Free Playboy Doctor by Kimberly Llewellyn Page B

me if you were to have trouble with him, right? Because you seem really distracted over one little, innocent kiss."
    "Yes, I would tell you," she reassured her friend. But she couldn't reassure her the kiss was so innocent. They weren't exactly talking about a peck on the cheek here. Willow kept the little detail to herself. She grabbed her file folder and flipped through it; anything to avert Emmy's scrutiny.
    "Good, because we can't afford another RN to bail on him."
    "What? I thought the nurse was dismissed."
    "The first one on the first day. The second one who stepped up on the next day couldn't take the pressure and bolted."
    "Oh, no one told me."
    "Nurses like that really don't want to work for Dr. Edwards. They just want to sleep with him."
    The file in Willow's hand flopped open, sending a flurry of papers scattering to the floor. Emmy cast a suspicious eye toward Willow.
    "Shoot." Willow scrambled to the floor to pick them up.
    "Uh-huh." Emmy hmphed . "Having no troubles with him at all, eh? But hey, as long as you're holding your own."
    "I am, I am," Willow asserted. What else could she say? That she was hanging by a thread? With a huff, she shuffled the papers back into the file, even though some were upside-down.
    "Okay, whatever you say, because with the way he was acting in the cafeteria while getting coffee a half-hour ago..." Emmy's voice trailed off. She waved dismissively. "Nah, forget it."
    "And how was he acting?" she asked too quickly. "I mean, not that I'm concerned."
    "He was doing things like grumbling to himself. And fidgeting with stuff. Kind of like you're doing right now."
    "Oh?" Willow busied her hands by properly arranging the papers in the folder.
    "Puh-lease tell me he was fine in surgery and not all fidgety," Emmy teased.
    "He was perfect," Willow said a little too breathy.
    Emmy snorted. "I'll bet he was."
    "Boy, you are annoying today," Willow groused, which only brought another snort from Emmy. "Sheesh, it's like you want us to be together... which is the worst thing that could happen. Why are you loving this so much?"
    "I'll tell you why. Because I've never seen a nurse stand up to a doctor like you do with Dr. Edwards. You work with him and you don't let him push you around. You keep him in line and I think he likes it. I think he likes you ."
    Surprised by Emmy's observation, Willow shook her head. "No, he couldn't possibly like me, not in the way you think."
    She continued to rearrange the papers. Despite the busywork, apprehension sluiced through her. So maybe their kiss had a bigger effect on the surgeon than she suspected. But then she had to blab about a failed marriage. She didn't want to appear as damaged goods. So far, her cheery disposition had provided a sturdy shell for her fragile emotional interior. But hinting to Shayne about some underlying truth behind her marriage might have splintered a fissure in that shell. What if he pressed for more?
    She had moved to Florida for a fresh start and didn't need to be heaving her emotional baggage all over the place. She didn't like to fail at anything. She liked even less for people to know too much about the failures of her past. She didn't need pity or gossip. Not from the rest of the staff and certainly not from Shayne.
    "You know, Willow, if you keep shuffling those papers, you're going to wind up with paper cuts and bleed out right here," Emmy said.
    Before Willow could respond, the fierce click of heels on the floor caught her attention. She looked up to see a statuesque redhead in a black business suit and high heels approach the desk. A small basket of muffins crooked in her elbow swung with her every step. Willow could smell those muffins from her side of the desk. Blueberry. Definitely blueberry.
    "I'm looking for Willow. I have something to drop off for Dr. Edwards." The redhead held up the basket topped with a blue bow. "It's to make up for the other night. We had a mix-up with our keys. But if Willow is busy, perhaps Dr.