apart, I added, “That’s how I really feel. Loving what I do for a living would have been enough for me, but since it also let me meet you, I really wouldn’t have changed a thing.”
She turned a deeper shade of red but threw her arms around me for a kiss that was even less appropriate for being out in public. By the time she pulled back, I’d just about decided to let go of the idea of eating anything other than her for lunch.
But then she grabbed my hand and dragged me the rest of the distance to the stand. Once we’d ordered and gotten our food, we each took one taco but wrapped the rest in the paper bag.
“You want to go eat back at the practice or find somewhere else?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Back at the practice? I’ll show you all the progress we’ve made since the last time you were there.”
“Really? It’s only been a couple of weeks. Are you suddenly in a hurry to open up?” She munched on her taco between sentences. “I thought you weren’t opening for months.”
“We’re not, but we’ve decided to make it our priority.” We stopped to wait for the pedestrian light before crossing the road. “Both of us think it’s better to get away from the hospital sooner rather than later.”
The light changed, but April didn’t start moving when I did. She stood with her feet planted and looked up at me with confusion darkening her eyes.
“Does that mean Adi and I are out?” she asked. “Because earlier, you said differently. Now suddenly, the practice is your priority and you can’t wait to leave the place where we both work?”
“I want you to come join us there, remember?” I frowned as I walked the few paces back to her again. “I offered you the job as our receptionist and I meant it. If you don’t want to, I’ll respect your decision. But that doesn’t mean anything for the two of us.”
“You still want me to join you?” She smiled. “Even after everything? Because I kind of thought you hadn’t asked about it again because you changed your mind.”
I released a long breath, narrowing my eyes at her while not completely able to hide a smile of my own. “You thought I was having second thoughts just because I didn’t want to put pressure on you to accept a job you told me you’d think about?”
“I guess I’m going to have to work on the whole ‘trusting you’ thing.” She put air quotes around the words. “Have I mentioned that I have a boatload of baggage?”
“You have, but that’s still not scaring me off.” I popped the last of the taco into my mouth and wound one arm around her while I chewed.
She wiped some sauce off the side of my lips, then pushed up on her toes to kiss the same spot. Her eyes were bright and happy when she lifted them to mine again. “Well, that’s probably good, considering that I’d love to take you up on your offer.”
“You’re not kidding?” I asked once I’d swallowed, wrapping the other arm around her as well.
“I’m not kidding. I’d love to come work with you guys.” A brilliant smile broke out on her lips just before I lifted her up in my arms and spun her around.
Locked in our own world even though we were on the sidewalk with hundreds of others, I came this close to telling her how I felt about her. But then she laughed and wriggled to get out of my grip.
“Let’s go eat. I’m starving.” She slid her hand into mine and swung her arm all the way back to the practice. Her smile never faded and she seemed to have endless questions about what Hunter and I would expect from her in her new position.
“Am I allowed to be sassy when someone deserves it?”
I grinned. “Yes, we wouldn’t even try to keep you from being exactly who you are.”
She chuckled, shrugging while we walked. “Could we have a pizza party after work one day a week?”
“Absolutely. Hunter might insist on doing it more often, but once a week is a start.”
Once we got to the building, she paused on the top step and turned to loop her arms around my neck. “Do I get to kiss you whenever I want to?”
“Yes.”
Since she was on the step, she was at my eye level. The emerald crystals in her eyes shone in the sun, her expression