Page 66 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

“It was uneventful. Just catching up on household cleaning and other stuff.”

“I see.”

“Nothing special.”

“Hmm.”

“Luke has the same tan that you have.”

The source makes itself known and my nerves awaken in an instant. The glint in Mark’s eyes is speculative, and I can almost see his gears turning as he analyzes it. Fear thrums in my system that he’ll put two and two together…and then what?

I’ll be in trouble. Luke will be in trouble.

Riley will be affected.

It takes everything inside me to channel calm when I’m not feeling it at all, but I manage to keep my tone the perfect balance of curiosity and casualness. “Oh? He’s tanned, too?”

“Yeah.” He nods. “I heard he went to the Hamptons.”

My heart spikes. How the hell did this man find out Luke went to the Hamptons? Did he know anyone from the party?

Did anyone spot us?

Before my overactive imagination can run wild and ruin it for me, I gulp down my nerves and tilt my head. “How did you know he went to the Hamptons?”

“I heard someone ask him about his tan this morning and he said that.” His gaze narrows. “Why are you asking?”

Keep calm.

“Because I didn’t know it myself. You doctors sure keep gossip like this to yourselves.”

It’s a light teasing, but not too much that he’ll think we can be friends again. But it’s enough to clear the expression on his face a bit—and that’s all I need before I sidestep him and give back a relaxed wave.

“Anyway, I have to get going. All that fun time at the beach with my family doesn’t erase the fact that I still have a stack of work waiting for me. Have a good day, Mark.”

At least that wasn’t a lie. Luke is technically my child’s father, hence he’s also family.

I don’t know how I manage to keep my stance relaxed until I’m out of his sight, but it’s a feat that gives me relief. Still, I’m no longer as confident as earlier, my consciousness taking over that I never even took into account how all that time under the sun would look on our skin.

What if Mark isn’t the only one who questions it? What if the others notice the tan, too, and speculate? What if those speculations turn into suspicions once they see us together since we work closely together?

Keep calm.

Then there’s Mark, who’s still not out of the picture. He was friendly earlier and engaging, but something about his line of questioning and that look on his face tells me he’s not done observing—and if he gossiped to a new acquaintance like me when he sat in the cafeteria with me, then there’s no stopping him from gossiping to others. I can’t stop that.

But I can control the narrative with my actions. No, not just can.

I have to.

Luke is called to oversee a surgery as soon as I arrive in the office, then stays busy for the rest of the morning. It’s a good thing as Wanda comes in to check on me, her face lighting up when she notices my tan. She excitedly asks about my weekend with my daughter, and I don’t have the heart to deny her the details.

So I tell her that we went to the beach without revealing there was a third person with us or that the beach was at the Hamptons. She doesn’t question it, too focused on how much fun my daughter had before she tells us about bowling with her husband and kids, then just lounging around on a lazy Sunday.

“That sounds like my kind of day.” I grin teasingly. “And that’s usually how Riley and I spend our weekend. But I guess we wanted some sea breeze for a change.”

“Let’s go to the beach together next time. I might even get Jasper and Maria to come with us if our schedules click and we tell them there are hot people there.”

I laugh, then agree that it’s a good idea. I leave the office during my lunch break and make sure not to pass by the operating room area where Luke is, even going as far as just ordering food and eating inside one of the quieter lounges.

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