“And he knows it,” I mumble.
She turns and leans against the desk. “I don’t know. A flirt? Yes, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I know for a fact he does a lot of charity work for the Wildcat Foundation and he just spent the past thirty minutes signing everything we pushed at him.”
“Fine. He’s a decent human, but he’s still arrogant.”
“Sweet, good-looking, and a world-class athlete. I think he’s allowed to be a little cocky. He’s quite the triple threat in my book,” she says. “Single too, but not for long if I have anything to say about it.”
“What is John going to say about that?” I quirk a brow. Her husband is fiercely protective and adoring. He picks her up every morning after her shift. Gets out, kisses her, and opens the door. It’s heartwarming. And I can’t imagine him sharing, even if they’re both Wildcat fans.
She throws her head back and laughs loudly. “Not me. I am very happily taken. My cousin just graduated college and moved back home.”
“Oh.” A pang of jealousy hits me unexpectedly.
“Unless you’re going to cut the guy a break and stop ignoring his blatant attempt to get your attention.”
Heat climbs up my neck. “I’m not interested in dating right now.”
She’s quiet for a moment, considering me with a pensive gaze. “I didn’t meet Gabe, so I know I don’t know the situation, but I know what it’s like to be fresh off a breakup and feel like you’ll never find a decent guy. You will. I promise. I felt the same way so many times. I would swear off dating because of shitty dates or asshole boyfriends. It was exhausting. I couldn’t fathom going through it all over again. But you know what?”
“What?” My lips quirk up at the corners just listening to Hannah talk. She never ceases to put me in a good mood. If we weren’t at such different stages of our lives, I think we could be good friends.
“All I really wanted was someone who would work harder to tear down the walls I built. I wanted to feel like I was worth the trouble.” She pushes off the desk when the elevator dings and a nurse from the ER pushes our new patient out onto the floor. “Then again, that was just me. I was hard to love when I was your age.”
“I find that very hard to believe.”
“It’s true. I wouldn’t let anyone close enough to get to know me, so the only men that bothered asking me out were the ones that didn’t care about knowing me more than one night. Until John.”
“What made him different?”
“Everything.”
My chest tightens. My situation is different, but there’s probably more to her words than I want to analyze right now.
Room 612’s call button flashes on the desk. I’m happy for the distraction.
“I got it,” Hannah says. “Go take your lunch.”
“It’s fine. I should probably go check on Ash anyway and make sure he went back to his room. If Sandy hears that he was walking the halls and flirting with nurses, she’ll lose her shit.” I chew on the inside of my cheek. A terrible habit I’ve had since I was a kid whenever I’m nervous or agitated, or sometimes just bored.
“Okay, fine. You handle Ash, but then go eat. You look tired. You need food and caffeine. Are you going to see Liza?”
“Oh, shoot.” I check the time. “I forgot.”
“Go now. I’ve got you covered.” She shoos me with a wave of her hand as she heads down the hall toward Room 612.
I give myself a pep talk on the way to check on Ash before I leave the floor. I can do this. I love my job. I’ve wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember. How I make people feel while they’re here matters. Even when I leave here exhausted, there’s a sense of accomplishment that no other job has given me.
Ash is charming and he’s a flirt, but he isn’t the first patient to hit on me. I can handle him for a few more hours.
When I walk into his room, Ash is in bed. Leaning back, one ankle crossed over the other, he stares up at the ceiling.
“I thought for sure I was going to find you in here bouncing off the walls.”
He lets his head fall to the side. “That was either the fastest three hours ever or I blacked out.”
“It hasn’t been that long.”
“That must mean you missed me then.” One side of his mouth quirks up.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Been called worse.” He sits up. “Been called better too.”