Page 20 of Dr. Brandt

“It might not be the Ritz, but it’s not a shithole,” I answered.

“Fair enough. But I’d like you closer to the hospital,” Cameron said, pulling his phone to his ear.

I stood there stunned when Cameron said the hotel’s name to the person he was talking to on the other end of the line. The hotel was known for putting up Hollywood stars for award shows and things whenever they were in town.

“Cam,” I said, shaking my head.

“One sec,” he said to the person on the phone, “Yeah?” He looked at me as if I were going to put in a special request for some extra pillows.

“We’re not staying there, and no, you’re not paying for it either.”

“Oh, I’m not paying for it.” He raised his eyebrows in the daring, playful look I adored, a fact which he seemed to have remembered since he was using it as a weapon against me. “Yeah, for a week to start. Right. Okay, sounds great. Have the hotel send me the confirmation, and I’ll forward that to my patient. Thanks.”

I stood there with my arms folded as I watched Cameron study his phone and handle whatever business was on the screen he was fixated on.

“Well,” I said, prompting Cameron’s head to snap up, his humored eyes meeting my stern ones. “I know I am not paying for that, and my insurance company is certainly not going to approve of it. So, if you’re not paying for the penthouse that you just booked for a week, who is?”

“Easy. Warren.” Cameron chuckled with his new fan, Jackson, laughing right along with him. “Done and done.”

“Seriously. Who is paying for that room?” I insisted.

“I think it’s fair that Warren does since I’m sure the hotel he had you staying in wasn’t delightful enough for the MVP to—”

“Cameron,” I interrupted the man who still had the playful personality I’d always loved. “Who is paying for the room?”

I tried not to smile, but I couldn’t resist it. Damn, I missed this guy. Always spirited and fun but serious when you needed him to be. He had a temper, to be sure, but something significant had to happen for that to show its face.

Warren was nothing like this man. Warren was serious, reserved, and, as of today, on my last nerve. I don’t know why he’d been behaving this way recently, and I didn’t know what to do about it because he was usually steady and typically supportive. What I did know was that this stunt he’d pulled—willingly boarding a plane without us—was going to be a big problem moving forward.

Before I could stop myself, a wave of emotion flooded me, and the sting of tears bit my eyes.

“Hey, now, Jessa. I’m only teasing.” Cameron stared at me with shock. “The hospital pays for the stay if we call them and request the room for certain patients.”

“It’s fine.” I sniffed, trying to shove away these unexpected feelings.

“Mom,” Jackson said in a voice of concern, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m sorry, both of you,” I recovered a fake smile. “It’s just been a long few days, and I think I’m more relieved than anything.”

“Awesome,” was all Cameron said, and the awkwardness was over just like that.

After we were checked into the lavish room, which was as luxurious as the places we went for Warren’s work galas, I glanced around and then started laughing.

“Maybe the tears come first, then the laughing before she knees you in the balls for all this?” Jackson said to Cameron.

“Already a step ahead of you on that assumption, kid,” Cameron cracked with a nervous laugh of his own. “Jessa?”

“Jessa?” Jackson chuckled. “I’ve never heard anyone call her that one before.”

Cameron laughed, and then his eyes met mine. We both knew why he called me Jessa—his Jessa.

“Not a word,” I said as if he’d tell Jackson how he came up with that name for me.

He looked at Jackson. “If you want the story behind that name,” he craned his head back to me, “you’re gonna have to get your mom to cough it up.”

“Ah, ha,” Jackson teased me. “Another time?”

“Another time,” I said with a smile. “But as for now, we’re pretty screwed.”

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