“I grabbed a hotel last night. I needed time alone to chill.” I bite my lip. “But…”
I’m ticking off boxes of information to load on this poor woman. First, what Pierce did, next, my one-night stand, and then, I’m firmly going back to medical school. That means I have to quit this job.
Regan’s eyes narrow further. “But… That’s not the whole story?”
I sigh. “I…met someone while I was walking. In the rain.”
“Someone?” She instantly perks up, EMT crisis mode replaced with romance fantasy mode. “Who?”
“A stranger.”
“Scarlett Ford.” She clutches her chest theatrically. “My saintly friend had a one-night stand with a stranger? Tell me everything.”
I lean back against the door. “His taxi almost hit me. Okay, it sort of hit me. He jumped out to check on me. Got me out of the road. We walked and talked. He steered me to a hotel. Paid for my room. And then…we got naked.”
Regan’s mouth is on the floor.
“I wish I could say we did it all night long,” I say, tapping her jaw to close her mouth. “But he left after only one round. For him. I came twice.”
“Wow. Wow. Wow.” She scoffs in disbelief. “Was he hot?”
“Ridiculously.” I resist an eyeroll. “But it was a one-time thing.”
Her expression softens. “You needed a one-night stand. You’ve been living under Pierce Langston’s thumb for a year. Anyone would crack.”
I got cracked in half all right…
“Did you get a name?”
“Cormac.”
Regan wrinkles her nose. “Irish. Wonder if Finn knows him.”
“Should I ask him if he knows some random man named Cormac?” I shake my head.
Ignoring my sarcasm, Regan keeps going. “Did you get a phone number?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Scarlett.” She drags out my name. “How am I supposed to Internet-stalk this man to make sure he’s not on the FBI Most Wanted list? There’s very little I can do with just a first name on a planet of eight billion people.”
I laugh. “He gave his credit card to the hotel front desk.”
“It could be stolen.” She raises an eyebrow at me.
I didn’t think of that. “Okay, I know I just fire-hosed you, no pun, with details. But there’s a bigger headline. I’m going back to medical school.” I leave the supply room and fall into the office’s desk chair.
“Oh…” She sounds sad.
“That’s what caused the fight, really. That bastard had the nerve to say I didn’t have what it takes to be a doctor. Now I want it even more, Regan.”
She squeezes my hand. “You’re doing the right thing. Your mom wanted you to be a doctor like your dad.”
“I know.” My chest tightens, thinking of some of her last words.Fix this. Make a difference.“I’m going to talk to my father about getting reinstated at Hamilton. After myface heals. I’m late registering, late finding housing.”
“When does the new semester begin?”
“MS-3’s start in early September.” I bat my eyelashes. “Can I stay with you until then? I’m homeless.”