Pieces of Us (Confessions of the Heart, #3)(6)

She smiled a soft smile. “No problem at all.” She glanced at my resume on her desk. “So, I see you previously worked in a dental office in Idaho?”

“Yes,” I said, probably sounding a little too eager.

“And what were your responsibilities there?”

I shifted forward, my knees angled to the side. “I did scheduling and appointment confirmations, checking in patients, answering phones, all the typical things in the office.”

“Good, good,” she said, glancing at my resume.

I sat forward a little farther, nerves rattling through my senses. “On top of that, I handled the office’s marketing . . . managed the website and some of the promotional flyers and graphics. Illustrations and that sort of thing.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Thank you. I enjoy the hustle of the office, but I have to admit, I was really proud of that part of the job.”

She lowered the sheet of paper, one side of her mouth lifting at the side. “You’re an artist.” It wasn’t much of a question, and my thundering heart decided it would be a good time to give a little kick.

“I . . . well . . .I . . .” I stuttered.

Goodness, I sounded like a blabbering fool. I clenched my hands tighter like my own personal reprimand. Do not mess this up.

“I guess I would have liked to have been,” I murmured.

God, that was probably stupid, too. The last thing you were supposed to do in an interview was admit that you’d prefer to be doing something else.

“But you don’t have to worry about me doing a good job here. If I’m doing a job, I’m committed to it. One-hundred percent.”

I was inching forward again. At this rate, I was gonna fall off my seat.

She chuckled again and took off her glasses. “It’s okay, Ms. Lane. I totally understand. I think it’s safe to bet most of us might have different dreams or goals that we missed.”

A somber, appreciative smile pulled at my mouth, my chest squeezing and pulling, all the emotions I battled to keep down trying to break their way free. “Thank you. But I really do enjoy working in an office.”

“I like you,” she said.

I could feel the redness creeping up my cheeks. Great, now I was blushin’, too. “Well, I always hope to fit in. Help my co-workers. Make patients feel comfortable if they’re nervous for their procedures.”

“You mean, you’re nice?” She lifted her brows a bit playfully.

A tiny bark of laughter escaped. “I try to be.”

She blew out a strained sigh, and I almost jumped out of the chair, or just slid to my knees to do some begging because I could almost see the regret at having to tell me, in spite of all of those things, I wasn’t a good fit.

“Can you start on Monday?” she asked instead. “I know that’s only a handful of days from now, but we’re in a bit of a bind, and we could really use you around here.”

I shot to my feet. “Oh, yes, of course.”

Why was I standing?

Oh my gosh.

Think quick, Izzy.

I moved for the desk and put out my hand. She shook it, chuckling.

“Thank you so much, you won’t regret this.”

“I think you’re right.”

I pulled my hand away. In all my excitement and relief, it flailed a little too far to my right. My eyes went round in horror when I realized it’d struck something—a glass vase filled with a bouquet of roses and lilies that was tipping to the side.

“Oh my gosh,” I all but shouted, scrambling to catch it, grabbing it right before the glass smacked the desk. Water splashed out, a river of it heading straight for her pile of patient folders. I righted the vase and then rushed to gather the stack before they got wet.

“I’m so sorry. Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

She was laughing more. “It’s fine. It’s fine.” She grabbed a couple paper towels from a cabinet behind her, and I was laughing, too, as we sopped it up.

“You can put cleaning up the messes I make on the list of my qualifications.”

She glanced up, smiling wide. “Good. Considering I spilled my tumbler of coffee I brought in this morning, I’d say we’re going to make a good team.”

God, was I really getting cut this break? With my performance, she should have sent me packing. Instead, she was looking at me like I was the one who was saving her.

“I really am grateful for this job.”

“I’m excited to work with you. Now go on, take a little breather. I’ll see you at eight a.m. on Monday, if you can come in a little early to fill out the paperwork?”

“That would be great,” I said, shaking her hand once more, though this time giving it a squeeze with the other hand. I started backing away, then gasped out and whirled around when I ran into something hard.

A man.

A man wearing light blue scrubs and a bright white smile.

“Whoa there,” he said, hands darting to the outside of my shoulders to steady me.

I just stood there, gaping.

He smiled wider, and my heart was thumping, racing out of control.

“You okay?”

I barely could nod, totally mortified by the fact I was a mess. Only Maxon Chambers could send me into a tailspin like this.

“I’m Dr. Nelson, but everyone calls me Trevor. Did I just overhear we finally have someone to take over the front office?”