Page 50 of Auctioned to Dr. Daddy

It’s very, very pointed. I turn back to finish making breakfast without saying anything. Tyler owes me big time for this one.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Demi

Roundsshouldbeuneventful,especially without Nathan there to keep me preoccupied. And at the start, they are. But about an hour before my shift ends, a tall, blonde woman comes onto the floor.

Her eyes are like ice as they flit about.

She’s heading for the nurse’s station first, but then she catches sight of me and beelines my way.

I brace myself, expecting this to be an irate family member. “I’m sorry, miss. Visiting hours end in twenty minutes. I can ring a nurse for you—”

“I don’t need another nurse,” she says, with a wave of her hand. Her manicure looks expensive. “I’m looking for Nathan.”

The woman rocks forward slightly, making a show of peering at the name tag clipped to the front of my scrubs. “Nurse—”

“Doctor, actually,” I tell her. Well, Resident. It’s close enough. Crotchety family members don’t need to know the distinction. I offer her my hand. “Dr. Demi Winters. I’m one of Dr. Stone’s co-workers. He’s not here today, but I can have him call you if…”

I trail off.

The woman’s face has twisted about into something ugly. She takes a quick step back, looking me over. “You’re Demi?”

“Yes?” I question. My brows furrow. I look her over again. She does look familiar to me, but I can’t place where I’ve seen her. At least, not at first. Then it hits me. “Oh my God, you’re Emma.”

I’ve seen her in magazine and newspaper pictures, standing at Nathan’s side. It's his ex-wife. My stomach flips up and then plummets down into my feet.

The well-crafted resident composure that I normally cling to takes a sharp downward spike.

“That’s right,” says Emma, somehow managing to stand up even straighter. She tilts her head back, looking down her nose at me. “My daughter told me all about you the last time she was at my house.”

“Good things, I hope.”

Emma’s mouth pulls into a thin line. Something like fire flashes through her eyes as she looks me over. “I should have known it would be someone younger.”

“What?” My mouth drops open. “I think you should probably just go before something is said that you regret later. We don’t really have to do—”

She jabs a finger at my chest. “You’re the reason that he’s not answering any of my calls!”

“I don't know why he’s not answering your calls, but my first guess would be that it’s because you’re divorced, and he doesn’t have to,” I tell her. The moment that the words come out of my mouth, I regret them. Too late now, though.

Emma is furious. It’s plain to see from the look on her face. She’s got a strong dislike for me, and an instant telling that I’m not just Nathan’s new friend, but something more than that. I can’t even deny it now. We’ve talked about it, and we’re official.

“That’s not going to happen,” says Emma, sharply.

“Excuse me?” I’m not sure what other answer to give to that.

“It’s not going to happen,” She repeats. “I’m not about to let you swoop in—”

“I didn’t swoop in,” I protest, standing up a little bit straighter. If I can take on a farrier that’s never had to deal with a woman trainer before, I can take on someone like Emma. My jaw goes tight. I just hope that it doesn’t make Nathan angry with me.

I know that he loves me. But this is still the mother of his child. There’s a reason it took so long for Nathan to finalize that divorce.

“You’ve signed the papers. He’s not going to stay single forever, and he’s not going to change his mind about you, Emma,” I tell her.

I’m firm but trying not to be too nasty about it. “You need to accept that and stop—” I gesture at the hospital hallway. “Showing up at his work like this! All you’re doing is making it harder on Tabitha, watching the two of you go back and forth like this.”

Emma falters for a moment.

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