A Man to Believe In. Kathleen Pickering

the heat from her cheeks when he smiled in her direction. What was wrong with her?

      He motioned to his companion. “My new friend, Eric. We’re neighbors at the Oceanside.”

      Eric waved hello. “Always start the season with a trip to Montauk. Didn’t think I’d meet a nurse, but I’m glad in case I run into a shark or something.”

      The women laughed. Cassie said, “I can hear the theme song from Jaws coming over the water. You’d better take care.”

      Eric shot a longing look toward the surf. He gestured down the beach. “Peter, I’ll set up over there. I’ve waited all week for these waves.”

      Peter stood. “I’ll go with you.” He smiled at the women. “Glad to meet you, Ellen. Cassie, I’ll catch up with you soon to get your friend’s number about the rental.”

      “Sure.”

      Cassie watched as the guys walked down the beach. Ellen exhaled a sigh. “Well, if word gets out that he’s the new E.R. nurse, a lot of women may start calling for ambulances.”

      Cassie scoffed. “Oh, please.”

      Ellen burst out laughing.

      * * *

      THE NEXT MORNING, Peter blew through the doors of the Mercy Hospital emergency room, justifying in his mind why it was perfectly okay for him to be there at eight o’clock in the morning. He didn’t want to spook Cassie and come off as if he were stalking her, but truth be told, he sure felt like he was.

      He had two days until starting work and he hadn’t found a place to live. Besides spending most of yesterday thinking about Cassie, he really needed to find a place and who could help him better than a local? And she’d mentioned knowing someone.

      He felt foolish. Under any other circumstances, he would have no problem following up on a lead. He hadn’t exchanged phone numbers with Cassie so showing up here would be legit. Only, his chest pounded a bit more asking for this favor because Cassie ignited a hunger in him that tweaked his guilt toward his motives to seek her out again. He liked her. A lot. She was comfortable to be around. Beautiful to watch. He loved the sultry sound of her voice. Her perfume. She was rapidly becoming an obsession. He kept blaming it on being new in a strange town, but who was he kidding? She intrigued him, something fierce. That feeling was brand-new and it was lighting a fire in him.

      She’d mentioned yesterday she was working the late shift. He remembered how mornings were after a long night. She’d probably welcome an offer of breakfast. A nurse builds up a powerful hunger after working all night.

      Carmen smiled at him through the window in triage as he approached. He motioned to the door into the E.R. She nodded. When he heard the buzzer, he slipped into the treatment area.

      Doc, Rachel, Brenda and—thank you, God—Cassie stood around the nurse’s station. It looked as if Cassie and Rachel were filling in Brenda and Doc about the patients from last night.

      Doc waved him over. “You’re just in time for the morning shift.”

      “Not yet, but I’m looking forward to Monday, for sure.”

      “What brings you in?”

      He gestured to Cassie. “Wanted to catch Cassie before she left.”

      Doc raised a brow. Peter didn’t quite get what his look meant, so he said to Cassie, “I was hoping to get your friend’s number on that apartment.”

      She slapped her forehead. “That’s right. I’m sorry. I’d forgotten.”

      “No trouble. I was up early. Enjoyed the walk.”

      “Let me finish up here and I’ll give you a ride back.”

      Damned good luck. “Sure.”

      He listened quietly as Rachel and Cassie passed on the morning stats regarding the four patients currently being processed. One elderly woman with chest pains. A landscaper with a broken foot. A parent whose baby had a high fever. One ambulance delivery with lacerations from a minor car accident.

      Peter watched the three nurses interact comfortably with Doc from years of working together. Peter looked forward to the day he fit that mold and didn’t feel so much like a fish out of water, even though the emergency department layout and process was familiar to him. What mattered most to him was the personal interaction. Finding out who he’d mesh with best, or who would get as excited as he did over any new technology. The medical field was always changing. Half the satisfaction of nursing was bringing the new treatments to the community.

      When they finished, Doc took the charts. “I’ll check Mr. Nelson’s foot and release him. Brenda, see if cardiac care has a bed ready for Mrs. Olsen.” Doc gave the women a thumbs-up. “Thanks for all the hard work last night, ladies. You make it easy to start the day.”

      Rachel punched the air. “Go team.”

      Heading down the hall, he waved to Peter. “See you on Monday.”

      Brenda picked up the phone, and Rachel gathered her things. “See you all tomorrow. Good luck finding a place, Peter.”

      Cassie motioned for Peter to join her. “I just have to get my purse.”

      He didn’t have to be asked twice. He matched her brisk pace to the nurse’s locker area then out the back door to the parking lot. He snapped his fingers. “I have an idea.”

      “What?”

      “What do you feel like having for breakfast?”

      “Excuse me?”

      He shrugged. “Let me buy you breakfast. I know what it’s like coming off graveyard shift.”

      She thought a moment then grinned. “Okay. I am hungry, but I’m also wiped. So I can’t hang out.”

      “Perfect. I have to hunt for new digs anyway. It’ll be nice not eating alone.”

      “Oh, yeah. Brian. Let’s call him when we stop.”

      “Affordable?”

      She shot him a knowing glance. “I think we can negotiate with him.”

      She said we. He liked that. A lot. “Well, then I’m happy to buy breakfast. Where shall we go?”

      She brightened. “I know just the place.”

      God, he loved her grin. One would never know she’d just finished working through the night. Her color was high. Her hair was a crown of curls held back by a baby blue headband that matched the color of her scrubs. Just like on Thursday, she wore a white long-sleeved T-shirt beneath the scrubs, a perfect solution for the air conditioning in the hospital. Her fingers tapped the steering wheel in time to the music playing low on the radio. Being in her company was so comfortable, Peter felt like he’d ridden every day of his life in a car with her.

      Cassie pulled into a spot in front of John’s Pancake House. The restaurant was a converted Cape Cod-style house with a red-and-white-striped awning across the front. The place was pretty busy for a Saturday morning before the summer season hit.

      “I heard that Montauk was a ghost town until summer.”

      “The pancake house is always crowded with locals on the weekend. It’s a favorite spot.”

      He opened the restaurant door for her and ushered her in. He followed and almost ran into her back when she stopped short.

      A wary surprise filled her voice. “Well, hey, you guys.”

      Cassie greeted five people seated at a round table just inside the door. The older two were a handsome-looking duo. The other couple looked to be around his mother’s age, casual in jeans and light sweaters. One woman looked suspiciously like an older version of Cassie. Her mother, perhaps? They seemed glad to see her.

      The older woman with the silver braid said, “Morning, Cassie. Just getting off work?”