Janice Lynn - Friend, Fling, Forever?

“Agreed. I’m glad she’s doing okay.”

He glanced at his watch. “Only another hour until the end of our shift. You want to go for pancakes with me?”

Surprised at his repeated offer from the day before, Kami frowned. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you didn’t go yesterday and you have me curious.”

“About?”

“You know what.” He waggled his brows.

It took her only a second to realize what he referred to.

“Puh-leese. That’s what this is about? You want to know how talented I am with my mouth?”

As the words came out of her mouth, Kami realized how her comment could be interpreted. Her cheeks flushed hot.

“That’s not…” At his laughter, Kami’s face burned even hotter. “You know what I meant, Gabriel Nelson, and what I didn’t mean.”

“Do I?”

She narrowed her eyes. “You know you do.”

He crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. “Maybe, but saying I don’t might be a lot more fun. Why are your cheeks so red, Kam?”

Deciding that ignoring him was the best approach, Kami grabbed a brochure and fanned her face. “It is hot in here, isn’t it?”

Which was a joke if Kami ever heard one. The emergency department was notoriously cool—purposely so to help keep germs down.

But, for once, the area felt blazing.

“Not particularly.” His grin was still in place. “Even better than you going for pancakes with whipped cream and cherries with me would be if you did that and went to work out with me. That would send Baxter the message that he was wasting his time, for sure.”

“If I ate pancakes then tried to work out, I’d be sick, so, in that regard, you’re right about sending a message.”

He laughed. “We could have breakfast after we work out.”

She looked at him as if he was crazy. “Again, wrong girl, Gabe. I’m not a gym rat and I’m not a girl who would work out on an empty stomach.”

His gaze ran over her. “You look like you could be.”

“Is that a compliment?”

One corner of his mouth slid upward. “It wasn’t an insult.”

Kami fought to keep heat from flooding her face again. “Either way, I’m not going to the gym.”

“You don’t want to see the new and improved Baxter?”

Not that she could go anyway since she had to go feed Bubbles, but Kami pointed out, “You don’t even know he’ll be there this morning.”

“Then you do want to see him?” Gabe sounded surprised.

“No, I don’t want to see Baxter. That’s why I broke things off.”

Gabe immediately seized on her comment. “I thought your relationship ended due to a mutual decision.”

“It did. Mutual means I told him things weren’t working and he agreed.” She glared at Gabe. “Would you stop twisting what I’m saying?”

Feigning innocence, he put his hands up in front of him. “I’m doing nothing of the sort. I’m just trying to buy you breakfast. Quite friendly of me, I’d say.”

“You just want to harass me into buying your bid,” she countered, knowing it was true. Gabe was her friend, but he was a guy and guys had ulterior motives, right?

“Perhaps,” he agreed. “But I was serious about buying you breakfast. We could discuss the fund-raiser.”

“What about it?”

“I could help in ways besides the auction.”

“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “You’re not getting out of the auction, Gabe. We’re auctioning off five men and five women and you’re the big-ticket item.”

Grinning, he asked, “You think so?”

Despite all her efforts to prevent the heat, her face went hot again.

“Women seem to think so.” At his pleased look, she added, “Especially Debbie.”

That ought to simmer his arrogance down. If not, the brilliant idea that hit her would.

“I’m thinking of asking if she’ll use her television connections for local publicity to raise awareness of the fund-raiser.”

Rather than look annoyed, he looked impressed. “That’s brilliant. You want me to check with her?”

A bit floored he’d be willing since he was making such a big deal of the woman planning to buy his date, Kami nodded. Garnering as much free publicity as possible was important and she should have thought of Gabe’s connection to the local television station sooner. “Would you?”

His eyes danced. “For you?”

“For Beverly and her baby,” she corrected.

“If it would help Beverly’s baby get a new heart, I’d talk to the devil himself.”

Kami didn’t recall Debbie being anywhere near that bad, but she’d only met the woman a couple of times when she’d shown up at the emergency department to bring Gabe a late dinner or a cup of his favorite coffee. On television, she smiled often as she made over homes in the Eastern Tennessee area and seemed nice enough.

“Great.” Kami rubbed her palms together. “Encourage her to pay plenty when she wins that Gatlinburg getaway. Sounds like fun.”

“Obviously not fun enough. I can’t convince you to bid.”

“Can I go without you?”

He gave an offended frown. “That appeals more than the total package?”

Rolling her eyes, she clicked her tongue. “You’re hardly the total package, Gabe.”

* * *

Later that morning, Kami hit the drive-through and ordered a coffee to keep her going long enough to get to her mother’s when all she really wanted was to go home and crash.

Within a few minutes, she was sitting on her mother’s sofa, Bubbles walking back and forth next to her while Kami stroked the cat from her head to the tip of her tail.

Silly cat. Often, Kami wondered if the cat was happier to see her during her short visits than her mother was. She glanced around the tiny, messy apartment. No family portraits lined the walls. No memorabilia from Kami’s childhood. Instead, the walls were bare except for a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster. If there had been a photo, Kami wouldn’t have expected it to be of herself, but of this latest guy.

Kami emptied the litter box, bagged her mother’s overflowing trash, put in a fresh bag, and picked up the empty food containers and drink cans scattered around the apartment.

Making sure the cat had food and water, Kami grabbed the trash and headed out of the apartment to go home. Sleep had her name all over it.

Only, when she got back to her place and finally crawled into bed, sleep refused to make an appearance.

Perhaps she should have skipped the coffee. She didn’t need anything interfering with her rest prior to going into the third night of her three-in-a-row work schedule.

Especially not thoughts of her mother, a silly cat who was home alone, and Gabe.

Why was Gabe even on the list of things running through her mind?

He was a friend. Nothing more.

Ugh. Sleep was not happening.

She reached over and grabbed her phone off her nightstand. Ten a.m. Still early enough that if she dozed off she’d get plenty of rest before going back to work. Not that sleep seemed anywhere near.

Maybe she should get up for an hour, then try again later to go to sleep.

Sometimes after the first night of her three-in-a-row, she struggled to get to sleep the next morning, but never after the second or third nights.

Ugh.

Gripping her phone, she hit the text emblem, then Gabe’s number from her contacts.

So, was he there?

Why she asked, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t care if Baxter had been at the gym or not. She just couldn’t sleep. It made no sense, but deep down she knew talking with Gabe—even via text—would take her mind off her mother and off Bubbles, whom she’d considered packing up and bringing home with her. She might have, had her apartment not had a restriction against pets.