Page 12 of Doctor Clause

“Whoa.” Her white mug pushed across the counter for a refill. “That’s a lot of questions all at once. I met him at the hospital. He’s a doctor.”

“A doctor, huh?” Pina chuckled. “He has money then. Why not ask him to help you out?”

“I can’t do that!” she exclaimed. “We’ve only been out one time.”

“And you are sleeping with him?” Pina chuckled, brows waggling suggestively. “I never pegged you for a sex on the first date sort of gal.”

“I’m not!” she insisted. “I mean, we haven’t.”

“Your ear-to-ear grin says otherwise,” Pina replied, taking a long sip of tea, while still eyeing her sister carefully. “I’ve never seen you so laid-back and relaxed. You... had an orgasm.”

“Huh?!” She drew in a breath of air, filling her lungs to capacity. “Maybe I did. But that doesn’t mean we went all the way. In fact, he never touched me.”

“What? How does that work?”

“Well,” she said, shifting her bottom on the stool. “I wanted to. I mean, I really wanted to. He said he wasn’t ready. So...” Teeth grated over her bottom lip.

“So?” her sister asked. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

“I did it myself,” she said in a tone just above a whisper.

“You?!” her sister exclaimed. “My sister?! The biggest prude I know, masturbated?! What brought on this change? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see you a little more serene, but it’s not really in your nature.”

She shrugged. “Deep down, I think I wanted a change. I missed out on so much with Miles. And then...”

“And then a doctor’s diagnosis came in?” Pina chuckled.

“Mm-hmm.” Her grin expanded, tugging her skin tight. “He said I needed to understand myself before I could expect someone else to.”

“Ooo.” Pina fanned her face. “I like this man. When do I get to meet him?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Like I said, it’s only been one night.” The part about the deal was conveniently left outof the conversation. There was a chance what she was doing with the good doctor wasn’t necessarily classified as a date and never would be. “Whatever will be, will be.”

“Mom used to say that,” Pina mused. “You know, I’m glad you found something just for you.”

Chapter Ten

Stephen

She was nowhere to be found—not in his office—not in the cafeteria. Where else would she be? Sadly, that was almost the full extent of his knowledge of her. They hadn’t even exchanged contact information.

The moms’ club!

She was a member. Maybe that’s where she was hiding. Too bad that was on the one floor he never visited: the pediatric ward.

It wasn’t that he disliked children. They were like other people, only smaller. It was the questions they came up with which were brutal, plus, during the most magical time of the year, they had a tendency to ask for things he wasn’t able to give.

They wanted to go home for the holidays.

They wanted to play with other kids.

They wanted to go to school.

They wanted all the things healthy children took for granted.

He was just a regular doctor. Those things were well out of his reach. No red sack contained magical cures. If it werepossible, he would have happily spread that sort of cheer on every floor and then some. It wasn’t though. That’s why he never visited the children’s wing. That’s why he only treated adults. While still sad, losing someone who’d already lived a full life was easier than watching youth lose their battles, day after day.

Abandoning his own rules, he was already there, moving swiftly through the corridor to the waiting area. A set of double doors pulled open.

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