walked Mrs. Lewis to her car, then came back upstairs to call Terrence.
“What’s up, D?” Terrence said when he answered.
“Hey. How’s the family?”
“My girls are good. Sometimes I still can’t believe it. I just want to hold Nadia all day, but Janae makes me put her down,” he grumbled.
He chuckled. “I take it she’s spoiled already.”
“I can’t help it. She grabbed my heart the moment she was born.”
A flash of memories crossed Donovan’s mind. “Mine, too,” he murmured. “Anyway, the reason I’m calling is Mrs. Lake wants to know if you’re still going to donate your time to the foundation’s art camp this year. It’s the first two weeks in August, three weeks away.”
“Definitely. I love doing the camp. Janae’s parents will be here, and Karen and Damian are planning to come down, as well. We’ll probably do a little barbecue or something the first weekend in August, so don’t plan anything. There’s nothing on the calendar, is there?”
“Other than Sheila’s concert in two weeks, no. August will be a little less busy, and I’m having Joy and Nigel travel with Kaleidoscope.”
“Good. By the way, you should bring a date to the barbecue. My grandmother mentioned trying to fix you up with the niece of one of her yoga classmates.”
Donovan groaned. “Aw, man. I know. She’s worse than my mom.”
Terrence laughed. “I tried to warn you about calling her Grandma, but you wouldn’t listen. So should I invite the woman?”
“Hell, no. I can get my own date. Besides, you’re the last person who needs to be giving anybody dating advice. If I recall correctly, I’m the one who helped you when you almost lost Janae.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I owe you, man. Janae is my life.”
“I know. Tell Janae hello, and kiss my goddaughter for me. I’ll be by tomorrow or the next day.”
“I will. Later.”
Donovan disconnected and leaned back in his chair. Once again, memories of his failed relationship filled his head. He’d immersed himself in work to bury the hurt. But seeing how happy Terrence was had him contemplating trying again. Simona’s face floated through his mind. He glanced up at the clock and made the decision to be there when she got off work in forty-five minutes. He stood, packed up and headed to the parking garage.
The normally thirty-minute drive took almost an hour due to traffic, and by the time he parked and strode across the hospital lot he was hoping he hadn’t missed her.
A woman looked up as he approached the emergency room front desk. “Hello.” She held out a clipboard. “Just fill out the information and bring it up when you’re finished. We’ll get you back as soon as we can.”
“I’m not here to be seen. I was looking for Simona Andrews.”
Her brow lifted. “Simona?”
“Yes. She’s a nurse. Is she still here?”
The woman gave him the once-over then picked up the phone. She spoke quietly into the headset, nodded and hung up. “She’s still here. Have a seat, and she’ll be out shortly.”
“Thank you.” Donovan took a chair across the room. There were only a few people in the waiting area—a mother pacing while holding a small baby, an elderly couple and a man holding an ice pack against his face. He picked up a sports magazine off the table and flipped through it.
Some time later, the doors swung open and he saw Simona searching the room. Their eyes locked, and hers widened for a second before her brows knit in confusion. He tossed the magazine on the table, stood and walked to meet her halfway.
“Donovan,” she said with surprise. “Are you okay? Is something wrong with your arm?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong, Simona. It’s healing nicely.”
“Oh. Then why are you here?”
“I wanted to check on you, to make sure you were okay.”
“That’s really sweet of you, but I’m fine.”
“Good. Are you still getting off now?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to go out to dinner?”
“Dinner?”
“Yeah. You know, that meal that usually follows lunch.”
She smiled. “I know what dinner is, Mr. Wright.”
“So...yes, no?”
“Well, I...um...I...”
He leaned closer. “You did say to let you know if I needed anything, remember?”
“I remember, but this sounds a bit like blackmail,” Simona said with a laugh.
Donovan shrugged. “Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do sometimes. And if it gets you to say yes to dinner, then it’s all good. Well...” he hedged.
She seemed to consider his offer for a moment, then nodded. “All right, but we can’t go anywhere fancy. I don’t have anything except these scrubs.”
“No problem. You can choose the place.” He was just glad she had agreed.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She turned and went back through the doors.
“Take your time.” He stared after her and couldn’t stop the smile curving his mouth. Although she was cautious, he sensed a spark there.
Donovan planned to discover everything he could about Simona Andrews, and if he had anything to say about it, tonight’s date would be the first of many.
Simona paced the staff break room, not sure she had done the right thing by accepting Donovan’s dinner offer. Sure, she told herself, she wanted to see him again, but it wasn’t something she was ready for tonight. Hadn’t she promised herself not to get caught up with another man who could disrupt her quiet life?
She also had Yasmine to think about now and had no intention of bringing a string of men around her young niece. Besides, most men would run screaming at the mention of a child. But Donovan’s smile and easygoing manner made it hard to say no. And, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was glad to see him. Sighing, she pulled out her cell.
“Hey, Eve,” Simona said when Eve answered.
“Hey, girl. You have to work late again?”
“No. Donovan showed up and invited me to dinner. But if you have to leave, I’ll just tell him no,” she quickly added.
Eve chuckled. “So, your knight is back, huh? Go, girl! Yasmine and I are just fine. It’s about time for you to get your groove back.”
“Look who’s talking. I don’t see you going out with any guys.”
“That’s because I’m still basking in my singleness. After giving seven years to my jerk of an ex-husband, I need time to do all those things the cheating bastard was doing with his mistress. His money and my classes keep me quite busy.”
Simona laughed.
“But you don’t have an excuse, so have a great time at dinner. Let your hair down and have some fun. Bye.” She hung up before Simona could respond.
Smiling, she shook her head and pocketed the phone. Walking over to the mirror, she released her long braids from the elastic band and redid them in a neat bun. She glanced down at the scrubs, smoothed a hand over her top and wished she were dressed a little better. She