Cedar Bluff's Most Eligible Bachelor (Cedar Bluff Hospital) (12 page)

Other than the fact that he had a former girlfriend who’d started a huge fight in the emergency department, which had cost him his job.

Why was the lack of knowledge about Simon’s family bothering her now? She’d thought she’d known Andrew very well, had met his family numerous times, but in the end the way he’d started to drink heavily had been a surprise.

The office door opened, startling her. “All finished?” Simon asked.

“Yes.” She leaned on the desk to stand, balancing her weight on her good leg. She held out the stack of paperwork she’d compiled. “You might want to put this someplace safe.”

He came into the room, taking the paperwork from her and leafing through it quickly. “Very comprehensive, Hailey,” he commented. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She reached for her crutches.

Simon edged behind her—the office really wasn’t very big—and opened his desk drawer, putting the paper work she’d handed him into one of his files.

“Aren’t you going to lock it?” she asked, when he slammed the drawer shut.

“No. I’ll make sure the office door is locked.”

Hailey frowned. “Humor me. Lock the desk, too. The cleaning people have a key to your office, right?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“If the cleaning staff has a set of keys, then pretty much anyone could get one if they really wanted to. Maybe someone on staff doesn’t like the idea of me reviewing the care of our patients. Maybe they’re afraid we might find something they’d missed.”

He paused, but then slowly nodded. “I’d thought of that possibility too,” he admitted. “Okay, I’ll lock the desk.”

She stood by the doorway as he searched for and found the keys to the desk. Once he’d locked everything up, he put the key on his keyring.

Awkwardly, she leaned on one crutch to open the door. Simon came up behind her, and placed his hand in the small of her back. “I’ll get it,” he said, his voice close to her ear.

His touch, even as light as it was, sent fissures of awareness tingling down her spine.

She blushed, wondering if he had any idea what he was doing to her. “Simon, maybe you should wait here and let me go first, so it doesn’t look so obviously like we’re leaving together.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Simon responded, but he dropped his hand from her back as he opened the door wider. “Everyone knows I hit you on your bike. It’s no secret that I feel responsible. Giving you a ride home isn’t a big deal.”

She swallowed her argument, her expression annoyed as she swung out of the office on her crutches. Why the man was so stubborn was beyond her.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed like everyone in the arena stopped what they were doing and blatantly stared at her as she came out of Simon’s office and walked across the unit.

This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. She imagined the rumors about Simon and herself were flying fast and furious.

“Hailey, watch out!”

Too late. She belatedly realized water was on the floor when the crutch in her right hand slid out from beneath her.

S
IMON
leaped forward as Hailey leaned heavily on one crutch, precariously teetering as she struggled to keep her balance.

The crutch clattered to the floor.

“I’ve got you,” he said, catching her and hauling her close in time to prevent her from falling.

“Thanks,” she murmured, her voice muffled by his shirt.

For a moment he almost forgot they were standing in the middle of the arena, so overcome was he by the urge to kiss her. But he managed to loosen his grip and take a safe step backward. “Okay now?”

“Of course.” Hailey pointedly averted her gaze as she stood leaning on one crutch. Simon bent down to pick up the other one, which had crashed to the floor. She took it wordlessly.

“Call Housekeeping and get someone over here to mop up the spill,” Simon directed the unit clerk, the one with the weird green eyes. “And throw me a towel, please.”

“I already called them,” Mary assured him, her expression one of concern. He grabbed the towel from Bonnie and placed it over the spill.

“Good thing you’re so quick,” Bonnie said, “otherwise poor Hailey might have fallen and hurt herself even worse.”

“Yeah.” He carefully stepped around the wet spot on the floor, wondering why it seemed Hailey was suddenly so accident prone. Especially when the accidents were not the result of anything she’d done.

If you didn’t count riding her bike in a thunderstorm.

Simon hurried after Hailey as she’d continued crossing the arena, heading for the hallway leading to the staff locker rooms. He caught up with her right before she disappeared inside. “Hailey? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Her low voice was difficult to read. “I’ll meet you outside in the parking lot in a few minutes.”

He stepped back, frowning as she disappeared into the woman’s locker room. Had she hurt herself but was afraid to say anything? He was tempted to follow her inside, but forced himself to head out to his car.

True to her word, Hailey came out less than five minutes later. She had her purse slung over her shoulder, and this time she put her crutches in the back herself, before sliding into the passenger seat.

He didn’t immediately drive away. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. “Did you wrench your arm or your shoulder?”

“No, luckily my arm strength has improved over the past week.” Hailey relaxed against the seat with a sigh. “But I swear I’m cursed.”

“I doubt you’re cursed, Hailey,” he muttered. “But it does seem as if you’ve had a run of bad luck. I’m glad you didn’t hurt yourself.”

“Me, too. Where are we going?” she asked, when he turned left instead of right toward her apartment.

“I thought maybe we’d go out for dinner,” he said, keeping his tone casual with an effort. He felt guilty for not taking her out on a proper date before spending the night in her apartment. He glanced over at her, trying to gauge her reaction. “Is that all right with you?”

“Ah, sure.” Hailey flashed him a tentative smile. “Dinner sounds good.”

He relaxed a bit. At least she hadn’t told him to take a hike. “There’s a nice restaurant, Stephen’s, that overlooks the harbor.”

“Would you mind if we took a walk first?” Hailey asked, when he pulled into the parking lot of Stephen’s. “I really need to stretch my muscles. I’m not used to sitting so much. I miss my bike,” she said in a forlorn tone.

He almost laughed, but then realized she was serious. “So you really enjoy riding your bike everywhere?” he asked curiously. He couldn’t imagine functioning without a car.

“Yeah, I do.” Hailey turned onto the sidewalk that ran along the lakeshore. “I don’t particularly like exercising in general, especially running, but biking helps to keep me in shape.”

He thought of the bike he’d purchased last summer. He’d only ridden it once, and that had been for a charity ride that a group of the ED doctors had participated in. His butt had hurt for almost a week after a measly twenty-five-mile ride. “I have a bike,” he told her. “Maybe once you’re off your crutches we can ride together.”

She threw him a surprised glance and nodded. “Sure.”

The wind kicked up, bringing a cool breeze off the lake. When Hailey shivered, he suggested they turn around and head inside.

Since they were still rather early, they had their choice of seating. Simon asked for a table overlooking the harbor.

“It’s so beautiful,” Hailey murmured, staring through the window at the purple and pink sky. He took the crutches from her, propping them against the wall, and then held the chair for her. “Thanks.”

“Would you like something to drink?” Simon asked, opening the menu to review the appetizers.

“Just water for me,” Hailey said as she read through the menu.

“Not a glass of wine? Or a cocktail?” he asked. Didn’t she realize he was trying to make up for his lapse of not asking her out sooner? “I’m driving,” he teased.

She frowned and shook her head. “Actually, Simon, I don’t drink. At all. And if you don’t mind, I’d rather you didn’t drink tonight either as you are driving.”

Surprised, he stared at her. Was she joking? Surely one drink couldn’t hurt either of them. But then he understood. “Because of the accident?”

She stared at her menu for so long he thought she wasn’t going to answer him. Finally she dragged her gaze up to his. “Yes. Andrew had had several martinis that night and I could tell he wasn’t in any condition to drive, so I told him I would. Unfortunately, he didn’t think he was impaired and kept insisting he wanted to drive. We argued, not just in the parking lot but even after he finally gave me the keys and we started driving home.” There was a brief pause. “I couldn’t let it go.”

She looked so stricken his heart went out to her. “And then what happened?”

Her voice had dropped down so low he was forced to lean forward to hear her. “On the way home, a truck came out of nowhere. I was so busy arguing with Andrew I didn’t see the truck until it was too late. He ran a red light, striking the passenger side of our car.”

She looked as if she was about to burst into tears. “It’s okay, Hailey,” he said, reaching across the table to take her hand. He wished they were at home so he could hold her in his arms. “I’m here for you.”

“I don’t think you understand. Andrew died because of me.” Hailey raised her anguished gaze up to his. “Don’t you see? If I hadn’t argued with him, if I hadn’t made such a big deal out of it, he’d be alive right now.”

“No, you don’t know that,” he argued, tightening his grip on her hand when she tried to pull away. “Hailey, listen to me. So you argued. So what? The guy ran a red light! How is that in any way your fault?”

“I didn’t see him. I wasn’t paying close enough attention to my surroundings,” she said.

“And you think if Andrew had been driving, the outcome would have been any better? That’s crazy. For sure he wouldn’t have been able to pay close attention to his surroundings, not after all those drinks. No, I think if Andrew had been driving, both of you would have probably died.”

She was quiet for a long moment. “I’ve replayed those seconds before the crash over and over in my head. I just can’t help thinking I should have seen that red truck sooner.”

“And if you had?” he pressed. “Was there really a way to avoid the guy running a red light? Seriously, Hailey, where could you have gone? You had the right of way, didn’t you?”

She shrugged helplessly.

He couldn’t stand to see her hurting like this. Why had he brought up the painful past? But then a horrible thought occurred to him. “You did have the right of way, correct? I mean, you didn’t get a ticket or anything, did you?” he asked cautiously.

“No.” Hailey let out a deep heavy sigh. “He got the ticket, not me. But just a few weeks later I heard about another woman who was having an argument in the car and caused a serious accident. She got cited for reckless homicide. Ever since then I’ve wondered if I got off too easy.”

Hailey couldn’t believe she’d told Simon her deepest secret, but now that it was out in the open, she couldn’t deny feeling relieved.

“Trust me, Hailey, a guy running a red light trumps an argument in the car every time.” Simon stroked his thumb over the back of her hand, the caress sending tingles of awareness up her arm. “I heard about that case where the woman was cited for reckless homicide for not paying attention to the road because it made national news, but that was a completely different situation. Don’t you see? It wasn’t your inattentiveness that caused the accident, the way it did with that woman. The guy who ran the red light broke the law and caused the accident.”

She licked her suddenly dry lips. What he was saying did make sense. But she’d lived with the guilt for so long she was afraid to believe. “I wish I could believe that for sure, Simon. Every time I think of that night, I think of how I might have punched the gas pedal, shooting forward enough to avoid the crash if I hadn’t been so busy arguing with Andrew about his drinking.”

“Don’t torture yourself like this,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry you had to go through that but you can’t feel guilty for the rest of your life. I’ve felt guilty over things I’ve done in the past, too, but sometimes I think bad things happen for a reason. Because they teach us a lesson. Or because they somehow make us stronger.”

He wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t already told herself. Because there were times that she wondered how Andrew would have turned out if he had survived. Would he have continued to drink? Become an alcoholic? Or would he have turned his life around? Could she have helped him?

It was the not knowing that hurt the worst.

But one thing she did know for sure. In her heart, she knew that she and Andrew hadn’t been destined to stay together.

“I guess you’re right,” she agreed slowly. For the first time she considered how the accident might have made her stronger. For one thing, she’d learned how to overcome adversity in a big way.

Was it possible Simon was right? That things happened for a reason?

It occurred to her suddenly that if she hadn’t been riding her bike in the thunderstorm because of her fear of driving, she and Simon might not be sitting across from each other right now.

Fate? Maybe.

The waiter interrupted them, asking if they’d decided on what they wanted to order. She was very glad when Simon turned down the happy-hour cocktail two-for-one specials to order the tomato and mozzarella appetizer instead. He also told the waiter to keep their water glasses full.

“Thank you, Simon,” she said, after the waiter left.

“For what?” he asked, reaching for her hand again.

“Not drinking,” she clarified. “I know I’m probably overreacting, but after everything that happened with Andrew, I can’t help how I feel.”

“Hailey, you are far more important to me than a measly drink,” he said in a low, husky tone. “Of course I’m going to honor your wishes. Why wouldn’t I?”

She had to blink to keep sudden tears from welling up in her eyes. She remembered, with sudden clarity, how she’d pleaded with Andrew to stop after the third martini, especially because his voice had become more boisterous and his gait unsteady, indicating he’d had enough. But he’d brushed aside her concerns as if they’d been unimportant.

She shouldn’t doubt her decision not to let Andrew drive. But maybe she should have called for a taxi. Although there was no way of knowing if the taxi would have been hit by the red truck instead.

“Hailey, don’t. Please.” She glanced at him in surprise. And the expression in his gaze confirmed he knew exactly what was going through her mind. “Don’t keep playing the what-if game. It’s a game that’s impossible to win.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

He nodded, his expression grimly serious. The shadows in his gaze surprised her. “I am. I’ve played that game too many times to count. And I lost every time.”

Because of the fight with his girlfriend that had cost him his career? “Simon, you’re not responsible for what’s-her-name’s actions. Really, what could you have done differently?”

There was a long pause. “Erica,” he said finally. “Her name was Erica. And I know I’m not responsible for her actions, but I am responsible for my own.”

Before she could ask him what he meant by that, the waiter brought their appetizer. From there, the conversation turned to food and the choices of possible entrées.

They each decided to try something different and to split the meals to share. Hailey was glad when Simon kept the mood of the evening light.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had fun spending time with a man. How long since she’d been out on a date? Not since those early months with Andrew.

And she wasn’t going to think of her former fiancé now.

For once she was going to be selfish and only think about herself. And Simon.

She was going to learn from her past mistakes and move forward with her life.

“Are you all finished?” he asked, when she set her fork down and pushed her plate away with a sigh.

“Yes, the food was delicious but, honestly, I can’t eat another bite.”

His plate was, of course, completely empty. “Neither can I. Although I can’t decide which meal I liked more. Your swordfish or my veal.”

She laughed. “They were both fabulous. And it looks like your mother taught you to always clean up your plate,” she teased.

“She did.” Simon handed over her crutches when she stood. “My parents chose to retire in Arizona, which is great for them, but unfortunately I don’t see them as often as I should.”

Secretly pleased he was opening up about his family, she responded in kind. “I don’t see my parents much either, but for different reasons. My parents split up when I was young, and I bounced back and forth between households until I was sixteen, when I finally put my foot down and insisted on staying with my mother. It was awkward, especially after they both remarried.”

She tensed a bit when Simon rested his hand in the small of her back. The way he was always touching her caught her off guard. Andrew hadn’t been one to display overt gestures of affection. She couldn’t deny how she loved the way Simon touched her, with the barest hint of possessiveness.