Stripped(7)
She sorted through Marla’s mail and a stack of paperwork on her own desk, surprised when she looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly noon.
“Would you like me to get lunch?” Abby asked Marla, looking through the doorway of her office.
“No, I’ll order in,” Marla said with a wave of her hand, absorbed in something she was reading on her computer.
Abby was trying to decide what she wanted for lunch when her phone rang with an unfamiliar number. Her heart jumped at the thought that it could be Sara and Audrey’s school calling with an emergency.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Abby, it’s Chris Reneau.”
“Dr. Reneau?”
“Um, Chris. Call me Chris.”
“Okay. Hi,” she said, wondering why he was calling.
“How’s your Mom doing?” Oh. He wanted to check on her Mom.
“She’s okay, I think. I’m at work, but she was okay when I left earlier.”
“I’m sorry for calling you at work,” he said.
“No, it’s fine. “
“Okay, good. I was thinking about our conversation last night, and I wondered if you might want to get together sometime to talk more about respite care.”
“That’s very nice of you, but really, I’m okay,” Abby said. “I have a system, and it works. My brother helps me.”
“Right. Well, could we maybe just get together sometime, then?” he asked nervously. Abby’s heart hammered in her chest.
“Do you mean … are you asking me out?” she asked.
“Yeah, kind of. I don’t normally … I mean, I’ve never asked out a patient or a family member, so I hope I’m not offending you. I’d just like to get to know you better.”
“Oh, I’m not very interesting,” Abby said, feeling suddenly jittery.
“Why don’t you let me decide for myself?” Chris said, sounding amused. “I’m off Saturday night, can we have dinner?”
No, because I’ll be working at a strip club, Abby thought, shaking her head.
“I can’t,” she said.
“Another night?”
“No, I can’t then, either.”
“Are you married? Or do you have a boyfriend? You probably do,” he said.
“No, no, it’s not that,” she said gently, closing the door to her office.
“Oh. Are you just not interested?” he asked. Abby cringed at the deflated tone of his voice.
“No, it’s not that, either.”
“Then what?” he asked curiously. Abby sighed, trying to think of a plausible excuse, but nothing came to mind.
“You don’t want to go out with me,” she said.
“Yes, I do.”
“Trust me, you don’t. Guys like you don’t go out with girls like me.”
“What does that mean? You don’t know what I’m like yet,” Chris said smoothly.
Abby paused, trying to think of the best way to break the news to him.
“Remember when you said I looked familiar?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I was one of the dancers at Mickey’s at the bachelor party you were at Friday night. You didn’t want a lap dance from me.”
There was a pause on the line and Abby stared at the ceiling, waiting.
“That was you,” he said. “Yeah, now I remember.”
“You probably didn’t see much of my face that night,” she quipped. Chris chuckled.
“So you can’t go Saturday night because you have to work?” he asked.
“Right.”
“Okay. So, another night, then? Or lunch?”
Abby’s brows furrowed with surprise.
“What? You still want to go out with me?”
“Sure.”
She wondered if he assumed she was easy because she was a stripper.
“Abby?”
“Yes, I’m here. I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“Let’s just have lunch. I’m actually a pretty okay guy,” he said.
“Well…” She hesitated. Though she wanted to see him again, she had a strict policy against going out with anyone she met at the club. That eliminated most all men, which was why she hadn’t been out with anyone in over a year.
“Don’t make me beg. I’m terrible at it,” Chris said. Abby smiled at his playful tone.
“You don’t seem like a man who’s ever had to beg for a date,” she said.
“So…”
“So okay. Lunch would be good,” she said, closing her eyes. She was still reeling over the fact that he even wanted to go out with her.
“Great. How’s tomorrow?”
“I’ll check,” she said, clicking her mouse onto her schedule. “Looks like I’m open.”