Page 8 of The Surgeon's Secret

Lexi nodded. “Yes, I followed him—everything he did, his research papers, his biggest cases. I followed it all online. And yeah, I guess it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that’s why I chose neurosurgery. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I thought maybe if I made him proud, he might want to meet me.”

Catherine reached across the table and placed her hand on Lexi’s. It was warm and soft beneath hers.

“I’m so sorry, Lexi. You’re an incredible woman. You don’t deserve any of that.”

For a moment, they both looked into each other’s eyes, and Catherine felt something pass between them—something important. Shivers ran through her as she touched Lexi’s hand, a sensation she hadn’t felt before.

Lexi broke the moment with a smile. “Anyway, enough about me. How about you? How’s your home life?”

“Oh, I was lucky. I don’t have anything to complain about—two loving parents, a comfortable upbringing. I wouldn’t say I’m close to them as an adult, but we get along well. They’re both healthy and alive, and I’ve been very fortunate,” Catherine said.

“And now?” Lexi asked. “Do you and your husband have any kids?”

Catherine hesitated. She didn’t want to talk about James. She resented his presence in this conversation, which she’d enjoyed until this moment.

“No.” Catherine sighed deeply. “If I’m honest, I did want kids. Maybe I still do, but it’s never been a priority for us. James’s work is so important, and while he says he wants kids, I guess…I guess I’m just not sure I want to have children with him.”

Catherine gasped, shocked that she’d said it out loud—the words she’d suspected were lurking in the back of her mind for a long time.I don’t want children with him.

Lexi reached across the table again, taking Catherine’s hand. Shivers ran through her body at Lexi’s touch.

“That must be really hard,” Lexi said. Her eyes were a darker blue than usual in the dim light of the bar. There was something magnetic between them, and Catherine felt herself falling under Lexi’s spell. She pulled her hand away and picked up her wineglass, the ice-cold white wine snapping her out of the haze.

“Will you stay with him? With James?” Lexi asked quietly.

“I don’t see any other path,” Catherine replied softly, looking down at the table, unable to trust herself enough to look into those magnetic blue eyes again.

5

LEXI

Lexi had spent her day off thinking about nothing but Catherine—illicit thought after illicit thought. She wanted her so badly, but Catherine was straight and married—and not just married, but married to the very powerful surgeon, Dr. James Spencer. Lexi screwed up her face. This was just a big mess waiting to happen. Sleeping with straight women was never a good idea, especially when things could get complicated. She already had enough on her plate.

Lexi had received an email from Josephine’s secretary asking her to meet Josephine in her office at 9 a.m. on Thursday. The email was short and to the point, and Lexi felt like if Josephine had really wanted to welcome her new sister, she would have contacted her directly instead of through her secretary. As much as Lexi wanted to see Josephine and talk about everything, she was worried about how Josephine would react now that she’d had time to process everything over the past couple of days.

But even worrying about her sister couldn’t keep her mind off Catherine for long. There had been a moment that night at the bar when Lexi had touched Catherine’s hand and their eyes met. Catherine’s big amber eyes suddenly looked questioning,curious, and Lexi knew the attraction wasn’t just one-sided. But Catherine had pulled away, wisely so, because Lexi wasn’t sure she would have been able to.

As Lexi drove to the hospital Thursday morning, ready for her meeting with Josephine, anxiety ran through her. She wanted to see Catherine so badly. She wanted to talk to her about her situation and ask for advice. Suddenly, Catherine was the friend Lexi had always wanted, even though they’d only just met. Could they be friends? Was it possible to be friends with someone you were so drawn to, so attracted to? Lexi had never really tried that before. In the past, she was more inclined to have sex first and deal with the consequences later. But lately, she was trying to take things slower, and was mostly succeeding.

Still, Catherine’s allure was strong. Images of her kept flashing through Lexi’s mind—big eyes, smooth tan skin, that glossy brown hair falling in waves over her shoulders. Lexi smiled to herself when she thought of Catherine walking to her truck last night, immaculate as ever in smart pants and a sheer blouse that revealed the lace of her bra and the curve of her breasts. When she looked closely, she could even make out the outline of her nipples. It had seemed like a sexier outfit than Catherine would normally wear, but Lexi suspected Catherine hadn’t really noticed how sheer the fabric was or how the lights of the bar would highlight it. That top was probably something she’d usually pair with a suit jacket. But Lexi wasn’t about to forget the sight anytime soon.

The office door opened, and suddenly Josephine was there—Dr. Josephine Mars, Lexi’s half-sister, the head of the hospital, and an intimidating woman despite her small frame. Even though Josephine was smaller than Lexi, her age and position gave her a lot of authority. This morning, she didn’t look happy. She nodded at Lexi.

“Dr. Mars,” Lexi said in acknowledgment, standing and walking into the office. She sat down across from Josephine’s desk. Josephine’s blue eyes were hard and cold today.

“Do you want to tell me what the hell this is all about? ThisBenjamin is my fathernonsense?” Josephine said bluntly.

“Thirty-six years ago, your father had an affair with my mother in New York. By the end of that summer, she was pregnant,” Lexi stated, choosing to stick to the facts.

Josephine looked at her quizzically, as if sizing her up and trying to decide if Lexi’s face looked enough like her own for this to be the truth.

“Are you sure?” Josephine asked sharply.

“As sure as I can be,” Lexi said. “My mother has always told me she’s certain, and that’s all I have to go on.”

“So you’renotsure,” Josephine snapped. She linked her hands together on the table. Lexi knew it must be stressful for Josephine to discover she had a half-sister at this stage of her life. Lexi wasn’t sure how old Josephine was now, but it seemed she might have been a teenager when Lexi was born.

“We’re scientists, Dr. Bond. We go on facts, not what someone’s mother remembers,” Josephine said harshly, almost as if implying Lexi’s mother had been promiscuous and couldn’t be sure who fathered her child. But Lexi knew her mother well,and Rebecca said she hadn’t been seeing other men when she’d gotten pregnant.

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