“Holy cow,” she murmured. “I’d love to study that.”
“Why does every doctor say that?” he laughed.
“Because spontaneous triplets is extremely rare and to have more than one set in a family is incredible. I know there are lots of multiples here but it’s truly miraculous. And the fact that you’re all healthy and normal is amazing.”
“Well,” he smirked. “At least you think I’m normal.”
“Actually, I think you’re above normal,” she smiled. “I’m sorry I’m so weird about all this Mitch. I wasn’t trying to be self-deprecating. I didn’t have one date in high school. Not one. The night of my senior prom, Hal took me to a Broadway show, dinner and then a long walk around the city. It was the first ‘date’ of my life and it was the best one.”
“No dates in college?” he frowned.
“A few here and there. It was always the super nerdy kid that just wanted to tell his buddies he went on a date. Or the athlete or frat boy going out with me on a dare. When I was in my residency, I was too busy to date.”
“After residency?” he asked quietly.
“There was another doctor in the ER at the hospital where I was working. The nurses had warned me about him but I didn’t listen. I never thought he’d ask me out.”
“Did he?”
“Sort of,” she said looking away for a moment. “He always made sure we worked the same shift and I was his junior so I’d rush to get the meds if the nurses weren’t available. Sometimes I would question him because the meds seemed too much or too different for the situation.
“He threatened to report me to the hospital administration board and I got scared. Until. Until a patient died because they were given a medication they were allergic to. I had to come forward. And I did. He was taking narcotics from the drug locker and taking them himself and selling the others.”
“A doctor was doing this?” he frowned.
“He had a lot of med school debt. Not that it’s a good reason but that’s why. I had to appear before the medical board and his license was suspended.”
“How did he take that?” asked Mitch. He had that feeling in his gut like he wasn’t going to enjoy the answer.
“He was pissed. More than pissed. Threatened to kill me. Threatened to find a way that I would lose my license. He-he said some pretty awful things during the hearings.”
“Let me guess. It was about your appearance.” She nodded at him and he could see the shame and embarrassment on her face. “He was doing that to make you feel inferior, afraid.”
“Well, mission accomplished. I felt like a fool for believing he enjoyed working with me, working in my company. He said so and I believed him.”
“That’s on him, not you,” he said reaching across the table for her hand. At first she tugged, pulling back. Then she relaxed, enjoying the feeling of his hand in hers.
“You look tired,” she said with concern in her eyes. “Let’s get you to your cottage.”
“I hate to admit it, but I am tired,” he said. “I can get Brooks to take me back if it’s out of your way.”
“Actually, my cottage is close to yours,” she said beneath her breath. He stared at her and tilted his head.
“Is it? How fucking lucky am I?”
“You might not think you’re lucky when I see you doing something you shouldn’t and yell at you,” she smirked. He smiled at her, leaning over her shoulders.
“You’d be surprised how happy that would make me.”
CHAPTER SIX
Mitch had to admit he barely slept thinking about the woman a few cottages over from his own. She really didn’t understand how beautiful she was and what an impact she had on his body.
It wasn’t even 0700 and he was sitting on the porch, gently rocking with a coffee mug in his hand. If he moved too quickly, his head paid the price. So, slow gently movements seemed the order for the day. When she appeared on her front porch, he stood and waved at her.
“Good morning,” she called out. She walked toward him, gesturing for him to sit down. “Don’t get up for me. I’ll sit with you if you have coffee made.”
“I always have coffee made,” he smiled. “There’s a pot fresh and hot on the counter.”
