mate [meyt] - noun
1. a spouse.
2. a helper or aide.
- verb
1. to bring together for breeding purposes.
By mid afternoon I'd convinced myself that I needed to go to the children's clinic again. Just to talk to Dee about Gray and make sure he was a decent doctor. I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that his comment about the trocar was simply meant to bait me and not a reflection of ignorance on his part, but that point one percent niggled at me.
This was not an excuse to see Gray. Nor was it an excuse to spend time at the clinic. I just wanted to set my mind at ease.
Really.
"Excuse me, miss. Are you open?"
I wanted to ask him if he thought I'd stand here behind the counter otherwise, but that probably wasn't the "kick ass customer service" Walter was always talking about. So I smiled and said, "Yes. Can I help you?"
He pushed a movie toward me. "I'd like to rent this."
The Wedding Crashers. I glanced at the man. He didn't look like he'd be interested in films about marriage. "Your phone number please."
I typed it in as he recited it and his account popped up on the computer scene before me. It wasn't his perfect rental record that caught my eye but his perfect name: Charles Brown.
Looking up, I studied him more closely. Plain brown hair, unremarkable dark eyes, pleasant smile, no wedding ring. And if the Brown Plumbing emblem on his shirt was any indication, he was a plumber by trade. Definitely mate potential.
Gray's handsome face flashed before my eyes, and I felt a flash of guilt.
Then I got angry. I owed nothing to Gray. It wasn't my fault that he kept hovering around me. We weren't dating, so it wasn't like I was cheating if I wanted to ask another man on a date. I surely didn't ask him to kiss me. Not that a couple innocent kisses meant anything.
Fine-maybe they weren't all that innocent. My cheeks flamed with what I'm positive was embarrassment as I remembered the way I'd melted just moments ago.
Sigh.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"Not at all." I tried to smile. As I finished the transaction, I'd made a decision. I waited until he walked out the door before I wrote down all his pertinent information, including his work phone number. I needed to keep my options open.
The door swung open and Griffin shuffled in. When he saw me, he raised a fist in the air. "Yo dude."
I ignored the impulse to correct his posture and just nodded at him.
"What's the word?" he asked as he shrugged his coat off and let it fall onto the floor.
Clenching my hands, I ignored that too. "Are you on duty? Because I'd like to take a break."
"Well, I don't start for another two minutes-"
"Great." I smiled winsomely and stepped around the counter. "I'll just let Walter know."
Before Griffin could say a word, I hurried to Walter's hovel and knocked on the door. A muffled reply a moment later bade me to come in.
Pushing open the door, I stuck my head in. "I need to step out a second. But I'll be back in a few minutes."
Frowning, Walter leaned back in his chair. "You've already taken your breaks for today."
"I know, but this is just a quick errand."
"I'm too busy to handle the counter right now, Daphne."
"I see that." I looked pointedly at the comic book on his desk. "That's why I waited until Griffin arrived."
"But it's almost time for the after school rush-"
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
His frown deepened. "I'm not pleased about this, Daphne. You know how I feel about goofing off on company time. First that guy and now this..." He shook his head.
This from the boy who spent all day in his office reading pictures. But I really wanted to go to the clinic, so it was worth it to placate him. "I'll put in a few extra minutes at the end of my shift to make up for it."
"I don't know-"
"I'll cover for you that Saturday morning no one else is available," I offered.
"Okay," he agreed quickly. "But just this once."
"Thank you." I closed the door before he could change his mind. Not bothering to grab my purse, I hurried out the store and to the children's clinic.
I did take my phone though, and on the way I made a call to my colleague again. This time when his secretary answered I told her I was with an imaginary medical board who wanted to give her boss an achievement award. She put my call right through.
"Dr. Emerson speaking."
Finally. I sighed in relief. "Bill, this is Daphne Donovan."
There was a long silence. Then he said, "I thought this was about a distinction."
"Hmm. Perhaps the calls were mixed up." I grimaced and rushed on. "But now that I've got you, I wanted to ask you about the upcoming Ferguson Symposium. I need to requisition your seminar time slot."
"No," he said succinctly.
"Before you make any decisions, Bill, please hear me-"
"No."
"Bill-"
"No," he said even more forcefully. "I have that time slot every year. It's mine. And my presentation is important."
"It's the same presentation you make every year," I pointed out, somewhat exasperated.
"That's because it's so successful. Really, Daphne, if your seminar is so important you should have registered for the conference ahead of time like the rest of us." Then he hung up.
I stopped walking for a moment and stared at my phone. I would have preregistered if I'd know Kevin was going to cheat on me with our intern.
The plastic of the phone cracked in my grip. I forced my hand to relax and I put the phone away. It was okay, I told myself as I continued on to the clinic. I'd find another solution for my data. I still had time.
Dee did a double take when I walked in the door. "Hey. What are you doing here?"
Excellent question, because now that I was here I had to admit to myself how silly my trocar excuse actually was. Gray wasn't the careless type of doctor who'd hurt his patients-I knew that on a gut level. I should have just turned around and walked out, but I couldn't bring my feet to move. So I just stood there. God I hoped Gray wouldn't come out of the back and see me. How would I explain my presence?
"He isn't here today," she said.
Was she a mind reader? "I'm not here to see him."
She hummed, her tone conveying doubt.
"I'm not. I was walking by and..." I shrugged helplessly. "I was just wondering how things were going here."
"Pretty busy. We're short a doctor and feeling it." She tipped back in her chair and gazed up at me. "If you aren't here to see Gray, why'd you stop by? It wasn't just to ask how things were going."
"I-" I wondered if I could plead temporary insanity. I settled on a mostly-truth. "I really was interested in how the clinic was doing."
Dee sighed. "I'm swamped and I'd give anything for help. Even a volunteer would lighten my load."
"I'd love to volunteer" came out of my mouth before I could stop it.
"Really?" She brightened with hope.
No, not really. It was against my new life objective of not having anything to do with the medical field. But I'd offered, and I couldn't back down. Not only was it against my nature but I couldn't bear disappointing Dee when she looked so elated. "Yes. Really."
"Cool." She rubbed her hands together gleefully. "I'd love it if you were a volunteer."
A volunteer. Right-not a doctor. I relaxed and smiled. Volunteering was a normal thing. Average people did it all the time. I saw them when I worked at the hospital.
But then Dee's celebration ended abruptly and she narrowed her gaze at me. "Is this just to impress Gray? Because women have tried that before and I can tell you it doesn't work."
"No." I shook my head vehemently. "In fact, Gray can't know I'm here."
She almost fell out of her chair. "What?"
I nodded. "That's my one condition. I'll stop by here and help out, but it has to be when Gray's not working. And you can't tell him."
"Tell who what?" a voice said from behind me.
I turned to see the physician from the time Gray dragged me here. "Rosalyn, isn't it?"
"Yes," she said carefully.
I mentally rolled my eyes. What was it about these women and how they wanted to protect Gray? "I'm not here because of him."
Dee nodded. "She said she doesn't want him to know she's here."
Rosalyn pursed her lips in disbelief. "Really."
Sigh. "If you don't want me to volunteer, I'll just go."
"No," Dee shouted, files flying as she reached to grab my sleeve. She glared at the doctor. "We need her. I need her."
"Fine," Rosalyn ground out. "But if I find out she's got some twisted agenda-"
"No agenda," I stated firmly. "I really don't want Gray to know I'm here."
Their stares measured my sincerity. I wasn't worried that they'd find it lacking because I was being completely honest about this.
Finally they both nodded. Something in me felt at peace for the first time in days, like a piece of a puzzle falling into place. I looked around, reassured myself that this was a normal thing to do, and smiled. "When do I start?"