Page 9 of Come Back to Me

The rest of the morning goes by quickly. We have a brief lull around noon, so I sit with a group of nurses teaching them my tips for interpreting arterial blood gas results.

I’m interrupted by a sultry, “Hey, Annie.” I look up to see Jack smiling at me as he and Fitz walk by, pushing a patient on their stretcher.

Fitz nods in my direction but says nothing.

“Hi, Jack… and Fitz,” I respond before I turn back to the group of nurses I’m teaching.

My nursing colleagues are staring at me with wide eyes and holding their mouths open, dumbfounded.

“What?” I ask them.It was just a hello.

A few chuckles and several eye rolls later, we’re back at our lesson.

After about twenty minutes, Jack and Fitz are on their way out of the ER, and stop to chat with Teddy. One of them says something that makes Jack smile, his mouth lifting at the corner, bringing his dimple out.

I sigh when I see it.Hey, just because I don’t date people I work with anymore doesn’t mean I can’t window shop, right? Right!But then, like music to my libido, that sexy laugh of his fills my ears and I close my eyes and smile at the sound.

Shit, I mentally slap myself for acting pathetic as I remind myself that it’s okay to look, but my rule still stands. No dating someone I work with. It’s not like he’s shown any interest anyway, so…

My trance is broken when I hear a voice.

“I’d be a bad friend if I didn’t warn you off that one,” Joel says as he walks up. It’s obvious he caught me watching Jack as he and Fitz walk out of the ER into the ambulance bay. “Trust me, Annie, Jack Donley is bad news.”

“Well, I’m not sure what makes you think you need to say that to me, Joel, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m actually a grown woman and can think for myself.”

“Okay, good. Well, I’m glad I misread that look. I’m just watching out for you.”

It’smy day off but I wake up early, anyway. I throw on my running shoes and Beanie and I drive to the park we found soon after moving here. These gorgeous trails that weave through the woods are perfect for the days Bean and I take our longer runs and I just want to get lost in nature. It’s also got a nice, enclosed dog park area where Bean can run free for a bit after our workout.

As it always does, the stress of the week melts away as my feet contact the trail in the soothing rhythmic pattern. I run an extra quarter mile on top of my original plan to help counteract the blueberry muffin with the crunchy crystals of sugar on top I’m going to get on the way home this morning. Bean is trotting along next to me in his happy place as I’m plotting out my day and thinking about what time I need to leave to meet Janie for brunch before we go dress shopping for Teddy and Emily’s wedding next Saturday.

I’m super happy for Teddy but bummed out that I don’t have a date for the wedding. Joel asked, but I took a hard pass on that one. My shoulders tense again, and my hands clench into fists just thinking about him having the gall to give his opinion yesterday about who I should or should not be interested in. I’d rather go alone than with him, even “as friends” like he tried to convince me he was okay with. I flex and extend my fingers several times, trying to relax my shoulders as I push him out of my mind.

It’s not like I haven’t tried to date. I’ve gone on severaldates lately with some nice guys I met online.I just didn’t feel any real chemistry. The other day over brunch, I told Janie about a few of the better ones. After taking a long drink from her bloody Mary, she looked at me and said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t have wavy black hair and shag me gray eyes. Listen, babe, I love you and I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t have your best interests in mind, but you really need to get laid to get that man out of your head.”

I’m not sure when my best friend turned into a crass dude, but then again, I’m also not sure she doesn’t have a point. I am, however, sure that joining theSpicy Girlsbook club last month is probably adding to the problem since our book choices can get pretty steamy and I feel like Jack Donley could be the model on the cover of one of them.

Five-mile run down, travel mug of coffee retrieved from the car in hand, I shut the gate behind us as we enter the dog park and I make Beanie sit while I prepare to take off his leash. “Now listen, bud, no humping and no smelling butts.”

He wags his tail and tilts his adorable head like he understands me. I unclip his leash, and he takes off running toward the small pond in the middle of the park. It means a bath when we get home, but that’s the cost of having a water-loving lab.

I make my way toward the pond and am surprised to find that Bean isn’t in the water yet. Instead, I find him with a stick in his mouth, playing chase with a pretty shepherd mix. They look like they’re having a blast and I smile, watching them. It’s only seven a.m., and it’s a beautiful morning, so I sit down on the bench and enjoy seeing my boy living his best life. I’m surprised to find another dog here this early. Usually, it’s only me and Bean.

Just as I’m wondering where the other pup’s owner is, a shadow falls in front of me and a familiar voice says, “Fancy meeting you here, Annie.”

I look up and nearly spit out my mouthful of coffee as I make eye contact with Jack Donley’s sultry gray eyes.

“May I sit?” he asks.

“Of course, sure,” I say, scooting over. My heart is racing at the proximity to Jack, and I’m convinced he can hear it. Damn it, maybe Janiewasright.

Jack is holding a tennis ball and laughs as he tells me his shepherd mix, Gracie, ditched him in the woods after the last time he threw her ball.

“I waited a solid five minutes for her before I realized she really wasn’t coming back. He must be some pup if he was able to distract Gracie from her game of fetch. The girl is obsessed with her tennis ball.”

I chuckle, picturing Jack standing in the woods waiting for Gracie to come back. “Well, Bean is a handsome boy, so you can’t blame her,” I tease.

JACK

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