Page 61 of Possession

“She was in a hot shower,” the doctor retorts, facing him head-on. “These things happen.”

The doctor turns her head back to face me. “To be on the safe side, be sure to stay hydrated and limit any strenuous activity for a while or at least until your next visit with your regular OBGYN.”

“What kind of strenuous activity?”

“No standing on your feet all day. No sports. And be careful with sex.”

“No sex?!” Hunter cuts in, and the doctor chuckles in response.

Wait a ding-dong minute.

Dr. Brentwood emits the kind of laugh you make around someone familiar.

“Do you two know each other?” I ask them both, my eyes slightly slanted with curiosity...or perhaps jealousy.

“Same neighborhood growing up,” she says.

I look directly at him. “Is that right?”

“We’ve both come a long way since the old days,” she reflects. “Did you know your fiance helped me pay my way through medical school?”

“No, I sure didn’t.”

He acts as if he’s suddenly embarrassed.

Puh-lease.

“Thank you for coming, Tara," he tells her. "Please be sure to send your bill to my office.”

“You know I’m not going to do that,” she says in a matter-of-fact tone as she packs up her things. “Please call me any time,day or night, if you have another episode. It was a pleasure meeting you, Megan.”

“Same.”

When Hunter returns after seeing Dr. Brentwood out, he catches me looking for my sneakers. They’ve got to be in here somewhere.

“What are you doing?”

“Going home.”

“This is your home.”

“No, downstairs is my home, and I thought you bought me another home in the Hollywood Hills somewhere? Why aren't you there?”

“I canceled the sale.”

My eyes pop up to meet his.

“You did?”

“If and when you want to move, I have a realtor on standby waiting for your instruction.”

That's huge for a control freak like Hunter.

"And what about security?"

"I just wanted you to be safe and thought moving to a better neighborhood would exponentially improve those odds, but I may have jumped the gun a little. I can wait."

Wow, that's progress.

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