Page 7 of Lucky Dr & the Rockstar Next Door

“I will let you ladies know, or better yet, I’ll just show up when I feel like it.” These women were aggressive as hell, and I didn’t understand why. The minute they were gone, I looked to Torey. “Were they looking for a donation?” Usually, people outright asked me for money.

“No, they wanted to see how much of a pushover you are. Good job.”

“Thanks, I think.” This town was weird as hell, and I must be crazy because I liked it.

“You should consider sticking around for the St. Paddy’s activities; they’re fun.”

I smiled. “Yeah, I saw your karaoke video, remember?”

Torey’s cheeks blushed a bright shade of pink. “I was terrible.”

“You were, but you gave a good performance. That counts for a lot.”

“Thanks, Mac.”

“Anytime.” She couldn’t carry a tune, but she had stage presence, which was more than I could say about plenty of my fellow artists. “Anyway, I should get going.” The bakery was starting to fill up, and I knew she’d have to go help Nix.

“Catch ya later, Superstar!”

4KAYLA

I’ve spent the first half of my shift thinking about Mac Lancaster.Rock star Mac Lancaster.He was gorgeous up close, without the filter of a camera lens, but more than that, he was normal and down-to-earth with a great sense of humor. I enjoyed talking to him, and after a while, the wholerock star thingwas just another fact about him. The problem was, I couldn’t stop thinking about him, which felt silly. Mac was gorgeous and probably dated models like my friend Rob, who was gorgeous, slim, and tall. No matter his compliments last night, he wasn’t interested in a busy ER doctor with a few extra pounds to lose.

Okay, more than a few.

At least fifteen pounds. “Garden salad and fries, please.” It was the perfect balance: healthy, fresh, high-fiber foods and carbs to get me through the second half of my shift.Note to self: start running again.

I ate quickly, not because I was particularly hungry, but because emergencies weren’t scheduled and almost always came at mealtime. I was halfway done when I felt someone’s gaze on me and looked up to find half of the Matchmaking Brigade headed my way.

My gaze scanned the cafeteria in search of an escape route, but there were very few customers and even fewer doctors.

Dammit.

I am a professional, so I schooled my expression into a smile as they approached. “Ladies.”

“Dr. Stevens, we hope you’re settling in well.” Sarah Kinley wore a kind smile, but I knew that wasn’t the complete statement. “You’ve been home for a few months.”

“Yes, and working at the medical center.” I wasn’t one to throw my title of doctor around, but sometimes it was necessary.

“Of course, and we’re all so proud of you and happy you’ve returned to Holiday Grove. But surely you can’t workallof the time?” Sarah was about as delicate as a Mack truck.

“What Sarah means is that we’re hoping to get more young people involved in the festivals, and our St. Patrick’s Day celebration is just around the corner.” Molly was more tactful in her approach.

“I’d love to, but I don’t want to commit to anything with my schedule. It would be a shame if you were counting on me and I couldn’t make it due to a medical emergency.” School and later work had always been handy excuses to avoid unwanted social engagements, but I paused and wondered if I was doing the right thing. I did need to get back into the swing of a normal life now that school was officially over. In Holiday Grove, that meant festivals and nights out with friends. “You wouldn’t happen to have a schedule of events, would you?” I could find a way to be involved and do my job.

Both women flashed satisfied smiles and handed me a packet of papers. “You can also find it online, dear.”

“Thank you.” I waited until they were out of sight before I turned my attention back to the fries on my plate. Less than a minute later, I was being paged because of a teenage skateboarder showing off.

For the next couple of hours, it was back-to-back emergencies, which made my shift fly by. With one hour to go, I worked on charts and daydreamed about a certain green-eyed hottie.

“There you are!” Rob’s voice had me looking up as one of my oldest friends strolled through the hallway as if she were still on a runway in Paris. “This place is like a maze, I swear.”

I smiled. “That’s why they tell you to wait up front.” But knowing Rob, she charmed someone into letting her wander the halls on her own.

“Blah, blah,” she waved me off with a smile. Even though Rob had officially retired from modeling, she looked like she was on her way to a fancy New York City party. “You want to grab dinner and drinks at Ol’ St. Nick’s Pub?”

I bit back the instinct to refuse the invitation and nodded. “Sure. I need to go home first to shower and change.” Mostly, I needed a second shower to get rid of the puke smell from the skateboarder, but I needed to up my game so I didn’t look like a bridge troll next to Rob.

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