Free BWWM Interracial Romance 2: Open Heart by Elena Brown

the messages—she had said she would get in touch once her schedule cleared up. He would have to wait a few days at least before he could reasonably check in on her again.

The Past Resurfaces
     
    Ashley had fallen into the normal fast-paced routine of her day; it had been almost three weeks since she told Tony that she would get in touch with him when her schedule began to clear. She had been nervous at making that excuse—thinking that it would lose him for good. It was a valid excuse; she had actually been so busy that on any day she didn’t have to work, she was either sleeping or taking the time to rest and recuperate. Ashley managed to fit in some time with her family and friends, but she was constantly exhausted. The death of one of the best Emergency Room doctors on the staff had thrown a wrench into scheduling, and Ashley was pleased when the department head asked her to take over as many of the responsibilities as possible. She was making overtime pay, which was great—and she thought that she would definitely be in line for a future promotion, thanks to her eagerness to take on more responsibility, but the doubled-up schedule left her so little time to relax that she treasured what few hours of non-stressed time she had.
    The first sign that Ashley had that her steady day of rounds and consultations was going to be shattered to smithereens was a text message from the guard at the non-emergency entrance to the hospital. Someone’s here to see you, the message read. You got time, or should I tell him to hit the road? Ashley felt her heart pounding. Who could it be? Her mind immediately latched onto the fact that it might be Tony; she wasn’t sure whether she felt more appalled at the fact that he was coming to visit her in spite of the fact that she’d told him that she’d get in touch when she was free, or intrigued that he had taken the initiative to come and see her. That would be like him, she thought with a little grin to herself, thinking of the way he’d secured his first date to her. She texted the guard back that she’d be at the entrance in a few minutes and took a second to check herself in the mirror. She wished, fleetingly, that she had the kind of job that would allow her to wear makeup; she knew some of the other attending doctors did, but it was against stated hospital policy, as was perfume. Ashley had always been a stickler for adhering to policy—besides, she knew that a lot of her patients had allergies, and the need to touch up her makeup throughout the day would have only frustrated her.
    She made her way quickly to the main entrance of the hospital, her heart fluttering in her chest. If it was Tony, she decided, she would agree to a second date, provided he wasn’t acting like some kind of lunatic. She felt her hands starting to tremble and scrambled down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.
    She reached the front desk at the main entrance of the hospital, looking around for any indication of who it was coming to visit her. Ashley approached the guard in confusion. “Hey, where’s this guy you were talking about?” she asked him, thinking that she didn’t have time to wait around.
    “Right behind you.” The familiar voice in her ears made Ashley’s heart race faster for just an instant—until she realized why it was familiar. She turned around slowly and came face to face with Kent. She crossed her arms over her chest, immediately feeling an inclination to tell him to get the hell out of her way and go back to her rounds. But she had agreed to see him—she might as well find out what he was there for.
    “Who died?” she asked, looking up at him. Kent was taller than she was, and heavily built. He came from mixed-race heritage, with a British mother and an African father, and at one point, Ashley had been utterly transfixed by his beauty: green eyes, full lips, reddish hair—even a few freckles dusted across his cheeks—Kent had been all she had wanted when