You'll Think of Me (3 page)

Tessa:
I wannnnnna see you. You've been back in Georgia for months now and I haven't seen your face yet! I miss you. I know you're busy, so I'll come to you. Let me know. Xoxox

Olivia smiled, and her heart felt lighter. Placing the phone down, she decided she’d get back to her later.

Once settled into her routine for the day with coffee in hand, Olivia got to work. It was still early and none of the staff had arrived yet. She loved the early morning feel of her office; the calm before the craziness. Reaching across her desk, she cranked up the radio volume as
Why
by Jason Aldean came on and she fell into a steady pace of paperwork.

After an hour of sitting in her chair whittling down the paperwork pile, Olivia stood to stretch, and that’s when her pleasant morning took an unexpected turn.

“That's country music sensation, Luke Jackson. He's a touring machine! Word on the street is that he's a lady's man. Apparently no one’s been able to lock him down until now... A birdie told me he's got a little lady under his wing. So maybe the rumors aren’t true after all…”

Olivia’s shoulders sagged and her heart fell into the pit of her stomach, a dead weight spiraling down and crashing inside of her. It settled and took root, its darkness spreading itself throughout her body. She felt numb. Regret was like a dirty little creature that just couldn’t be quashed. This was why she stopped listening to country music for so long; she didn’t want to know any details of Luke’s personal life anymore. She had told herself she let it go, so it shouldn’t have bothered her, but it killed her inside to hear that. It fucking hurt. Plain and simple. Damn Luke and his music. Shaking her head, Olivia slammed the radio with her hand, not wanting to hear another word, and grabbed her phone.

Olivia:
I miss you too! Just crazy busy here. Finally got things together. And yes—We must get together. Hopefully soon!

Tessa:
How about tonight or this weekend?

Olivia:
Tonight? Possibly! Let’s see how my day goes. I'll text you to let you know. Xoxoxo 

Standing up, Olivia shrugged on her white coat and dropped her phone into the pocket. She’d love nothing more than to see Tessa tonight.

The rest of the day flew by like fall leaves twirling in a heavy gust of autumn wind. It was exactly how she felt after running up and down the hallway all afternoon; her head was spinning and her body was going in the opposite direction. Olivia only took part of her lunch break so she could catch up. She let the rest of the staff keep their regular lunch schedules and pulled each patient into the rooms herself. One by one, she saw everyone. It was getting close to the end of the day, and there was just one patient remaining.

Olivia grabbed the last folder and walked down the hallway to the last exam door. She knocked and waited for a response as she glanced at the patient’s name.

Jackson.

Her heart skipped a beat then leaped into her throat.

Jackson? Olivia’s palms began to sweat and her neck prickled with pins and needles.

“Come in,”
she heard through the door, but it didn’t register in her mind as Olivia frantically searched for an address on the inside of the file.

It was left blank.

Surely... Surely it couldn't be Luke. Jackson was a pretty common name, but she couldn’t help thinking immediately of Luke, especially after her morning.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Olivia turned the knob and walked into the cold exam room.

“H
ello?” she said answering the phone with a groggy voice.

“So, any hot doctors?” Lisa asked cheerfully, sounding as if she had been wide awake for hours.

Lisa was her closest friend from New York and Olivia missed her. She had been her one and only real friend there. Lisa was vibrant, outgoing, always with a smile on her face, and not a worry in the world.

What time is it?

Olivia whimpered, throwing one hand over her eyes. She was still in bed and half asleep, but grinned at Lisa’s question.

She opened her sleepy eyes and looked up at the white popcorn ceiling through the slow moving fan. It was typical of Lisa to ask that question, always thinking with her eyes and not her head. Lisa continually dated all the wrong guys, coming into her life with serious baggage that no one wanted to touch but her.

“No, Lisa. I'm not looking for anyone 'hot' or otherwise for that matter. Good Lord, girl, doesn't your libido ever stop?”

Lisa huffed on the other end like she was offended, which Olivia knew she really wasn't.

“Umm, no. I'm a normal woman with a healthy sex drive. There is no off button, Liv. I'm not dead! Jesus Christ. I like men, and I like them often.” She could just picture Lisa rolling her eyes.

Olivia giggled as she turned onto her side and pulled the comforter over her head. Her hair covered her face and she pushed it aside. “There is no filter with you.”

Laughing, Lisa said, “That's true. Seriously, are there any decent guys? And I mean for you, not me. And why won't you look for one anyway? You can't stay single forever you know.”

“I don’t have time for dating.”

Lisa groaned on the other end. “You always say that. You're going to die a born again virgin. I just know it.”

Olivia didn't respond—she couldn’t. She was too busy laughing at her friend’s sense of humor and at how serious Lisa came across.

“When are you going to start dating?” Lisa whined. “I know you're settled in your new little redneck home. Well, your home away from home, so there's no excuse other than your reluctance.”

“Something like that... Maybe I'll start, but I'm not on the hunt like you always are. If it happens it happens. If not, that's fine, too. I'm in no rush.”

Lisa huffed loudly into the phone. “You're thirty-one! You're not getting any younger, honey.”

“Thirty-one is young! Anyway, enough about me. What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?”

Olivia reached above her head, the muscles in her arms stretching as she yawned. Her eyes felt puffy from too much work, but with Tessa coming into town today she needed to get a jump on things. Getting out of bed, she made her way into the kitchen and turned on her coffee pot.

“True, very true, love. I'm just playing with you. I actually just got back from running in Central Park. It’s getting cold again and I thought of you as I ran. Then I came home, made a vegetable and fruit smoothie and I'm drinking it while talking to you.”

“Getting cold?
It has to be close to forty degrees there right now; that's ice cold for me! And you thought of me while running? Why? Is it because I refused to be one of those idiots running in black bike pants, stupid ear muffs, heavy gloves and my eyes watering from the cold wind while the rest of me is covered? All to lose a few pounds in the winter? Thanks, but spare me.”

“Exactly! If you could have seen this guy running, Liv. You would've died at what he was wearing. He had his entire face covered except for his Ray-Ban glasses. He wore white clothing and was skin and bones. He looked like something straight out of a movie.”

“Ugh. Gross. And believe me, I can imagine it
all
. I'll stick with my hips and the heat and be on my merry way. It's about seventy-five here and sunny today. No depressing gray skies that make you want to slit your wrist with a butter knife.”

Lisa groaned in response to the temperature.

“You should come visit me. You might actually like it down south.”

“Maybe I'll take you up on that offer one day. I have to check and see if Dan has anything planned first.”

“Dan? Are you kidding me? Please tell me you're still not seeing Dan. Lisa, he's married, and a doctor! This isn't good for you or his marriage. This is home wrecker status.”

“It's kind of hard to break it off when we work together...”

“You work for him now!”
Olivia bit out, muttering a string of curse words.

“It's not what you think…”

“It never is.”

“Liv, he said he's miserable with his marriage and wants a divorce but it isn't the right time because his wife just suffered a miscarriage. He has to give her time to heal before he drops the news. He says I'm his morning ray of light when he walks through the office door and he sees me, that I’m what gets him through each day. He thought if I was working in his office it would be a good way for us to be together without getting caught. So far it's working.”

“Getting caught? See, that should be an issue,” Olivia cried out. “Why couldn't you just wait until he's divorced? And please tell me you didn’t fall for his morning ray of light shit.”

Silence greeted Olivia. She knew Lisa was in over her head.

“I can't,” Lisa whispered sadly. “I think I'm falling for him, Liv. Hard.”

“Oh, Lisa…” she dragged out, her heart aching for her friend. “Please think about what you're doing and the lives that are going to be affected over this affair. Think before you act for once. Think with your head first, please? I know most say to follow your heart, but you wear your heart on the outside for the taking. You’re not protecting it with any covering. You’re bound to get hurt. So please, for once, think with your head.”

“I will, Livy. I promise. And don't be so negative. Dan has promised to leave his wife once she's recovered. He loves me and wants a life with me. Would I have held out this long if not?” Lisa finished with a sullen tone.

Lisa had a point, a weak point at that, but she was right in a sense. Olivia couldn't believe her friend was falling for every word 'Dan the Man' was spewing at her. She just prayed it was true this time. Maybe pushing Lisa to visit a little more was what was needed. She hated to see her friend hurt, and flying her down might be the ray of light she needed to see.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I know you don’t,” Lisa responded softly. “I don’t want to see myself get hurt either, but sometimes you have to take a leap of faith, you know?”

“Don’t I know it…”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. You know you don’t even have to ask that question.”

“Looking back, do you believe that thinking with your head and not your heart was best for you?”

Olivia’s throat tightened. She knew exactly what Lisa was referring to since she had told her every detail about Luke and the damage it had done to her.

“Sometimes you just have to take a chance and see where it takes you.”