Page 19 of Dr. Sexypants

She shook her head. “I think it’s important to show you respect in front of patients.”

When I was doing my residency and tried insisting the charge nurse call me Justin, she’d explained that referring to me as “doctor” helped ease the patients’ minds—like they were in capable hands.

I glanced around the bakery. “I don’t see any patients.” Then I gestured to my joggers and t-shirt. “And I’m not wearing a lab coat.”

My favorite nurse laughed. “Fair enough, Justin.” She wrinkled her nose. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Oh, come on,” Lainey interjected. “You’re going to buy him a beer tonight and say, “Here ya go, Dr. Weaver,” when you hand it to him?” She looked over at me. “You drink beer, right?”

That scenario seemed very specific. I felt my eyebrows knit together when I drew out my reply. “Yeeaaah…”

“But is that your drink of choice?”

“I don’t really drink that often. But I like a cold beer on a hot day or a gin and tonic if I’m at Hannigan’s.”

“Perfect. I’ll tell Josie that’s your preference, so she knows what to make when people start buying your drinks tonight.”

I cocked my head. “I’m not going to Hannigan’s tonight.”

“What do you mean? I thought—” Lainey cast a panicked look at Jade. “Did I just ruin his surprise party? Why didn’t you tell me it was a surprise!”

“I didn’t know it was a surprise!” her sister exclaimed, followed by “Shit!” With pleading eyes, she begged, “Promise you’ll act surprised or I’m never going to get invited to another work party again.”

“Well, since I’m not going to Hannigan’s tonight, you don’t have to worry about it. I have dinner plans. My buddies are taking me to Maxfi—”

That’s when it dawned on me.

They weren’t taking me out for a fancy meal.

I should have been suspicious from the get-go. I thought it’d been weird that Rob had suggested the nicest restaurant in town to celebrate my birthday.

I shook my head. “I’m not going to a surprise party. I’ll stay home and order pizza before I do that.”

“Aw, Kristy will be so disappointed to hear that.”

Come again?

My gaze snapped to Lainey’s. “Why would she be disappointed?”

“Well, if you’re not going to show up to your party, then it’s going to be canceled, and we were going to go.”

“She was going to come to my party?”

“Well, yeah. We all were.”

Jade slid from her chair and walked behind the food case to stand next to her sister. “The whole town’s planning on being there.”

Fuck. That.

That sounded like the worst time ever.

Except.

“Does Kristy know it’s a party for me?”

A slow grin spread across Lainey’s face. “Of course. In fact, she was helping me out earlier but left to go buy you a present.”

The only present I wanted from Kristy Blanchard was her naked in my bed.