Page 41 of Dr. Brandt

For fuck’s sake. Shut the hell up already!

“Fortunately for the ladies, I still dig chicks. And fortunately for your cute little ass, I still dig you too and I am not dating anyone—male or female.”

“How did we get onto this subject?”

“Your wild assumptions, still pissed that I left you in college, no hope for second chances, and me standing you and your boy up yesterday morning.”

“Right, good. But I went to those assumptions because—”

“I have a beach house, and it’s around where you and Jackson are staying.”

“How would you know where we’re staying?”

“I peaked at the medical charts,” he said. “Anyway, it’s five or six houses from where you’re at, just a fun walk down the beach. I’m off at seven tonight, and I’d love to cook you both dinner. We’ll sit, and I can answer any questions that may have come up since you left the hospital yesterday.”

“You know, Cameron Brandt, if my son weren’t so upset, and if I had any clue how to handle this situation, I would turn you down.”

“I know without a shadow of a doubt that you would turn all this down. But I am reaching out to offer some help that may ease any fears that have arisen since meeting with Lisa yesterday.”

I ran my hand over the top of my head and chewed on my bottom lip. I looked out the ocean window, knowing that this place gave good vibes, and if we were going to talk about this shit, we would all be comfortable opening up here. I just needed to be careful not to get too comfortable with Cam.

“Fine. What time do you want us there?” I conceded.

“Fish Tacos at my place at eight-thirty.”

“We ate that last night,” I said with a smile.

“Fine, then, chicken tacos?”

“Bleh. You know I hate chicken.”

He laughed. “Well, you’re fucking with me, so I’m fucking with you.” He laughed again. “Listen, I have to get back to meeting my patients in the office. It’s going to be carne asada, then.”

“There you go ignoring—”

“I had you scheduled to call first thing when I got to the office. I have my first patient at eight. I’m getting off this call at seven fifty-five to do a quick study on charts before I meet with them. So, no, I didn’t fuck up priorities this time.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry about your patient from yesterday. Really.”

“Thank you,” he answered, more serious now. “You and Jackson have a nice day, and I’ll see you both tonight.”

We ended the call, and I wanted to think of someplace Jackson and I could go to get his mind off things until we met with Cameron tonight. He’d been adamant about searching for a car since he wasn’t into Ubering everywhere anymore, so maybe that’s what we’d do. We could make our way to a used car lot and see if we got lucky.

Chapter Twenty

Cam

It was no surprise that Jessa would take her anger and frustration out on me this morning. I understood why she decided to sit me on my ass for not being there for her and Jackson. I wasn’t making excuses for her, but I knew the fear that was ruling her at the moment. I’d seen this with many of my patients’ families. They were frightened, in shock, and usually went through grief stages while deciding upon surgery for their children.

Regardless, I couldn’t go back in time and fix any of this, so what was the point in even thinking about it? I could only go forward, and that meant doing something a bit more intimate for her and Jackson, using this time to address their concerns and maybe even talk about the issues plaguing them with fear.

I glanced up, past my outdoor kitchen barbeque, and took another drink of my beer, enjoying the aroma of the carne asada on my grill.

I used the tongs to flip the skirt steak and watched the flames rise over the meat, the sounds of the ocean complementing the sizzle of this delicious-smelling steak that was making my mouth water.

I glanced down at my watch. Jessa wasn’t here yet, and I was beginning to wonder if it would be rude to sneak a taco before they arrived. I was starving.

“You know, every time you fire up that barbeque and send those fancy aromas into my house, I contemplate whether or not it’s your way of sending an invitation to have me over for dinner.”

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