Page 10 of The Christmas Letters
Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice reminds me that looks would be a very shallow reason to ignore other warning signs, and I think of Daisy’s parting words.
Honestly, Drew, did you really think Daddy would be okay with me marrying a paramedic? We were never going to work out long-term.
Even months later, the words still sting.
Tess looks past AJ, whom she must know isn’t me based on the saw in his hands and his firefighter uniform, and makes eye contact with me. “I’m assuming you’re Drew?”
I nod, my voice lodged somewhere in the back of my throat.
She walks toward me, pausing briefly before wrapping her arms around my waist and burrowing her face against my chest.
I wrap one arm loosely around her shoulders and return the hug, knowing AJ, Ben, and a number of other colleagues are watching.
“Thank you,” Tess whispers. “That would have been so much worse without you talking to me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say gently, hating that she smells so good. That she fits so perfectly against me. “I was just doing my job.”
Tess drops her arms and leans back, studying my face. “Was that really all it was?”
Before I can answer, Ben clears his throat, motioning toward the chair just outside the bathroom door.
I nod and take a quick step backward. “I need to check your vitals before I can let you go. Would you sit down for me?”
Tess raises her eyebrows and looks down her front as if assessing herself for imaginary damages.
“I’m not really worried,” I say through a half-grin. “But it’s protocol.”
She nods, following me to the chair Ben positioned a few feet away.
She sits, and I crouch down in front of her, my stethoscope in my ears. I lift the end, stretching it toward her. “May I?”
She nods, and I press it to her skin, just above the deep v-neck of her sweater.
She shifts at my touch, and her heart rate spikes while I’m listening.
“Am I gonna make it?” she jokingly asks.
I press my lips together, fighting a smile. “It’s a little fast, but I think you’ll be okay.”
I lift a blood pressure cuff out of my bag and position it on her arm, touching her as little as possible. Mostly because I want to do the exact opposite, and I refuse to be anything but a professional.
This is my job. Not a date. And she isn’t the kind of woman I want to date in the first place.
“Are your hands shaking?” Tess asks, laughter in her voice.
I clear my throat as I tug the blood pressure cuff from her arm and drop it into the bag. I tuck my hands behind my back. “Blood pressure looks good,” I say a little too quickly. “I think you’re all set.” I glance down the long hallway to what looks like an employee exit to a narrow alleyway beside the building. “It even looks like the rain has let up.”
“Hopefully it didn’t wash my car away before it did,” Tess says, following my gaze. She cocks her head as if considering her next words. “Drew, do you have your phone on you?”
I swallow, already knowing where this is going but still feeling powerless to stop it. “Yeah.”
She holds out her hand, a look of expectation clear in her eyes. “Can I see?”
I pull out my phone and hand it over, watching as she programs her number into my contacts. She hands it back before taking a few backward steps, a wide smile on her face.
“You should call me.”
I can’t help but return her smile, but I can’t give her more than that, and not just because I’m on the job. “It was great to meet you, Tess.”
