A half-smile, half-smirk was playing on Chris' face as he appeared at the entrance of the fertility clinic. He caught instant sight of Candice, and he found it arousing that she didn't initially notice him, even as she approached.
The brunette's gaze was downcast as she clutched her purse straps in one hand, her cell phone in the other. It was just as she was by the door that she looked up and saw him.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, slightly startled. However, her expression cleared, and she gave him a winning smile. "Dr. Irvington, I didn't see you."
Irving chuckled softly. He visually appreciated her form. Candice was most certainly not Amy Dumas, but the redhead was in a league of her own. Regardless, the brunette standing before him was stunning, with a trim, fit body and cascading long curls that hung down her back. She had large, expressive brown eyes that seemed to sparkle. She was a true beauty in every sense of the word.
"Now, Candice," he chastised her, "none of this 'Dr. Irvington' business... Call me Keith."
She seemed to blush a little, but then thought herself silly. he was right - why was she referring to him as 'doctor?' After all, this was a social call, as they were about to go out on a date. She supposed it was probably because she worked for a doctor.
"Of course... Keith. I'm sorry," she said, somewhat flustered as she raised the hand that still held the cell phone to her forehead. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."
Chris donned a smile of amusement on his face as he escorted her out of the building.
"Nervous?" he echoed. "Oh, you don't have to feel that way around me."
Candice shoved her cell phone into the left front pocket of her slacks for the time being. She eyed the man and gave him a tiny, more assured smile. He was very handsome, all decked out in a steel-gray business suit and black wingtips. He had an air of sophistication about him, and the young woman sensed he didn't typically ask out girls like her.
"Okay," she said, a bit of her tension beginning to melt away. It was odd that she would feel at all jittery after their first encounter. She had been anything but nervous as she'd offered to get him copies of his patient's records.
Then again, on the other hand, she had felt her heart positively racing as she'd actually carried out the act. She knew she'd been doing the wrong thing in that she hadn't gotten permission from Dr. Smith. Her job could very well be on the line if it were to get back to him that she'd done that.
"I hope you like Indian," Irvine said as they reached his car. He dinged the alarm, then unlocked the passenger's door for her first.
Candice gave him a grateful look and smiled.
"I love Indian food!" she exclaimed. "Any spicy food, actually... I'm half-Latina, so it's all good to me." She slipped into the car and the blond man closed the door behind her before entering on the driver's side.
"Really?" he asked once in his seat. He studied her with intensity. "What nationality exactly?"
"Panamanian," the brunette said. "On my mother's side. My father was German."
"'Was?'"
Now, Candice's demeanor abruptly changed. It was a sore, very emotional subject for her, and she bowed her head. She nodded and was glad she didn't feel tears coming.
"Yeah... He was killed in a car crash when I was nineteen. Actually, both my parents were."
Chris eyed her for a long moment. It wasn't that he was a completely heartless person, but for some reason, he was intrigued and didn't quite feel a twinge, though he did sympathize.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Candice looked up, nodding softly as she met his crystal-blue eyes. She mouthed, 'thank you' to him before quickly looking away.
Irvine knew now was the time to change the subject, and so, he did.
"So... How long have you worked for Dr. Smith?"
The brunette looked back up at him, and her mood slightly improved at the sight of the slight smile on his handsome face.
"Nearly five years now," she replied. "I started there fresh out of college. He's a good boss."
Irvine smiled even wider at her response but had nothing to say at that. He then faced forward again, eyes on the road. He couldn't wait to get to the
restaurant so they could really talk, and he could get to know even more about this woman.