Page 91 of Dr. Intern

“He’s not that hot,” I say flippantly, hoping she’ll change the subject.

Caroline stands, crossing the room to pull a Diet Coke from the fridge.“Ugh,” she whines, the can cracking open with a slow hiss. “Why are there no good-looking guys at my school?”

“Because you go to the best medical school in the southeast, my dear sister,” I state, planting a kiss on the side of her head. “Looks aren’t an admission requirement, except where you’re concerned.”

“Parker went to the best medical school in the country, and he’s attractive,” Cassidy points out with a glow of amusement in her hazel eyes.

I fake a gag as I snatch her coffee from her hand and sniff.

“What’re you doing?” she asks, looking at me like I’m insane.

“Just checking for drugs,” I state, handing her back the mug. “Because there’s no way any person in their right mind would say that.”

Cass grabs the Santa hat off her head and tosses it at me. “You should be happy I’m in love with your brother.”

“Oh trust me, I am,” I reply, easily dodging the flying object. “I just don’t want to hear how much you love him, or what exactly that love entails.” I shudder dramatically to get my point across as a timer on the oven dings.

Cassidy turns to take the cookies out and nearly trips face-first into the oven, sending me into a fit of giggles. I’m glad she’s an ER nurse—with her lack of coordination, she probably gets paid in free visits, rather than real money.

“So what’s the game plan for these bad boys?” I ask, eyeing the warm tray in her hands. Suddenly, my stomach feels like a bottomless pit that could easily devour the whole batch.

“That’s the reason we came over,” Cass explains, placing the cookies on the counter. “We’re gonna take them to the hospital.”

“And here I was thinking you visited to make sure I didn’t spend Christmas alone,” I say, pretending to be hurt. “Turns out, you just needed my oven.”

Cassidy’s eyes widen, clearly feeling guilty.

“Oh no, Claire, that’s not it at all,” she rushes to clarify, her voice laced with genuine concern. “We were going to force you to hang out regardless. The working oven is just an added bonus.”

I give her a playful wink to show I’m only teasing, and she releases a relieved sigh.

I love the two of them with my whole heart; their unexpected arrival and kitchen takeover this morning was the best kind of surprise, pulling me out of my head when I needed it the most.

As I reach for a cookie, Caroline springs up from the floor and swats my hand away with ninja-like reflexes.

My bottom lip pushes forward, giving her my best pout. “No cookies for me?”

“Not if you keep eating the dough before we can bake them.”

I turn to Cass, lowering my voice conspiratorially. “See? Demon.”

She stifles a grin and then adds, “I’m just looking forward to seeing Morgan and the boys. Nothing says Merry Christmas quite like cookies.”

“You do realize Parker doesn’t eat stuff like this, right?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “He’s a robot when it comes to food.”

“Pretty sure Mom’s cookies are the only sweet treat Parker eats,” Caroline counters, bumping her hip against mine playfully. “And this is the perfect chance for you to reintroduce me to Beau.”

I blink, trying to figure out what happened to my sweet, baby sister.Is her coffee also drugged?

“Absolutely not,” I snap, feeling my pulse begin to race. “One, he’s too old for you. And two, he’s mi—” The words almost tumble out before I can stop them, and I feel my eyes widen as I stammer. “My, I mean, my . . . he’s my roommate.”

The room falls into a brief, awkward silence as my sister and Cassidy exchange knowing looks.

“So, because he’s your roommate, I can’t date him?” Caroline’s smirk transforms into a devious grin.

My sister, though often seeming innocent and poised, knows exactly how to stir the pot—something she definitely learned from me. Unfortunately, now she’s using my best moves against me.

“No, you can’t date him because he’s our brother’s best friend!”

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