Page 14 of Ice Cold Hearts
He wrenches out of Ian’s grip and snatches the phone back.
“Oh, no,” I say sarcastically, “how will I ever look her up now? If only I had my own pocket-sized computer to find this woman. Wait, I do.”
Ian and I huddle together over my phone as we search for Emily.
“What hospital did he go to for PT?” I ask.
“Grace Harbor,” Ian says.
“Thanks,” I say, throwing my hand out to hold Alexei at bay.
“There she is.” Ian jabs his finger at the screen.
I tap on her photo to make it larger. That same flicker of recognition bounces through my brain.
“I think I know her,” I mutter.
Ian scoffs. “There’s no way.”
“No,” I protest. “She looks really familiar.”
“Because she’s exactly your type. Amber eyes, long, dark eyelashes, a splash of freckles, dark, wavy hair. If there’s a woman who looks like that within a ten-block radius of you, you’re going to find her. I swear it’s like you can smell them. If it weren’t for Alexei and me, that’s all you’d ever date.”
“Speaking of which, do you think she might be interested in some additional guests for her dinner date?” I ask Alexei.
“You guys don’t have to be a part of every aspect of my life, you know,” Alexei says dryly.
I laugh. “When it’s a woman who looks like that, we do.”
Ian nods in agreement.
Alexei rubs his temples and sighs, “Do you not remember the Rachel Mayeski disaster?”
“Two words,” I reply. “Colleen Jackson.”
“It got to be too much for her after a while, though,” Ian counters.
I pretend to be offended. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
“Hers,” he answers simply.
“I’ve never seen you two this intense about someone you haven’t even met,” Alexei says thoughtfully. “Still, there is something about her…”
He sighs, and I know I’ve won.
Alexei catches my grin and scowls. “We can see how it goes, but for fuck’s sake, don’t overwhelm her, and the second she shows any discomfort?—”
“Drop it. I know.” But to keep from being too serious, I ask, “So, is that a yes to dinner for four?”
I dodge the halfhearted punch he throws my way and laugh.
5
EMILY
This second session with Alexei was going to be even better than the first one. He hadn’t arrived yet, but it was already a marked improvement from Monday. The patients were wonderful this morning. No one had fallen or expelled any type of bodily fluids, and most shocking of all, there was no whining. I was able to go home early, spend time with Audrey (no toddler makeovers this time), and leave her at my parents’ house with very few tears.
I decided to view all that from a Newtonian lens. If an object in motion tends to stay in motion, then a person in a good day will continue to have a good day. Right?