Breaking the Rules (2 page)

He smirked. “How will you play on Saturday with your foot in a walking cast?”

She shrugged. “Lucky for me, the cast comes off tomorrow.”

He raised an eyebrow and leaned in. He could smell her rosy perfume. “Who's your doctor?”

She lifted her eyes to meet his and bit her lip. After a moment, she shook her head and wobbled closer to the door. Obviously, their meeting had ended. “Dr. Patel. Why?”

Now why did Rajan Patel always get the hot patients?
“I'm an orthopedic surgeon. In fact, Dr. Patel and I work together at the clinic.”

“I'll be there tomorrow to get this beast off.” She reached for the doorknob but stopped. “Please speak to Jason. I want to be lenient with this case, but if it happens again, he will be suspended.”

Those blue eyes struck him all the way to his toes. She must scare the middle school students to death. “I'll speak to him, there will be consequences and no other incidents.”

“Great to hear.” She smiled sweetly, looking at him from her lowered lashes. Then, she opened the door and escorted him out. “I'll see Jason Thursday after school and both of you at the games on Saturday.”

Colin nodded and shook her hand. “It was nice to meet you.”

He looked into her sparkling eyes and time ceased. His pulse raced against his breastbone and he didn't want to be anywhere else but there — staring at those eyes, hearing the intake of her breath, smelling her sexy perfume. Her inviting figure again called his attention, from head to toe, and when he looked up, a blush graced her cheeks. The connection was there, no doubt about it.

Letting go of his hand, she cleared her throat and said, “It was a pleasure to meet you, too.” Then she teetered back to her office and shut the door.

• • •

Finally the day arrived. Four weeks in a walking cast definitely took some getting used to. Only one and a half months into her new town, her new school, and she had dropped the huge storage unit's lock onto her foot. Luckily, she had only a hairline fracture, but she hated walking the hallways with her big cast in everyone's view. If she heard another “what happened” from an inquisitive parent, she would break her “I got it together” demeanor and scream.

With a sigh, Hope sat on the examining table and looked at her cell phone. Her lunch break just finished, but she had informed her secretary that she'd return late. She had to meet with the athletic department to finalize the Friendly Games Morning plans, and there was an administrator's meeting at five. But first, she had to take care of her foot.

When she entered the clinic, Dr. Calaway's name on the door triggered images of the concerned father from the day before. Her cheeks warmed as she recalled Dr. Calaway saying goodbye. Did she hold it together long enough? Hopefully he didn't notice her rapid pulse and sweaty palms when she touched his arm. It had only been a small gesture to comfort him — one that turned her knees to mush and made her girly parts ding to life. Although he had been obviously nervous, a trait she usually found a turn-off, she found it endearing. His broad shoulders and smoldering green eyes didn't hurt either. It had been a long time since she felt an immediate attraction to someone, not since Vincent. She was a little P.O'd it had to be with a student's father, who was officially off limits.

The door to the room opened and a voice called, “Hello, Ms. Robinson.”

Hope blinked twice. Speak of the knee-wobbling, to-die-for devil. A new and unexpected warmth surged through her. “Dr. Calaway. What a surprise. Where's Dr. Patel?”

He scooted his wheeled chair up to the table and sat down. “To be honest, I looked up when you were coming so I could attend you.”

The lower ping in her belly danced to life as his lips curled upward. She didn't know what to say. His dark hair fell gently over his temple, and those green eyes stared at her. The white doctor's coat fell across his strong shoulders perfectly and his tie hung over his chest in a way that made her want to reach forward and straighten it. Her heart pounded faster and she bit her bottom lip. “Okay, I mean, you could take my cast off too, right?”

He hesitated, measuring her for a moment. “Right.” He smiled and put his pen in his breast pocket.

She tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through her veins. With a deep breath, she observed the wall and pretended to read the poster about knee anatomy.

“Um, right. Let's see.” He opened her patient folder and studied it. “Looks like you've been in a cast for four weeks now.” He quirked an eyebrow. “When did you move here again?”

“Six weeks ago. Great timing, huh?” She laughed under her breath, pulling her hair behind her ear.

“Not an ideal way to start off in a new place, but you seem to be settling in well enough.” He patted the patient table next to where she sat. “Put your foot up.”

She swiveled her foot over and laid back. “Did you talk to Jason?”

“I tried. He didn't feel like talking much last night, but at least he listened.” He rolled her capri pant leg up and eyed her cast. A wave of apprehension swept through her at his touch. But at the same time, his touch thrilled her. “So, can I call you Hope, since you're my patient today?”

“You can call me Hope, if I can call you Colin.”

He grinned. “You know my name, then?”

She pointed. She didn't want to admit she looked it up after he left her office the day before. “It's on your name tag.”

“Of course.” He scooted his stool to the cabinets. “I think we can take this sucker off.” He pulled out a tiny cast saw. “Now, don't be worried — ”

“Dr. Calaway — ” She stopped when Colin raised his eyebrows at her. “Colin, you may not believe this, but I've had about ten casts since I was a little girl.”

His eyes widened and he chuckled. “Really? You're one of those then?” He put on goggles and plugged the saw in.

“One of
those
?”

“We call you our frequent flyers.” He laughed. A small dimple, one Hope found irresistibly cute, appeared next to his lips.

She'd like to lean over and touch it … with her tongue.

Whoa!
She shook her head.
Where did that come from?

“Just lay back.”

She'd like to lay back — with him on top of her.
Geez, Hope, maybe you need to see a hormone specialist in another clinic.
She rolled her eyes at herself and lay down with her hands behind her head. “How long have you been a doctor?”

“If you include my residency, about eight years.” He smiled back at her and then leaned into her foot again. “Couldn't find that in your file on Jason, could you?”

The familiar vibration ran through her foot and she held back a laugh as the saw tickled. She knew the process well enough; in fact she had an arm cast nine months ago. She wouldn't tell him that, though.

“Not much of a file for Jason, actually, which is a good thing. Tells me he's a good kid.” She chewed on her lower lip and stole a look at him. She also read that his mom had died two years ago, and understood that must be hard on a little boy and a dad who had to raise his son alone.

“That's reassuring.” His brows drew together as he worked. Even through the goggles, gold flecks radiated from his green eyes. “Almost all the way through. I'm at the padding … in … just … a … got it.” He turned the saw off and stretched the padding loose. “All right, let's get that foot out.”

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and placed her white foot in front of his face. A heat rose from her neck to her cheeks. This really wasn't the most attractive position. Not that she needed to be attractive for him, of course. She tried to remove her foot from his view, but he grabbed her toes before she could take it away.

He wiggled them gently and looked up at her face. “How does it feel?”

She took a deep satisfying breath and smiled in approval. “Heavenly.”

“You have a beautiful smile,” he said softly as his gaze met hers.

Her skin tingled as her smile wavered. She could get used to seeing Dr. Calaway instead of Dr. Patel. “Thank you.”

He scratched his chin and then stood up to place the tools back on the counter.

Was he flirting with her? A slender delicate thread began to form between them. It didn't hurt that his strong features held a certain sensuality, and that dimple — she never thought of dimples as sexy. Off-limits, she reminded herself, and she rolled her pant leg down. She straightened her shirt and capris while he washed his hands in the sink.

When he turned around, he avoided her eyes this time and wrote in her file. “You need an X-ray to check if the fracture has healed completely.” He moved to her side and tapped her file on the edge of the table. “A nurse will get you in a moment.”

When the X-ray was completed, Colin stepped back into the room with her results. This time he didn't wear his jacket and the outlines of his shoulders strained against the fabric of his light blue-collared shirt. She wondered what he would look like shirtless with his stethoscope around his neck, gleaming on top of his sculpted pecs. She turned her back pretending to search in her purse for something, but really, she had to get herself into the right frame of mind.

He held the X-ray up to the light. “All healed. Looks like you're free to play some friendly games this Saturday.”

She tried not to look at his face and pulled her other shoe from a plastic bag. “Great. I can't wait.”

With his green eyes gleaming and those dimples calling her name, he placed his hand on the table next to her. “So, I'll see you at the games?”

“I told you yesterday I'd be there.” She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, willing herself to stop staring at his chiseled face.

“Just making sure.” He leaned against the patient table and crossed his legs. “You're not planning on breaking any other bones, are you?” A flash of humor crossed his face.

She became speechless. “Uh … ”

“Hey, I'm just kidding.” He cocked his head to the side. “Take care of yourself, that's all. Don't push too hard.” He backed off the table, grabbed her purse and held it up for her.

She reached for the purse and their eyes met, the gleam of interest startling her. A secret invitation passed between them — one that she wanted to accept. Damn, she wanted to. But, despite his pull, she couldn't do it. This was a no-win situation. A principal should never date a parent.

She took a deep breath and looked at her toes.

His stance changed, straighter, taller, and he wiggled the bag. “Gonna take your purse?”

“Oh yes. Um. Thanks.” She put it on her shoulder. Why did she act like a girl in the boy's locker room?
I'm a strong, independent woman. Get it together, Hope. Stand up straight, one foot in front of the other. Think of Dr. McSteamy later, not in front of him for goodness sake.
“So, I'll see you Saturday and … thank you.”

He lifted a corner of his mouth, the dimple calling her name. “My pleasure.” He opened the door and left the room without looking back.

Colin sighed as he and Jason passed the hostess stand. Another Friday night at their regular place, Luigi's Pizza. Kids' voices screeched from the mini-arcade behind the booths. He could use some quiet time after a long day at the hospital. His last surgery lasted an hour longer than expected and he could barely keep his eyes open. However, he didn't want to disappoint Jason, who showed more excitement about their weekly dinner since he hadn't been out since he got into trouble. Even though Jason was grounded, they never missed their Friday night pizza raid. It was the one night they could spend time together with no other worries.

They scooted into a booth next to the salad bar and Colin opened the menu propped between the cheese and pepper shakers.

Jason studied the menu as if it had changed since the last time they'd eaten there two weeks ago. “Maybe we should try something different.”

“Sounds good to me.” Colin studied the menu. “Why do they have a ten-page menu at a pizza parlor anyway? Want to try the Veggie Supreme?”

Jason scrunched his face. “No way. You know I hate that green, slimy stuff.”

“Then I guess we're stuck with the same-o.”

Their usual teenage waitress appeared at the table, a pen and ticket in hand. “Hi, Dr. Calaway. Can I get you guys something to drink while you look over the menu?”

“Actually, we're ready to order. We'll have the medium double pepperoni and two Cokes.”

The waitress took the menus. “Your regular, huh?” She smiled at Jason. “Hey Jason, ready to play The Racer on my break?”

He shrugged. “I don't know if I can.” He eyed his dad, a sure sign he knew he was still in trouble.

“Think about it, kiddo. I'll be back in a jiffy with your sodas.”

Colin sat back in the booth, pulling his cap and scratching his head. “When will you ever eat green things?”

“Like never.” Jason turned toward the games. “I wonder if I still have the high score on The Racer.”

“Don't even think about it, buddy. You're grounded.”

“Aw, let him play.” A voice sounded behind him.

He turned to see Ms. Robinson in tight yoga pants, making her legs look like they'd never end, and a tank top. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head in a ponytail and a few strands strayed into her face. Seeing Hope out of her business suit was a pleasant surprise that made Colin's heart stop for a second. “Look who it is, Jason.”

Jason's eyes lit up for a second. “Hi, Ms. Robinson.”

“Want to join us?” Colin asked before he even thought about it. Obviously, his other brain was in charge tonight. He swallowed and pulled his cap down further.

Hope scrunched her cute little nose. “I don't want to intrude. I wanted to check out the salad bar and saw you two sitting here.”