In His Corner. Vina Arno

leave at exactly four o’clock. Go home, take a shower, and wear something skimpy.”

      “And if you’re feeling brave, skip the bra,” added Kristin.

      Siena tightened her grip on the vase. “I’m a little scared to go to the Tenderloin.”

      “Sweetie, you’re strangling the poor vase.” Kristin took it from Siena’s hands and set it on the desk. “Look at you, you’re all stressed out. Sit down.”

      Siena pulled out a chair and fell into it.

      “Now, tell us—what are you afraid of?” Kristin narrowed her eyes. “Drug dealers? Muggers? You’re going to be with the Juggernaut. He can beat anyone to a pulp.”

      “I don’t know… It’s too soon for me to date again.”

      “I disagree.” Kristin held up her right palm in a stop-right-there gesture. “Michael started dating that bimbo from San Francisco General one week after you guys broke up.”

      “I don’t care what Michael does. This has nothing to do with him.”

      “Are you afraid to go to the Tenderloin, or to go out with Tommy Raines?” Molly spoke in her physical therapist’s voice, firm but nonthreatening.

      “I guess I’m scared of him.” Scared of falling for him was more like it.

      “Why?” asked Kristin and Molly at the same time.

      “I don’t believe you.” Molly clucked her tongue. “Any girl would kill to go out with the Juggernaut.”

      “You’ve seen him naked.” Kristin looked exasperated. “You can’t be afraid now.”

      “I don’t know.” Siena shook her head. “He’s a twenty-two-year-old boxer. He’s just so different.”

      “Different from Michael? Different from you?” Kristin’s right eyebrow rose. “Are you saying you’re too good for the Juggernaut?”

      And there it was—the elephant in the room. He was not the same caliber as her past boyfriends, but her liberal East Coast upbringing told her he deserved a fair chance. Merit trumped money or background. Her choice of emergency medicine reflected that belief. Inside the ER, everyone was equal. Class, race, and religion were irrelevant in a heart attack or a stroke or a third-degree burn.

      She leaned back in the chair as her thoughts crystallized. The Juggernaut was not beneath her ex-boyfriends. They had the academic degrees, but he had an Olympic Gold. And, no, she was not better than him. How could she feel superior to a man who had the power to make her do ridiculous things? Giving out her address and letting him kiss her at her workplace were beyond ludicrous.

      “I’m not saying I’m too good for him,” she defended. “He’s different. If Michael is the status quo, then Tommy is an anomaly. I’ve never met anyone like him, so I don’t know how to handle him. By the way, he called me a snob.”

      “Oh, here’s an all-points bulletin. You are a snob.” Kristin crossed her arms, looking resigned.

      “Not true!”

      “Okay, I’ll qualify my statement. You can be a snob sometimes.”

      “How can you say that?” Siena turned to Molly for support.

      Molly winced. “I agree with Kristin.”

      “I can’t believe what you two are saying.”

      “Siena, look at the guys you’ve dated.” Molly glowered at her in pretend annoyance. “Michael came from Harvard, and before him, you dated a guy from Princeton and another one from Columbia. They all drive either a Jaguar or a Porsche. Like you, they spend their vacations visiting art galleries in Rome or snorkeling in Maui.”

      “And how about poor Kevin Bayer?” Kristin continued. “He’s an excellent oncologist. He’s invited you out three times already, but you won’t even return his calls. Is it because he’s not an Ivy League grad?”

      “That’s unfair. I’m not attracted to Kevin. It has nothing to do with his alma mater.”

      Even as she protested, part of her conceded they were right. Both of her parents went to Harvard, while her older sister, Sandra, and her husband met at Yale. Most of their friends were products of the same schools. Could anyone fault her for moving in the same social circle? Was it any wonder she was dismayed to have read an article that had revealed Tommy was a UC Davis dropout?

      Of course, she wanted egalitarianism, but democracy in dating had never been a concern before, because her past boyfriends were like her credit cards. They were all platinum. They all had been “preapproved” by virtue of their social backgrounds. Now, the Juggernaut was stirring things up. He was forcing her to walk the walk.

      “Forget Kevin.” Kristin gave her a dismissive wave of a hand. “Let’s go back to the Juggernaut. You can call him an anomaly with a capital A, but you’re clearly attracted to him—don’t deny it! So you have no excuse not to go out with him.”

      “I am going out with him, but whether I can handle him remains to be seen.”

      There was a knock on the door. Molly was needed to assist another physical therapist.

      “Don’t ‘handle’ Tommy. It’s a date, not a surgery. Just enjoy his company.” Molly squeezed Siena’s hand to reassure her.

      “And if you’re feeling bold, sleep with him.” Kristin got up to give Siena a hug. “I take that back. Even if you’re not feeling bold, sleep with him, anyway.”

      That sent them all laughing.

      They went back to work. At the ED, Tommy’s rose stood out next to the suture tray and a blood pressure monitor on the counter. Siena smelled it. Her skin prickled at the memory of his kiss. When was the last time she felt exhilarated like this? Every fiber of her being was in a flutter of anticipation for their date.

      Was it fear or excitement? It was both. No man had incited these feelings in her in one damning swoop before. Her friends were right. She should try to have fun with him and stop worrying.