Page 3 of Doctor’s Surprise Twins

With a wink, she slipped into her office and shut the door. I watched through the window as she settled into her chair, all smiles for the interviewee. The aroma of brownies still hung in the air, so I made my way to the breakroom to snatch up another before they were gone. I could already taste the sweetness on my tongue when I walked in and saw Gypsy—CNP working on her doctorate—poised to snatch the last one.

“Hey!” I chided playfully. “That’s mine.” I reached for the pan and snickered.

“Yes, sir.” She backed away, gesturing at the pan. “I’ve had two already, so have at it.”

Gypsy had joined the practice when I first started. Back then, she was only an RN, but she’d continued her schooling to attain the higher certification. I was so proud of her continuing on with her doctorate that I’d paid part of her tuition to ensure she went to the best school. Unfortunately, she was set to begin her residency soon with a GP across town, which would cut her hours with us to almost nothing. But she was going places.

“Thanks, Gypsy. Hey, do you know anything about Steph Williams? She’s a CNS who’s worked for Mercy General, and she applied here. I think integrated nutrition or something?” Using the small mini spatula left in the pan, I scooped out the final brownie, a corner piece—extra chewy. My favorite.

Gypsy’s eyes widened and she turned her nose up. “Yeah, I know her. Went to a few biology classes with her. She’s a real... piece of work.”

As soon as she said it, I knew she was not a good fit. I didn’t have to hear the drama Gypsy spelled out about how the woman started gossiping and stirred the pot repeatedly. I wasn’t one to judge, but just based on the blonde ponytail and active wear in her picture in the file, I figured she was that way.

“So, yeah, don’t hire her.” Gypsy shimmied past me and popped her quarters into the soda machine, selecting a cola and collecting it from the tray below. “You’ll regret it.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.” I raised my brownie in the air as if to “toast” her advice and headed back toward my office. My break was nearly over, and I had rounds to do at the hospital to check on a few moms who had delivered recently.

As I passed Barbra’s office, I heard laughter, so I stopped to listen. The woman whose name I didn't know had an amazing laugh. It made me smile, so I remained there, eavesdropping.

“So, tell me a little about yourself. Your hobbies, your family life. Maybe something you absolutely hate.” Barbra had a way of getting to the bare bones of what a person was like without making them feel like they were being interrogated. I loved that about her.

“I grew up in a small home here in town. I went to college locally because my dad is alone. My mom died when I was a kid. It hit me kind of hard. She had complications due to diabetes, which made me be really conscious about my health and what I’m eating. And that’s why I got into nutrition.”

The woman fluffed her dark brown hair, the waves cascading across her shoulders. I could see her perfectly manicured nails—a bonus. She was well put together and cared about hygiene. I was amazed at how many applicants came through the door having not even showered.

“And I am not an animal person, so you’ll find me with tons of plants around the house to care for rather than fur babies.” This made Barbra frown. She was totally a dog lover. But that didn't disqualify this applicant. “I love the beach, and I love reading steamy books. I am a total fanatic about great Italian food, and I love a good chocolate dessert. Umm, the thing I dislike most would probably be a snooty person who complains a lot. It's better to keep your opinions to yourself, I think.”

I liked that a lot. Barbra must have too. She was eagerly taking notes.

“Okay, tell me about a time you failed as a person and how you handled it.” Barbra’s pen was poised to take more notes.

“Hmm... okay. When I was 14, I applied for my first job at a local comic book store. I was totally into comics and trading cards, and the store specialized in the trading card gamePokémon. So imagine my surprise when they asked me if I’d ever stolen something before. I had to admit that I had.

“Mom was really sick and couldn’t afford to buy me cards to trade, and I had this really torn up card. So when a kid at school wanted me to trade him, I swapped my torn card for his good one. It was the nicest one I’d ever had, and I loved it, but I felt so guilty I ended up giving it back because I felt bad for taking it. I felt like in that interview, I had to be honest, so I told my story. I didn’t get the job.”

I grinned and walked away from the office door. An honest soul who hated busybody complainers. I could get along with this woman. As long as her skills and certifications checked out, my vote was on her—not Steph Williams.

Enjoying the rest of my brownie, I sat down at my desk and got absorbed in a few recordings I needed to transcribe for my records. I didn’t even know anything was happening in the office until Barbra knocked on my open door. My head popped up and I caught her smile.

“I got her. Magnolia Brock. You’re going to love this one, Doc. She is perfect in every way. And she loves chocolate desserts, so more reason for me to bake!” Barbra seemed a little too excited about that, but her happiness was contagious, especially when the name clicked. Like a nice, warm blanket on a winter day, the nostalgia washed over me.

“Maggie?” My mind went to my teenage years, stolen kisses beneath the moon, a rendezvous behind her father’s smokehouse. Her brother—my best friend—beating the shit out of me for “macking” on his sister.

“Yeah, how did you know?” She looked confused.

“Maggie and I go way back. I never saw her face so I didn’t recognize her. Wow. Small world,” I mused. I kept in regular contact with her brother, Curt, but I hadn’t spoken to Maggie in years. It would be great to catch up. “Thanks, Barb. Have a great afternoon, okay? Let me know when the paperwork is set and she’s in for her first day. I’ll bring coffee for everyone.”

“Sure thing, Doc. I’m heading home now. Don’t forget to check on Mrs. Albers.”

Barbra left me to my thoughts, but they weren’t the type of thoughts a boss should be having about his employee. All I could think about was the taste of her cherry lip balm and the way she made my cock harden. God, I’d had an amazing time with Maggie Brock. I just hoped that wouldn’t come back to bite me now that we were grown.

CHAPTERTWO

Maggie

The blaringred lights from more than a dozen cars stopped in front of me on the way to work had me honking my horn and talking to myself. I couldn’t see what the holdup was, but in Yellow Springs it couldn’t have been something major. The worst traffic I’d ever seen in the town was when a produce truck turned on its side and the watermelons it carried smashed on the pavement or rolled away. It took almost eight hours to clean up that mess.

“Come on!” I honked my horn again, glancing at the clock. I had three minutes to make it to my first shift at Women’s Wellness, the clinic run by none other than Derek Holt—childhood crush and my brother’s high-school best friend. I hadn’t seen him when I was in the office for my interview, but the onboarding paperwork I’d had to sign via email had his name all over it as the founder of the practice.

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