Cindy's Doctor Charming Read Free Page B

to a screeching halt. Nathan was standing right outside the neonatal intensive care unit.
    He was looking at his phone, probably a BlackBerry orwhatever was the latest expensive communication technology crammed into a square case barely visible to the naked eye. She wouldn’t know. Her cell phone was old, her calling plan the cheapest available on the market, only for emergencies. Which running into Dr. Steele definitely was, but nothing an old, cheap cell phone could handle.
    The good news was that he hadn’t seen her yet. She could turn around and hide someplace until he was gone, but there was work to do. She was already gowned in the white, paper coverall with the snaps marching up the front that the unit required. Except for the disposable blue booties over her sneakers, she looked like a bunny. If only this uniform included a bag to put over her head, he wouldn’t know her because her ID badge was hidden beneath the protective clothing.
    Then she got a grip and realized he overlooked her on a daily basis. There was no reason to believe that had changed because the night before he’d flirted with her outrageously and asked a woman he didn’t recognize for her number. The dancing had been really nice, too.
    With head held high, she walked past him and stopped at the double-door entrance to the NICU. The cart wasn’t allowed inside. With all the sensitive equipment, electrical cords and highly skilled personnel hurrying between the isolettes, there wasn’t room to spare for the clunky cart. Housekeeping paraphernalia was necessary but not even in the same league with the pricey, sensitive and technical tools that saved the babies.
    Cindy picked up one of the trigger bottles and was just about to approach the automatic opening door when she felt someone behind her. The hair at her nape prickled and her skin flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the hot suit. She could be wrong about the awareness, but shewas pretty sure she wasn’t. The same thing had happened once before. Specifically, last night.
    â€œCindy?”
    It was him. Not only that, he’d called her by name and as far as she knew he hadn’t looked at her. She turned, bracing for this unprecedented happening. And there was Dr. Charming with his meticulously mussed hair and swoon-worthy square jaw. He was dressed in scrubs, which weren’t particularly appealing, except that he was wearing them.
    â€œHow did you know it was me?” she asked.
    â€œI recognized your perfume.”
    Well, damn. Why did he have to be a smooth talker on top of everything else? “I don’t know what to say to that.”
    â€œInteresting development because last night you had all the answers.”
    If he really believed that, she’d put on a pretty good performance. “About that—”
    â€œSo this is where I know you from.”
    â€œScene of the crime.” She’d let him connect whatever dots he saw fit to explain why she’d made him guess her identity.
    â€œCrime being the pertinent word. It wasn’t my finest hour. I owe you an apology.”
    At the speed of light he’d figured out that she was the housekeeper he’d chastised the day before. Pigs must be flying outside the window because this was an unexpected and unprecedented turn of events.
    Doctors never apologized to housekeepers, partly because they were the ones who cleaned up after the high and mighty and just disappeared into the landscape.
    â€œExcuse me, but I could have sworn you used the word apology.”
    â€œI suppose your hostility is logical.”
    â€œReally? You think?” She rested her free hand on her hip. “Maybe because I was found guilty without benefit of a fair trial? I didn’t touch that baby in the NICU.”
    He nodded. “I saw movement. It was a peripheral vision thing—”
    â€œNICU housekeeping 101—never touch the babies. Stifle any rogue maternal