He was standing around in the hall outside of the OR talking with another doctor about a procedure next week that Wyatt had been requested on. He was requested on a lot it seemed. For someone that many didn’t think had it in him to do this job, he was pretty well respected and wasn’t that what he’d wanted all along?
The minute he was done talking, he looked up and caught Adriana looking at him. Again.
His tongue was itching to come out and ask her a question. Say hi. Talk to her. Anything. But all he did was grin and nod his head.
He heard her sigh when he turned and tried his hardest not to laugh.
When there were footsteps behind him, he knew beyond a doubt it was Adriana.
He turned to the stairs rather than the elevator. He’d always rather walk than stand.
“Something on your mind?” he asked her without turning around.
“How did you know it was me?”
“Your smell.”
“I smell?” she asked, her voice higher than the whisper she’d started with.
“Not bad. Like citrus. I can smell it over everything else in the OR. It’s refreshing.”
“Oh,” she said. “Thanks.”
“Again, something on your mind?”
“Can we talk in your office?”
He smiled knowing she couldn’t see him. “Sure.”
The minute they were there, she closed the door. “I was wondering if I could tag along with you hiking tomorrow. If you’re going alone,” she rushed out to say. “If you’re not, no worries.”
“I am. Hiking is always more fun with someone else, but I don’t mind going alone.” That was pretty much a lie. He hated going alone but did it if he was dying to do something. Thankfully he didn’t have to do much alone. There was always a cousin or brother around if not a woman.
Unfortunately he found his brothers and cousins all had more plans now than ever before.
“What time did you plan on going since you’ve got a game tonight to get to. I won’t hold you up.”
“You were listening to my conversations?” he asked. “One might assume you are interested in me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You know I am. We had this discussion already.”
“We did. So it’s a better time then?”
“I’m not asking you for a date. I’m just asking if I can go hiking with you. That’s different.”
“It is. I stand corrected. I’ll probably get home late tonight, but I’ve never been one that needed a ton of sleep. We can go whenever works for you,” he said. Might as well be accommodating since she did make the first move.
“I’m going to go to hot yoga at eight. I should be ready to go no later than nine thirty.”
“Hot yoga?” he asked, hoping he didn’t gulp. Images of her covered in sweat bending and flexing were filling his mind in a way that had no business being there at this moment.
“I do it on the weekends. My splurge to exercise outside of my apartment.”
“So yoga is all you do?” he asked.
“So far. I’d rather get out and hike, play tennis, racquetball, soccer, basketball. Anything other than downward dog in a quiet apartment.”
Damn, she was like him. “And why haven’t you yet?”
Her stiff shoulders dropped. “Because I don’t know that many people. Or those I talk to at work don’t have a lot in common with me. I suppose I could ask others in the yoga class, but I’m not too interested in them. You’re the first person to mention hiking...”
“If you’d taken me up on my offer weeks ago you wouldn’t have been all by yourself until now.”
“Sure, rub it in. I was wrong. I misunderstood and now it’s my fault. But it’s driving me nuts not getting out and doing things.”
“You sound a lot like me.” He hadn’t dated a lot of women who wanted to do those things.
“I’m not sure if that is good or bad.”
“Good in my eyes,” he said. “So do you want to meet or have me pick you up?”
He’d love to pick her up, but she was standing firm on the no date thing so he was going to honor that...as much as it was killing him to do it.
“We can meet. I’m sure I can find it easy enough if you just verify the time.”
“Why don’t we say ten so you aren’t rushing,” he offered.
“That works. I’ll let you get ready for your night out with...”
He laughed. He found it funny she slipped it in there to find out who he was going with. “My soon-to-be nephew Sebastian. The kid idolizes me. What can I say, I got two tickets and decided to ask him over someone else.”
“That’s nice. Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.
“Wait up,” he said when she turned to leave.
“What?”
“Is it too much to ask for your number? What if one of us is running late? Or gets the stomach bug? Or maybe will change their mind because they misunderstood and decides to chicken out.”
Her eyes narrowed again, but she pulled her phone out and asked for his number. He gave it without his lips breaking into a smile then he heard his own phone go off, assuming it was her sending him a text.
“Don’t abuse it,” she said.
She opened the door to leave, but he couldn’t help himself after that last comment. “I understand why you don’t want people to see us talking in public, but don’t you think leaving my office might raise more eyebrows? This is the second time too.”
She shut his door with more force than necessary but not enough to slam it and draw eyes, he was sure.
11
Who I Am
Wyatt yawned and stretched, then rolled out of bed when his alarm went off at eight.
He had plenty of time to get ready but didn’t want to be rushing either.
There was no message on his phone yet so he was assuming he was still going to be hiking with Adriana in a few hours.
He hit the app on his phone to start his coffee brewing, then grabbed some clothes and
