Had the two of them gone off together? I swallowed the sudden bitterness while my lips stiffened into a thin line.

You chose to ignore him. He’s none of your business.

To hell he wasn’t!

“Thank you for this award, and I look forward to many more years serving at the hospital.” I stepped away from the mic and hastily climbed off the stage. The clapping continued behind me as I darted through the crowd, weaving around guests and waitstaff, and rushed into the hallway.

Where could they have gone?

9

BLOOM

My thigh was killing me, and it was all Jamie’s fault. That was the last time I would listen to him. I’d done everything he said. He’d talked me into dressing up this way—although I couldn’t gripe about the corset, since I loved it—to impress Logan, who hadn’t looked at me once all night. Jamie had convinced me to smile on cue, but I hadn’t felt like it once, and the longer I kept it up, the more my jaw ached. My irritability had almost reached catastrophic levels. And a catastrophe was exactly what would have happened had I stayed in the room, so I’d slipped out the first chance I got.

What better time to make a getaway than when Logan was too busy accepting his award to notice me? Not that that was a problem. He hadn’t noticed me at all.

I limped to the hotel’s bar, which was almost empty. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have danced as much as I had. I never danced, and I’d felt odd the whole damn time, but I’d endured it because Jamie said if Logan cared even a bit about me, he wouldn’t like to see me with another man.

Wrong.

Again.

Jamie always came across as smart, but he was as clueless as me about men. How had he even landed a biker like Grimm? I acted myself, and that wasn’t enough for Dr. Collier. I acted like the boys, and that still did nothing for him. But he’d clearly said he was attracted to me, so why was he being so standoffish? Or had he said that to spare my ego?

The bartender, a tall man with a neat beard and sharp eyes, shot me a sympathetic look. “Rough night?”

“Something like that.” I hoisted myself onto one of the high bar stools. The pain in my thigh shot up farther, and I winced. A stain had appeared in the dark material of the slacks. Yup, I overdid the dancing and tore my stitches. I probably should go to the ER, but I’d had enough of hospital visits that didn’t amount to anything. I wasn’t likely to bleed out to death.

“What can I get you to drink?” he asked.

“Whiskey sour,” I snapped, a little more roughly than I’d meant to, but my mood was as black as my soul. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

The bartender placed my drink in front of me. “It’s none of my business, but you look like you’re in pain. Anything I can get you?”

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