Lexi walks in and gasps. “Oh my God, you scared me. What are you doing?”
I wipe down the chair and smile. “Thought I’d help so you can get out of here for lunch.”
She sighs. “You don’t have to help me, Dr. Peterson. There’s still ten minutes before lunch time starts.” She reaches into the jar of alcohol wipes and pulls out a few. “Besides, my hubby left me a text message and said he’s running a few minutes late. We’re meeting at Chantilly’s if you want to join us.”
I shake my head even though I really do love Chantilly’s. They always bring out mini poppyseed muffins and strawberry butter for an appetizer, and their chicken salad is to die for. I could really use some of their chocolate cake right about now too, but . . . “No. Enjoy your time with your husband.” Maybe one day I’ll be able to do the same. At the rate I’m going, it’s not going to happen.
“Okay,” Lexi replies, “if you change your mind that’s where we’ll be.”
Once the room is cleaned, I take off my gloves and toss them in the trash. Lexi finishes placing the protective bags over the instruments, and when we walk out, my front desk lady Karen charges toward us. She’s a petite woman in her late fifties with short red hair and a round build. She also happens to be my parents’ neighbor. When she got laid off from her job at the bank, I hired her immediately.
“Thank goodness, I caught you in time,” she calls out breathlessly. “We have a new patient just walk in the door. Says he’s in pain.”
With it being lunch break, I don’t want Lexi having to stay with me. I look over at her and she shrugs. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
That makes me smile. “Enjoy your lunch. I got this.”
Then I turn to Karen. “Get him to fill out the paperwork and I’ll bring him back.”
Karen blows out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Dr. Peterson.” She disappears back up to the front desk and when I walk by the glass door, my breath catches in my lungs. I gasp and flatten my back against the wall. There’s no new patient at the front desk. It’s Tanner. He’s here. More importantly, what the hell’s going on? Why didn’t he just say he’s here to see me? Then again, maybe he really does have a tooth ache, but if that’s the case, he should’ve gone somewhere else.
“Dr. Peterson, are you okay?” Lexi asks.
I grab my chest. “Yeah.” I quickly look at Tanner again, standing at the front desk with his pen flying across the paperwork impatiently as he fills it out.
Lexi comes up to me and peeks around my shoulder. “He’s cute. You know him?”
Moving away from the door, I bring her with me. “It’s Tanner Hayes, Ellie’s brother.” I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks, and of course, Lexi notices it.
She tries to hide her smile and fails. “Yeah, I heard he was coming into town. Did something happen between you two?”
Memories of the other night flash through my mind. I shake my head to make them disappear. “Just a little. Long story short, we had an amazing night and then I freaked out. He tried to tell me how he felt, only for me to shut him down. I tried to apologize but he’s been ignoring me.”
Lexi snickers. “I can tell you like him.”
I rub my aching chest. “God help me, I do. He infuriates me though. I’m pissed he hasn’t called me back.”
Karen rushes through the glass door to us and hands me Tanner’s chart. Lexi holds her hand out for it, her eyes twinkling. “I have an idea to make him sweat. It’ll be payback for not calling you back. That is, if you don’t mind?”
Grinning, I hand her the file. “Go for it.” I hide around the corner so I can hear what she says to him. A couple seconds later, I can hear the glass door open and the sound of them walking into the examination room.
“I’m sorry you’re having a tooth ache, Mr. Hayes. My name is Lexi and I’m Dr. Peterson’s assistant. Do you mind showing me where you’re hurting?”
Tanner sighs. “Is there any way I can just see the doctor?”
“Well,” Lexi says in that sing-song voice of hers, “Dr. Peterson always likes for me to get all the information first.”
“Okay, fine,” Tanner agrees, sounding defeated, “it hurts here.”
I peek into the room and I can see Lexi looking at his mouth. She winks quickly at me and smiles. “All right, Mr. Hayes, I just need to take an x-ray and then put some topical around that tooth so the doctor can numb you up. You’re most likely going to need to have it taken out.”