Gabe bolted to his feet and shook Dr. Young's hand. "No, sir. I haven't been waiting long." Despite being anxious to get this over with, Gabe wouldn't have minded waiting another hour.
"You can drop the ‘sir’. We're colleagues here. Call me James." Dr. Young motioned to the chair Gabe had been sitting in as he rounded his desk. "Have a seat."
Gabe dropped back into the padded chair, certain Dr. Young would change his mind about the first name thing after he learned why Gabe was here.
James rocked back in his chair. "I've heard good things about you."
"You have?" Gabe’s shoulders sagged in relief.
"Absolutely. Gladys Murdock swears you're the best thing to ever happen to this town. Travis seems to be making a great recovery, and Paige is doing well also. She keeps telling me how knowledgeable and skilled you are."
Gabe appreciated that Paige sang his praises at home, but he couldn't let himself be sidetracked by compliments. He sucked in a deep breath. "I really appreciate you taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to run the office here, but there’s something I need to confess."
James' jovial smile faded as his brows arched.
"I've let you down, sir." Calling Dr. Young by his first name in this situation didn't seem appropriate. Gabe was tempted to hang his head, but he maintained eye contact with the older man.
"How so?"
"I've behaved unethically in regard to one of my patients."
James' brows lowered into a single unit. His lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw taking on a hard edge. "Explain."
"I've fallen in love with…one of my patients." Gabe gripped the arms of the chair to keep from tugging at the collar of his shirt. "With your daughter, sir."
James' brows shot up, and his mouth dropped open for a split second before his lips pinched together again. He dropped his gaze to his clasped hands. "How did this come about?"
"Well, sir, I've been attracted to Paige from day one. Not just her looks. Her determination to get better, and her willingness to push through the pain and work hard impressed me. But the unethical part is that she's been pretending to be my girlfriend for the past month."
Probably best not to mention that he'd proposed to her last weekend, especially since she gave the ring back today.
"Pretending?" James' head came back up. A deep crease furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"My mother has pancreatic cancer and doesn't have long to live." Gabe took a deep breath, attempting to steel his emotions. "Her biggest regret is that she never got to meet my spouse—or my sister’s. On impulse, I lied to her and told her I was seeing someone in an attempt to make her final days happier." He held up a hand before James could say anything. "I know, I should never have lied to her. But I did. It made her extremely happy to hear that I had a girlfriend, so I felt the need to follow through and find someone to play the part."
"I'm very sorry to hear about your mother, Gabe." James leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk, his hands still clasped. "As a parent, I understand your mother's concerns for her children. There is peace of mind that comes with knowing your children are in healthy, happy relationships." It almost looked like his lips turned up before he schooled his features. "So, you asked Paige to pretend to be your girlfriend?"
"Not technically. Luke, my assistant, has a big mouth and made it known to some of my patients that I was looking for a fake girlfriend.Paige made it clear she wasn't interested. Then Phillip showed up, pressuring her to take him back."
James' brows dropped low again, and his clasped hands separated to curl into fists. "Let me guess…you stepped in to play the role ofherfake boyfriend?"
"Yes, but not before she'd already volunteered to be my fake girlfriend." Gabe couldn't resist any longer; he tugged at the collar of his shirt. Boy, was it hot in here. "I was still undecided whether I'd take her up on her offer when Phillip showed up at PT, making a scene. I felt obligated to back her up at that point."
"He showed up here?" James' brows shot up again as he tapped his desk with a finger.
"I believe it was the day after he first came to town. He kept insisting Paige give him a chance to prove he could be faithful."
Dr. Young snorted. "That snake doesn't have a faithful bone in his body."
"Comparing him to an octopus would be more apt, sir. Spineless and slimy. With tentacles spreading in too many directions."
Gabe considered telling Paige's father about the "offer" Phillip made her the last time he turned up on her doorstep but decided against it. Even though it might paint him in a better light, it would only anger James, and that wouldn't help his cause.
"True." A mask of serious professionalism slipped over the older man’s face. "You mentioned unethical behavior. What boundaries have been crossed?"
Gabe squirmed as he searched for the right words that wouldn't cost him his job or favor with the man he hoped would someday be his father-in-law. Technically, he and Paige hadn't even dated, unless hanging out with his mom and sister could be considered dating. But they had held hands and kissed multiple times, which were inappropriate behaviors for doctors to engage in with their patients.
Gabe opened his mouth to speak, but Dr. Young beat him to it. "You've obviously spent time together outside the office. I assume every time Paige told us she was hanging out with Angie, she was spending time with you?"
