Page 4 of Desperate Desires

Maybe someday, if luck and hard work stayed on my side, I could call the whole place mine.

I’d seen the upstairs units once when the old renters had left, and they were equally enchanting. The bottom level even had a fireplace, and both offered tall ceilings and enough space to swing more than just a proverbial cat.

And, oh, the holy grail—a private parking spot.

In a city where street parking was like a game of musical chairs with far too few seats, that single patch of asphalt was worth its weight in gold.

It belonged to the upstairs renters right now, but someday—sigh—a girl could dream, right?

For now, I made do with my tiny oasis, dreaming big while enjoying the small.

One day, I promised myself. One day, this place would be mine from roof to basement floor.

It was a nice dream. And who knew? Maybe it would come true.

I sighed, letting my weary mind wander. The virus I’d picked up wasn’t too bad, and since I had a few days off saved up from the year, I’d decided to take the long weekend to myself.

Recuperate my health and regain my focus after the bright lights and holiday celebrations. The room was quiet, and it unsettled me, which was odd. I usually appreciated silence, but not tonight.

It never failed to amaze me how quickly the loneliness seemed to set in after leaving that rambunctious group of surprisingly down-to-earth movers and shakers. I shook my head and snorted a laugh.

It was the most apt description I could come up with to describe the Volkov, Aziz, Ramirez, Batiste, and Fury families. It was easier to simply call them the Clan, because that was who they were.

This group of larger-than-life men and women who welcomed me and took me in as one of their own the very first time Micky brought me home and announced I was her BFF.

She was still my bestie, even if I couldn’t believe everything she’d gone through this past year.

Leaving her father’s company, getting married to her high school crush, and having a baby—I mean, talk about setting the bar high.

I’d be lucky to finish paying off my med school loans before I hit forty.

I shivered and grabbed my cell phone, saving me a trip across the cool wood floors.

I opened the smart app and raised the temp on the thermostat. Being sick sucked, but at least I could stay home and get better. All year I saved my PTO just in case, and I was going to spend it resting.

I’d turned the sound of my cell phone off, not daring to check just in case someone from work called out and they tried dragging me back in.

There was always a shortage of doctors at the hospital, and residents were frequently tagged to do more than their share. Especially those who worked under Dr. Mitchell Cross.

He had zero respect for personal time and did not care about inconveniencing his residents. I hadn’t even picked surgery as my specialty yet, but he was my attending, and the man seemed convinced it was my calling.

I hated to admit it, but I might have allowed the pushy doctor to make some decisions for me, and now I felt stuck.

All I ever wanted to do with my life was to help people, so being a doctor seemed like the natural choice. I loved helping people, don’t get me wrong. But there was more than one way to do that.

Surgery felt impersonal to me. I enjoyed talking to patients, meeting with people, but I rarely got to do that now.

I mean, I was always busy at the hospital. Surgery was intense. Not to mention challenging.

But lately, especially with being around Liam and Micky’s new baby and working on his therapy helmet, I found my curiosity piqued.

Like something just clicked inside me when I’d helped his pediatrician get an early diagnosis on the baby’s mild craniosynostosis. Micky and Liam’s company, ODI, had just what we needed to develop a helmet suited to the infant’s needs since he was so young and small.

Having that kind of cutting-edge technology at my fingertips had been a rush. Just imagine having state-of-the-art, breakthrough tech and the best equipment in my hands!

I mean, it was like a dream come true. It was just so interesting, and beyond fulfilling for me.

Especially when I used it to help the sister of my heart. She’d been so stressed when the doctor had told her Baby Michael had a skull abnormality. It was common, but when he explained he was too little for the available helmets, she’d freaked.

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