myself that he indeed was a great catch when Dr. Crawford tapped me on the shoulder. The song was just ending, so Ben and I stopped dancing and turned to face him.
"I was hoping I could have a dance with your beautiful date," he said, directing his question to Ben. "I'd like to see her hand in action."
"You can see it from over there," Ben said with a flick of his head in the direction of the tables. He smiled as if he was joking, but there was still some underlying tension in the air.
"I'd like to feel it," Dr. Crawford said, causing Ben to laugh.
"I'll bet you would."
"Seriously, do you mind?" Dr. Crawford asked with a straight face. He reached out for me, and I was helpless to do anything but put my hand in his.
"I guess I can share her for one dance," Ben said. He looked at me. "As long as she's willing," he added.
My hand was already securely in Dr. Crawford's as I nodded.
Chapter 7
"What are you doing?" I asked, as the music started up again and Dr. Crawford began leading me around the dance floor.
"I'm dancing."
"Why aren't you dancing with your date?"
"Because I want to dance with you."
We moved across the dance floor together. I was trying to be as graceful as possible despite my nerves. "I don't usually dance with pirates," I said.
He glanced at me with a relieved smile that made me weak in the knees. "Well, this one wasn't really prepared to give you a choice."
His statement brought me back to the guys in high school who tried to force me into things I didn't want to do. Two things were different about Dr. Crawford, however. One was that I knew he was kidding, and two was that I actually wanted him. I felt no pressure whatsoever. Excitement would be a better way to describe what I felt. I thought about our kiss upstairs, and wanted nothing more than to have it happen again.
"What did you tell your date?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity.
"What did I tell her about what?"
"About wanting to dance with me?" I asked even though I also wanted to know what he told her we were doing upstairs.
"I told her the truth—that you had been seeing Dr. Ross, and that I wanted to ask you a few things about your hand."
"You haven't even mentioned my hand," I said.
He smiled. "How's your hand, Bailey?"
For some reason, the sound of my name coming out of his mouth made me feel giddy. I giggled. "My hand's fine. We sort of already talked about it. Remember, I said I was seeing Jamie for physical therapy?"
"Oh, yeah," he said, acting as though he'd forgotten we had that conversation.
We talked and laughed during the remainder of the song. He was a good dancer, and he led me around the floor effortlessly. He asked me how my parents were doing and whether or not I still had Alan the teddy bear. We spoke about my parents and my hometown for a minute before I told him Alan was a permanent fixture in my apartment. I also told him that his paperfolding had inspired an idea for a really successful ad campaign I'd done recently, which included graphics of paper cranes. Hearing that made him happy, which in turn made me happy. I felt connected to him to my very core, and I wondered if he felt it too. It seemed like he did.
The song was over as quickly as it had begun—or at least it felt that way to me. Vanessa was standing near the dance floor, patiently waiting for her date to finish. I sincerely hoped that I would get another dance with him, but the way she was smiling at him made it obvious that she was sincerely hoping I wouldn't.
Ben was standing nearby talking to a couple of gentlemen, but he started walking toward me once he saw us leaving the dance floor. I was glad to have him there to intercept me when Dr. Crawford had to go back to his date. I know he told me to call him Jordan, but it was hard for me to get used to calling him by his first name, even in my own thoughts.
"Did you two get to catch up?" Vanessa asked with a super sweet smile that felt like a knife to my heart. I hated
"I was hoping I could have a dance with your beautiful date," he said, directing his question to Ben. "I'd like to see her hand in action."
"You can see it from over there," Ben said with a flick of his head in the direction of the tables. He smiled as if he was joking, but there was still some underlying tension in the air.
"I'd like to feel it," Dr. Crawford said, causing Ben to laugh.
"I'll bet you would."
"Seriously, do you mind?" Dr. Crawford asked with a straight face. He reached out for me, and I was helpless to do anything but put my hand in his.
"I guess I can share her for one dance," Ben said. He looked at me. "As long as she's willing," he added.
My hand was already securely in Dr. Crawford's as I nodded.
Chapter 7
"What are you doing?" I asked, as the music started up again and Dr. Crawford began leading me around the dance floor.
"I'm dancing."
"Why aren't you dancing with your date?"
"Because I want to dance with you."
We moved across the dance floor together. I was trying to be as graceful as possible despite my nerves. "I don't usually dance with pirates," I said.
He glanced at me with a relieved smile that made me weak in the knees. "Well, this one wasn't really prepared to give you a choice."
His statement brought me back to the guys in high school who tried to force me into things I didn't want to do. Two things were different about Dr. Crawford, however. One was that I knew he was kidding, and two was that I actually wanted him. I felt no pressure whatsoever. Excitement would be a better way to describe what I felt. I thought about our kiss upstairs, and wanted nothing more than to have it happen again.
"What did you tell your date?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity.
"What did I tell her about what?"
"About wanting to dance with me?" I asked even though I also wanted to know what he told her we were doing upstairs.
"I told her the truth—that you had been seeing Dr. Ross, and that I wanted to ask you a few things about your hand."
"You haven't even mentioned my hand," I said.
He smiled. "How's your hand, Bailey?"
For some reason, the sound of my name coming out of his mouth made me feel giddy. I giggled. "My hand's fine. We sort of already talked about it. Remember, I said I was seeing Jamie for physical therapy?"
"Oh, yeah," he said, acting as though he'd forgotten we had that conversation.
We talked and laughed during the remainder of the song. He was a good dancer, and he led me around the floor effortlessly. He asked me how my parents were doing and whether or not I still had Alan the teddy bear. We spoke about my parents and my hometown for a minute before I told him Alan was a permanent fixture in my apartment. I also told him that his paperfolding had inspired an idea for a really successful ad campaign I'd done recently, which included graphics of paper cranes. Hearing that made him happy, which in turn made me happy. I felt connected to him to my very core, and I wondered if he felt it too. It seemed like he did.
The song was over as quickly as it had begun—or at least it felt that way to me. Vanessa was standing near the dance floor, patiently waiting for her date to finish. I sincerely hoped that I would get another dance with him, but the way she was smiling at him made it obvious that she was sincerely hoping I wouldn't.
Ben was standing nearby talking to a couple of gentlemen, but he started walking toward me once he saw us leaving the dance floor. I was glad to have him there to intercept me when Dr. Crawford had to go back to his date. I know he told me to call him Jordan, but it was hard for me to get used to calling him by his first name, even in my own thoughts.
"Did you two get to catch up?" Vanessa asked with a super sweet smile that felt like a knife to my heart. I hated
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