Page 26 of One Little Spark

She blinked. Oh, God. The last thing she wanted was dinner with a doctor. Actually, any man that wasn’t Aiden was a no-go at the moment. “Um, thanks for the invite, but I really think I’ll have a quiet weekend in.”

He smiled at her. “I understand completely. Maybe brunch on Sunday?”

She was trying to think of another excuse when his name was paged over the loudspeaker. “Um, I think someone is looking for you.”

He frowned. “So they are.” He gave her a tight smile and laid the chart he’d been carrying down on the counter. “Think about it. I’ll call you.” He turned and moved off down the hallway.

Hazel’s shoulders sagged with relief. She glanced at the chart. It was Mrs. Mancuso’s. Of course.

Kerry approached the desk and nodded toward Dr. Bryson’s retreating back. “You escaped that one by the skin of your teeth.”

She glanced at her boss and nodded. “I know. He gave me a lift home in the rain last weekend, and since then, I’ve been trying to avoid him. I know Viv thinks he’s great, but I’m not so sure.”

“Girl, you do not want to have anything to do with that man. He just gives me the creeps. Take it from someone who’s been around the block a few times. There is something off about him.” She sat down and started doing paperwork.

She wouldn’t have gone that far about Paul Bryson, but she still didn’t want to date him. She wanted to date Aiden, but that was off the table. She’d seen the hurt in his eyes when she’d told him that being with him had been a mistake. She didn’t mean it. She would take it back if she could, but it was too late.

And Jory was hurt because he thought she’d chosen Aiden over him. She hadn’t. Jory needed to realize she wasn’t that lost girl anymore. She was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions. Or so she thought. Hadn’t she caved immediately when Jory yelled at her? Granted, she didn’t leave with him, but she did feel guilty. Really guilty. She’d hurt her brother and she didn’t mean to, but Aiden was just everything she’d ever wanted. And she’d fucked that up too.

She’d spent so much time getting to know him over the last two years. Beyond her teenage infatuation, she’d come to admire and respect the real Aiden, the one he sort of kept hidden. The strong man whose laugh made her knees weak. The man who listened when she spoke and didn’t dismiss any of her ideas. The man that made her feel safe and—oh, my God—the sex had been out of this world.

Her brain ricocheted back to the present. She’d promised Aiden she would talk to Phoenix today. In all the mess of the morning, she’d completely forgotten. She glanced at her watch. It was almost shift change. She grabbed her cell and called her mom. “Do you have Phoenix’s number? I need to talk to him about something, and I don’t want to wait until he’s back in the office tomorrow.”

“I have it in my phone. Let me put you on speaker.” There was a short silence and then her mom came back on the line. “How are you feeling now?”

“Um, okay, I guess.”

“I know it’s hard, honey. Jory is just doing what he thinks is necessary to keep you safe. He’ll settle down in a bit. I admit, you and Aiden could have done a better job of breaking it to him, though.”

She cringed. She’d been so upset this morning when she arrived at her mom’s that she’d told her the whole story. Mom had been staunchly supportive. It didn’t hurt that she was sureshe saw the police chief sneaking out just after she’d arrived. So, she was pretty sure her mom was in the same boat. And wasn’t that a weird thought?

“I screwed up, Mom. I should have told Jory sooner. I should have also told Aiden the truth about…everything. But I didn’t, and now I have to live with the consequences.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much, honey. It will all work itself out.” Her mom got silent for a second and then, “Ha! Found it. I’ll send it to you.”

“Thanks, Mom. Gotta go.” She hung up as the text from her mother came in. She dialed Phoenix’s number.

“Hello.” Phoenix’s deep voice resonated on the other end.

“Hey, Phoenix, it’s Hazel. I, um, was wondering if you had a minute to meet me for coffee? I have something I want to discuss with you.”

There was a pause. “How does twenty minutes at the diner sound?”

She glanced at her watch. She would just make it if her replacement arrived on time. Hearing the sound of someone walking, she glanced up. Natalia was walking down the hallway. She gave Hazel a wave before she headed into the locker room.

“That sounds perfect. See you then.”

As good as her word, twenty minutes later, Hazel walked into the diner.

Phoenix was already sitting in a booth at the back. “Hey, Hazel,” he said and stood until she was seated. “How are things?”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

Donna, the waitress, came by with the coffee pot and some mugs. Hazel gratefully accepted the hot brew. “Hey, Donna, how are you?”

“Good, honey. How you been?” she asked as she used her pencil to scratch her dyed blond bun. Donna had worked at thediner longer than Hazel had been alive. “It’s been ages since you been by.”

“I know. Work is keeping me pretty busy.”

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