“I don’t need advice from you, Mom,” she said. “We don’t think the same way.”
“I’m sorry if I don’t like being alone. Your father worked a lot of hours and it was hard when he was away traveling.”
She didn’t want to get into this again. “That doesn’t mean you find another man to keep you company and you know it.”
“Your father and I had our problems,” her mother argued.
She was sure they did, but it never was an excuse to cheat. That would always fall on her mother’s shoulders.
Adriana wasn’t a cheater. She didn’t believe in it.
But she got stuck in a triangle just the same without even knowing.
“Whatever,” she said. “Was there a reason for this call?”
“I can’t call to just say hi?” her mother asked.
“You never did before.”
“Fine. I was thinking of taking a little trip and thought I’d stop in North Carolina on my way to Florida.”
“That’s your choice,” she said, “but I can’t take any time off of work to spend with you. I’m too new.”
“I’m sure it’d be fine. It’s only a day and you know I never travel on the weekends.”
“Sorry, Mom.” She was thankful to have that reason to give in this instance. She wasn’t in the mood to see her mother right now.
“But I had a little work done and I’d love for you to see it.”
“Just because I’m a nurse doesn’t mean I need to see what you had done.”
“Don’t you want to know what it is?” her mother asked.
“Not really.”
“Fine,” her mother said. “I won’t bother you and make sure I get a direct flight when Ricardo makes the plans.”
Ricardo. That was a new name. She wouldn’t ask even though her mother wanted her to like an addict needed his next fix.
“Have fun on your trip,” she said and hung up a few minutes later.
Damn it. Now she was all by herself all worked up for nothing. At least it livened up her otherwise dull Saturday.
10
Cold And Lonely
“So what do you have planned this weekend, Fierce? Friday night, you must have a date for sure. Probably one tomorrow too.”
Adriana glanced up from the computer where she was typing notes to see how Wyatt answered Dr. Miller. It’d been a few weeks since she’d talked to Wyatt. Since he said he was going to wait her out.
If she’d been dying for him to make a move she wasn’t letting on.
They hadn’t had another surgery together since she’d given him a piece of her mind for asking to show her around on what she’d thought was a date in front of people.
Nope, more like a misunderstanding and her temper got the best of her and she turned him down. She should have taken him up on it and she wouldn’t be so bored all the time.
Talking to her mother last Saturday only frustrated her more. She’d spent the rest of the day checking out hiking trails online. She’d love to play racquetball or tennis, but she’d need a partner for that. So that was out.
She had her bike with her, but it was a pain to put it in her car and drive to trails. She lived too far away and wasn’t one to ride in the road. So right now it was just taking up space in her spare bedroom.
“I’m going to the Hornets game tonight.”
“With one of your brothers?” Dr. Miller asked. “I can’t see you bringing a woman to a game.”
Wyatt looked over and caught her glance. The surgery was wrapping up, Dr. Miller closing his patient, Wyatt getting ready to bring the patient back around.
“I know plenty of women who would love a game. Even Sam proposed to Dani at one.”
Dr. Miller laughed. “I remember that. Right on the jumbo screen.”
Adriana couldn’t imagine being the center of attention quite like that. “It shocked everyone and since they were married last weekend, I guess it worked out well.”
“So game tonight,” Dr. Miller said. “Date tomorrow?”
“Nah,” Wyatt said. “Not sure why you are so obsessed with my dating life. I think I’m going to hit Duke Forest and the hiking trails. Get out in nature.”
Dr. Miller laughed. “Trying to find yourself out there?”
Wyatt laughed, caught her glance again. She had to stop looking at him if he was going to keep catching her doing it. “Sure, if it makes you feel better to think that.”
Dr. Miller finished up, Wyatt did too, they left the room and she went about closing it up before she moved onto another surgery.
By the end of the day, she was ready to go home and stretch. She was used to being on her feet, but for some reason today she’d been tense.
Why? Because she’d had another surgery with Wyatt and she kept waiting for him to say something to her.
Did he? No, he didn’t.
Was she disappointed? Yes!
But she’d made her bed and she had to lie in it no matter how cold and lonely it currently was.
* * *
Wyatt knew he piqued Adriana’s interest with the hiking comment. He really hadn’t been planning on it until Ryan Miller asked him.
He hadn’t made plans at all other than going to the game with Sebastian. The kid was thrilled and Wyatt was grabbing him right out of school, then going straight to Charlotte and getting dinner at the game. He was looking forward to this night as much as the kid was.
Plus it gave Noah and Paige a night to themselves and his older brother had pulled him aside and thanked him for that.
Had he caught Adriana looking at him through both of those surgeries today? He had.
But he had no intention of talking to her. The last thing he wanted to do was get the steel rod in her spine to stick out and poke through the top of her head when she lost her temper again.
He said he’d wait her out and he planned on it. But she’d have to make the first step toward him.
It seemed he didn’t have long
