Page 28 of Falling into Place

Chapter Nineteen

Brooks

“Hey, man. Nice job on rounds today. You handled your own when Richter tried to pimp you in front of the whole team.”

“Thanks, I think I just got lucky. I’m Brooks, by the way. You a first-year, too?”

“Yeah. I’m James. Wanna grab a beer after this? I could use one after today.”

—Resident call room, University Hospital, PGY-1

“Who is she?”

Brooks glanced up from his watch. “Who is who?”

From his spot beside Brooks in the back row of the conference room, James huffed out a quiet laugh. “The woman you’re thinking about. I’ve never seen you so antsy. Got somewhere to be?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brooks murmured.

“Don’t play that with me.” James propped one ankle on the opposite knee and leaned back with his fingers behind his head, feigning interest in Dr. Lim. “You’re seeing someone when you get off, aren’t you?”

“Nope.” Not that he didn’t want to, though—he’d have loved to head straight to Carly’s place right after work if it was an option, and every day after. But he’d already made plans to meet a woman named Madison for a drink tonight, something he’d questioned last night.

“Should I cancel the dates I have left?” he’d asked Carly as he’d run his fingers up and down her arm. “There are only two, but still. It feels kind of shitty going to meet another woman after this.”

She’d promised keeping the dates after making out with her didn’t make him an asshole, because no one expected exclusivity with a first date. “That even goes for this,” she’d said, waving a finger between them. “You never know, you might fall in love on the spot and forget all about me.”

He’d played it cool because they’d literally just kissed for the first time, but that was about as likely as him going on a solo shopping spree just because.

A little part of her had seemed relieved, though, when he said he didn’t intend to set up any others and that Sasha would just have to deal with it.

Pathetic as it may be, the idea of Carly being jealous over him was strangely satisfying.

James still didn’t look convinced, but he let it go.

In truth, Brooks wouldn’t mind telling his best friend about Carly.

In fact, he’d love to talk to someone else other than Coach about her.

He could go on for days about her incredible personality and that she was so easy to talk to they could cover topics from his ass to their favorite musicians and even his mom’s accident without awkwardness.

That she took his fashion missteps in stride, and rather than making him feel embarrassed about his ignorance, she made him feel attractive and confident every time he tried something new, even though she looked like a runway model in anything that touched her skin, from one of those short dresses with high shoes to leggings with a tank top and bare feet.

He’d smile when he talked about her tidiness and obsession with crisp sheets on a perfectly made bed and her penchant to cry at movies.

But lately James had been strutting about like the all-knowing guru of women and relationships, despite his current state of bliss being based on the first time he’d seen a woman for more than a week in a decade.

Brooks didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, and besides, it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since he’d found out Carly was into him.

Plus they’d agreed to avoid being anywhere in public together for the next few weeks.

They needed to be careful, sure, but as far as he was concerned, seeing each other in private was another story. Yes, they’d said last night that it was just until the magazine ran the farewell article, but he wasn’t confident either of them would stick by it.

Hell, after starting with one kiss on the table, they’d ended up awake until two in the morning, watching movies and making out like horny teenagers, and she’d only gone home when a page sent him to the hospital.

As if she knew he was talking about her, his phone buzzed and her name popped up.

Carly: I’m this close to falling asleep at my desk.

Brooks: why? didn’t get much sleep last night?

Carly: No, some guy kept me up super late

Brooks: man, what a dick

Brooks: he probably left a giant hickey on your neck, too

Carly: About that.

Carly: I had to wear a Turtleneck to work. It’s August! I look ridiculous!

Brooks: not sorry

A few long moments passed before her reply finally came through: Me neither. He couldn’t help the asinine smile that spread across his face in that moment.

Brooks: want to grab coffee over lunch? we both need some

Carly: That’s the opposite of avoiding public interaction.

Brooks : yes it is

Brooks : want to?

Brooks: i won’t touch you, i promise

Carly: I do, but there’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere else in this shirt. My accounting coworkers will be the only witnesses.

Brooks: how about i bring it to your office?

Brooks: we can just meet in the parking lot like a drug deal

Brooks: you get coffee, i get to see you. win/win

Carly: You don’t have to do that.

Brooks : i can’t have you falling asleep on the job, i feel responsible

Carly: Obviously you are.

Carly: Ok , but you can’t touch me in the parking lot, either

Brooks : fine

After that, Brooks was even more antsy to get out of this damned department meeting. When it finally adjourned, Brooks and James stood to follow the flood of white coats filing out of the room.

“You gonna bring this woman tomorrow night?” James asked.

Brooks frowned. “Tomorrow?”

James gave him a look like, Come on. “The Humane Society gala? Dr. Lim’s—you know, our chief—big annual fundraiser? I know you bought a ticket, because I talked you into it and made you swear you’d come with me. Then walked you to his assistant’s office to watch you buy it.”

“Shit, I forgot all about that,” Brooks said. The whole Bachelor thing and recent hyperfixation on Carly had really thrown his schedule off. “That was back when we’d both have been going stag and would have each other to get drunk with. You’re probably bringing Aly now, aren’t you?”

James grinned. “I am. And you can bring your mystery lady.”

“Nope. Too soon.” And too public.

James’ phone buzzed. “Gotta take this.” He started walking backward with the phone in his hand. “Whether you bring a date or not, I’d better see you there tomorrow. The chief will notice if you’re gone, and no one wants that kind of attention from their boss.”

Carly was, in fact, wearing a turtleneck, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the glower she aimed at him as she exited the building and walked toward his car.

“You still look hot,” he said when she was close enough.

“I should,” she said. “I’m sweating like a glass of iced tea in July.”

“I thought that might be the case,” he said, and held out his hand. “So I got you cold brew.”

The wrinkle between her brows smoothed out as she took the cup. She tipped it to her lips for a long sip and sighed. “Mmm. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He leaned his hips against his Audi. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and together with the black fabric wrapped around her neck, her dangly gold earrings stood out even more. What was it about those that drove him so wild? “How’s your day?”

“Dragging,” she said, and set the cup on the hood. “Now that the end is near and I only have a few days left, typing numbers into a spreadsheet is even more boring than before.”

“Wait,” he said. “What do you mean? Did you quit?”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, I haven’t told you yet!

I guess I got a little distracted last night,” she started, and the way her cheeks turned pink was adorable.

“I got the promotion at Mode. They were so happy with how the LiveOKC collaboration turned out, they offered me a full-time position. So now I literally get to do fashion all day, every day.”

Her eyes were so bright, her smile so big, and his heart so full for her, he acted on impulse. He lurched forward and wrapped her in his arms, lifting her feet off the ground. “Oh my God, Carly, that’s amazing. You deserve it. Congratulations.”

Even though her arms wrapped around his shoulders, she didn’t relax against him, and he remembered he’d promised not to touch her. He went to put her down. “Sorry.”

But when her feet touched down and he thought she’d step back, she stayed up on her toes and tightened her hold.

“Just one more second,” she whispered. She lingered there in his arms for another long moment, her face buried along his collarbone.

He pecked her quickly on her hair—he couldn’t help it—and gently moved away.

Not another soul was around, so they were fine. Still, he wasn’t supposed to do that.

She kept her eyes down, but he saw the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. She took two more steps back, and lifted her gaze in admonishment. “Stay there or I’m going back inside.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How’s yours? Day, I mean?”

“Not too bad. No issues with patients and my buddy James was working, too. We got to catch up a little.”

“Did you meet him at the hospital?”

“Sort of, we did residency together. He went into cardiology so we weren’t in the exact same program after that, but we still crossed paths quite a bit. It’s hard to make friends, working as much as we did, but since James was in the same boat, it was just easy with him.”

“Ah yes, the trauma bond is real.” She tipped her head, squinting at him. “Didn’t you keep in touch with any of your high school friends? You were always surrounded by people. Whenever I saw a crowd, I’d think, ‘Brooks Martin must be in there somewhere.’”

She grinned at him when she said it, beautiful and happy, and he wondered for the hundredth time how he’d ever overlooked this girl back then.

His seventeen-year-old ego definitely wouldn’t have needed words like that, though.

And he’d meant what he said that night on their practice date, that he wouldn’t have been good for her as a teenager.