Page 22 of The Billionaire's Fortunate Accident
“You’re right. I’m from North Carolina.”
“What city in North Carolina?” I asked, as she’d been too vague for my liking.
“Around Durham.” Leaning back in her chair, she took a deep breath, most likely because the food wasn’t settling right. “I’m sorry, Stone. It’s time for me to get back to work.”
I’d taken up too much time going on about the shitty food. “Damn. I’ve wasted our precious time, haven’t I?”
“Not in my opinion.” She stood up, taking her plate to the trash. I got up and followed her. “It sounds like you’ve come up with something you’d like to do about how so many people only have unhealthy choices available when they’re working. And having a chef bring me brunch sounds amazing. Your visit went well, that's what I think.”
“I think I might be coming up with a great idea. And if you could help me with it, say as a consultant from the medical field, you could quit that night job, and I could pay you for your help. I’d pay you better than they do, I promise.” There was more than one reason why it would make me happy to have her working with me instead of at that crappy night job.
“There’s a reason why I have that job, and I can’t quit it. Otherwise, I’d lose too much. Plus, I can’t see how I could help you with much since I’m not fully trained yet. I wouldn’t want to give my uneducated opinions on anything. But it’s nice of you to offer.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that she would turn me down, but it did disappoint me. “Maybe you’ll change your mind once I get something going.”
“Don’t count on it. I’ve got things set up for myself, and I’m not likely to change a thing.” Walking toward the exit, she asked, “So, will you be stopping by Hamburger Hut tonight?”
“I will. And don’t eat a damn thing from there. I’m going to bring you something to eat. Maybe you’ll fall in love with my cooking and figure out ways to spend more time together.” Taking her hand, I stopped her, pulling her closer to me. “Do you have any favorite types of food?”
“Haven’t you noticed that I’ll eat pretty much anything that’s available to me?” Brushing her hair back off her shoulder, she looked at me with shining eyes. “This was nice, Stone. I mean that. And you’ve given me something to look forward to. I like spending time with you.”
“Me too.” It was nice to hear her say that. “I was worried that I might be bothering you a bit.”
“The only thing that bothers me about you is that I can’t seem to fit you into my schedule. But I’m gonna try harder to see what I can do about that. If you can give me time to figure that out.”
“You’ve got all the time you need, baby. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
Smiling with only half her lips, she whispered, “I knew I’d like hearing you call me that. You’re something else, Stone Nash.”
“So, you’re not into calling me something sweet yet?” I had to be patient with this one. “That’s cool. I’ll grow on you. You’ll see. You’ll be calling me babe, sweetie, and honey before you even realize you’re doing it.”
“Think so?” Smiling slyly, she started heading to the exit again. “We’ll see. I’ve never been one to talk like that. Romance hasn’t been my strongest suit.”
I was glad to hear that, in a way. It meant she’d never been in love before. And I hadn’t either. Not real love. We could be each other’s first and, hopefully, last loves. If everything worked out.
“Bet I can change that.” I would do my damnedest to get her interested in romance and all that it implied.
Chapter Twelve
Jessa
Maybe he could change that.
He’d stolen a kiss from me, so I thought I’d steal one right back. About to part ways, he let go of my hand, and I reached out, touching his cheek before placing my lips on his other cheek for just a second. The tingling sensation that was left on my lips made me smile. “See you tonight, then.”
He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “Tonight. Don’t eat. Don’t forget. I’m gonna knock your socks off with what I bring you.”
“Can’t wait.”
“I’m gonna take a look around this place before I take off.” He headed in the opposite direction. “My wheels are spinning.”
“Good.” I turned to find Doctor Weaver looking at Stone as he walked away from me. “Doctor Weaver, what do you have going on right now?”
“I’m about to go scrub up for a tonsillectomy on an eleven-year-old boy. Care to watch, Miss Moxon?” He led the way down the hall.
“I’d love to.” I walked alongside him, and a few other interns joined in behind us. “Tonsillectomy,” I filled them in.
“Cool,” one of them said.
