When Dreams Change, page 19
Wren slipped her arm around Zayla’s and pulled her into a hug.
“A few of us are meeting with some of the Juneau team for pizza. See you later, Mom.” Wren walked away without a backwards glance, Zayla glued to her side.
Lennox caught Wren slipping her hand into Zayla’s when they entered the circle gathered at home plate. Turning to Jenna she widened her eyes. “It appears we have a few free hours. Want to grab some food?” Lennox tried to keep from toeing the ground, finding her palms unusually damp.
“Yes.” Jenna leaned in. “I’m hoping we can call it a date?” Her eyes were bright with the question.
Lennox was ready to leap. To have Jenna willing to try a date was straight out of her dreams, so who was she to hold out for the possibility of future pain? A ’yes’ was coating her tongue.
“Do you all want to grab some food?” Tyler and Hazel walked up, slapping Lennox on the back and breaking the connection.
Jenna’s shoulders dipped a bit but she turned to the newcomers. “Sure,” she said, her eyes sliding to Lennox.
Having but a second to think, Lennox clapped Tyler on the back. “Jenna and I have some plans already. We’ll catch up next time and see you all at the airport.”
Knowing she had made the right decision, her eyes met Jenna’s again, who tilted her head with a few nods, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
The restaurant was busy, which wasn’t surprising after a tournament where families gathered. They couldn’t get a table but decided on appetizers and drinks at the bar.
Lennox was perched on the stool and her legs swung out towards Jenna, who was sitting as her mirror image. “Can I ask you a question?” Lennox twirled the beer bottle along the edges of the coaster.
Jenna’s eyes dipped to her lips before trekking back up. “Shoot,” she replied, although Lennox caught the stiffening of her shoulders.
“It’s hard to put into words. I was just wondering how you knew you were attracted to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love how assertive you are and you seem comfortable kissing me, but you have to admit it’s out of left field. Up until recently I assumed you were straight.” Lennox glared at her beer, unsure if her jumbled thoughts were coming from the half empty bottle.
Jenna pushed her glass away, locking her fingers in front of her. “I get where you’re coming from, Lennox. This was a journey I took silently, on my own, then sprung it on you, expecting you to be where I am after all the reflecting I’ve done.” She reached over, placing her hand on Lennox’s thigh. “Tony and I were high school sweethearts. I’d never explored who I am or what I want until we split. I originally went with what I know, which is why I was going on dates with men. Lennox, there is something about you that calls to me here.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to explain what it is since I’m not great at feelings, but what I am good at is decisions. And when I decided to give this a chance, I jumped in.”
Lennox stroked the hand still resting on her leg. “I—wow. It makes sense in some ways. I just needed to clear the air.” Her eyes danced across the counter.
“You know I’m also a fan of communication.” Jenna chuckled into her cosmopolitan.
“I believe you’ve said that on a few employee evals of mine,” Lennox joked, chugging down a quarter of her beer. “Speaking of communicating, remember when I told you about my friend Alex? She let me know she’s planning on visiting next week for a few days. Do you think Wren will be available to pitch for her? I’m going to see if Zayla can as well.”
Jenna pulled out her phone to scroll through their calendar. “Yeah, anytime next week should work. I’ll have to see if Tony is okay cutting into some of his time, but since this is important, I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it.”
“I’m thinking of throwing a dinner party after. Well, it might be a sandwich party since you know I can’t cook.” Lennox’s face contorted into a self-deprecating grin. “Would you come over for that?”
“I would love to. I can’t wait to meet Alex.” Jenna crossed her feet at the ankles, looking regal in a bar that had a baseball game playing in the background.
“She’s a character, but someone who will drop everything to help a friend in need. She helped me a lot after my breakup with Jayden.” Lennox made eye contact with the bartender and raised her hand for the check.
“How are you feeling with everything? Do you have any questions about being with a woman?” Lennox cringed at how breathy the question came out.
Jenna chuckled. “I’ve been doing some research on my own. I’m feeling good about a lot of things. Mostly to do with you. I wish we weren’t in a busy bar in Juneau where we have to face my daughter at the airport in a few minutes.” Jenna’s eyes darted to her lips, where Lennox gave a show by licking them slowly before biting the lower one.
As a rule, she wasn’t a lip-biter, but the results ensured she was contemplating changing the rule. Watching Jenna’s eyes darken, Lennox was intoxicated—not on the drink she was sipping, but on the essence of Jenna.
“Come on, let’s go home.” Lennox held her hand, having already paid. They didn’t say anything as they meandered to the rental car tucked in a corner of the parking lot. The dinner rush had lessened, leaving it the lone car in the space. Lennox went to the passenger side to open the door for Jenna.
Jenna grabbed the collar of Lennox’s jacket and captured her lips in a kiss. It was sweet from the cosmopolitan. Lennox’s fingers traced the back of Jenna’s neck and around to the side. Unable to hold back a moan, Lennox felt Jenna’s desire under her lips—pliant and wanting, a powerful combination. The open door between their bodies was the barrier that helped douse the flames and bring them back to the reality of the open space they were in.
Lennox waited while Jenna lifted her legs into the car before closing the door. She took her time crossing to the driver’s side, needing a moment to find her breath and gain back her equilibrium.
Jenna inspected her closet, finally pulling a jacket off the hanger. When she twisted into it, she got a whiff of the indescribable hospital smell that seemed to linger on all her clothes. She kissed the top of Wren’s head, who was still a cup of coffee away from her first sentence of the morning, and headed for work.
The drive had always been peaceful as she tried to go through what needed to be done or, more likely, what meetings she needed to attend. A gust of wind rocked her car as she drove across the bridge that connected Japonski Island to Baranof.
So much had happened in the past few months. They were only a few days back from Juneau, but the trip almost felt like a lifetime ago. After the emotionally charged day, she and Lennox hadn’t seen each other much outside of work.
Now that they were almost seeing the end of April, the rain beat down on her windshield, her wipers on their highest setting. Even having to put more effort in concentrating on driving, her thoughts never ventured far from Lennox.
Pulling into the parking lot, she grabbed her purse and held the to-go cup of coffee close to her chest, battling the rain and wind. The automatic doors swooshed open, and the sound of Jenna’s heels transferred from the thunk of concrete to the clack on the linoleum. Towards the end of the hall, she slipped into an elevator, loving the silent ride to her suite on the fourth floor. Out of the elevator, everything was muted by carpet as she walked to her office. The first thing she noticed was a pile of paper covering the view of her computer.
“You’d think with all this technology, we’d have figured out a better way to manage paper.” Jenna’s words echoed off the walls of the empty office. The lights flickered, threatening to turn off. The storm had kicked up a notch. There was a chill in the air that ensured she’d keep her work jacket on or run the risk of turning into a human popsicle.
Jenna was so absorbed in the incident report she was reading, she flinched when there was a knock on the side of her door frame.
“Sitting too close to the screen will hurt your eyesight.”
Daniel Harris leaned against the doorjamb. His dark brown hair was parted neatly to the side and slicked down with too much product. Jenna was sure his hair wouldn’t have moved when he walked from his car to the hospital during the windstorm raging outside.
“Hi, Dr. Harris. What can I do for you?” Jenna leaned back in her chair and pinched the arm of her reading glasses and slid them off her face. Her hands itched to rub her eyelids but knew it would smudge her mascara.
“I wanted to talk to you about the incident report and ask you to dinner. Those are separate things, though.” He pushed himself upright and took a step into her office. “I heard you and Tony were taking a break and I would like the opportunity to take you out.” His eyes twinkled with energy, almost cockily assured she’d say yes. Who wouldn’t want to go out with the perpetually single Medical Director? His slightly yellowed teeth from endless cups of coffee were on full display as his smile widened.
The offer took her by surprise. She’d only had a professional relationship with Dr. Harris, her boss. It wasn’t up for discussion anymore, especially when she could still taste the whisper of Lennox’s kiss on her tongue. Her stomach swooped at the thought of going on an actual date with her, an image she hadn’t been able to get out of her head for weeks now.
“Oh, I was just looking at the report. It’s pretty cut and dry. The surgical utensils were placed in the wrong area. They were almost used before being sanitized, but a nurse caught the mistake and switched them out for properly sterilized equipment. We should talk to the OR floor staff, though, to see if there is any room for process improvement. I already asked Lennox to come see me when she has a moment so we can also talk it over.” Jenna purposefully started with work. Not that she couldn’t handle being assertive, that was ninety percent of her job, but she wanted to see if the answer would distract him enough to leave things alone.
The hopes of diversion were dashed when he waved her off. “That’s all fine. I know you’ll handle it. What about dinner? How about tomorrow?”
She picked up her phone to look at her calendar. A blank square in tomorrow’s slot mocked her. “I’m not free.”
“How about this weekend, then?” Dr. Harris persisted.
She shook her head. “Listen, I’m sorry, but I’m not interested.” Jenna figured she could still be professional but firm.
Dr. Harris stared, blinking slowly. He must not have fully accept her words because he asked, “Are you seeing anyone, and if so, are you exclusive?”
“I am seeing someone, yes. It’s new, but I’d love to see where it goes.” Jenna grabbed her reading glasses, fiddling with the temple tip.
“How did you meet him? What’s his name?” His persistence was giving her a headache.
“I’m dating a woman, but I’m not comfortable talking to you any more about it. Please accept my no and move on.” Jenna was sure Dr. Harris could see her heartbeat through the side of her neck, but there was a certain freedom in admitting the truth. She hated that he had pressured her into coming out but couldn’t help but relish in the relief that she’d spoken her truth.
Dr. Harris sputtered, taking a few steps back. “Right, I—uh, have to head to a meeting. See you later. Oh, sorry, Lennox.” He had stepped back without looking and run into Lennox, who had just turned the corner through the door.
“No harm, Dr. Harris. See you later.” Lennox stepped aside to let him through before looking at Jenna. “Is now an okay time to talk about the incident report?” She took a tentative step into the office. “I saw you had some free time on your calendar, but I can come back later if you need a moment.”
Jenna rubbed at her temples as she tried to reorganize her scattered thoughts; the day was giving her whiplash. “No, no, now’s fine, please sit. Sorry, I’m just thrown for a loop.” She tried to wrangle her brain back to work but couldn’t help a smile that peeked out.
“Are you okay? You seem somewhat out of sorts, which is very unlike you,” Lennox said, tilting forward in her chair.
“I just came out to Dr. Harris. Well, maybe not came out, but told him I’m dating a woman.” She watched Lennox’s profile intently, wondering what she would think of that admission.
“I. Well. Wow.” Lennox so elegantly worded her response.
“Is that okay?” Jenna asked, suddenly wondering if she’d overstepped somewhere.
“Is what okay?” Lennox asked, her fingers nervously tapping on the notebook she held in her lap.
“That I said I’m dating a woman?” Jenna clarified. She’d been through intense meetings with high-ranking people, she’d been through Joint Commission more than she could count, but was now in uncharted territories and it frightened her. The Great Unknown.
“Oh, that. There isn’t a right or wrong way. If you wanted to communicate that to him, then of course it’s okay. There also isn’t a timeline for anything. Whatever you are comfortable telling whomever, that’s what we’ll do. Just let me know.” Lennox provided a reassuring smile.
Jenna relaxed, standing up to kiss Lennox’s waiting lips. “I want everyone to know. I don’t want to hide our relationship. There aren’t going to be any conflicting, angsty, feelings as I come to terms with dating a woman for the first time.” Something Dr. Harris said came roaring back. “Also, I hope we can be exclusive. I don’t want to date anyone else, and really hope you feel the same.” Jenna couldn’t believe she was asking her co-worker to basically go steady with her. If she wasn’t so scared of the response, she might have laughed it off.
Lennox leaned forward to capture her lips in a tender kiss. “I would be honored.” The vibrations of her words bounced off Jenna’s lips, causing a tingling sensation through her body.
“Can I take you out tonight?” Jenna asked, walking back to her side of the desk.
“As long as it’s not at my parents’ restaurant.” Lennox sat back in the chair with a smirk.
“It’s a date,” Jenna said before clearing her throat and focusing back on work. “I talked with another hospital, and they said they were having trouble with one of the nurses on our list. When I called him up for disciplinary action, their supervisor said the nurse has been a no-show for a week now.”
Lennox looked up quickly from a note she was jotting down. “What does that mean?”
Jenna rubbed at her forehead. “I think it means the nurse continues their trail of destruction at the next place.”
“Jenna, there has to be something we can do.” Lennox got up and paced the room.
On her third pass by, Jenna reached out and caressed Lennox’s arm, which seemed to settle her enough to stop. “I’ll talk to the hospitals around the area and tell them to keep an eye out for the name. But there isn’t much more we can do.”
“So we just drop it?” Lennox’s shoulders slumped.
Jenna hated feeling like she let her down. Sighing, she put on her readers and looked at another report. “Unfortunately, yes. Not everything can be tied up in a neat little bow.”
“I get it. I just hope nobody else gets hurt. We needed more information to know if it was negligence or malice.” Lennox glanced at her paper. “At least we can shore up a few processes. I’ll get my team to work on a workflow.”
Jenna’s office was quiet when Lennox left a little later. Sitting in that silence, Jenna couldn’t help but smile. She had a date, one she was finally looking forward to.
Chapter 14
Heating Up
A loud crash banged in the kitchen, which brought Lennox to a run. She wanted to laugh at the bowl that dangled from Little Chef’s head, ruining the sauce she was making.
“Come here, Little Chef. No. Oh, bad dog.” Lennox scolded the pup without any real heat behind it.
Glancing at her watch, she sighed, trying to figure out how to salvage the one dish she was semi-competent at making: spaghetti with venison meatballs, now without sauce. Plus, she needed to bathe her dog.
If worse came to worst, she’d just order a pizza. It was doubtful that Jenna would care, and if she did, they probably wouldn’t be a good match anyway. After four dates in three days, (two of them occurring during a breakfast-hike-lunch-excursion), Lennox had offered to cook for tonight. It took some coaxing since her anti-cooking stance was well established now, but Jenna finally agreed.
Turning off the burners, she called to her dog. “Come on, pup. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She picked up the dog and held him in front of her as she shuffled to the bathroom, calling out when she hit her shin against the coffee table.
“You really are a Little Chef, huh? Did I not put enough basil in the sauce, and you were saving me from serving Jenna inedible food?” Lennox questioned as she put the dog in her tub, placing him at the opposite end of the spout.
Twisting the chrome nozzle dulled from soap scum, she tested the water to make sure it was a safe temperature. Lennox grabbed the detachable shower head and aimed it near Little Chef’s feet. LC started pouncing on small puddles, barking wildly at the flowing water. Growing bold, he chomped at the water only to find the liquid slip through his teeth. Turning his head, he studied the contraption before looking at her, wiggling his whole body.
“You’re a fan of water, huh? When we visit Jenna next, I’ll take you to the beach.” Lennox massaged his fur, chuckling as the water continued to run red from the sauce. He nipped at her fingers, thinking they were playing. Lennox grabbed the nearby towel and rubbed the puppy until his fur poofed up. Placing the excitable dog on the ground, Lennox danced as Little Chef attacked her bare toes.
Laughter filled the room, which hadn’t happened since Lila’s last visit. Sopping wet and more than a little dirty, Lennox yanked off her shirt. She had enough time to take a quick shower and be presentable before trying to salvage dinner.
Shooing Little Chef into his crate so he couldn’t get into further trouble, Lennox took the quickest shower in the world before coming back to stare at the mess in the kitchen, kicking herself for not cleaning it up before she showered.
