Page 2 of What the Doctor Ordered
I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. It really wasn’t Lily’s fault that she was rich, but it had sounded like the best argument I had. I was grateful that she didn’t seem hurt by my comment. She did look skeptical, however.
“Aren’t you off tomorrow night, though?” She asked with a suspicious tone.
I tried not to wince. “Yes, technically,” I hedged. “But I need to get started on my paper that’s due next week.”
She waved me off before I could even finish. “You have plenty of time,” she said dismissively. “Let me just help you get signed up on the app, Kiley! You don’t even have to go on any dates. Just give it a try, even just for the fun of seeing who you get matched up with. You never know!”
She was backing me into a corner, and she very well knew it. I didn’t have much to argue with since she wasn’t even asking me to go out with anyone. “Maybe later,” I told her, trying not to grimace openly as I started to move past her. “I’d like to shower and get ready for bed.; it’s been a long day.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised when Lily grabbed my arm before I could leave and pulled me back. “Oh no you don’t,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
There wasn’t much of a choice when she pulled me to the couch, shoved me into it, and plopped down next to me. I surrendered my phone to her and watched with dismay as she downloaded the app and started to ask me questions so she could fill in my profile. It was easy enough to answer the questions, but I started to panic when she pulled out her phone and began to go through pictures she had of me.
“Do we really need to add pictures?” I asked, my voice bordering on a whine.
Lily gave me an impatient look. “Yes,” she said firmly. “Of course we need to add pictures. How will your future dates know if they’re attracted to you?”
“At least I’ll know they chose me for my personality and not my looks,” I grumbled.
Lily showed me some candid shots of me she had taken over the past couple of years. It took some time, but we were able to choose a couple that I felt confident about.
“You’re so modest,” Lily said with a light giggle. “Look at these! You’re going to get matches immediately.”
“I doubt it,” I said with a laugh, setting my phone down on the coffee table in front of us.
Almost as soon as I did, my phone buzzed, signaling that I got a notification. Lily and I glanced at each other with wide eyes before I snatched the device up.
“I told you!” Lily gushed, scooting even closer to me on the couch so she could look over my shoulder. “Ohh, look at that jawline! You lucky duck.”
My cheeks heated up as I looked at the man that I had matched with. I had to admit that he was cute with golden blonde hair and striking sea-blue eyes. He did in fact have a strong jaw that made him look even more manly. Hmmm…
My breath caught in my throat when I saw that I already had a message from him. Lily squealed when she saw he was complimenting my photos. I tried to calm my breathing and answered back calmly, saying that I liked his photos as well. He had a nice smile, and I found the courage to tell him that with Lily’s encouragement. Before I knew it, we were messaging back and forth for several minutes.
“I’ll just leave you too alone for a while,” Lily said with a smirk, leaving the room.
I barely noticed she’d left, my thumbs sweeping across my phone screen as I messaged Dr. Kramer Bennett. I had never connected to someone so easily, especially not online.
Kramer was extremely easy to talk to. He was already cracking jokes and said he’d always loved animals and was excited to hear I was studying to be a vet.
“I’d love to hear more about it. I know it’s probably a bit bold but would you be open to going out tomorrow night?”
My heart hammered in my chest, and I just stared down at my phone dumbly. Naturally, Lily chose that moment to come back into the room.
Her eyes narrowed when she got a good look at my face. “What happened?” she demanded.
I looked up at her, undoubtedly with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on my stunned face. “He’s already asking me out.”
Lily’s jaw dropped and she jumped onto the couch so hard she nearly bounced me off it. “You have to say yes!” she practically shrieked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “He seems nice, but we just started talking. Maybe I should give it a few more days.”
“You’ve been talking for over two hours now,” Lily pointed out. “You obviously like each other. Just do it, Kiley! Before some other girl snatches up the hot doctor.”
“I’m not afraid of someone else snatching him up,” I told Lily with an eye roll. “There are plenty of other guys in the world.”
“But he might bethe one!” Lily pressed. “You’ll never know until you try. You two obviously formed a connection already. What have you got to lose?”
I couldn’t explain exactly what possessed me at that moment. Maybe it was Lily’s large, excited eyes or the fact that I hadn’t been in a romantic relationship in several years, but I opened the app and told Kramer that I would love to meet him.
