Page 14 of Storm's Embrace

“They are so cute,” Renee said with a broad grin.

“Then I’ll definitely go.” Miriam gave her a slight smile as she stood and went around her desk. “I’ll just go hover by the exam room door.”

“They’re in two,” Renee said as they left Miriam’s office, then added with a slight chuckle as they parted ways for her to go back to the front, “So, have fun with that.”

“Yeah…”

It wasn’t a long wait in the hallway before Eli came out of the room while still chatting and laughing with the middle-aged couple who’d tried for years to conceive. She peeked in at the family and oohed and ahed over the dark-headed, diapered infants mom and dad each held one of before smiling up at the parents. They beamed at her with a look she could only describe as pure joy on their faces before she turned her attention to Eli.

“I’ll see you in eight weeks for their four-month checkup,” he said, waving at the little family before closing the door. She patiently waited while he wrote a few notes in the chart. She’d learned it was best not to disturb him when he was inthe doctor zone. His gaze finally met hers. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said, clearing her throat. Why was she suddenly nervous? This was Eli. “You have a visitor.”

“I do?” he said as he took the few steps necessary to take him to the next exam room. He lifted the chart from the bin on the door. “If it’s Tyler, tell him I’m busy and he’d better not use my absence to try and take you away from me again.” He frowned at her before opening the chart and looking over it. “So, tell him he can’t have you and I’ll see him this weekend at the fundraiser.”

Warmth spread through her heart at his statement. The local attorney visited regularly and usually managed to get a moment alone with her. And each time he plied her with the job offer of becoming his administrative assistant—a position he said he was going to create specifically for her—and the promise of more money. But she wasn’t interested. “It’s not Mr. Simmons.”

His brow raised as his eyes cut up to hers.

“It’s Ms. Bennett.”

“Deidre? What’s she doing here?” he asked, his expression darkening.

So, he wasn’t expecting her. Interesting. But it still didn’t mean anything.

“She didn’t say, but she’s waiting in your office.”

He frowned again with his hand on the door handle to the room holding his next patient, Ariel Davis, and her mom, Jessica. The seven-year-old was in with a suspected sinus infection.

“We’re running way behind and I have one more patient to see after Ariel. So it’ll be at least another thirty minutes.” His gaze lingered down the hallway and their offices. “Or longer. So she’ll just have to wait. Thanks for warning me,” he said with a touch of aggravation as he opened the exam room door.

Warning?

He gave her a slightly distracted smile before stepping inside the room and turning his full attention to his patient. “Ariel, what brings you in today?” Miriam let out a long breath as he shut the door before she headed back up the hallway.

Was she supposed to tell Ms. Bennett? Or did Eli just expect her to let the other woman stew. Miriam sat at her desk and contemplated the closed door while trying to decide what to do, before finally making up her mind it was the latter and got busy with her work.

A good thirty minutes into her lunch break, Eli came striding into her office. “She still here?”

Miriam nodded as she laid the sandwich down she’d been about to take another bite out of.

Eli took in a deep breath and went toward his door. It opened just as he reached for the handle. And though she’d had to wait close to forty-five minutes, Ms. Bennett looked anything but peeved as she filled the doorway and her blatant gaze caressed over Eli’s body. Miriam swallowed hard—unable to look away—when she stepped into him and ran a manicured fingertip over his cheek.

“Well, it’s about time,” she said on a low purr that had Miriam’s brows raising “I hope you’rehungry, because I’mstarving.” With that, Ms. Bennett grabbed his white coat with both hands and pulled him stumbling through the door. Miriam couldn’t help but note the fleeting look of satisfaction and knowing grin the other woman threw over Eli’s shoulder at her.

“Deidre, what—”

Ms. Bennett cut off Eli’s protest with a full kiss on his slightly parted mouth while wrapping one arm around his neck. Then Miriam watched in dismay as she pulled him into his office and shut the door with her free hand.

The snick of the lock turned and she let out a stuttering breath. “I can’t stay here,” she muttered while grabbing her purse from her bottom desk drawer before throwing away what was left of her sandwich. She grabbed her drink and made her way out of the building at a brisk pace. Thankfully she’d managed not to run into any other staff on her way out.

She made it to her second-hand Kia SUV in record time and slid inside. Then she glanced in her rearview mirror at Eli’s office window and let out a short laugh at her own folly as she turned the ignition.

“So much for him having a hard-on for my ass.”

She would just use the rest of her lunch hour to… Well, she’d think of something. Anything to keep her mind away from thoughts of Eli and Deidre alone.

With the door locked and the blinds closed.

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