A Hunka Hunka Nursing Love (Women's Fiction) (8 page)

He shrugged one shoulder. “She seemed to like me when I treated her at the hospital. Maybe she’d be more open to letting me be her caregiver.”

The beauty of the idea struck her like a major chord, and she sat upright. “Of course! In fact, you were the one who, well, she made some comment about how if I could get someone like you to care for her, she’d go for it. It’s perfect!” Then his smiling face caused her to reconsider. “Oh, but what am I saying? You’re way overqualified for the kind of assistance she needs. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“Well, if you could pay me at my usual hourly wage, I’d be okay with it.”

His offer tempted her, but she didn’t want to take advantage of him. “We could do that. But maybe you should take some time to think it over.”

“My boss is offering to pay me my usual rate to do easy work for her most valuable client.” He held his hands out, palms up. “Is there really anything to think over?”

What a peach!
“I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”

“Well, let’s not get our hopes up too high. She might reject me just like she did the others.”

“Yeah. But then it won’t matter, because I’ll kill her.”

He chuckled. “Okay, let’s finish your exercises.”

She zipped through the remainder of her therapy. When he asked if there was anything else she needed before he left, she decided to be honest and request the one thing she truly wanted. “I’ve been doing okay with my bathtub chair, but it’s really hard to wash my hair when I’m in that thing, so . . . I wondered if there was some way you could help me with that.”

“Uh . . .” Keith reddened ever so slightly and checked his watch. “Yeah, I should have time to do that.”

“I was thinking maybe we could turn the chair around, so my back would be closer to the shower hose, and I could wrap myself in a towel.”

Relief seemed to wash over his face, and she suspected he was a little anxious about the possibility of her disrobing in front of him. But surely he’d seen all kinds of female body parts in his line of work. Why should he be bashful about seeing hers? Maybe because she was his boss.

She reached for her crutches. “I’ll hobble in there and get ready, and then I’ll yell for you.”

“Okay.”

Even though she was only wearing shorts and a T-shirt, it took her a while to get undressed and securely wrapped in a big bath towel. She slipped a plastic bag over the bandaged portion of her leg and secured it with a rubber band. “I’m ready,” she called.

He came in and immediately went to work on turning the bath chair around in the tub. Then he assisted her with getting into the chair. The bulky towel complicated the process, but they eventually got her seated.

God, how she wanted her hair washed! She was almost giddy.

He turned on the water. “This is my maiden voyage as a shampoo boy, so you’ll have to bear with me.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine.” She heard him switch the water from the faucet to the hose. “Use the shampoo in the purple bottle.”

“Okay. Now let me know if this is too warm.”

“All right. Ow!” She jerked her head forward.

“Sorry.”

“Geesh. Now I know what those lobsters feel like.”

“Here, give me one of your hands so
you
can feel the water.”

They eventually found the right temperature, and he dampened her hair. A delicate lavender scent tickled her nostrils as he applied the shampoo and lathered it.

She moaned. “I can’t tell you how good this feels. I’m used to washing my hair every day, or at least every other day. It’s one of those little luxuries you just don’t appreciate until you can’t have it.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Knowing the sensations wouldn’t last long, she tried to focus all of her attention on them. But his fingertips seemed in no hurry as they massaged in little circular motions that migrated from the crown of her head out to the edges of her hairline and back again. She had been a little concerned her neck might get sore from holding it in that position, but he supported her head in a way that enabled her to relax completely.

“You won’t fall asleep on me, will you?” he asked.

She opened her eyes just enough to see a hazy version of the man behind those magical hands. “Are you kidding? And miss the best shampoo of my life? I don’t think so.”

Continuing to knead in a slow, steady pattern, he managed to caress every spot on her scalp. She couldn’t remember ever having such a wonderful shampoo, and she’d been to some top-flight salons.

After about five minutes, she realized she should wrap it up. “That’s probably enough.” What a lie. Forever wouldn’t have been enough.

He had her check the water temperature again before he rinsed. Little rivers streamed down her back, soaking part of the towel. He helped her wrap her hair in another towel and get out of the tub, which proved even more difficult than getting in, thanks to the water. Just as she was about to get both feet on the bath mat, the towel encasing her body came undone and dropped.

“Ah!” She tried to recover the towel while also keeping her balance, but it was hopeless. He held his head up and directed his gaze toward the ceiling while supporting her and lifting the towel for her. She clutched it to her chest. “Thank you.” How much had he seen? Such a gentleman, averting his gaze the way he did.   

He helped her dry her good foot and get situated well enough she could be left alone to dress. After he left the bathroom, she caught her flushed face in the mirror. How embarrassing!
Oh, get over it. He’s probably seen naked patients lots of times
. But she couldn’t help wondering:
Did he like what he saw?

Keith walked briskly out of Valerie’s house, hopped into his Honda CR-V and turned the air conditioning on full blast, even though the car was parked in the shade. He leaned over to hold his face directly in front of one of the vents.

How could a forty-four-year-old woman have such a great body
? He tried to force the image out of his mind. He couldn’t walk into his next client’s house with a hard-on the size of a baseball bat.

He glanced at the dashboard clock. He’d make it if he drove fast, so he shifted into drive and sped off.

He just didn’t get it. He had dated a large variety of hot women since his divorce, all of them younger. Why did Valerie affect him like no one else had? She was a looker, no doubt about that. But how could he be so attracted to a woman more than a decade older than he was?

He gunned the engine to slip through an intersection a second after the light turned red. Certainly the power thing intrigued him. A successful businesswoman, obviously well off. Nationally recognized for creating a unique new agency. Dynamic, despite her injury. Savvy, sexy—it was an intoxicating combination.

The driver in front of him, whose head barely reached the height of the steering wheel, slowed to a crawl and signaled a right turn moments before making it. Heavy traffic forced Keith to stay in his own lane, and he slapped the steering wheel in frustration. What difference did it make whether Valerie sparked his ignition or not? He couldn’t get involved with her, not after signing that document stating he’d sacrifice six months’ pay if he had a romantic relationship with any Triple-H client. He also kept thinking of what his buddy Steve always said:
Don’t dip your pen in the company ink
. And God knows he couldn’t dip any higher than the owner.

Still . . . if she made the rules, couldn’t she break them? That glimpse he’d gotten of her naked body had been like peeking at the
Playboy
magazines his dad used to keep behind the workbench in the garage. The thrill of the forbidden. Is that what aroused him so much? Her breasts were so round and full, with no hint of sagging he could see. And her—

A soccer ball flew into view, and he slammed on the brakes with every ounce of strength and hope he could muster. The screech of the braking vehicle froze the boy in his tracks, his eyes bulging with fear. Horrible possibilities flashed through Keith’s mind before the SUV came to a complete halt. The boy scooped up the ball and ran, leaving Keith to castigate himself for driving like an idiot.

He’d known that stop sign was coming. Why didn’t he slow down? That poor kid. Keith doubted he could ever forgive himself if he seriously injured a child, or worse . . .

He shook his head as he drove on at a more appropriate speed.
Damn
! Valerie Palka bewitched him, he had to admit. He also realized that if he didn’t break the spell, he could end up in a cauldron of trouble.

Pam entered Valerie’s bedroom with a big bouquet of black-eyed Susans.

“Oh, how lovely! But—” Valerie sneezed. Twice. Three times.

“Oh, crud.” Pam turned around and headed out. “I forgot you’re allergic. I’ll be right back.”

When she returned, she apologized profusely as she dragged the walnut chair over to the side of the bed.

“Don’t worry about it.” Valerie dabbed at her nose with a tissue. “It’s the thought that counts, and they were beautiful.”

Pam’s brow remained creased, and Valerie recognized the strong baby-powder smell of Pam’s deodorant. “Is everything okay?”

The little crescents of worry on the sides of Pam’s mouth did not bode well. “Part of the reason I brought the flowers was to . . . counteract some bad news.”

Valerie took in a big breath. “All right. Let me have it.”

Pam took a large breath herself. “You know how we talked about running that banner ad for Mother Hubbard on chicagolandmoms.com?”

“Right. Your research indicated that was the best place to advertise these days.”

“Yeah, well . . .” Pam looked like a puppy who’d just peed somewhere he knew he shouldn’t. “I forgot that the sales rep needed a definite answer by last Friday, and when I called him today, he said they’ve sold that slot to KiddieCare Plus. I’m sorry.”

Shit. Their top competitor!
“For how long?”

Pam’s frown answered before she did. “Two years.”

“Damn!” Valerie said as she slammed a fist on the bed. “Well, it’s water under the bridge now. But this isn’t like you, to forget something important like that.”

“I know. I’m usually very careful about keeping track of who I need to call and when, but somehow this one just fell through the cracks.”

Was it any wonder, with all Pam had on her plate? “Well, don’t beat yourself up about it. You’ve had too many balls to juggle lately, and that’s my fault.”

Pam stood and shoved her hands in the front pockets of her khakis as she strolled across the carpet. “But I should have had some kind of backup system in place. Someone or something double-checking to make sure I didn’t forget the important stuff.”

“You’re only human.”

“Yeah, but thinking ahead about how to prevent mistakes is what separates the winners from the losers.”

“And that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to do with Triple-H.”

Pam stopped and crossed her arms. “And that’s what worries me. We’ve been so focused on Triple-H that Mother—”

“I know, I know.” Valerie raised both hands in a stopping motion. “Believe me, I worry about it, too. But we agreed we shouldn’t add any more staff until Triple-H starts turning a profit. We just have to be more vigilant. Which would be a whole lot easier if I didn’t go diving off roofs.”

A tiny smile softened Pam’s face. “At least Mother Hubbard is well established. And since most of our business comes from either word-of-mouth or the website, we should still be in good shape.”

Valerie’s heart pumped out of rhythm for a second. “From your lips to God’s ears.”

“I’ll explore some other forms of Internet advertising, too.”

“Good.”

Returning to the chair next to Valerie’s bed, Pam asked, “So how have things been going with our newest employee?”

Valerie felt her face redden. Would Pam notice? “Keith? Oh, fine, I guess.”

Pam cocked her head and grinned. “You’ve got the hots for him, don’t you?”

Valerie knew she probably resembled a fire engine. “Me? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m old enough to be his—”

“No, you’re not. I happen to know he’s thirty-three.” Pam leaned back and parked her hands behind her head. “Methinks Cupid has pierced Valerie’s armor.”

“My what? Oh, for . . .” Valerie shook her head, but she could tell from the knowing twinkle in Pam’s eyes there was no denying it. “All right, so I find the guy a
little
attractive.”

Pam chortled mercilessly. “A little? Come on. Even
I
know a seriously hot guy when I see one.”

“Oh, Lord.” Val covered her face with her hands, peeked through at the beaming Pam and dropped them into her lap. “I’m so pathetic. It’s like I have a crush on a guy who’s way out of my league.”

“Not necessarily. You’re still a very attractive woman. You just don’t want to admit it because that would mean taking a risk.”

Valerie realized her mouth had dropped open and she snapped it shut. “That’s ludicrous. Who just started an
extremely
risky business with only one financial backer?”

“Oh, sure, you’re a barracuda in the business world. But when it comes to matters of the heart, you’re Chicken Little.”

Agitation roiled in Valerie’s chest. She couldn’t decide whether to argue with Pam or laugh her off. Could there be any truth to what she said? No way. “Okay, so I haven’t dated anyone yet. But that’s just because I haven’t met anyone I
wanted
to date.”

“And now you have.”

The smug expression on Pam’s face irked Valerie, but Valerie knew how to get rid of it. “Even if he did want to go out with me, which is highly unlikely, I couldn’t date him because he’s an employee. It would be unethical. And secondly, he can’t date clients, remember? We made that agreement ironclad for a reason.”

Pam’s right leg started bouncing the way it did whenever she was in one of her know-it-all moods. “Technically, you’re correct. But most relationships begin in the workplace, so obviously there are a hell of a lot of people who don’t mind breaking the rules. And
secondly
, you’re not the kind of client we had in mind when we created that agreement, and you’re not going to
be
a client for much longer anyway.”

Damn her. “What are you, the debate queen?”

The self-satisfied edge in Pam’s manner disappeared. “I just think there are times when it’s okay to bend the rules or even break them. And I think this may be one of those times. Hell, where would
I
be if I never broke the rules? Girls aren’t supposed to date girls, remember?”