Page 10 of Paging Dr. Summers

“I think what she meant was, don’t keep it in. Talk or yell about it. Have dinner with your crazy new neighbor and tell her all about your wife. I don’t know. Just don’t keep it inside. Share it with the people around you and let them carry some of the grief with you.”

Logan smiled. “Is that how you’re coping with the loss of your mom?”

“I’m not much of a yeller, but I am a word vomiter. I find it helps unless you come on to your ER doctor and then he ends up being your neighbor. Now, I’ll have to grieve that embarrassment.” I cringed. Oh, I’d already told Claire all about it, trying to let some of the hot shame go. She’d laughed uncontrollably, which had made me giggle, so it kind of helped. But no doubt it would haunt me for years to come.

“We’ll pretend that never happened,” Logan said, presumably trying to console me.

“Yeah, I wish it were that easy. I might need some shock therapy.” I grinned.

“I know where we can get some electrodes,” he teased.

“Look at you. You have a sense of humor.”

“I did, once upon a time,” he sighed.

I patted a spot next to me on the blanket. “Well, let’s help you find it again.”

He pressed his lips together and mulled over the invitation.

“I wasn’t coming on to you. You don’t have to sit right next to me on the blanket. There’s plenty of room.”

“Yeah, of course,” he said, like he still wasn’t sure about my motivations.

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what I was doing. This wasn’t like me. It was like Mom had taken over and her words were coming out of my mouth. Not that I didn’t want to help Logan. But I wasn’t sure I was qualified, and I seemed like an unlikely candidate considering our fateful meet so-not-cute. As ugly as it gets, in fact. Yet there was something about him. Like I was supposed to know him. Maybe he was the lifelong friend I was supposed to make this summer. I could be friends with an insanely attractive doctor, right? Why not?

After all, I was supposed to help someone every day. Maybe Logan was part of that. Or maybe I was just delusional. That was probably it.

Logan tentatively crept over and lowered himself ever so slowly onto the blanket, as far away from me as he could get. He kept his eyes on me the entire time, like he was afraid I might pounce.

I had to stifle my giggle. I’d never had a man be so afraidof me. Not that I hadn’t given this particular man reasons to be cautious around me. But he had nothing to fear. I wouldn’t make a move on him again, on purpose or accidentally.

“Are you hungry?” I asked, pulling the picnic basket toward me.

“Famished, actually.”

“Then you came to the right spot.” I purposely didn’t smile at him, feeling like it might appear flirty. This was a no-flirtation zone. Logan had set the boundaries, and I would adhere to them with precision. I unpacked the food, starting with the peach cobbler. “Are you an eat-your-dessert-first kind of person?”

“No. Actually, I try not to eat dessert.”

“What? Are you serious? And you’re related to Eden, the queen of desserts?”

“When you see the damage sugar can do to a person’s health, it’s not as tempting.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m not a doctor, then.” And glad we wouldn’t be having a fling. I wasn’t sure I could be with someone who didn’t like dessert.

“Erica would say the same thing sometimes while shoving her face full of chocolate.”

“Erica is your wife?” I asked delicately. I thought I remembered Eden mentioning her name, but I wanted to tread carefully.

“Yes,” he said reverently.

“She sounds like my kind of woman.” I handed him the delectable-looking turkey-and-cranberry sandwich on multigrain bread. “Is this more to your liking, Dr. Summers?”

“This is actually one of my favorite sandwiches.”

“Then it’s all yours.” I took the ham and Swiss on a croissant for myself. I also unpacked the cut-up fruits and veggies I’d ordered.

Logan held up the sandwich. “Thank you.”

---