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“Oh boy, new kid is going to die his first Southern summer,” a female called over. “And I think more of the hot guys should come in shirtless. I hear about my ass in scrubs often enough. Give us some fun.”

People chuckled and moved on, but I still threw on my tank top… But not before I noted a certain vampire’s attention.

Perfect.

I went over to her like I was stopping on my way to get a tray. “We’re doing dinner trade tonight, right? I heard of this place with strawberry pie and it sounds aces. I’m so ready for something sweet after a long, hard week.”

I kept her intense golden gaze… And ignored when two people spit out their drinks around us.

Amusement and a healthy dose of frustration flared in her eyes. “Send me the link to the place and what you want.”

I frowned. “I can pick it up.”

She focused on her food. “It’s fine. You did last time, so it’s my turn. Just send me the place.”

So, I did, guessing something was up… And unfortunately, I was right.

I received a text later that day that food was delivered.

And at my door.

But only the food was there.

“You deserve this. You deserve this,” I reminded myself as I tried not to take it personally or get too upset. “You did this to the relationship.”

It was hard though. I just wanted her, and I knew I’d fucked up, but… I really had no one to blame but myself. I was desperate and even called Mum to ask what I should do, apologizing for how late it was.

“Whatever you’re doing is the right plan, my youngest,” she told me firmly. “Ellie has said a few times that you’re being amusing and groveling well.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She was quiet a moment. “She is a woman that many have not appreciated. Even I know at the hospital that she is the one everyone blames and never praises. That has only changed now that so many understand she is the reason they have easy housing or consideration most don’t. She has to move mountains to be given any allowances.

“And you did the ghosting the first time you found out something you didn’t like or didn’t trust her. I understandyourperspective, but I also understand hers as a woman. You hurt her. You need to put in your penance to fix it. But she didn’t tell me what you were doing, simply that it was amusing and she sounded… Good. It was good.”

Well, that was something. At least I wasn’t annoying her then.

So I kept with it.

I made sure to wear everything that I knew she would like or catch her eye… Sometimes lack thereof. I brought her food from Mum and stopped hiding that we were friends outside of work. I even asked Mum for extras for Ellie’s direct staff. I kept focused on helping at work and doing what I should so I was never a problem.

And I kept some of the pests away.

I think I fell a bit more for Ellie when I saw her duck in and check on that vampire who had been abused by her mother-in-law. Apparently, she did every day and got a report directly from the guard on the room that everything was calm.

She was ridiculously impressive. She constantly had dozens of balls in the air and never dropped one. I could never be that coordinated or amazing.

I could barely handle the problems I had and currently one was from ortho. He was poking me every chance he could and challenging me. He was talking shit and undermining me and the way I practiced medicine.

Part of me wanted to use it as an excuse to talk to Ellie and get in front of her, but bringing her problems when she had so much going on was about the shittiest way to flirt. Even I wasn’t that dense.

Instead, I asked Dr. James for a meeting. That alarmed him because normally I caught him in passing and just hashed out whatever. So he told me to swing by his office immediately.

Good to know he was just as impatient of a shifter as I was… And man probably. It was best to be honest about that.

“You should have come to me before you were ready to explode,” he grumbled as I walked into his office.

That made me freeze, but then I sighed. I closed the door behind me and sighed again. “Do you have that noise-canceling thing that—” I nodded when he flipped a switch on a machine behind his desk and recognized the pitch. “I need one of those for my office.”