Finding Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book One

Chapter 13. Just A Girl*

Chapter 13. Just a Girl by No Doubt

When Evan awoke early on Monday morning, she stretched her arms in the air and pushed her heavy blanket off of her. She must have needed the sleep, the clock telling her she'd been out for nearly sixteen hours. To her recollection, she'd never slept that long. The drafty old house was cold even on warm days, and today it must have been below freezing outside. She rushed to the bathroom and turned on the shower to get some heat through her. Evan pulled out a suit and set out accessories while the water warmed the closed in room. This time, she didn't let tears mingle on her face in the water. Instead, she repeatedly told herself that she was doing the right thing; that no other woman should have to put up with Matt Thomas' unwanted advances. She thought ruefully of all the other women she had seen vying for his attention. She didn't understand his fixation with her. She avoided meeting men, not only because she was awkward in social situations, but because she didn't want to feel the energy from another person more often than necessary. As helpful as her gift was to her in diagnosing her patients, she had always been uncomfortable being touched by others. There was nothing romantic getting the impressions that the man you were with was thinking of another woman, or the girlfriend you thought was your best friend thought you were embarrassing to be around.

Her thoughts then turned to Emil. She didn't feel any of those uncomfortable feelings when she touched him. She didn't feel anything but his cool skin. Maybe that was why she didn't want to lose contact with him. She forced herself to quit thinking and just get dressed. When she had her hair dry and her suit on, all of her most professional jewelry in place, she looked at her pale face in the mirror. Oh well, not everything could be perfect. Why would a guy who looked like Emil want anything to do with a woman like her?

She smiled when she grabbed her purse, and saw his card lying on top of everything like it had been placed there specifically so she would see it. Instead of giving into weakness, Evan decided she would not take advantage of Emil's offer.

She wanted to see him more than ever, but she didn't want him to think she was desperate to call him. Maybe she would call later and give him an update of what she accomplished and tell him about Nathan Clark. She looked out the front window and saw piles of white snow lying on the ground and then checked the clock. She could catch the bus out front on the corner in five minutes.

She opened the closet and pulled her heavy coat on, then her gloves. When she reached up on the shelf for her scarf, she bumped the worn old bag she remembered putting up there shortly after she moved in. She frowned for a moment at the cracked brown leather, but heard the bus coming down the street, so she turned around, and hurried out the door, locking it behind her. She waved at the bus driver as she made her way down her front walk. One of the neighbor boys must have shoveled her walk for her, as there was a clear path down the four steps from the porch and down the short walk to the main sidewalk, which was also cleared. She would have to find out who it was so she could pay them later. See, she told herself, not everyone in the city was bad.

At the hospital, Evan made her way quickly through the front entrance, avoiding the ER. It wasn't unusual for her to go into work on her days off, but this time, she didn't want to run into anyone she knew. She didn't want to discuss the topic of her meeting today with anyone. She didn't feel anyone else needed to know. It was embarrassing enough that she'd had to endure the encounter with Matt Thomas without everyone learning about it.

On the first floor, the Human Resources Department was on the opposite side of the hospital from the Chapel, and down an equally long hallway. Evan greeted the receptionist, and then walked back to the Medical Staff Offices.

She knocked on the heavy wooden door frame and peeked her face in through the portal to the office. She had called the secretary on her way in to let the woman know she was coming.