Page 9 of Doctor’s Surprise Twins

Now, I sat wondering why I felt so emotionally constipated that I couldn’t reach out to anyone to help me figure out why I was so enraged with my father over Mom’s death. My thoughts instinctively went to Maggie again. We’d spent hours over the past few weeks catching up and talking. If anyone would understand the way my heart was still grieving my Mom’s death two years later, it was her. So why couldn’t I bring myself to just call her?

She’d practically thrown herself at me this past week. Every man’s fucking dream come true—a drop-dead gorgeous woman with an incredibly sexy body and a mind like no other, throwing herself at me, and I tell her I’m working? What the fuck was wrong with me?

I slid my phone from my pocket and looked at her saved contact. The only picture I had was a group photo I'd taken of the entire staff to update our website, removing Sofia and the old dietician and adding Maggie. I’d just cropped the others out and centered the profile pic on her. Still, she was gorgeous.

In fact, she was pretty damn perfect—funny, sexy, smart, responsible, and not into psychotic religion like half the women in this town. Magnolia was the literal woman of my dreams in every way, and I’d ostracized her with a ridiculous rule I’d made up about inner-office dating. If she were at my home right now, I’d be doing away with that rule. The issue was, I wasn’t sure if it was because I was upset and my body was craving release as a means to cope with my stress or if my heart was telling me I still had feelings for her.

Maggie Brock was under my skin. And it was bad.

So bad that less than ten minutes after Peter had pissed me off bad enough to slug him, I had forgotten he even existed. No one and nothing had ever made me forget that much anger so quickly before. She was right. There was something between us, and it really was only a matter of time before everyone in the office knew we both wanted each other. We had to stop this nonsense before it got out of control.

CHAPTERSIX

Maggie

Curt’s homebusiness selling medical supplies and pharmaceuticals really must have taken off. I stood on the deck of a spectacular Victorian home in downtown Yellow Springs overlooking an in-ground pool and nearly a quarter-acre back yard. For mid-May, it was still too chilly to open the pool up, but I suspected these cookouts would become a more regular thing.

“Fancy, huh?” Curt slipped out the back door and stood next to me. The sweater he wore had struck me as being overdressed for the evening, but then I was the one shivering in the cold right now while he looked comfortable.

“Who knew?” I shook my head, smiling at him. “And Dad thought I’d be the wealthy one, getting my degree and diving into the healthcare field.” I nudged him with my elbow, and we shared a laugh over my father’s insistence that we both follow his footsteps and go to medical school. I was certain he was sorely disappointed by both of our choices, but we hadn’t strayed far.

Curt hated doctors, but he agreed that medicine was profitable, and thus, a pharm rep was born. I, however, struggled with insulin resistance as a teen, which prompted me to invest in my health and learn about holistic practices. I decided that if people would eat proper food, it would reduce their risk of illness and disease, and I never looked back. Diet and nutrition became my passion.

“Yeah, well, Mom would be proud of us both.” Curt’s voice took on a nostalgic tone. I missed her too. She left us when we were so young—damn breast cancer.

“She would have.” I turned away, feeling teary-eyed. “I think Dad is too. He just doesn’t say it as often.”

“Well, enough of that sappy shit. I wanted to let you know I’ve invited a few guys you should meet. I met one of them—Tony—at a pharmaceutical conference. Then I met Ian at the gym a few weeks ago. And either one of them may hit it off with you.”

I chuckled. Curt had never been in the business of setting me up with guys unless it meant I was distracted from Derek. He was too easy to predict. I knew if I hooked up with Derek today, Curt would be upset, but at least we were adults now. He couldn't stop us even if he wanted to.

“He’s coming?” I cocked my head and rolled my eyes, then stood tiptoed and peeked over his shoulder into the house where a few men milled about the kitchen behind women who looked to be preparing dishes of food.

“Yeah, he’s coming.” Curt scowled. “Just lay off. His mom died a few years ago, and he’s probably still sore about it.”

Strange, Derek hadn’t mentioned any of that to me yet. We had talked so many times, but he hadn’t said a word, and I began to wonder if the closeness I had been feeling with him was just one-sided. Curt must have noticed my crestfallen face because his scowl deepened.

“What?” he asked me, sidestepping just as I did. I aimed at the back door, but he blocked my path.

“Derek didn’t tell you?”

Curt’s eyebrows rose. “Tell me what?” He glanced nervously at the house where my eyes were fixed. I hadn’t seen a trace of him, but I couldn’t wait to say hi.

“He hired me to work for him at the wellness center.”

The news must have shocked Curt, who let me pass right by him and sneak into the warmth of his kitchen. He followed behind me, whispering over my shoulder. “Yeah, but the rule is still the rule. He’s my best friend, Mags. Just lay off, alright?”

I gestured with my hand. “Yeah, yeah.”

Ignoring him entirely, I embarked on my search of his entire downstairs, hoping to find Derek nestled in a quiet corner somewhere, but when I spotted him, he was standing next to a group of women. One of them—a scrawny blonde bimbo with a pinched nose and too-thick makeup—clung to his arm as if she owned him, but I knew better than that. He’d told me he wasn’t seeing anyone.

Derek looked uncomfortable at the very least, and I intended to rescue him. I strolled up and smiled, interjecting myself into the conversation about realty and mortgage values. Was that what adults talked about at parties? Blech.

“Ladies, if you don’t mind, I need to steal the good doctor.” I weaved my arm around his, and Pinched Nose scowled at me. With a huge smile, I added, “Work stuff.” I winked at Pinched Nose and guided Derek away from them, toward the garage.

“Thank God you saved me.” He chuckled as we strolled out the side door toward the scent of food. The garage had been closed off and heated. Tables of food lined the walls, crockpots and casserole dishes.

“No problem. You looked miserable.” Letting him go, I headed straight for a bowl of chili, topping it with cheese and bacon bits. Derek added a dollop of sour cream to his, and we stood chatting while we ate.

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