Law #3: Don't Fall for the Athlete: Sweet Second Chance Romance (Laws of Love) by Agnes Canestri (black books to read txt) 📗

don’t want Stephanie to lecture me on how I should take better care of my T-zone. My boss might be overly pregnant, but she still sashays into the office every day, looking like she’s dressed for the runway.

After freshening up, I go to our communal room to leave my bag.

It’s empty except for Henriette, Dr. Roy’s assistant. She’s brewing coffee in the small kitchenette beside our lockers.

As I enter, she turns and gives me a onceover. “Looking to catch someone’s eye at work?” she asks in a voice that’s more singing than speaking and bears a hint of suspicion.

“I have an important meeting today.” Hopefully, I add in my head and quickly cross my fingers. Then I stash my bag in my locker and fetch my white coat.

Her forehead frowns, but her lips remain curled up as she strolls a few steps closer to me. “Really, with whom?”

“With Stephanie,” I say, smiling. “Don’t worry, I doubt your boss even remembers asking me to switch to first names.”

Henriette blushes, and her tone becomes strained. “That’s not why I asked.”

That’s exactly why she did.

Henriette’s been using this mélange of nice and wary with me ever since she overheard Dr. Roy ask me to call him Bill last week. Like most women on our floor (perhaps myself included), she has a soft spot for her boss.

No wonder. Dr. Roy isn’t just the youngest male department head we have, he’s also rather dashing—tall with clear blue eyes and chestnut hair styled like Brandon Walsh’s from the old Beverly Hills, 90210 series.

Still, right now, I don’t have time to deal with Henriette’s feelings or suspicions. I should rehearse my speech instead. I peer at my watch and sigh. “Oh, shoot. Look how late it is. I’ve got to go. See you later.”

I dart out before Henriette can say anything.

I’m sashaying toward my boss’s office when a jovial “Good morning” calls out to me.

Though I know I shouldn’t lose any more time, I can’t resist turning and greeting Dr. Roy. As I whip around, his glistening whites almost blind me.

“Morning, Dr. Roy,” I mumble sheepishly.

He wiggles his finger playfully at me, and his eyes squint in a pretended grimace of annoyance. “I told you already—just Bill, please.”

“Ah, okay, of course, Bill.” I nod, shooting a quick glance to the communal room to check whether Henriette is still inside. If she witnesses this exchange, she’ll never believe I wasn’t stringing her along.

Bill beams at me. The crinkles around his eyes are quite divine. “That’s better. And I’ll stick to Eloise, okay?”

Should I tell him I hate when people use the full version of my name and stretch it into Ay-lo-eez with a feigned French accent? It makes me feel like a character from a historical novel, even if I know Mom picked my name based on her favorite childhood book series from Kay Thompson, and not through inspiration from Alexandre Dumas.

After a second, I decide against it. Perhaps in Bill’s lazy drawl, my full name won’t irritate me so much, especially when he tops it with such a heart-melting smile, like he just did. “Okay,” I say.

“It’s a beautiful name. It suits you.” His confident tone—the one that earned him the “best presenter” title last year at the national eating disorder conference—wavers a tad.

Wait a minute…is he embarrassed? Could it be that Henriette wasn’t so far from the truth about Bill’s interest in me?

That Bill might be flirting with me makes my chest feel a little dizzy and takes my mind off my crucial task for a second.

Then Bill says, “Your boss has two visitors this morning. Did you know?”

And with that, my full focus is back on my mission.

“Visitors, you say?”

“Yeah.” Bill nods, and his combed-back bangs flutter. “Two men entered her office not long ago. You know what that means, don’t you?”

“OMG,” I squeak as the significance settles in. My heart picks up.

Our clinic never turns down appointments with potential clients—it’s one of our golden rules. So when those men Bill saw had scheduled a meeting, they hadn’t been informed that my boss can’t take on new cases with her due date.

What were the chances?

Brand new patients turning up on the exact day I plan to persuade my boss to entrust me with more responsibility? Stephanie might be reluctant to hand over one of her ongoing cases to me while she’s gone, but perhaps a fresh one?

As if Bill can read my thoughts, he grins. “You should hurry. This might just be the chance a talented, junior assistant has been waiting for to try her wings, huh?”

I blush. “Maybe.”

“I hope you get your own case assigned.” Bill’s eyes sparkle at me as if he has a lot of confidence in my abilities.

“I hope so, too.” Anticipation drums in my temples.

I’m about to turn and sprint to Stephanie’s office when Bill adds, “Would you care to report back to me on how it goes?”

My eyes widen, then I nod. “Of course. I’ll send you an email when—”

“Or perhaps I could buy you a coffee?” He gives me a shy smile.

“In the cafeteria?” I ask.

Bill rubs his neck. “Well… I was thinking of something cozier.”

When I don’t answer after a few seconds, Bill smiles. “You know what? Don’t answer now. Focus on speaking with your boss first. We’ll get back to my invite.” He winks, and without waiting for my reaction, strides away.

I stare at his muscular shoulders, my jaw slightly loose.

So my hunch wasn’t off. Bill has asked me out. Why didn’t I accept his invitation right away? Bill is gorgeous, and his smile makes me feel woozy. Then why was I hesitant to say yes to his proposal?

Is it because Bill is a coworker? Or perhaps I’m just too occupied with Stephanie’s visitors to consider all the ramifications of going on a date with Bill.

I shake my head to clear it of these doubts. I can think about my puzzling reaction later, but right now my mind needs to be on the prize.

I march to Stephanie’s office and knock twice then push the