His Broken Heart Antidote - Anne-Marie Meyer Page 0,1

it onto the metal counter in front of the protective glass shields.

Salads and premade sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap sat behind the case. I wrinkled my nose at how sad and wilted the food looked. I was going to go with something hot today.

“Sounds like a party,” I said as I grabbed my tray and turned away from Grant, eager to get a moment where I didn’t have to chat about babes upon babes. “I’m going to grab something from the—”

A bar of some kind rammed into my back, making me jerk and stumble. It took a second for me to process what was happening. Then, searing hot pain shot through my body as I glanced behind me to see a red substance sliding all down my legs. “What the …”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep the curse words from streaming forth. There was a kid with an IV drip not far away. I spun, slipping on red sauce.

My gaze cut to two dark green eyes glaring up at me through black-rimmed glasses.

I towered over the tiny woman, noting that her hair was pulled up into a bun at the top of her head. Which would have been strange if it wasn’t so fetching.

“Why did you suddenly step out?” she demanded as she dropped to the ground and started scooping sauce back into the pot. She used her bare hands and was just as covered in the stuff as I was.

Thoughts finally formed back in my mind as I took a deep breath and crouched down. I started shoving the red sauce into a pile as I offered her a sympathetic smile.

That didn’t thaw her icy demeanor. “This is a cafeteria. You should have looked behind you before you just jumped out of line.” She scraped her tomato-colored hands on the edge of the pot before standing. Then she wiped the remaining sauce off onto her starch-white apron.

“Um …” I started, but then I pinched my lips together. She seemed to think that this was my fault, but that was not what had happened. I warred with myself, trying to decide if it was even worth attempting to fight her on this.

Her scowl deepened. “‘Um’ what?”

I wanted to meet her anger head-on, but she was just too dang cute, sitting there with her hands on her hips, looking like she was scolding a toddler, even though I was a good foot and a half taller than her and she was covered in red sauce. But she looked as if she were waiting for me to speak, so I decided if she was confident enough to dish it out, she should be able to take it. “You ran into me,” I said as I leaned in to give her a playful smile.

Her eyes widened.

Betty, the regular cafeteria worker, appeared beside me with a mop bucket in hand. “I’m so sorry, Dr. McKnight. This was my fault. I asked Ellise to take the sauce out, and I should have done it myself.” Betty’s cheeks were pink as she smiled up at me, revealing the gap between her two front teeth. Some women paid lots of money to get that look, but Betty came by it naturally. I’d seen her granddaughter’s smile.

I shook my head. “No harm, no foul,” I said. “I’m used to dirty scrubs.” I waved toward my now-splattered clothes.

Betty’s cheeks reddened even more. But Ellise? Ellise didn’t falter in her glare. I furrowed my brow as I studied her. She was really bothered by me, but I couldn’t figure out why.

“A truce?” I asked as I extended my hand. When I realized that it was still covered in sauce, I brought it back and wiped it on my pants. I returned it to the space between Ellise and me, and she was no longer there. Instead, she was crouched down, dumping sauce by the handfuls into the garbage someone must have brought over.

“Dude,” Grant said, as he nudged me with his elbow. “Ready?”

I glanced at my friend and then back to Ellise, who looked as if she was in no mood to speak. So I sighed, grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the cooler behind me, and then sidestepped Ellise and Betty as we headed to the register.

Just before I was out of earshot, I heard Ellise mutter under her breath, “Typical.”

I paused, wondering what she meant or if I should even respond, but then I brushed it off. Apparently, I’d upset her. I wasn’t