Needing Seth

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

I debuted my new look at work the next morning. I worked nine to two and I walked in at ten minutes until nine, newly coiffed hair hidden by a blood-red hoodie. As usual none of the ladies I worked with looked at me as I passed them on the way to the back room that served as a break room. After taking off the hoodie, I hung it on a hook in the room and made my way over to the coffeemaker to pour myself a cup.

“You must be new.”

I almost sloshed hot coffee on my hand, barely missing, and instead sloshing it on to the warmer of the coffeemaker. I turned to see who had snuck up on me and quickly recognized the doctor I’d interviewed with, Casey Logan.

“Um, morning, Dr. Logan.”

He flashed me a bright, winning smile. The man was gorgeous, no lie. Tall. I’d guess maybe two inches over six feet. Dark brown hair, nearly black, curly. In fact one lock of his hair fell onto his forehead in a sort of ringlet just over his right eye. And his eyes. They were a deep forest green. Swoon worthy is what he was. All the women at the office as well as several female patients had big time crushes on Dr. Logan.

I didn’t, of course.

He tilted his head at me and reached for the coffeepot which I had set back down on the burner. In his hand he held a mug with some sort of medical symbol on it. “First day?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m Landers.”

“Who?”

“Landers. You hired me. Or interviewed me. So did Mary.” Mary was the office manager. I’d had to meet with her and one of the three doctors in the practice and Dr. Logan had been available that day.

Dr. Logan smiled uncertainly. “Hmm. Okay. Well, I don’t remember you. How long have you been here?”

Ouch.

“Four weeks. Well, yesterday was the start of the fourth week.”

He frowned. “Landers, did you say? What’s your full name?”

I turned away to add creamer to my coffee. I felt myself blushing under his stare. “Seth. Seth Landers.”

“Well, Seth, I’m sorry for not remembering you. I guess I’ve had more on my mind lately than I thought. I usually don’t forget faces that easily.”

“I have changed my appearance a little,” I offered, then wondered why I thought to mention it. Why did it matter to the straight, hot doctor anyway?

Dr. Logan stared at me intently, clearly trying to place me and figure out what I looked like before. Then he nodded, smiling. “Yes, now I recall. You have changed a lot. You had lighter, longer hair, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“I like this look on you. Very nice.”

I blushed a darker shade of red, or I guessed I had, based on the heat coming off my face. I lifted my coffee mug to my lips, hoping to hide my awkwardness. “Th-thanks.”

“Glasses different, too?”

I nodded.

“You’re working here part-time,” he said, though he said it more like a statement than a question.

“Yes. I’m going to school at night.”

“What are you going for?”

“Well, to be honest, I was thinking a doctor. I’m-I’m not really good with people, though, so, um, maybe like a research doctor.” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to yammer on to him about my plans. A simple doctor or even undecided would probably have been fine. “I should get to work.”

“Okay, see you around, Seth.”

“See you, Dr. Logan.”