Page 2 of The Grumpy Doc's Surprise Delivery

She raises both eyebrows at me.

“Remember Matt?” I say.

“Yeah…? Matt from four years ago, Matt who you went out with for six months, Matt who you thought you were in love with, and then he cheated on you. Face it, Emma. You don’t have a great track record when it comes to guys.”

My frown deepens. One thing about Phoebe is that she’s always right, and that can be infuriating at times.

I have had boyfriends before. Hell, I’ve thought about marrying them before, but, well… I guess I work too much. They always get tired of me. Eventually, they get frustrated with the way work always comes first with me. They always want my attention, but my career has always been the love of my life.

And I hate that it’s always a dealbreaker.

“I don’t need to go on vacation to find a man,” I say. “Isn’t that your job?”

Phoebe laughs. “I’ve been trying my best to find you one, and you know it.”

“I do.”

It’s true. She has. Ever since she got pregnant and I turned thirty-two, the thought that it’s getting too late and that I’m missing out has been running around and around my head.

In reality, I know it’s not too late. But still, I can’t help feeling like there’s a clock ticking inside me, that there’s an ache in my heart that’s longing for someone to fill it. So long as I have my career, I’ll never be lonely, but I can’t pretend that sometimes I don’t want more.

Sometimes it would be nice not to come home to my empty apartment but instead to someone who loved me.

I suck in a sharp breath between my teeth. “You’ll find me someone eventually,” I say, mustering the best smile I can. “I believe in you.”

“And I believe a vacation will do you a world of good.”

“I’m not going to change your mind on this, am I?”

She shakes her head. Just ahead of us, the sound of children playing in the playground gets louder. They’re screeching and laughing, playing like only them and their little worlds are important. Every time I see a child grin lately, it makes the pang in my chest hurt more.

If nothing else, I’m going to be the world’s best aunt to Phoebe’s kid.

“All right, fine.” I sigh. “I’ll go. Not to go boyfriend hunting, just to go to the course. You’re right. It’s an honor that I’ve been invited. I should take it.”

“There you go,” she says. “I knew you’d get there in the end.”

“Do you always know everything?”

“Haven’t I always, as long as you’ve known me?”

I shake my head, but my smile betrays me. Yes, she has. “I need a favor, though.”

She raises an eyebrow in question. “Anything.”

“I don’t have anything to wear in the Caribbean. Come shopping with me?”

Her face splits into a huge grin. “Emma Rodriguez. It would be my pleasure.”

CHAPTER 2

EMMA

“For you, madam,” says a woman with soft, dark skin and a lovely smile, dressed in a hotel uniform and holding out a glass to me.

I blink in surprise. “Pardon me?”

She gestures to the drink again. “Sangria, madam. Or I can get you something else, if you would prefer?”

---