Page 16

Drew

OnceI’mbackin the main house, Emily enters the kitchen from the hallway. She lifts one eyebrow and puts her hands on her hips.

“And where were you just now, young man?”

“I’m older than you, little sister. And I just took her some dinner,” I say as I load the dishwasher.

“Really? So if an old lady who looked like what’s-his-face from Mrs. Doubtfire moved into the basement apartment, you would’ve taken her dinner too?”

“Of course I would. I’m a very nice guy.”

“Right.” She smirks and takes a seat on the bar stool.

Typical annoying little sister, I just wanted to check on Sophie and make sure she was doing okay. And besides, anytime I’m tempted to think of how beautiful she is, I just remind myself of the intimidating vein that pops up on Ted's forehead when he gets angry.

I glare at her. “Stop, Em. I’m not interested in Sophie like that. Plus, I’m like six years older than her. And her dad would kill me.”

She wrinkles her nose. “True. That would be awkward. Not to mention you’re now her landlord. But seriously, you’re getting old. You should really consider settling down, or at least dating.”

“No one will want to be with me now that I’m a decrepit old man.” I pretend to smack my toothless gums together.

“I said old, not elderly.”

I laugh. “Well, actually … a nurse asked me on a date the other day. She’s probably around my age.”

Her mouth drops. “Like a nurse you work with?”

“She doesn’t work in the surgical unit; she works in radiology. She comes upstairs after her shifts sometimes to chat with her friends.”

“Nice! So are you going to go out with her?”

“I think so. We exchanged numbers. And I really need to put myself out there if I don’t want to be single forever.”

“Good for you, bro.” Emily slides off the bar stool and walks to my side to slap me on the back. “Glad you finally said yes to one of the dozens of nurses who has asked you out.”

Rolling my eyes, I respond, “You know I can’t date someone I work with directly. Been there, done that,” I scoff. “And when they ask me out, it makes things super uncomfortable.”

Emily chuckles. “Oh, poor you. It must be so difficult to be a handsome surgeon.”

“Hilarious.”

“No, really, wouldn’t life be so much easier if you were just a little uglier and a little less successful?” She’s doing a terrible job hiding her sarcasm.

I squirt some detergent in the dishwasher and turn it on, then clack my old man gums at my sister once again before walking back to my bedroom.

Between my office hours, surgeries, and being called in to work twice this week, it has flown by.

This is why I hardly ever date. By the time the weekend rolls around, I’m exhausted. All I want to do is curl up on the couch with my daughter, watching whatever Disney movie she picks out.

Last time it was Brave, the one where the crazy, red-haired princess turns her poor mom into a bear.

But I do want to get married. I want Penny to have a mom, and I definitely want her to grow up with siblings. I’m already thirty-six years old. It’s about time I make dating more of a priority.

I’d always wished I had more siblings. My parents wanted more kids, but it took them a long time to get pregnant with my sister.

Penny is turning seven in a few weeks, which means I need to get a move on it if I don’t want her to have siblings ten years younger than her. That’s probably something I should keep to myself and not bring up on my date tonight.

I run my fingers through my damp hair, trying to achieve that perfect tousled look the ladies seem to love so much. Walking into my closet, I look around like I actually have any date-worthy clothing. Hopefully Mariah doesn’t mind casual-Drew. Surely, anything is an improvement from the scrubs she always sees me in.