Page 31 of Doctor Charmer

“You could have shown up in your sweats and you would have still been the most stunning woman in the room.”

She runs a finger down the length of my forearm, and I capture the light, fruity scent of an expensive fragrance. “Didn’t want to disappoint. I know you have a reputation with the ladies, and if you’re going to show me off to all your doctor friends, I knew I’d have to represent you well.”

“Reputation?” I begin to respond when two familiar bodies appear next to Ivy.

“And who do we have here, Reggie?”

“Angie!” I hear the excitement in my voice, like a kid caught with his hands in the cookie jar. “Brayton, good seeing you again.” I extended my hand for a handshake from Angie’s fiancé. Brayton is African American, tall, built like a tank.

I wave a hand at Ivy. “This is Coach Ivy Springwood. Her team’s bus was in an MVC, and she’s hanging around until her teammates heal.”

Brayton gives her a handshake, but Angie surprises me by pulling her into a hug. “So, this is the infamous Coach Girls-Grab-Your-Balls Ivy. The ambulance drivers have been singing your praises for days.” Angie releases her hug, and her eyes take a perusal of her. “Smart and beautiful.”

“Right back at you.” Ivy says the words with a friendly ease that lowers the concerns I had carried. Of all the people I knew she’d meet tonight Angie was the one I was most curious about.Angie is probably my closest friend in the hospital. We have a long history. She knows my every secret.

“Oh, I like this one. I knew the day Reggie finally brought someone to one of his mixers, she’d be special.”

“Wait, what?” Ivy whips her head in my direction. “No way I’m the first woman you’ve brought?”

I pump my hands in front of me and ignore Brayton’s chuckle. “It’s not that serious. I’m the organizer. I’m usually focused on making sure everything is running smoothly. Besides, we only invite guests once a year.”

Ivy looks toward Angie for verification. She shrugs. “Once a year for twelve years. That’s still eleven other times he didn’t.” She buries me like a good friend.

“Dear, let’s leave the two lovebirds to themselves,” Brayton presses a kiss to Angie’s cheek and whispers something in her ear I don’t hear. Her giggle speaks louder than anything he might have said.

“Happy holidays and good night,” Angie says through laughs. “Ivy, I’m in Ortho on the sixth floor. Come look for me if you get bored with this guy.”

“You know it, best friend.” Ivy glows, and I don’t doubt for a second if she lived in Eastport, she and Angie would be best friends.

We both watch Angie and Brayton weave through the party, making a beeline to the exit. “He’s totally about to rock her world, isn’t he?” Ivy let slip the inappropriate remark, and all I can do is chuckle.

“You have no idea.”

“Yeah, I do. I’ve seen that look in a man’s eyes before.”

I bite my tongue and twist to face her. At our lunch yesterday when the conversation shifted to her past, she sidestepped. I give her a second opportunity to open up. “When?”

I brace, unsure of what she’s about to reveal.

Her hand slips into mine, stealing the drink from my hand. She lifts it to her lips, taking a short, fortifying sip that puts me on edge.

I give her my complete attention. It’s my mixer, and normally, I’m circulating all around the room. But not tonight. I’m vested. “Don’t go quiet on me now, princess. When was the last time a man looked at you like you were his entire world?”

She takes a short gulp as if to gather her strength. As if the words she is about to share will change how I think of her. “He’s doing it right now.”

Chapter Seventeen

Reggie

Her words nearly break me.He’s doing it right now.She offers my drink back to me, but I don’t trust my shaky hands to hold it. I lean forward, my lips an inch from her ears, my heart pounding heavily in my chest.

“Are you joking right now?” I hear the threat in my tone and realize how close to the truth she’s come. No woman had ever gotten this deep this quick with me in my life. I usually use my charm to disarm them and keep them at a distance.

She pulls back an inch, just enough so we are eye to eye, a glint of something I don’t recognize in her stormy eyes. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“We just met.”

“Still not an answer.”

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