Glancing at the clock, she pondered if she should go up right then to get her mail. It was after ten o’clock, and her neighbors might already be asleep. She hung her doctor’s jacket on the hook beside her purse and keys, thankful she’d taken a break to eat an early supper when she had. One of her younger patients had been admitted into the local hospital, and she’d been there longer than she’d expected.
Placing a box on the kitchen counter, she slit the tape open with a utility knife and began unpacking the contents and putting them away. She heard a light thumping noise overhead and wondered if her neighbors upstairs were night owls like her.
She heard more soft thumping and made a decision. Walking to her door, she put her doctor’s coat back on and grabbed her keys. She trotted up the stairs and knocked on the door of apartment 104B. Nobody had been home upstairs last week when she’d taken a look at the apartment for the first time. She’d heard them moving around a couple of times late at night, but they were nothing compared to the noise level she’d lived with at her last residence.
Jane was the one who had suggested the complex because Tabitha from the quilting circle had just recently moved out of the apartment Emma now occupied. She hoped that with time the cat box odor faded. She was relieved she’d been able to get out of tonight’s quilting circle get-together. Working strange hours had its perks sometimes.
The door opened wide, and she stood there in amazement, staring at Duke Rivers. He smiled widely at her and seemed genuinely pleased to see her. She couldn’t understand why, given his apparent lack of interest the other night.
“Well, hello there, Doc. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
In surprise, she said, “Wow. It’s a small world.”
Duke backed up and beckoned her inside. “And getting smaller all the time. Look who’s here, Gage.”
She peered in and waved at Gage and stepped over the threshold. “I’m sorry if I came up too late. I hope I haven’t interrupted your evening.” Judging by the familiar soundtrack, they had a movie going.
Gage smiled and waved her in as Duke closed the door behind her. In a quiet, deep voice, he said, “Hi, Emma. It was a nice surprise to find out you’re our new neighbor.”
Emma gave him a little wave, feeling self-conscious as she overlapped the edges of her doctor’s coat in front of her and held it closed with her forearms across her chest. Her nipples perked up and throbbed with excitement as he continued to gaze at her.
Duke placed a hand at her waist and said, “Come on in. We were just watching a movie.”
“I asked for one hair from her golden head…she gave me three,” said the familiar voice of Gimli the dwarf.
She cocked her head and smiled as she peered at the television screen. “You’re watching The Fellowship of the Ring, aren’t you? Extended Edition?”
Smiles broke out on both men’s faces as if they were impressed, and Duke said, “Of course. I take it you’re a fan?”
Emma nodded, thinking that was an understatement. She’d recognized the dialogue from the extended version of the movie. The ability to quote dialogue made her slightly more than just a fan. “You could say that.”
Gage patted the couch beside him and said, “Why don’t you join us?”
Emma wanted to in the worst way but squelched the thought. “I wish I could, guys, but I’ve been up since five o’clock this morning and I still have stuff to do before I go to bed. Maybe another time?” she asked, hoping they didn’t think she was just making excuses. A little voice in her head asked her if that wasn’t exactly what she was doing.
Duke smiled and said, “Sure. Let me get your mail.” He strode off to the kitchen. Emma stood there fidgeting, overlapping the front edges of her doctor’s coat again, and rewrapped her arms over her chest as she waited for Duke. She glanced up and caught Gage watching her.
“Is the arrow wound healing well?” she asked, noting that he sat on a pillow. It was second nature to her to reach for her life as a doctor as a means to make conversation. She’d always felt inept at small talk.
“It’s much better. My doctor said you did a good job and prescribed an antibiotic.”
“I noticed that you were both gone the following morning. Was the pain severe?”
Gage nodded and looked a little sheepish. “Yeah. We’d brought sleeping bags and I could never get comfortable so we left.” He searched her eyes and said, “Are you sure you don’t want to—” He was interrupted by a chime emitting from his open laptop, which seemed to annoy him greatly.