Page 105 of Banter & Blushes #1
brIELLA
I pull the curtain around Mrs. Mitchell’s bed as I finish checking her vitals. “Everything's looking good today, Mrs. Mitchell. Dr. Sullivan should be by later this afternoon to discuss your discharge papers.”
“Oh, thank you, dear,” she says, patting my hand. “You nurses are angels.”
“Someone’s popular today,” Karlee whispers as I exit the room, nodding toward the nurses’ station where a bouquet sits.
“Those aren't for me,” I say automatically, though curiosity pulls me toward the desk.
“They’re definitely for you,” Mona says, sliding the vase across the counter. “Card says, ‘Thanks for being my hero last week. I owe you one. —Mr. Edwards.’”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Mr. Edwards was a difficult case last week—stubborn, grumpy, and absolutely terrified of being in the hospital. It had taken me three days to get him to trust me enough that he’d follow his treatment plan.
“See? This is why we love having you on our floor,” Karlee says, leaning against the counter as I arrange the flowers. “You've got the magic touch with patients.”
“I just listened to him,” I shrug. “Not exactly heroic.”
“Speaking of heroes,” Mona says, suddenly switching topics with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Are you taking your gorgeous architect man friend to the Valentine Gala this Friday?”
My cheeks instantly warm. “Reid? Maybe. I haven’t asked him yet.”
“You haven't asked the man you’re madly in love with to be your date to the most romantic event you’ll go to this year?” Karlee raises an eyebrow. “Shocking.”
“I’m not madly in love with him,” I protest, though the words sound hollow even to me. “And it’s not a date. It’s a plus-one situation.”
Mona and Karlee exchange that look—the one they’ve perfected when the topic of Reid Bennett comes up.
“Right,” Mona drawls. “Because normal people get that dreamy look in their eyes when they talk about their platonic friends.”
I busy myself with organizing the patients’ charts, trying to hide the blush that’s crawling up my neck. “I don’t get dreamy.”
“You literally sighed when his name came up on your phone yesterday,” Karlee points out.
“The man brings you coffee during your overnight shifts,” Mona adds.
“That’s just Reid being Reid. He’s thoughtful.”
“He’s in love with you,” Mona says bluntly.
I nearly drop the chart I’m holding. “He is not.”
Both of them groan in unison.
“How are you this clueless?” Karlee asks, genuinely perplexed. “The man looks at you like you hung the moon.”
“He looks at me like a best friend,” I counter, though something flutters in my chest at the thought. “Which is exactly what we are. Eight years of friendship isn’t something I’m willing to risk over feelings that aren’t reciprocated.”
Mona leans in closer. “Honey, if you don’t think that man is already head over heels for you, you’re nuts. All of us can see it.”
“All of who?” I ask, suddenly paranoid that the entire hospital staff has been discussing my non-existent love life.
“Everyone with eyes,” Karlee says, rolling hers for emphasis. “Just ask him to the gala already.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and stare at it for a moment. “What if he says no? He could be busy, you know.”
Mona actually laughs. “In what universe would Reid Bennett say no to you?”
She has a point. Reid has never turned down an invitation from me, not once in eight years.
He’s shown up for girls’ nights when my other friends bailed, for my nephew’s birthday parties, and even for that terrible pottery class where he made a bowl that looked less like a bowl and more like a science experiment gone bad.
“Fine,” I say, unlocking my phone. “I’ll call him.”
I step away from the desk for privacy. My heart hammers as I dial his number, which is ridiculous because I call Reid all the time. This is normal. Totally normal.
He answers on the second ring. “Hey, Bri. Everything okay?”
His voice is warm and familiar, and it makes me smile despite my nerves.
“Hey! Yeah, everything’s fine. Are you busy?” Is that my voice that’s all squeaky?
“Just finalizing some blueprints. What’s up?”
I take a deep breath. “So, the hospital’s Valentine Gala is this Friday night, and I was wondering if you’d want to be my plus-one? It’s for charity, and there’s an open bar, and the food is usually pretty decent?—”
“I’d love to,” he cuts in, saving me from my rambling.
“Yeah?” I can’t keep the relief from my voice.
“Absolutely. Besides, I owe you after that wedding fiasco with my cousin, remember?”
I laugh, remembering how I’d pretended to be his girlfriend to ward off his aunt’s matchmaking attempts. “It wasn’t a fiasco. But you do owe me because I was a stellar fake girlfriend.”
“You were,” he agrees, and there’s something in his voice I can’t quite place. “What time should I pick you up?”
We finalize the details, and when I hang up, I’m smiling so widely my cheeks hurt.
“Well?” Karlee prompts as I return to the nurses’ station.
“He said yes,” I say, trying not to sound too excited.
“Of course he did,” Mona says with a knowing smile. “The man would walk through fire if you asked him to.”
“It’s not like that,” I insist, but the protest sounds weak even to my own ears.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Karlee says, patting my shoulder. “But maybe buy a knockout dress for Friday. Just in case.”
“In case of what?”
“In case you finally wake up and realize what’s right in front of you,” Mona says. “Or in case he finally gets tired of waiting and makes a move.”
The thought sends a thrill through me that I immediately try to squash. Reid and I are friends. Best friends. The kind of friendship that’s rare and precious and not worth gambling on a feeling that might fade.
But as I return to my rounds, checking IVs and taking vitals, I can’t help wondering what it would be like if Mona and Karlee are right. What it would feel like to be loved by Reid Bennett.
To be his, completely.