electricity and sensed he felt it, too. But
maybe it was just her imagination.
“Thanks for all your help,” she said coolly. “You’ve gone
beyond the call of duty to help a patient.” The moment was broken, but she knew
she was right. The sooner she started acting like a patient and not a potential
lover, the sooner she would get over Cole.
He set her into the plush leather passenger seat. The glance he
gave her caused her belly to fill with butterflies. She immediately forced her
gaze in front of her and pretended she hadn’t noticed. Cole closed the door and
proceeded to load her belongings into the trunk.
* * *
C OLE WAS RATTLED . H AD S ASHI really fallen
in love with Alaska? She wasn’t a woman to mince words. How could she have
anything but terrible memories of this state after what had happened to her and
Kendra?
He’d been so consumed with helping Sashi get better so she
could live her dream of opening her own dance studio. Unfortunately he’d never
once stopped to ask her what else was going on in her mind. He’d made
assumptions—but perhaps the wrong assumptions. This was something he needed to
discuss with Daniel.
At last he climbed into the driver’s seat and turned up the
heat. “Aren’t you cold?”
She shrugged. “I’m okay. I got used to being cold most of the
time while I lived in the bunkhouse Marshall’s provided. It was nothing like
what the clientele stayed in. And as for the showers and toilets, let’s just say
I felt like I was a lumberjack this summer.”
Cole laughed as he steered the car through the streets of the
sleepy town. “I’ve heard stories about the conditions up there at Marshall’s,
but never heard them put so...politely.” He toggled through some buttons on the
dash. Pretty soon she heard a tune with a great reggae beat.
Sashi grinned. “You probably heard the conditions are just
plain shitty.”
His laughter again echoed in the car, and it was the kind of
laughter she hadn’t heard since the first time she met him. “That’s getting a
little bit closer to what I’ve heard. Then you worked in the pit of hell cutting
up fish. I hope you made enough money to open your studio.”
“I did. I couldn’t believe it when I got my check. I wired the
money home that very day since Kendra and I were going to be traveling a little.
Hopefully it will be enough for me to get my loan,” she said with excitement. “I
want to teach children ballet.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Hey,” she said, gesturing to the radio, “this is great music.
Who is it? I’ve never heard it before. Sounds like music that belongs in the
Caribbean, not up here in Alaska.”
“You don’t know?” he said. “You make me feel like an old man.
How old are you, anyway?”
“Didn’t you look on my chart? Everyone else asked me my date of
birth every other second.”
“Yes, I looked. I’m a good seven years older than you.”
Sashi wrinkled her nose. “Why does it matter if friends are
seven years apart in age? You’ve been so kind to me. I can’t thank you enough.”
In a more serious voice she added, “And as my doctor, you’ve been the best.”
Kind...doctor...the best. Damn.
He’d played his role so well, she really believed he had no romantic interest in
her. She believed he’d taken pity on her and was simply taking care of her. If
only she knew what was going on in his head!
This was an impossible situation. He didn’t know what was right
or wrong anymore now that she was out of the hospital. She was getting better,
but the time still didn’t seem right to let her know how he felt. Sashi was
still too vulnerable.
“You haven’t told me the name of the group we’re listening to,”
she reminded him.
“It’s UB40. I grew up with a lot of their music. Like I said,
I’m an old man.”
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t think of you as old at all. And for
the record, I like this music a lot.”
“Will you tell Jake that?” Cole flashed her a smile
maybe it was just her imagination.
“Thanks for all your help,” she said coolly. “You’ve gone
beyond the call of duty to help a patient.” The moment was broken, but she knew
she was right. The sooner she started acting like a patient and not a potential
lover, the sooner she would get over Cole.
He set her into the plush leather passenger seat. The glance he
gave her caused her belly to fill with butterflies. She immediately forced her
gaze in front of her and pretended she hadn’t noticed. Cole closed the door and
proceeded to load her belongings into the trunk.
* * *
C OLE WAS RATTLED . H AD S ASHI really fallen
in love with Alaska? She wasn’t a woman to mince words. How could she have
anything but terrible memories of this state after what had happened to her and
Kendra?
He’d been so consumed with helping Sashi get better so she
could live her dream of opening her own dance studio. Unfortunately he’d never
once stopped to ask her what else was going on in her mind. He’d made
assumptions—but perhaps the wrong assumptions. This was something he needed to
discuss with Daniel.
At last he climbed into the driver’s seat and turned up the
heat. “Aren’t you cold?”
She shrugged. “I’m okay. I got used to being cold most of the
time while I lived in the bunkhouse Marshall’s provided. It was nothing like
what the clientele stayed in. And as for the showers and toilets, let’s just say
I felt like I was a lumberjack this summer.”
Cole laughed as he steered the car through the streets of the
sleepy town. “I’ve heard stories about the conditions up there at Marshall’s,
but never heard them put so...politely.” He toggled through some buttons on the
dash. Pretty soon she heard a tune with a great reggae beat.
Sashi grinned. “You probably heard the conditions are just
plain shitty.”
His laughter again echoed in the car, and it was the kind of
laughter she hadn’t heard since the first time she met him. “That’s getting a
little bit closer to what I’ve heard. Then you worked in the pit of hell cutting
up fish. I hope you made enough money to open your studio.”
“I did. I couldn’t believe it when I got my check. I wired the
money home that very day since Kendra and I were going to be traveling a little.
Hopefully it will be enough for me to get my loan,” she said with excitement. “I
want to teach children ballet.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Hey,” she said, gesturing to the radio, “this is great music.
Who is it? I’ve never heard it before. Sounds like music that belongs in the
Caribbean, not up here in Alaska.”
“You don’t know?” he said. “You make me feel like an old man.
How old are you, anyway?”
“Didn’t you look on my chart? Everyone else asked me my date of
birth every other second.”
“Yes, I looked. I’m a good seven years older than you.”
Sashi wrinkled her nose. “Why does it matter if friends are
seven years apart in age? You’ve been so kind to me. I can’t thank you enough.”
In a more serious voice she added, “And as my doctor, you’ve been the best.”
Kind...doctor...the best. Damn.
He’d played his role so well, she really believed he had no romantic interest in
her. She believed he’d taken pity on her and was simply taking care of her. If
only she knew what was going on in his head!
This was an impossible situation. He didn’t know what was right
or wrong anymore now that she was out of the hospital. She was getting better,
but the time still didn’t seem right to let her know how he felt. Sashi was
still too vulnerable.
“You haven’t told me the name of the group we’re listening to,”
she reminded him.
“It’s UB40. I grew up with a lot of their music. Like I said,
I’m an old man.”
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t think of you as old at all. And for
the record, I like this music a lot.”
“Will you tell Jake that?” Cole flashed her a smile
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