Despite the way her crazy pulse sped up whenever he was near.
And when he flashed that sardonic grin at her—the one that had just now kicked up the left side of his mouth—she was a goner.
“Going somewhere?”
She planted her feet back under her and hefted herself off his chest in a hurry, trying not to be distracted by that smile or the slight accent that peppered his speech. After all, her American accent was still fairly noticeable, even after living in the UK for over ten years. “Sorry. I didn’t expect the door... I was just trying to...” She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, which were spinning in circles. This was not quite the “change” she’d envisioned a few moments earlier. “I was taking this to my car before heading to work.”
Adem fingered the fabric of her dress. “Nice. But this is not your normal style, is it? And the hospital fundraiser isn’t until next year.”
“Hospital...?” Oh, he thought she was borrowing this for a party. She swallowed, trying to push down her disappointment. There was no shame in borrowing a dress from someone; after all, she’d thought nothing of loaning it to Esther. It was more the fact that he assumed that wearing a dress like this would be out of character for her.
Wasn’t it? At least for the Carly who’d been consumed with thoughts of babies during the last year of her engagement.
She’d bought the dress a week before Kyle announced his decision to leave, hoping to shake things up. Instead, the gown had hung in her closet, price tags still attached, until she’d loaned it to Esther.
Her face burned with embarrassment. “I know when the fundraiser is. And this dress is very much my style. I bought it, after all.” She certainly didn’t need to tell him why she’d purchased it, though.
Up went dark brows in...disbelief?
Oh, no, he didn’t.
Her fiancé used to tease her about her lack of a social life too. Maybe that was another part of why he’d dumped her. If anything, she owed some of her seriousness to her mom, who’d raised her all by herself after Carly’s dad died, working hard to make sure her daughter had everything she needed. It was something she didn’t take for granted.
But that didn’t mean Carly didn’t know how to have fun. She tipped her chin up. Hadn’t she said she wanted to shake things up? Well, maybe now was the time. She could start doing things differently.
“Just because you haven’t been lucky enough to see me in the dress doesn’t mean I haven’t worn it.”
You haven’t, Carly.
“I never said you haven’t worn it. But you’re right in that I wasn’t lucky enough to see you in it.”
Oh, perfect. Now she’d come across as conceited. “Maybe some other time. Now if you’ll excuse me...”
She waited for a moment, but he didn’t move. He wasn’t exactly blocking her path, but since the door behind her had already swung closed she would need to sidestep to make it around him.
“Do you have a few minutes? I was actually going to try to catch you at the clinic. I’d like to discuss some changes for the community midwife program we’re putting into place.”
Accent or no accent, she found herself bristling. “The women in that community need access to what we can—”
“Relax. I’m not taking anything away. I was here at the main hospital asking for additional funding for the program. It was approved. We’re adding two mobile ultrasound machines. But we’ll either need additional technicians or a few midwives at the clinic to be certified in their use.”
Her heart stuttered in her chest. She’d put in a request last year for portable machines, but never dreamed...
She took a careful breath. Then another. Trying not to let her thoughts run away with her, although that was almost impossible with him standing so close. Looking so devastatingly handsome. She did her best to force back those thoughts. “I would like to be in on that training.”
“I thought you might. So I hoped we might talk over tea. Does the request seem more attractive now?”
Yes. And it wasn’t just the request that looked more attractive. How did he do that? No wonder he had a reputation.
“Okay. Can I meet you in the canteen after I take my dress to the car?”
“Of course. I’ll see you there.”
Five minutes later, her shaky hands free of everything except for her purse, she headed toward the canteen. She wished she felt a little more centered—a little more in control of her emotions. Crashing into him must have shaken her more than she realized, because as soon as he was out of sight, muscles that she hadn’t realized were balled up tight went limp. So much so that she’d had to stop and lean against a wall for a few seconds to steady her legs.
But portable ultrasounds. He had no idea how much she’d wanted them—how much they would help everyone involved with the program. Or maybe he did, since he’d requested the funds.
They would no longer have to ask patients with issues to come into the clinic to have the imaging done. Some of her patients didn’t trust government institutions, even hospitals, and were wary of such requests.
Reaching the canteen, she quickly spotted him at a table in the corner and took a deep breath, before giving him a cheerful wave and heading up to get some coffee. When she was stressed or nervous, her American roots came out, and she opted for that dark bitter brew her mom drank. Dumping a measure of powdered creamer into the coffee, she went to join Adem.
As soon as she dropped into the chair, he poured something from a little silver pot into a teacup. It was very black, almost thick looking. There were no tea bags anywhere. “Is that coffee?”
He glanced up. “Yes. Turkish style. I grind the beans at home and normally brew it in my office. Today, I had to make do with an electric kettle. I see you’re not drinking English tea either.”
No, and she didn’t really want to go into the reasons why. “I guess my heritage comes through sometimes too.”
“Your mum teaches music at the International University?”
She hesitated and wasn’t sure why. “Yes, she does. It’s how I came to be in London years ago. When it came time to choose whether to continue my education here or in the States, I decided to stay near my mom.”
“Same here. My parents moved to the central part of Hackney when I was in high school. My father owns a restaurant not too far from the clinic.” Adem smiled. “I think he wanted me to take it over when I grew up. Luckily my brother showed a lot more promise in that area than I did.”
“No sisters?”
“Nope, just me and my brother.” His voice tightened slightly. “You?”
“Only child. Just me and my mom actually.” She glanced at him. “My dad was an archaeologist, but he died while on a dig when I was ten.”
“That must have been tough.”
She
