Wedding Date with Her Best Friend
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Susan Carlisle
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CHAPTER ONE
THAT FLUTTER TRAVELED through Valerie Hughes when Owen Clifton entered the break room. She pushed down the awareness of him she always felt when he came near. This time was no different. She had no intention of getting involved with him even if he were emotionally available, which he wasn’t. She shifted in the metal chair as she returned her paper cup to the table in front of her.
“Hey, Valerie.” A smile formed on Owen’s lips as he made his way toward her with a plastic container in his hand. They shared an addiction to sweets. She had no doubt there would be a treat worth eating inside the semiclear plastic box. More than once they’d caught up in the break room over a candy bar. That’s how they had become such good friends.
“I see one of your admirers brought you something.” She indicated the container with a nod of her head.
“Uh, what? Oh, yeah. Lisa brought me a thank-you gift for helping her out.”
Valerie grinned. He did that type of thing all the time. Always helping someone. He had no idea the effect he had on women. Almost every single female in the department had brought him something special to eat at one time or another. What made it so humorous was he had no idea they were flirting with him. Time and again she’d seen it happen.
She had been working at Atlanta Children’s Hospital in the anesthesia department for six years. Owen had already been on staff when she’d joined; he was a recent widower. Being one of those men who grew better looking with age and having an engaging personality, the women in the department flocked to him. For her, more than that he was a compassionate and caring doctor. She admired him. He was nothing like the low-life man she had been involved with who not only broke her heart but had been running around on his wife.
Owen didn’t look at her as he shifted the box from hand to hand. Why was he acting nervous? They’d been work friends for a long time, and good friends for almost as long. She’d never seen him like this. And she knew him well enough to know something wasn’t right. He looked over his shoulder as if expecting someone. His gaze met hers again.
What was she missing? It wasn’t her birthday, so it couldn’t be a surprise party. Or was something going on in the hallway he was protecting her from seeing? “Is there something wrong? A problem with a patient?”
He cleared his throat. “Um, do you mind if I close the door?”
Owen sounded so unsure, which was very unlike him. Unease welled up inside her, and she sat straighter in the chair. “Of course not. You’re starting to freak me out a little. What’s going on?” She looked to the door and back at Owen. “Who sent you in here to talk to me?”
In the six years they had worked together, she’d never known Owen to cross the line between professional and personal. Every conversation was held in public, in front of others in the department. This wasn’t done by discussion but more as a silent mutual agreement. They sometimes joined groups of coworkers for meals and parties, but never crossed the line to anything more. That suited her just fine. He seemed like a great guy, but she had been misled before by appearances.
Owen stood and shut the door then sat down, pushing a hand through dark hair that had turned white at the temples. “No one sent me. Nothing’s wrong. I just have something I want to ask you, and I don’t want us to be the subject of hospital gossip.”
Now she was really intrigued. She faced him. “Okay. Talk away.” Her words sounded lighter than she felt.
“I need a favor,” he stated.
All this drama had been about a favor? The tightness in her chest completely disappeared. Through the years they had traded cases, days off and attendance at meetings. What was so special about this favor that it had to be asked in secret? What really held her attention was he’d never asked her for a personal one. She fiddled with her now-empty paper cup, twisting it, then met his look. “What kind of favor?”
“I need a date for my nephew’s wedding. Will you go with me?”
Valerie’s heart rate started to race. Owen was asking her out! Did he have any idea of the crush she had on him? No, she’d kept that under wraps. She’d manage her reaction carefully. Why would he be asking her out now? Owen had never even suggested he liked her more than as a colleague. She’d never known him to go out with anyone. “I, uh, hadn’t expected that. Not that I’m not flattered but before I answer, can I have a few more details?”
He had the good grace to turn pink. It was cute. Apparently he was embarrassed. He looked down at his hands. “Elaine’s been gone now for five years.”
Valerie had no doubt he knew the months, hours and minutes since her death. Valerie had never seen or heard of a man more devoted to his wife, dead or alive. Too often Valerie had wondered what it would be like to have someone that much in love with her. She wanted a man who would be that faithful. One who would put her happiness first. Sadly, so far in her life that hadn’t happened. The man she’d put her trust in, believed she would marry, certainly hadn’t felt that way. He’d used her and then thrown her away like food gone bad in a refrigerator. Now she couldn’t help but be leery of it happening again.
“My kids have decided I’m lonely and it’s time for me to start dating.”
He sounded as excited about that as he would if he were being served dirt for dinner.
“They’ve been trying to set me up. I’ve managed to fend them off, but I have a nephew who is getting married in a few weeks. They said I should have a date for this wedding, and if I don’t they’d find me one.”
Valerie covered her mouth to conceal a grin.
Owen glared. “It’s not funny. I’ve heard about some of those women online. They’d eat me alive. I haven’t been on a date in twenty, no, twenty-eight years.” He pulled his brows together. “Do they still call it dating?”
At that, Valerie guffawed. “It’s still called dating.” Not that she would really know. She hadn’t been out seriously with a man in ages. At least not out and about. In her last serious “relationship,” her boyfriend, Ray, had always made an excuse for them to stay in. She couldn’t imagine any reason somebody wouldn’t want to go out with Owen though. He was an all-around nice guy. In fact, she’d admired his attributes for a long time. Yet she hesitated to accept his proposal.
He leaned back in the chair with a disgusted look on his face. “I can’t take one more phone call or nudge or surprise meeting with the unmarried parent of one the kids’ friends. They’ve even gotten my sister-in-law and brother involved.”
His frustration made Valerie’s smile grow while her heart went out to him.
“I just want to shut them down. Enjoy the weekend with my family. I thought if I brought my own significant other then maybe they’d leave me alone for a while.”
“So basically, you’re going to be using me.”
He had the good grace to give her a sheepish look. “I wish I could tell you differently, but I guess that’s true. I don’t know many people outside of work. I don’t go to places where there are a lot of single women. I haven’t been to a real party in years. I don’t want to take a stranger. I like you. We’re friends, so I thought of you. We respect each other and I enjoy your company. The wedding is supposed to be at a very nice resort. I thought you might like a chance to get out of town for a few days.” He shrugged. “Maybe enjoy the fall leaves.”
Owen was using the hard sell, saying all of the right things but leaving out that he really wanted to spend time with her. But that was too much to expect. Probably because he sensed she’d run for the hills if he did. Their friendship worked partly because they knew the other wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship. She didn’t dare let what happened before happen again.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be tricking your children or leading them to believe there’s something between us that’s not there?”
“It’s just for a few days, then I can tell them we broke up. All we have to do is share some meals together, smile and have pleasant conversations with my family. I just need them to stop pushing women at me. I’m not ready to get involved with anyone. I may never be.”
There was Valerie’s confirmation. At least they were on the same plane. If she didn’t start to want or expect anything more, all would be good. She did want to help him out. Still, a niggle of doubt made her say, “Let me think about it.”
His shoulders slumped.
“Just give me overnight. I promise to get right back to you. I may be on call.” She had to admit she wanted to go. Too much. Maybe if she did, she could get over her silly crush. Those emotions she’d learned the hard way she couldn’t trust.
“I already checked. You’re not.”
Wow, he really wanted her to go. “I need a chance to think about it. I don’t want to do anything that would hurt our friendship or our work relationship.”
He nodded. “It’s not like we’re going to be sharing a room. I’ll see to it that you have our own space.”
“Won’t your children think that’s odd?”
He twisted his lips. “They might, but I think they’ll just be glad I brought someone.”
A staff member pushed the door open. Owen jumped up, a guilty look covering his face. Would he wear that look the entire time if she agreed to go with him? She had no desire to have him be ashamed of her. She’d experienced that before from other men. That had been enough.
The young nurse glanced between them. “I’ve been looking for you, Dr. Clifton. They’re ready for you in OR four.”
“I’m on my way.” He glanced at Valerie.
“I’ll let you know.”
He gave her a nod then followed the smiling staff member out the door.
Owen shook his head while he made his way to the OR. It had been years since he had asked anyone out. At least a woman that wasn’t his wife. He couldn’t say he enjoyed it much more now than he had in his youth. The fear of being turned down hovered around every word.
Valerie hadn’t said no. She’d just wanted to think about it. That he could understand. She had been as shocked as him judging by the nervous look on her face. When he’d first come up with the plan, he feared he might be losing his mind. How could he do it to Elaine? If he were out with another woman, then it would mean that Elaine was truly gone. It made the truth real. He worked to stop the tremble of his hands. That wasn’t the way he wanted it.
Time went by with his kids continuing to nudge him to start going out. Kaitlyn, his daughter, had rallied the troops to gang up on him. All the calling and cajoling had him thinking seriously about asking Valerie. Surely it would be better to invite someone he knew, who didn’t expect personal involvement instead of being set up with a stranger.
He had been surprised at how eager his children had been for him to start dating. Apparently, they were worried about him, now that they were all away from home. At least Valerie hadn’t turned him down right away. That would have been devastating.
But it wasn’t until he’d left her that he’d come to that realization. Before talking to her, he wouldn’t have thought it really mattered one way or another what her answer would be. For some reason it had become important Valerie go with him. He was comfortable with her.
He’d worked with Valerie for years and he liked her. Maybe if she did just this one thing then his children would get off his case. He would’ve made the effort they wanted. Still, it wasn’t worth worrying over until he found out what Valerie decided.
As an adult he didn’t need to prove anything to his children. Still, he wanted them to know he could take care of himself without their pushing and help. His children needed to focus on their lives.
Owen pulled on his surgical cap and stepped up to the scrubbing station. As he scrubbed up, Valerie’s face came to mind. She really was an attractive woman. It wasn’t until recently that he had started to notice women again. For so many years he’d kept the blinders on. He loved his wife too much to run around on her. As far as he was concerned, he was still married. Growing up, he’d seen the hurt inflicted by infidelity. His mother spent more than one night staying up late waiting on his father. The fights that followed were nasty. Owen had promised himself as a child he would never treat his wife that way. And he hadn’t. He believed in honoring those he loved.
An OR nurse approached him. He held up his hands, letting her pull on his gloves. He shouldered his way through the OR doors. This procedure shouldn’t take long. A three-year-old girl getting ear tubes.
“Let’s get this young lady asleep and comfortable.” He stepped to the head of the table. “She’s in good health? No fever or issues?”
“All good, Doctor,” one of the OR staff responded.
“Then here we go.” Owen placed the small rubber mask over the girl’s nose and mouth. When the child was anesthetized, he moved her head to the side, making sure the airway remained clear. He positioned her head so the ears, nose and throat doctor could insert the first tube. Soon Owen was able to swap sides for the surgeon to place the second tube.
“Done,” the ENT surgeon announced.
Owen backed off the gas. He placed an oxygen canula under the child’s nose, then rechecked the monitors. “I’m ready for her to go to recovery.”
“I’ll clean up and speak to the parents.” The ENT removed his mask, gown and gloves. “Thanks, Owen.”
“Anytime.”
Owen finished disposing of the used equipment then headed to recovery, where he joined the nurse caring for his patient. “How’s she doing?”
“Well.” They both glanced at the monitor.
The nurse looked at the IV placement then made a note on her electronic pad. Owen gave her his report then left the recovery room. He was on his way to the nursing station when he heard his name being called. It was Valerie.
“Owen!”
Their eyes met over their masks before her attention returned to her patient. Even dressed in blue scrubs with a scrub coat over them Valerie had an appeal he’d given little thought to before today. It was clear she had lovely curves. The unflattering clothes did little to hide them. Her surgical cap had large pink flowers on it, adding a pop of color in an otherwise monochromic space. He’d never realized how Valerie had a way of lighting up a room. Seeing her always made him smile.
He shook his head. For years he’d known her and never given her this much thought. More than once he’d asked her to help him. Since asking her to the wedding she not been far from his thoughts. She hadn’t even agreed to go with him, and he’d become fixated on her. The idea made him a little sick to his stomach while at the same time gave him a buzz of excitement. All of a sudden it mattered if she went along with his plan. But what he needed to do was concentrate on his charting.
“I need help.”
“What procedure did your patient have?” Owen demanded.
“Appendectomy.” Valerie pressed down on the boy’s incision area, her gloved hands covered in blood.
A nurse appeared at her side, tearing open a packet of padding.
“On three,” Valerie said. “One, two, three.” She lifted her hands, and the nurse quickly applied the absorbent material, pressing down. Valerie’s hands went on top of the nurse’s.
Owen listened to the boy’s heart with his stethoscope. His pulse was faint, weak. “I need a bulb here.”
A nurse handed him one. He placed the mask over the boy’s mouth and nose and pressed in on the plastic bulb, giving the boy oxygen.
“Call Dr. Powers. Tell him we’re bringing his patient back. Stat.” Valerie called over her shoulder, then looked at the monitors. “BP still going down. Get fluids on board.”
Another nurse arrived with the drip stand and fluid bag, then set it up.
“Take over here.” The nurse applied her hands as soon as Valerie moved hers. Seconds later Valerie pushed the needle into the port.
“Eighty over fifty,” Owen called.
Other staff joined them.
“Let’s get him moving,” Valerie said.
Owen continued to monitor the boy’s heart rate as they ran alongside the gurney into the OR.
Dr. Powers rushed in as they transferred the patient onto the table. “Patient status?”
“There’s a bleeder somewhere.” Valerie continued the compression.
Owen squeezed the handheld ventilator at a constant pace.
“Get two packs of O in here. We need to get this child open and find that bleeder.”
“Owen,” Valerie said, “will you do the intubating and handle the anesthetic?”
“Sure. Intubating kit. Stat.”
“Here you go.” The OR nurse handed him the items as the words came out of his mouth.
Less than an hour later the problem had been found and the child stabilized. Valerie had insisted on staying at the boy’s side until he was moved to the ICU. He would have one night of observation before going to a room.
Owen looked up from where he sat behind the nurses’ station. Valerie stood over the boy watching while his gurney went through the door Her skin had turned pale. She looked beat. He went to her. “Hey, Valerie, are you okay?”
Her hands visibly shook. “Huh?”
He’d never seen her rattled. She was now.
“I’m fine. I’m fine. I need to clean up, then go back check on him.”
Owen placed his hand on her arm. “You need to take a moment to regroup before you do that. This isn’t like you.”
“I’m fine. Really, I am.”
“You don’t look that way. What’s going on?”
Valerie offered him a weak, apologetic smile. She scanned the area as if making sure no one else was around before she eased onto the bench between the row of lockers. “I had something similar to what happened to my patient today happen when I was just starting out on my first job. It didn’t end as well as it did today. I’m just a little upset. I’ll have it together in a few minutes. I know it’s unprofessional. It just got to me a little.”
Owen sank down beside her, making sure to leave plenty of room between them. “That’s understandable. We’re human after all.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Not a problem.”
Valerie stood. “I appreciate the pep talk.”
“No problem. I’ve had to have plenty of pep talks in my life. It doesn’t hurt to share one.” Heaven knew after Elaine’s death he’d been sobbing in his office more than once when his brother had come in and consoled him.
Her smile grew. For some reason that made Owen’s chest expand like he’d ridden to her rescue.
“I’m going to clean up and go make my evening rounds.” She started toward the bathroom at the back of the room.
“I’ll leave you to it then.” Owen headed toward the door.
“Owen.”
“Yes?” He stood up to face her.
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “Anytime.”
The next morning the surgery department hummed with staff and patients. Valerie didn’t have time to do little more than prepare for her first case. She looked for Owen. Not finding him, she released a sigh of relief. She’d come close to falling apart emotionally in front of him, which was highly unprofessional. That hadn’t happened in twenty years, then it did just after Owen asked her to spend a weekend with his family. Could the timing be worse?
All night long she’d rolled around in bed thinking about his weekend proposal. She had done all the “what-ifs” to see if it was a good idea to agree to the plan. After more hours than she wanted to admit, she had concluded she would go. She liked Owen and was honored he’d asked her. What could it hurt? Maybe it would help her get over her crush on him. That would be a good thing.
“Hey, Valerie.”
She jumped at the deep voice that came from behind her. Owen. Her heart leaped. “Good morning.”
He stepped closer. So much so she warmed. “How’re you doing? I thought about you last night. I hope you got some rest.”
His concern shouldn’t affect her in the way it did. He was just being nice. “I’m good.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
One of the nurses called his name. “Got to go. Have a good day.”
It wasn’t until after lunch that she saw him again.
He came to stand near her. “How’s it going today? All good?”
“Yes. Thanks for your concern and help yesterday. I’m all right. You don’t have to worry about me.” But she had to admit she sort of liked it. Too much of her life had involved a man not caring.
“I’m not worried. Just wondering.” He picked up the next day’s schedule.
“I appreciate you asking. I’m just embarrassed.”
His gaze met hers, the sincerity in his eyes reassuring her. “No reason to be.”
Valerie studied him. She liked the white at his temples; it gave him a distinguished air. He wasn’t wearing his silver wire-rimmed glasses at the moment, but she liked those on him as well. He removed them when he wasn’t working. She knew him well enough to register that small detail. Despite her near emotional collapse, he put her at ease.
She glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, she met his gaze with a direct one of her own. “I’ve been thinking that if I agree to go to the wedding with you, we should practice being around each other outside of the hospital. Your children will never believe us otherwise.”
“You’re agreeing to go?”
“I thought a lot about it last night. After yesterday I owe you a favor.” She hadn’t been sure about it until a moment ago though. She wanted to go. Wanted to get to know Owen better.
He smiled with obvious relief. “Thank you.”
“Is there a problem with us talking about it here? Do you not want anybody to know?” She didn’t try to keep the note of hurt out of her voice. In her last relationship, Ray had kept her hidden away. Never wanting them to be seen together. It had taken her a while to understand why, but when it had become clear, it had been crystal clear. Even in a fake dating situation she wanted the man to stand beside her.
“No, I just didn’t think either one of us would want to be a topic of gossip. Since it’s just one weekend I think it’d be all right for this to remain between us.” He put the schedule back on the counter.
“If that’s the way you want it.” She’d been humiliated before. Maybe this wedding weekend was a bad idea after all. She had no intention of going there again. But surely he wasn’t ashamed of her, or he wouldn’t have asked her to meet his family.
“Thanks.”
He shifted on his feet as if he might run, but then settled. “You said something about us getting to know each other better. Like how?”
She shrugged. “We’re supposed to know each other well enough to be dating. We should know more than the work aspect about each other. Our favorite colors. Vacation dreams. Stuff like that.” As much as they gravitated toward each other at work, they never really shared deep feelings. Things that people dating would know about each other.
He didn’t say anything, as if giving the idea thought, then, “Well, that sounds reasonable.”
It might but he didn’t sound enthusiastic about it. Yet she wasn’t surprised. “I suggest if we’re really going to do this, then we should spend some time together outside the hospital.”
His brows rose as if that idea had never occurred to him. His insecurity showed as he stammered, “Uh, y-yeah. Okay.”
Valerie found it rather adorable. The poor guy was struggling. Just how did he expect to get through an entire weekend playacting when he wasn’t an actor? She had to help him. “How about we start with a simple meal at a restaurant?”
His head went to an angle as if he’d never heard of such a thing. “Okay. I’m on call tomorrow night so that’s out.”
“I’m on call the next.” She watched him fidget with a pen.
He put the pen down with a thump. “So that leaves Friday night. Now about seven o’clock?”
“Sounds good.” Too good. She wouldn’t get her hopes up.
“Then I will pick you up then.” Owen seemed perplexed by that idea.
Valerie gave him a pat on the arm. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
He offered her a tentative smile as if he suddenly wasn’t sure what he’d agreed to. “I’ll see you Friday if not before.”
“I’ll be ready,” Valerie said as she passed him on the way to the door.
