Recreational Love

1. Spencer-3

“My son thinks I’m having a heart attack.”

“Let’s see what is going on, Mr…” I asked, wanting to hear him say his name to figure out how alert he still was. When I saw the chart, warning bells went off inside my head. He was older, late fifties I guessed. The man looked familiar, and his commanding voice had the hair on the back of my neck standing at attention.

“Reynolds. Frank Reynolds. My son and I were inspecting a property we might buy, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I think it’s indigestion. Can’t stand doctors, but Michael insisted he bring me in.” The man had a domineering attitude that I was starting to remember from years ago. More importantly, I recognized his name.

Shit.

“Dr. Pratt will examine you, but before that you’re getting an EKG.” I said, then a nurse rolled the machine in.

“Perfect timing.” I thought, then I handed her the chart and beat a hasty retreat. Not only was the old man having a heart problem, but my own was suddenly pounding. The urge to hide in that gray, empty office overwhelmed me, but I hurried to the nurses’ station instead. As I circled the corner, the broad shoulders of a man’s back were my first clue that my memory was on point. His dark hair was clipped short, and even though his hands were talking as loud as he was, through his panic he sounded like a man comfortable giving orders. He was speaking to a flustered nurse who was trying to calm him down.

“Is he okay? Dad’s always been like Ironman. What’s happening? s**t, I need to call my Mom.” The man reached into his back pocket for his phone. His deep voice was so familiar. It was the voice in those teenage dreams that haunted me to this day.

It can’t be him.

I caught a glimpse of his face, and in an instant his eyes locked on mine. The man had dark, rugged masculine looks that suggested arrogance, someone used to getting his own way. He c****d his head, then his eyebrows drew together. Without a second thought I turned on my heels and jogged around the corner, then I leaned against the wall, breathless.

“It can’t be him. My first day back and it’s Michael. It has to be Michael. Shit.” I whispered, shaking my head. No way he would be here on the first day of my new job. f**k. Those sparkling brown eyes and sharp cheekbones were ingrained in my mind, never to be forgotten. And damn, he was built! Father Time had been good to my ex-boyfriend. His pecs bulged under his tight red shirt. The last thing I needed was to get a hard-on underneath my scrubs. Michael was standing only a few feet away, and instead of being elated, I wanted a hole in the ground to open up and swallow me. I wrapped my arms around my chest and struggled to control my breathing. If this could happen a few months from now the timing would be perfect, but not on my first day of work. And especially not so soon after my last disastrous attempt at a relationship. An orderly pushing a patient in a wheelchair by me gave me a strange look as she passed.

“He probably doesn’t remember you, or he has a boyfriend. Nobody that good looking is single, plus, you are not searching for a boyfriend. Pull yourself together Spencer. This is your first day of work, don’t f**k it up.” I muttered, then straightened my back and strolled toward the nurses’ station.

He was pacing in front of the desk, his phone pressed against his ear. I walked behind the counter and was about to hide in a supply closet when I heard my name called.

“Spencer?” Michael’s deep voice rang out over the low roar of the ER. The skin on my arms pebbled at the sound and my heart leapt into my throat. Damn it, I couldn’t have a panic attack on the first day of work. I guessed there was no escaping the inevitable. Turning around, I tentatively gazed into those eyes that occasionally haunted my thoughts to this day. But they were fantasies, not reality. There was no way he could be the same boy I loved after all these years.

“May I help you?” I replied, my voice scarcely above a whisper.

“It’s me, Michael. Michael Reynolds.” He stuffed his phone in his back pocket. “My old man is here, and I think he’s having a heart attack. You are Spencer Talbot, right?” He c****d his head and looked me dead in the eyes. Jesus, those eyes were so sexy and dark, the color of chocolate. My knees shook, and I placed my hand on the desk for balance. I didn’t want to deal with this. I opened my mouth to deny it, then noticed another nurse staring at us with curious eyes. Can’t lie now, can I?

“Yes, I’m Spencer Talbot.” I choked out. What the hell? I couldn’t even act normal around him.

“Don’t you remember me? We both attended the same school, we, um…” Michael said, and I saw a flush creeping up from the collar of his shirt to his tanned cheeks, covered in day-old stubble. My heart raced, and I felt beads of sweat forming on my upper lip. What the hell could I say? How did I escape his intense gaze without looking like a total i***t? Images of me standing alone in front of hopeful and confused guests at my wedding flashed through my mind. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I’d had enough rejection lately to last an entire lifetime.

“Sorry, I don’t remember you.”