Page 42 of Auctioned to Dr. Daddy

Three: I only have a set amount of time to figure out what the hell I’m going to do because at some point my belly’s going to show and then the secret will come out.

There are no answers to any of these problems in the shower. I stand in there until all of the hot water runs out, and then I drag myself into the kitchen, wrapped up in my big fuzzy red and white bathrobe, for a mug of coffee.

Outside, the rain turns the farm into a mess of gray.

The horses have all been put into their stalls for the occasion, including the one lone mule that’s normally out in the paddock with the senior.

Standing at the sink, hip propped to the counter, with my hands curled around a mug of coffee, I feel almost like everything is normal.

Almost.

That feeling clings to me twenty-four hours later, when I show back up to work. I’ve still got no clue what I’m going to do to fix this. And the fact that I run into Nathan and Tabitha in the lobby doesn’t help at all.

She’s such a sweet girl, and she loves her dad. It’s lovely how she’s curled up in his arms while Nathan talks to Jackson and his wife, Amanda.

Can I just… Put off talking to Nathan for a bit?

No luck. He’s caught sight of me and is waving me over. I try to put on the most normal expression that I can muster and make my way toward them.

“Good morning,” I say, cheerfully.

Tabitha gives me a little wave with her chubby hand and an even smaller smile, then goes back to burying her face in her daddy’s neck. Nathan grins at me, as though that’s the best thing that he’s seen all year.

“Morning,” says Amanda. “You made it through the storm alright?”

“Yeah, I just had a bug at the tail end of it,” I lie, not wanting to give myself away just yet. Which is fine. For the moment, at least, they seem to buy it.

Chapter Nineteen

Nathan

Isitjustme,or is Demi acting off?

I can’t place my finger on it, but there’s something about her today that just doesn’t seem right.

The whole time we were talking with Jackson and Amanda this morning, she was quiet. And now that we’re doing rounds, she seems distracted.

Around the third time that she loses her pen, I decide we need to figure out what’s up. I motion for Demi to follow me but instead of leading her into the next patient’s room, I lead her into an empty one.

Demi frowns a little. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you,” I tell her, catching hold of her hand. My thumb swipes over her wrist. “And don’t tell me that nothing’s wrong, because I’m not blind or stupid.”

Her lower lip juts out, just for a moment, and she glances away. Her tells are terribly obvious. “I’m just rattled from the storm. And I’m still not feeling that great.”

There’s a window in this room. While the bulk of the storm has passed over us, it’s still raining outside. All of Seattle has turned gray in the wake of the rain. I drift over toward it, peeking around the edge. The parking lot is still just as flooded as before. “You think I’m going to believe that?”

“It’s the truth,” says Demi.

“Honey, I’m not stupid. I don’t know what you’re lying to me over, but you might as well stop. I can tell that you’re not being honest.” I turn back to face her, frowning. “What’s really going on?”

But Demi is stubborn, and even though I’ve called her out on the lie, she seems determined to stick to it. One shoulder jerks in a sharp bounce. The bright yellow fabric of her scrubs bunches up slightly. “I’m telling you what’s going on. I’m just feeling a bit under the weather still.”

But I can see it written all over her face, that she’s not telling me the truth. Something wells up in my chest. I can’t help but think about my ex-wife, and how rocky things had been between us at the end. How it felt like Emma was always lying to me about something.

The thought of Demi doing the same thing… I can’t stand it.

I’m a proud guy. I try hard not to act like I’ve been rattled by the way that my divorce went. But Emma spent years lying to me. It’s an ingrained reaction to get instantly upset about it.

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