Page 76 of Dr. Intern

Anything. I need to see my girl.

I don’t expect an immediate reply, so I call the ER to let them know that I’m coming. As I’m about to head out of the door, my phone pings with a picture from Claire. Her pink lips are wrapped around the vibrator’s head with the caption:

Still think I can’t take all of you in my mouth?

Fuck me.

I’m going to be late for that consult.

Chapter 30

Claire

For the past week, Beau has refused to do anything other than kiss me. Maybe an ass grab here and there, but nothing remotely like he promised in his texts, which is disappointing, because I actually listened to him and used the vibrator. I’m trying not to get too irritated, though, because he’s been so busy with work, and I know he can barely think straight. Last night he came home from the hospital and practically collapsed into a deep sleep, not even making it up to his loft.

I feel guilty for being disappointed, but god, am I frustrated. All I can think about is getting my hands on him again, which is a completely foreign feeling to me. It’s like I never got to experience the sex-crazed teenager phase, and now it’s hit me with full force, even though we haven’t had sex yet.

The vibrator that he got me can only do so much, though I now understand why people love them. I want to scream the miracles of the Magic Wand to anyone who will listen. It may be the miniature version, but that thing is powerful and way more efficient than my fingers. It makes me wonder why women don’t get each other vibrators as gifts. We could all benefit from that kind of generosity in our lives.

While we might not be fucking, Beau and I have been sleeping in the same bed every night, and on the nights that he’s not home, I find myself grabbing his pillow from upstairs to snuggle with it. Somehow over several months, he’s become one of my best friends. Beau’s someone who I feel completely at home with, which is surprising because sometimes I don’t even feel that way with my own family.

Fortunately, I’ve had my nursing school application to keep me busy while he’s gone.If my parents taught me anything, it’s that networking can get you pretty far in life. Since Thanksgiving, I’ve spent hours on the phone with the admissions counselor at Elmridge, trying to work out how I can start in the spring. Apparently, since I took a bunch of the prerequisites in undergrad, I’m only one credit short of the admissions requirements. She told me that if I could finish the self-paced microbiology class before the start of the semester in January, they would likely have no problem admitting me.

But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been anxiously awaiting the email. This is the only nursing school I applied to, and the admissions decisions are due back next week, so I’ve been on pins and needles. The only person I’ve told is Cassidy because I didn’t want to jinx anything if I didn’t get in. I’ve always been a put all your eggs in one basket type of person, so if this doesn’t work out, I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do.

As I’m working on the lab portion of my class, my phone rings, and my brother’s baby picture pops onto the screen. He hates that I have it as his contact photo, which only makes me love it more.

“Hello, dearest brother. Long time no talk.”

I know Parker has been busy with work and the new house, but I miss him. I thought living in the same city would mean getting to see each other more, but he’s barely been around. I’ve actually spent more time recently with Cassidy than with my brother. While that’s not something I’m complaining about, because I love Cass, I just feel a little disappointed.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Parker says, voice slightly muffled. It sounds like he’s in the car because the audio isn’t great, and there’s feedback on the line.

“I can barely hear you, just FYI.”

“Piece of shit,” he grumbles, taking a moment before he adds, “Okay is that better?”

“Much.” I smile at his irritation. My brother might be many things, but jolly certainly isn’t one of them.

“Had to put the phone on speaker. You made me pay a hundred grand for this car, and it has the worst audio.”

“You know you love it,” I tease, completely immune to his grumpy act. “Did you just call me to complain?”

“No, sorry,” he sighs into the speaker. “I heard about your nursing school thing by the way.”

Of course he did. I should have known that Cass would spill the beans. Ever since the incident with Mom’s diagnosis, she’s been hyper-aware of keeping secrets from my brother. Which is why it’s strange that she hasn’t told him about Weston . . . I need to remember to ask her about that.

Before I can respond, Parker adds, “I think it’s great, Claire. Mom would be really proud of you.”

My heart sinks with his words. This is the first time we’ve talked about her since the funeral, and in true Winters family fashion, we’re discussing emotions over the phone rather than in person. It’s more comfortable that way, I guess, andavoiding our feelings runs in our blood.

“I hope so,” I confess, closing my eyes to picture her face. It’s only been three months, but the image I have of her in my mind is already fading.

“I know so,” he confirms, pausing before adding, “I’m proud of you, too.”

I blink in astonishment, struggling to find the right words. Parker has never said that he was proud of anyone, let alone his annoying little sister.

“Did your robot brain melt and turn human?” I ask, trying to add levity to our conversation. “Pretty sure that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

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