Page 8 of Silver Fox's Intern Dilemma

"Sandra, if you'll excuse me," I told her, but I didn't wait for a response. I walked away, weaving through the crowd toward Jack, who held a glass identical to mine in his right hand. His dark, wavy hair wasn't tied back under a scrub cap. It was refreshing to see how handsome he was, even more so than I had noticed.

His broad shoulders fit his jacket nicely, and his slacks had a crisp crease down the front of them. He didn't notice meapproaching at first, and I had the opportunity to admire his stubble and the dimple that peeked out when he smiled. I was focused on trying to make my heart stop skipping beats when I realized he was smiling at me. And it wasn't a polite "Hi, we work together" sort of smile.

"Dr. Chen," Jack said, relaxing his shoulders as his eyes scanned the length of my body. I felt a bit unnerved, like he might have been undressing me with his eyes. It wasn't an altogether uncomfortable feeling, except that he was my boss and we were supposed to be here to raise funds for our job—which prohibited the fraternization of employees.

"Please, it's Sophia," I told him. My hands felt shaky, my palms sweaty. Maylin had gotten into my head good this time. No longer was this Jack Thornton, MD, specialty surgeon who'd made waves with his career thus far. He was just a really hot guy I enjoyed looking at who just happened to have so much in common with me that I could talk to him for hours and not get bored.

"Sophia.” He smiled again, and it made my body grow very warm. I felt like the tight-fitting dress I wore had suddenly turned to wool and was suffocating me with warmth.

"I'm happy to see you here. I thought you wouldn't be able to get a sitter." I sipped my drink and remembered the awkward interaction in his office between him and his ex-wife, who acted more like a spoiled child than an adult.

Jack's eyes flashed with something I couldn’t really place, but my assumption was that it was frustration. I couldn't imagine dreaming about a life with someone and beginning to build something, then having that person decide they don't want to be with you anymore. His heart must have been broken pretty badly, especially given that they had a child together.

"Dana has her.” His tone was gruff, but he wasn’t upset with me. I could see the tension in his shoulders, though. "She'll bring Leah by when my two hours are up."

I sighed and wished I wouldn't have brought that topic up. I could tell when I watched them interacting that he and his ex weren't on very good terms. It appeared Jack wanted to keep things positive for his daughter's sake, but it didn't feel like his ex had the same intentions. She was just rude to him.

"You love your daughter very much, don't you? You're a good father. Don't let your ex-wife tell you otherwise." I knew the rigors of the profession I chose and wondered how I'd ever make it work if I had a child. I knew people did it all the time, but I didn’t envy Jack the least bit.

"Thank you. You seemed to be a natural with her when she talked your ear off last night." His smile returned, and he gazed at me over the rim of his champagne flute as he sipped. He was more casual than at work, which might have been due to the strong scent of alcohol on his breath. I knew the few drinks I'd already consumed had helped me relax a bit too.

"I love kids. I'd love to have a big family someday." I glanced at a passing waiter who carried a tray with glasses, some empty, some full. Jack set his empty glass down on it as the man passed and paused for a moment as Jack plucked two full glasses off the tray. Seeing his actions, I downed the rest of my drink and set my empty glass down too.

"Walk with me," he said smoothly as he handed me a glass.

The room was full of doctors, nurses, and administrators from Twin Peaks. We had each paid a large sum to be here, or in my case, my father had. The entire night was all about making money for the hospital, but it didn't stop anyone from having a good time. We weaved through the crowd and noticed more than one of our coworkers a bit inebriated. I felt the buzzmyself, which probably wasn’t the best thing for my newfound fascination with my boss.

"It's not easy doing the job we do, Sophia. It takes a toll on your life at times." He walked at a respectful distance, but I found myself gravitating toward him—both physically and emotionally. I could see the longing in his eyes and wondered why I'd never noticed this softer side of him before. He was so professional on the clock, or maybe it was the drinks we'd both had.

"I think you're doing a fantastic job. Your daughter obviously loves you a lot." I sipped more champagne and realized I was not going to be able to drive myself home. I needed to order an Uber, the way things were going. And my feet hurt from being on them for so long. Every step was painful.

"Well, thank you for that, but sometimes kids don't know what's best for them. Sometimes I feel like a failure, like I should be spending more time with my daughter than I do. What if Dana's right and Leah will grow up to resent me for being too busy?" He stopped and turned to face me, and I saw the vulnerability in his expression.

We stood in a dim hallway close to the back exit of the hotel. I could still hear the din of the crowd pulling at me, reminding me that we were at a work event, but this conversation felt personal. My heart went out to him. I figured most parents felt the same way, second-guessing themselves and hoping they were doing the right things.

"You're a fantastic father, Jack, and the reason I know that is because a bad father wouldn't even stop to care whether they were making the right choices.” I smiled softly at him, and he turned to stare out the window. As he did, I dipped into my clutch, dangling from my arm, and got out my phone. Then I swiped to order an Uber to take me home and slid my phoneback into my purse. When he turned back toward me, I was ready to focus on only him.

"Thank you for saying that." He pursed his lips and studied my face. "I wish that Dana had even had a tiny shred of compassion like you. Things would have been so different with her." His head hung, and I felt so sad for him.

"It was a rough divorce?" I asked, stepping closer to him. We were only a few feet apart anyway, but this put me close enough to get a whiff of his cologne, and I swooned.

"Not good at all, but I'm trying to stay positive and keep my cool when I interact with her. I don’t want Leah to see us fighting. She needs stability, not drama." Jack seemed to inch closer too.

The magnetic pull sucked me in like gravity. I just kept hearing Maylin's voice telling me to loosen up and flirt a little. She swore it would help me be a bit distracted so I wouldn't take the job so seriously that I freaked myself out. But Jack didn't need a flirtatious intern. I felt like what he needed was a good friend.

"I think you're doing a good job." I couldn't resist reaching out and taking his hand and squeezing it. I meant it in a friendly way, like physical touch would anchor him in the current moment and by doing so, he'd forget the past a little. But when I went to pull away, he weaved his fingers through mine and held my hand.

It sent a rush of energy through me and made my belly flutter. I swallowed hard as his gaze met mine and all the blood in my body seemed to be in my cheeks at the same time, burning and making me so flustered I almost choked on my own spit. I coughed a little and cleared my throat, then downed the rest of the champagne, which I knew would only make me more tipsy.

"Thank you for being a good friend, Sophia. I know we only just started working together, but I feel like it's going to bean amazing thing." He stepped closer, and I clenched my jaw briefly.

"You do?" I asked, watching his eyes dip to my lips.

"I do, and at the risk of being overly forward, I'd like to confess something.” He didn’t wait for me to respond. He just started making his confession which made me squirm with attraction. "I think you're beautiful and smart. And I've been feeling a little distracted at work by that."

His feet inched closer. My body leaned in. Was it the alcohol or was it that I really thought he was a pretty incredible man too? I wasn’t sure.

"Jack, I called an Uber." It felt weird saying his name out loud like that. I'd thought of him as "Jack" all night, but not using his formal title felt like I was doing something very wrong. Shame tried to creep in, but he reached up, loosing his grip on my hand, and cupped my cheek.

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