Chapter 19

LYNN

"You might want to be careful," Amy says as I balance a sanitizer container over the sink.

"Okay. Got it," I reply without looking her way.

"I wasn't talking about the sanitizer."

When I shoot her a puzzled look, she crosses her arms over her chest and says, "It's frowned upon to fraternize." It takes a second for her words to sink in, but as soon as they do, every ounce of blood in my body crashes over my face like a humiliation tidal wave. Oh my god. Did she see me making out with Joey in the parking lot the other day?!

"Oh," I finally manage to eke out. What else am I supposed to say? Even if she didn't catch us attacking each other in my car, it's obvious Joey and I know each other—and, yeah, we've both been flirting with abandon when he comes in for his appointments. It's hard not to after my car—and with how he's mastered the art of being both adorable and hot as sin at the same time! At this point, I can't even remember why I was mad at him last summer. He's such a good guy, I could almost cry.

"Just a little friendly advice if you want a future here, that's all." Amy's tone isn't nasty or vindictive; it's matter of fact, so I can't exactly be mad at her for setting me straight.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"I do!" I hurry to assure her. What was I thinking? Of course it's unprofessional to flirt with a patient—or stick your tongue down his throat! Jesus, Mary, and Jolene! I'm an idiot! "Thank you. I understand."

Red-faced, I make an excuse and take off down the hall for the women's bathroom. My reflection shows a sheen of sweat on my pink cheeks and a wildness in my eyes that's new. I can't fuck this up—it's part of my plan for a kick-ass future in sports physical therapy, and I'm not about to throw it away for a guy. Even one as great as Joey. Guys come and go, and I can't let this one throw me off my game just because he turns my panties into Splash Mountain!

With no games to play and limited workouts available to him, Joey is going out of his mind with boredom, so he's taken to texting me at all hours. I'm trying to chalk it up to boredom instead of something more panic-inducing, like a concerted effort to make me his girlfriend or something. When we texted last night, I agreed to go out for drinks with him and his cousin, who arrives in town today. I was really looking forward to it—and to maybe kissing him again—but now there's no way I can go.

I pull out my phone with trembling fingers.

Me:

Hey, looks like I can't make it for drinks after all. Sorry.

He immediately answers. See, he's just bored.

Joey:

Oh no. Everything okay?

Me:

Yeah. Turns out I have to work.

It's a lie, but I'm incapable of explaining things right now—especially not over text.

Joey:

It's an afternoon game.

Of course he knows the team schedule. Duh.

Me:

I've got to fill in at Blue Bigfoot.

Cash did ask if I could fill in for Jodi if they got busy, so it's not really a lie. Except that I told him no since I was planning on drinks with Joey and his cousin. Looks like I'll need to fix that.

Joey:

Damn. And here I was hoping you could save me from Liv.

Don't engage in banter with the sexy man, Lynn. It can't go anywhere good.

Me:

First you make me cut up your food, and now I have to protect you from your cousin? Wow.

Joey:

You haven't met her yet. She's very frightening.

Me:

Maybe next time.

Or never. Why do I want to cry?

Joey:

Okay. Don't work too hard. Talk soon.

See, he's not even disappointed. Like I said, he's just bored.

When I return to the clinic room, Amy is nowhere to be found, so I finish refilling the sanitizer containers and then file exercise instruction sheets before finishing the day. It's little comfort when Cash falls over himself to thank me for covering for Jodi. But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. Right?