Accidental Meeting Read Free Page B

me all flustered.” Abbey planted her hands firmly on
her hips.
    “I
doubt that it takes much to get you that way.”
    “Bruce,”
Doris admonished with a light rap to his upper arm.
    Bruce
frowned at Doris, then turned back to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry. You were
saying?”
    “I
was trying to tell you I’m sorry you got hurt. If I could change everything
that happened I would.” Tears welled up in Abbey’s eyes, her throat
constricted.
    “Abbey
even drove all the way down here to see if you needed a ride home,” Doris said
in her defense.
    Bruce’s
right leg was wrapped in bandages to his knee. Abbey wanted to cry. It bothered
her that he was hurt, because she was the one who had caused him this pain. If
only she hadn’t tried to drive earlier when she’d been emotional about Gary
manipulating her out of her promotion and job.
    “Don’t
cry. I hate it when women cry.” Bruce asked Doris to bring her car around to
pick him up and instructed the nurse to wheel him outside to wait.
    Abbey
followed alongside him, wiping away droplets of moisture with her forefinger.
“Will you forgive me?”
    “Yes,”
was all he said.
    Abbey
stood in silence a moment. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?
Maybe pick up your car for you or something?”
    Bruce
laughed. “I could use an assistant and a chauffeur. Not that you could
help.”
    “I
might be able to. I’ve worked in an office for years and I can definitely
drive.”
    Bruce’s
arched eyebrow was all she needed to know that he doubted her ability. After
this morning, she couldn’t blame him for having reservations.
    “I
was a teenager then, my first year of driving.” Abbey crossed her heart.
“Honest.”
    “I’ll
have to take your word for it.”
    Abbey
smiled.
    “Good.
I was serious about driving you around.” Pointing to his bandaged leg, she
continued, “It honestly doesn’t look like you’ll be able to drive yourself for
awhile. And maybe I can help you with the other part, too.”
    Abbey’s
mind was already working overtime. She could apply for unemployment, if need
be, and go job hunting in between driving Bruce from place to place. Chances
were, he would only need a ride to and from work. How hard could that be? He
might even give her a name of someone she might contact about a job. Referrals
went a lot further than cold contacts.
    “Don’t
you already have a job? Or are you planning to take an extended vacation to be
at my beck and call?”
    Abbey
laughed. How many women wouldn’t take a lifetime off to be at his beck and call?
He was kind of handsome with that lopsided grin he was giving her—at least she
thought it was a lopsided grin. Maybe he was smirking, again.
    “I’ve
got some time off. Actually, I’m kind of between jobs. Maybe you’ll be so
impressed with me, you’ll beg me to come to work for you.” Abbey chuckled.
    “My
assistant will be back from maternity leave in a few weeks.”
    There
he went raising his left eyebrow again. Made him look cynical and more
intellectual.
    “Why
are you looking at me like that?”
    Abbey
bit back a response as Doris pulled up, got out of the car and came around to
their side. Abbey opened the back door of the passenger’s side for him. “You
have a habit of arching your left eyebrow.”
    "What
are you talking about?" Bruce used his crutches to balance himself as he
stood.
    “You’re
doing it again,” Abbey said in a sing-song voice.
    Bruce
stopped and stared at her, then reached for his wallet, extracted a business
card, and handed it to her, all the while keeping his balance with the
crutches. “Call me later and we’ll discuss the details of tomorrow’s
itinerary.”
    Doris
smiled and gave her a hug. “We best get you home,” she said, closing the door
for Bruce. “Good luck, Abbey. Things have a way of working out.”
    Abbey
waved as she watched them leave the hospital parking lot.
    “So,
did you and your boyfriend make up?”
    Abbey
turned around. The