Page 3 of Silver Fox's Twin Surprise

I laughed and snorted and shook my head as I tried to swallow the large spoonful of ice cream I'd just shoved into my mouth.

"No," I said, gasping and choking on the bite. I managed to swallow my food and wipe my mouth before continuing. "Okay, so I was sitting there with my hood up, and a hot doctor came out and helped jumpstart my car, and I definitely think he was checking me out."

She snickered and smirked, then said, "Jump your car or jump your bones?"

I rolled my eyes at her as I continued my story. "Seriously, though, he was so frickin' hot. I mean, silver fox hot. He had these blue eyes that?—"

"Okay, hold on." Alana pushed off from the counter and walked over to a bar stool and sat down on the far side of the peninsula. I took a bite of ice cream and put the rest of the snacks awaylistening to her try to be all wise and everything. "Don't get me wrong. I totally want you to meet a super hot guy and get laid and all, but a doctor? Isn't there some sort of policy against dating coworkers? And what if he's married?"

I slid the box of granola bars onto the shelf in the cupboard next to the cereal and sighed. I hadn't even looked at his wedding ring finger, but the way he looked at me didn't say "Married—hands off." It said, "I'm prowling."

"Okay, so a girl can fantasize, right?" I tried to chuckle it off, but she made another good point.

"And besides, do you really think a silver fox wants something serious from a twenty-something? Men who rob the cradle only want sex. You shouldn't get all dreamy eyed about Dr. Hot Pants unless you know his intentions. He could've been checking you out for sex and nothing more. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

I heard the crunch of her chewing before I turned back around to steal another bite of my ice cream. Hearing those words took the wind right out of my sails. It was just crushing. I knew that, but her wisdom brought me down to Earth where my head belonged, not in the clouds.

"Okay, okay… but he was still super hot." I grinned at her and shoveled more icy confection into my mouth, and she rolled her eyes as she popped a handful of M&M's into hers.

We watched a movie and ate our snacks, and later when I finally crawled into bed, all I could think about was my single mother and how much we struggled financially when I was growing up. Dad had really hurt her, and all she wanted for me was a successful life where I wasn't dependent on any man. It waswhy she forced me to go to college, why she pushed me toward nursing. It paid well.

If I got roped into some fling with a silver fox who only wanted sex, I was risking my heart and potentially ending up a single mom like her. It wasn’t what I wanted. I decided right then and there to at least try to stay on the straight and narrow the way Mom would expect. But if that hot doctor flirted with me, I wasn't responsible for my reaction. His grin detonated a bomb inside my body when he flashed it at me. I didn’t think outright flirting would be something I could walk away from.

3

COLE

Iwalked out of my last patient's room with a bit more weight on my shoulders than I'd have liked there to be. My tablet was tucked under my arm and my stomach was growling, but the only thing on my mind was the meeting I was supposed to have with the board later today to discuss the patient who was seeking some sort of compensation for my mistake. I had no way of knowing what they'd say, which put me on edge.

After dropping my tablet in my office, I headed down toward the cafeteria for some lunch. At least that much would distract me and help me keep my mind off whatever might happen. Not knowing the future was normally never a problem because I liked to live in the moment. But this time, fear of the unknown was goading me like an invisible monster under my bed.

The cafeteria was busy, so many familiar faces. I smiled and waved as I walked past a table where a few other doctors I knew were seated. Just a glance at their lunch plates made my stomach rumble again. The smell wasn’t as appetizing as the looks, but I knew the minute I bit into that pot roast, I'd be in heaven. My mouth was already watering.

The line wasn't too long, and I found myself standing there behind my friend Juan—also a surgeon here at Twin Peaks. He turned to smack my hand and bump my fist before giving me a shake. His unique handshake style always made me chuckle. It was like being friends with a teenager at times.

"Yo, man, how's it going?" Juan flashed me an award-winning smile, and I shrugged a shoulder as my eyes swept up to the menu board. Today's special was pot roast, carrots, and mashed potatoes with a roll and Jell-O for dessert. Yes, my mouth was watering.

"You know… I'm still alive, so that's something to be thankful for." The greeting was my familiar go-to phrase, and I typically meant it in a very positive way. Being thankful for things helped keep me grounded and looking at the positive. But today, it was heavy. If I really had caused that man's death, I didn't think I'd feel quite the same way.

"Hey, yeah… Breath in the lungs, blood in the veins… You got a lot to be thankful for." He winked at me and gripped my shoulder and squeezed it, then turned back to the counter and took a step forward.

"What'll it be, honey?" Marge, the cafeteria lady, with her hair net and white uniform, had thick, dark eyebrows that looked more like caterpillars, and I thought how ironic it was that they didn't have hairnets over them too.

"Oh, Miss Marjorie, I'll have the special, please. And can I get a black coffee for that too?" He wagged his eyebrows and smiled. Juan was on his best behavior with the lunch lady, just as if we were in high school again and she had the authority to take us by the ear and drag us to the principal. Even his manner of speaking changed when he spoke to her, or maybe he only usedhis laid-back jargon with me because we played basketball and golf on the weekends and I beat him at everything and trash talked the whole time.

"Keep your butter to yourself," she said, playfully scowling. She turned to walk away and put his order in, and Juan picked up a tray and set it on the line and moved forward to wait for his food, and I stepped up to the counter and turned to him.

"Butter to yourself?" I asked, and he snickered.

"I like to butter the ladies up so I can keep them smiling… You know, it keeps everyone in a better mood, and if I can make her mood better now, then when she gets to an old curmudgeon like you, maybe my happiness will rub off onto you." His added wink—a signature Juan move—had me rolling my eyes.

"You have no idea…" I sucked in a breath to fill my lungs, hoping to release some of the tension in my chest, and Marge returned with his plate of food. Juan loaded his goodies onto his tray and Marge turned to me, but before she could ask, I said, "I'll have what he's having, but hold the coffee. Thanks."

Five minutes later, we were meandering around the cafeteria looking for a few empty chairs. We lucked out and found a full empty table all the way at the back of the room closest to the vending machines. I was glad we wouldn't have to immediately share a space with anyone else. I was too stressed out to sit around and small talk with coworkers, and Juan knew enough to leave me alone if I was grumpy.

I sat down and opened my cutlery pack, taking the salt and pepper and sprinkling them over the food. My first bite was so good I groaned in pleasure, more so because I knew this food was going to take away the gnawing ache in the pit of mystomach. Hospital food was rarely any good, but however they made this, it was at least palatable.

"So, what gives? Usually, you're pretty upbeat. Somethin' botherin' you today?" Juan shoved a huge bite of food into his mouth and chewed, and I sighed and again lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

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