a suit and a white lab coat over it, the handsome man with sandy blond hair shoots me a smile.
“Hey, I’m Travis Bennett. You must be our new assistant. Olivia, right?”
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and it takes me a few seconds to get ahold of myself. I plaster a smile on my face and jolt my clammy hand out to him.
“Hi, yes, I’m Olivia. It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Bennett.”
He grins, and it’s dazzling. He has the same charm Reid had. The smiles and charisma are what draw you in.
“Please, call me Travis. Mr. Bennett is my father.”
“Travis. Yes. I got it.”
He chuckles and pointedly looks down at my hand that’s still shaking his. I immediately let go and shoot him an apologetic gaze.
God, what is my problem lately?
“Come on, you can assist me for the morning. I could use some help.”
“Of course!” I jump into action, washing my hands and scrubbing down. For the rest of the morning, I split my time between following Travis’s instructions and learning more about him. He grew up here in Campbell. His mother was always a stay-at-home mom, and his dad opened the clinic when he was just a kid. From there on, he knew he always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and, one day, take over the family business.
In the few hours I spend with Travis, I learn a lot about him, some good and some bad. The good? On top of being good-looking and funny, he’s an incredible doctor. The bad? Obviously sleeping with co-workers is a nonissue for him because throughout my shift I’ve caught him and Lucy making “sex eyes” at each other. Which honestly wouldn’t bother me at all if he hadn’t already made subtle passes at me.
The “oh, how could a woman as beautiful as you be single?” or the, “I look forward to getting to know you, Olivia. All of you.” Yeah, there was no missing that innuendo. And like I said, normally, it wouldn’t bother me. Hot boss who loves animals? Count me in. But in this case, I don’t want to shit where I eat, metaphorically, that is. This is my job. The last thing I want to do is cause any drama or make room for any awkward situations. There’s no telling how many women he’s slept with in the office. The thought alone skeeves me out. Becoming another notch on his bedpost isn’t exactly appealing, no matter how hot he is.
I mean, who am I kidding? What’s going to happen when I sleep with him, and I start to grow attached—because I know I will grow attached. I’ve never been a one-night stand type of girl. I know myself well enough to admit that seeing him flirt with Lucy and Kassandra around the office would bother me. After leaving one toxic relationship, the last thing I want to do is find myself in another one. The whole point of this fresh start, this move, is to become my own person. Fall into that independence I so desperately craved in my previous relationship.
I’m cleaning and sanitizing room three, when a knock sounds on the door. Travis pokes his head in, an enticing smile on his face.
“How do you like it here so far?” He rests his shoulder against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his broad chest, as he watches me finish up.
I shoot him a genuine smile over my shoulder. “It’s great. The drive here is short, and the staff is incredible. I’m loving it here.”
“Glad to hear it.” He pushes off the doorjamb and uncrosses his arms, drumming his heavy fingers along the wall. “You about done in here?”
“Uh, yeah. I just need to sweep, then this room is all set for the night shift.”
“Great.” He lingers, and it prompts me to pause. I turn toward him fully and raise a brow. I brace myself for whatever it is he’s here for. “You up to doing dinner tonight? I know this great Mexican place about fifteen minutes away.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say yes, but at the very last second, I shake my head. “You know what, I would, but I have some stuff to do at home. New place and all. I still have quite a few boxes to unpack, but, uh, thank you. For offering. That’s nice of you.”
He nods, grinning to himself, like something is amusing. He pats the wall, signaling his departure. “No worries, Olivia.