Sweet Fire

2. Charlie

Chapter Two

Charlie

I stared into Jesse Franklin’s eyes, little charges of electricity tingling through me from where we’d collided. My cheeks were hot, and I was flustered. But then, every time I saw Jesse Franklin, I was flustered. His gaze held mine—a rich, clear green. I’d never seen a man with eyes like his. With his dark amber hair tousled and wavy, his fit body, and his rugged features—a strong jaw, a prominent nose and angular cheekbones—well, he was unnervingly handsome.

His eyelashes were so thick, they nearly curled to touch his cheeks. It didn’t seem quite fair for a man to have eyelashes like that. Nature had been generous to Jesse Franklin in the looks department. His mouth had a sensual curve to it, always making me think completely inappropriate thoughts. He was a patient for God’s sake. He’d only been to see me for his shoulder. But still.

I clutched the clipboard to my chest as if it could shield me from the heat dancing through my body. For the first time ever, he didn’t seem annoyed with me. As I tried to gather my scattered thoughts into something sensible, there was a knock at the door. Thank God. My body had been frozen in place about an inch from Jesse whose physical presence was so potent, it made me a little crazy.

I stepped back, nearly dropping the clipboard again. Quickly opening the door, I found my medical assistant Rachel there. She smiled, glancing between Jesse and me. “Mrs. Stan is here to see you.”

I stared at her, her warm blue gaze unable to calm the anxiety that suddenly swirled inside of me. Mrs. Stan was code for a personal issue that had become way too common in my life lately. Worry galloped through my thoughts. I started to hurry out the door, coming to an abrupt stop when Jesse said my name.

“Do I need to make another appointment?” he asked.

Flustered, I turned back to him, adjusting my glasses and trying not to sound too worried. “Of course you do. I’m sorry to rush off. Just a small emergency. Sandy in reception will schedule your next follow up. In the meantime, keep going to see Helen and I’m confident in two weeks, we’ll be able to clear you for work.”

Jesse held my gaze for a beat, and yet again heat bloomed through me. Under the circumstances, I couldn’t believe my body’s reaction to him. Lately, my life had been the opposite of inviting for desire or romance. In fact, I’d put those ideas on ice.

As I started hurrying down the hallway, Jesse walked with me, easily keeping pace with his long stride. I was too frazzled to make polite conversation, turning into the door that led to my private office as soon as I reached it.

“I’ll see you in two weeks,” I said quickly before stepping into my office and closing the door behind me. Leaning against it with a sigh, I took several slow breaths to calm my pulse. I couldn’t relax though. I hurried over to my desk, snatching my cell phone off of it and hitting speed dial.

My mother picked up on the first ring. “Where are you? Your father’s not home yet, and this doesn’t seem like home.”

A bite of grief slammed into me. I took a slow breath and swallowed my tears. “Hey, Mom, I’ll be home in just a little bit, okay?”

“Where is your father?” she countered, her voice confused.

“He won’t be here tonight,” I finally said.

I listened as she asked me a few more questions, and I answered with my usual rote answers, trying to keep my tone level and the worry out of my voice. After I hung up, there was a quick knock at my door. “Come in,” I called out.

Rachel stepped through the door, closing it behind her. “Everything okay with your mom?”

I looked up into her warm gaze. I wanted to burst into tears, but now definitely wasn’t the time. “She’s fine. I wish she would remember my dad’s dead.” My heart thumped another beat of grief.

Rachel’s eyes searched my face, but I battened down the hatches inside and took a deep breath. I could handle this. Snagging my coffee mug off my desk, I took a sip of the long cold coffee, the cool bitterness fortifying me.

“Hey, at least Jesse Franklin wasn’t too cranky with me today,” I said with a chuckle.

Rachel grinned. “I noticed.” She paused, c*****g her head to the side with a gleam entering her gaze. “I think he likes you.”

“Huh?” I asked as I shrugged into my jacket and snatched my purse off of my desk.

“Exactly what I said. He was watching your a*s the whole time we walked down the hallway.”

A flash of heat scored through me, but I ignored it.

“Um, I think you’re crazy. No way was Jesse Franklin checking out my ass.”

“Way,” Rachel countered with a grin. “He totally was.”

“So what? He’s my patient and the last thing I have time for is anything related to romance.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “You know Dr. Johnson met his wife here in the clinic, right? We’re almost in the middle of nowhere, and the only thing you’ve treated Jesse for is a dislocated shoulder. Get over it.”

I reached her side, curling my hand around the doorknob. “I have a niece and a mother to take care of, that’s my whole life.”

Opening the door, I brushed past her. She called out after me. “Yeah, well maybe it would be good to expand your horizons.”

I didn’t reply because I couldn’t. I didn’t want to be rude, but I needed to go, or the tears pressing hot at the backs of my eyes and the emotion tightening my throat would let loose. Hurrying down the hallway, I mentally ran through what I needed to pick up at the grocery store before racing home as fast as possible.

Jesse Franklin, whether or not he had been staring at my a*s, wasn’t a man I could consider. I barely had time for fantasies. Not to mention, if he knew anything about my crazy life, he’d run far and fast in the opposite direction. Any sane man would.