Page 72 of Sinful in Scrubs

“I guess you’re right. We do have our work cut out for us.” I laughed.

“Dr. Emma,” Lily said, interrupting our work banter.

I raised my eyebrows in her direction. “Yes, Lily?”

“Would you be willing to show me how to make that peanut butter and cucumber salad again?” she asked.

I must have opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish gaping for air. Her request was so completely unexpected.

“I think I could,” I managed to stammer out. “I’d be delighted.”

I turned a quick questioning glance to Marcus. He was smiling and nodding at Lily as if he were pleased with her actions. Maybe they had discussed this previously, or maybe he was just acknowledging that she was doing the right thing.

I certainly didn’t want to jeopardize whatever this olive branch she was holding out to me could potentially be.

“Yes, of course. That would be great.”

“I made sure that we got the little baby cucumbers and we still had that chili sauce.” Everything she said was careful and tentative, as if she were more afraid of me than I was of her.

“That sounds fantastic.”

“Why don’t you ladies go put that together? Steaks will be done in the next twenty minutes or so.”

“Have you been grilling all morning?” I asked.

“All morning long,” Lily said with an eye roll. There was the girl I remembered.

I followed her into the kitchen, where she paused in front of the refrigerator. She started pulling items out and setting them on the counter.

“Dr. Emma,” she started. From the tone of her voice, it sounded as if she had something important to say, so I kept my mouth shut. “I’m really sorry about how I acted the last time you were here. And I also need to apologize for trying to make trouble for you at work.”

I was shocked at her confession. I involuntarily barked out a nervous laugh. “I seriously doubt anything you tried to do was any worse than the bullshit my ex-boyfriend was trying to pull.”

“But Dad said?—”

I held up my hand as I shook my head. “Whatever your dad said, I’m not saying he’s wrong. What I’m saying is, I accept your apology. A lot of people have been trying to make trouble for me at work, and your apology is the only one that matters.” I blinked at the sudden overwhelming emotion I suddenly experienced and the tears that filled my eyes. “Can I hug you?” I asked Lily, quelling the natural urge I had to reach out and pull her in.

“You want to hug me?” she asked.

“I do. Come here.” I pulled her into a gentle hug, feeling her resistance at first, and then her entire body seemed to relax as she returned the hug.

“I’ve been a total bitch,” she confessed.

“Are those your words or somebody else’s?” I asked.

“My words. Self-realization,” she said. “Dad’s right. He deserves a chance at being happy, even after Mom…” She swallowed. “It’s not your fault Mom got sick, and it’s not fair of me to expect him to never be happy again simply because Mom’s gone.”

She took a deep breath. “So I just want you to know, if you want to date my dad, I think that would be a really great idea. Because I’m pretty sure he wants to date you.”

I gulped a couple of times. That was all so very unexpected. I was absolutely pleased by it, but still… so very unexpected. “You think Jason will also think it’s a good idea?”

“I’m pretty sure that Jason would be thrilled if Dad started dating you.” She smirked. “I don’t think he’s old enough to realize he’s got a crush on you, so having you around is only going to make him happier than he already is.”

“He is a happy kid,” I admitted. Jason had strong golden retriever energy coming from him. “Well, for the record,” I told Lily, “I am only here today to discuss a work project. However, if it comes up about, you know, me and your dad dating, I’ll keep in mind what you said.”

“You aren’t going to turn my dad down.”

I could hear the near aggravation in her voice.

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