Jake – Part II

As office manager for Dr. Russell Bennett, Jennifer had some flexibility with her schedule. When Hank died, he was one of her biggest supporters. He gave her all the time she needed to heal from her loss. His successful neurology practice was attractive enough for some women, but his deep blue eyes, crooked smile and kind heart put him in a different league. A league many women wanted to play in.

Unfortunately for them, Dr. Russ (as he was known by his patients), only had eyes for Jennifer. His attraction to her snuck up on him after her husband died. His compassion turned into something more. He admired her love for her children, even though life without their father was hard. Her dedication to her job made his office move smoothly in spite of her pain. It was the first time in his life his heart was pulled in that direction. Dr. Russ wanted to invite Jennifer out for dinner on many an occasion, but his position as her boss and his nerves always won out. There was a knock on his door that startled his thoughts.

The door opened and Jennifer stepped inside. “Good Morning Dr. B. Lena says your first patient is here. You don’t want to keep him waiting now, do you?” He guessed she was trying to keep him from running late. “Your last patient of the day cancelled. Do you want Lena to replace her or do you want to take off early?”

“Well . . . that depends.”

“Depends on what?” Jennifer asked.

“It depends on whether you would join me for dinner.” There he said it. He’s not sure where the courage came from, but the question was out there. He watched her carefully. She had a tough time looking at him. This couldn’t be good. Maybe he made a mistake. How can he swallow his words? What was taking her so long to answer.

Jennifer was stunned. Where did that come from? She was attracted to him, but didn’t want to go there because he was her boss. His kindness and understanding when Hank died made her life easier. Before she could process further she found herself saying, “That would be lovely.”

He sat up in his seat with the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at six, if that’s a good time?”

“Yes, that would be fine.”

The rest of the day she couldn’t shake the smile on her face, especially when she heard him whistling. As day came to an end, she wondered how she was going to explain to the children her date. She hoped that Jake would understand. She was worried how he would take her dating.

Maybe this is not such a short story. Stay tuned for Part III.

© Nadine Zawacki 2008