“You don’t owe me anything,” Bette replied, coolly. “It’s part of my job.”
Emily pressed her lips softly together and nodded knowingly. “I know. But you’ve been patient with me. If the roles were reversed, I’m not sure I’d be half as gracious. I’d probably have scared you off by now. And that, well…that would be a real tragedy.”
The comment caught Bette off guard, her breath hitching just slightly as she caught Emily’s eye. Wait. Was the surgeonflirting?
Bette felt heat rise up her neck and hoped a blush wasn’t settling in her cheeks. She was prone to blushing, though it had been ages when a woman had made her feel this way. Emily Sharp was attractive. She was
“Oh,” Bette muttered, hoping she didn’t stumble over her words. “I don’t scare off that easily.” She kept a touch of dry humor in her voice to counter the surprise in her chest––though it probably didn’t work all that well.
Emily tilted her head. “Good,” she said. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I’m about to barrel into you mid-run.”
“Let’s hope there isn’t a next time,” Bette said. But the words came out with far less conviction than she was hoping. She could practically hear the hesitation in them like she was already thinking about the next time she spotted Emily out of the sterile walls of the hospital.
Bette quickly cleared her throat. Boundaries. She was a professional. They both were, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to let herself slip into anything she couldn’t control. Nope. The only next time would be in the treatment center when Bette was giving Emily a series of shoulder exercises
Emily’s lips twitched but she said nothing and for a flicker of a moment, neither of them moved, the world around them narrowing to just the stretch of path and the distant hum of the ocean. She could ask Emily if she wanted to go for a walk, let the conversation linger, and see where it would lead. Or she could do the right thing, the logical thing, and bid Emily goodbye.
Logic, however, seemed to go right out the window.
“Should we head to the coffee shop?” Bette asked, turning her body in its direction. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say she was suffering from some sort of episode, where all her inhibitions had flown right out the door. Maybe it was the bright sun, the fresh air, the salty tang sitting on her lips. Or maybe it was the silence waiting for her when she got back to her cottage. The emptiness. The loneliness made her want the company. Emily was like a distraction, a way to clear her mind from Reba, a fresh breath of air in a room that had started to feel stale, and Bette was worried that if she said goodbye, she’d end up suffocating.
She shook off the thought, mentally chiding herself. It was just coffee. There was absolutely no need to overthink this.
“Coffee…Yes,” Emily muttered, stepping off the sidewalk. “Let’s do it. I know of a good place just on the corner––” she glanced back, her gaze landing on the coffee cup once again. “Well, I guess you know which one I’m talking about.”
If Bette didn’t know any better, she’d think Emily was nervous. But why would she be? Aren’t all orthopedic surgeons supposed to be the epitome of confidence? Never rattled byanything. Especially a physical therapist who sat far lower on the hierarchy.
She let Emily take the lead, only stepping by her side when they turned the corner. “Do you live nearby?”
Emily glanced her way and shook her head. “No. I actually have an apartment downtown. I make the commute to the hospital every day.”
“You don’t mind the drive?”
“Not really,” Emily said, shaking her head. “I find it kind of therapeutic actually. It’s a time that I’ve got completely to myself. A time to think.”
Bette considered this for a second. A time completely to herself? Did that mean that
Emily was in a relationship? It seemed likely. She was successful and beautiful, and just because she didn’t have a ring on her finger didn’t mean she was single. She could have a boyfriend…or a girlfriend. Not that it mattered. Bette wasn’t in the business of wondering about other people’s love lives, especially when hers was a complete and utter train wreck.
“I get that,” Bette said. “I walk to work every day.”
“That’s convenient.”
“It is,” she added, smiling softly to herself. Her cottage wasn’t just ideally located for a blissful fifteen-minute walk to work, but it was also cozy and sweet and had everything she needed. It was nothing compared to the house she and Reba shared, but it was more than enough for this chapter of her life.
She wondered what Emily would think about it but then caught herself. If she’d find it too small, too lonely. It wasn’t modern. On the contrary––
Bette caught herself. Why did she even care?
“How long have you been living in this neighborhood?” Emily asked, slowing down the pace to a very relaxed stroll.
“Not long,” Bette replied. Once again, they were moving close to dangerous territory and the only way Bette knew how to protect herself from imposing questions was to deflect. “I started at Oakridge two months ago.”
“That was just after my?—”
“Your accident,” Bette interrupted. “It makes sense why we never worked together before. Honestly, I’m actually glad to have you back. Doctor Meissner can be quite old school. He sticks to rehab guidelines from the eighties. Doesn’t even consider how much progress has been made over the years.”
“First you have to fix my shoulder.” Emily pointed out. At least she was smiling. A complete one-eighty to the woman who had grumped her way through their first session only to bolt at the first sign of discomfort.
