Page 4 of A Love That Broke Us
My brows shoot up. “Really? She doesn’t even know you.”
“I know, man, it’s nuts. Girls these days are down for anything. Most of the time, they’re the ones initiating the crazy shit.” He runs a hand through his hair and exhales. “Come to think of it, maybe I will call her.”
He leans back, looking at me. “And fuck it, bro. You should go to the hospital and ask this Alley chick out. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
I twist my mouth, nodding. “You’re right. I will, as soon as I’m off these damn crutches. I want to feel like myself when I see her again.”
I leanmy weight onto one crutch, balancing the other against the side of my body, and reach for the heavy coffee shop door. It’s not my usual spot, but it’s the closest to my building. Still stuck on crutches, I’ve been settling for shittier coffee in exchange for a shorter walk. I manage to tug the door open, but holding it while hobbling through feels like a cruel joke.
“Oh, here, let me get that for you.” A woman’s voice comes from behind, and before I know it, she’s there, swinging the door open like I’m some helpless old man.
“Thanks,” I mutter, glancing at her. My heart practically skips a beat.It’s her—Alley.She’s in dark blue scrubs, her hair pulled back, just as gorgeous as I remember.
“Hey! I know you… Jensen, right?”
Wow, she remembered my name. That has to mean something.
“Yeah,” I say, keeping my voice casual. “And you’re the hot nurse… Ashley, right?”
“Alley.”
I know. I think about you every day.“Oh, sorry.”
She waves it off. “You were coming out of anesthesia. Idon’t expect you to remember my name. I’m surprised you recognize me at all, honestly.”
I limp inside with my crutches, and she follows, letting the door swing shut behind us. “Of course I remember you. You’re the hot nurse who gave me shit about having a boner. How could I forget that?”
She freezes mid-step, her cheeks flushing bright red. “Oh my God.” She groans, covering her face with both hands. “I cannot believe I said that. That was so unprofessional of me! I was making dirty jokes like we were old friends. I prayed you were too drugged up to remember.” Her hands slide down her face, and she shakes her head, muttering, “I’m the worst.”
I laugh, shrugging. “Why are you giving yourself such a hard time? It’s fine, it’sfunny. I mean, Ididhave a boner, and you are very pretty, so…”
She gapes at me, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Well, I’m glad to see your boner has gone away. Or… maybe it hasn’t. I mean, I don’t actually know if you have a boner right now.” Her eyes flick down, and I smack my lips together to keep from laughing. “I’m just assuming you don’t.” She exhales sharply. “Holy shit.” Then she bursts out laughing. “Wow. Okay, I would very much like to start over.”
“Oh, you would? Is talking about whether or not I’m hard making you uncomfortable?” I tease, biting back a grin.
“Yes. Very.” She nods quickly, then straightens up, extending her hand. “Hi, I’m Alley. I’m a nurse at East River Hospital.”
I take her hand, giving it a firm shake. “Jensen Adams. I’m a sales manager for a software company, fancy way of saying I sell techy stuff to businesses.”
Her lips quirk into a small smile, and I catch myself holding onto her hand a second too long before letting go.
My turn at the counter comes, and I give the barista my order before turning back to her. “Let me get your coffee.”
She waves me off, shaking her head. “No, no. You don’t have todo that.”
“Come on, I want to. For taking such good care of me… twice now. At the hospital, and just now with the door. You saved my ass.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess you do kind of owe me.” She grins, and damn, it does something to me. She’s beautiful.
I pay for our coffees, and we move to the counter to wait.
“This is crazy, seeing you here,” she says. “I never come this way, but I was leaving a friend’s house this morning.”
A friend. Right.
She clears her throat. “So, do you live close by?”
“Yeah, around the corner. I don’t usually come here, though.” I lean in, lowering my voice. “The coffee kind of sucks. But I needed to get out, and, as you can see, I’m still inept.”
