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“It’s okay, Doc. You are so busy during the week I don’t know how you do anything on the weekends but catch up on sleep,” Donna said. “Oh, wait. That’s when you catch up by reading the latest news in your medical journals.”

Alexis stared at Donna, knowing she was right. “That sounds dreadful.”

Donna smiled. “It’s not dreadful. But you don’t have to save everyone in one week. You could spread your appointments out and actually have a little time to yourself. I’ve been trying to get you to let me do this for over a year. Why do you think I was so excited you wanted to leave early to go to your hairstylist’s open house?”

Alexis smiled. “It was a lot of fun.”

“I could tell. You were still smiling the next morning.”

“Oh, I was not!”

“If that’s what you want to believe,” Donna said with a shrug.

Neither one of them said anything for a moment. Donna sat down in the chair opposite Alexis's desk which was something she rarely did. “Look, we have been working together a long time. You hide behind that self-assured, a bit cocky, surgeon’s persona.”

Alexis scoffed. “Don’t you want your surgeon to be confident?”

“Sure I do and you’re the best. But I also see you occasionally drop the mask and show off that beautiful smile of yours. It hasn’t happened in a long time, but then I started to notice…”

“Notice?”

“When you get your hair done I see a flicker of that smile for several days.”

“Do I look like a tired mean doctor the rest of the time?” Alexis asked, appalled.

“No! You are a professional and you do smile, but I’m talking about a genuine smile that comes from the heart. Not necessarily the one you give your patients when they are thanking you for making their lives better. I’m talking about the one that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

“Me? Warm and fuzzy?” Alexis exclaimed then laughed.

“You have a lightness to you when you talk about CeCe. I hope you’re at least becoming friends.”

“At least? What do you mean?”

Donna raised her eyebrows and dropped her chin. “It's been a while, wouldn’t you say?”

Alexis sat back in her chair, shocked.

“I didn’t mean that!” Donna exclaimed. “I meant it’s been a while since you’ve gone out with anyone.”

“Since you’re so attuned to my schedule, when would I have time?” Alexis smirked.

Donna smiled. “Oh, I’ve seen you make time when you want to.”

A slow smile crossed Alexis's face. Donna was right. When Alexis was interested in someone she’d make time for them because on top of being a stoic surgeon, she could also be selfish. She was used to getting what she wanted, but with CeCe it felt different.

“Gotta go,” Donna said, getting up and closing Alexis's door as she left.

The revelation from two of her co-workers about her behavior after seeing CeCe made her pause. What had begun as playful flirting was leading to much more and honestly, Alexis couldn’t wait. She was up for a sexy little fling and from what she’d heard about CeCe she would be too. But was that all this was or was there more going on here than she thought?

Alexis furrowed her brow and tilted her head. “Nah, we’re going to have a good time.”

Satisfied with her conclusion she went back to her patients. Her friends were making too much of this. She couldn’t help that, but she also couldn’t wait for Friday.

* * *

“Look out, here comes trouble,” CeCe said softly to the older woman sitting in her chair.

“Hi, Mrs. Eubanks,” Cory said with a big smile. “How are you?”