Page 5 of Dr. CEO (The Doctors)

I chuckle. “Gorgeous women are everywhere, Sutton.”

“Have you ever been in love?” she asks.

I really don’t want to get into this. I guess it’s normal that couples who are newly in love want the same thing for everyone they know, but I’m not built like that. I’m a rolling stone, uninterested in finding “The One” to be with for the rest of my life. I’m not interested in anything for the rest of my life. “I love life,” I respond. Lucky for me, the café door opens and Nathan enters, arm in arm with a woman who’s at least sixty years older than him, which puts her firmly in her nineties.

“Here they are, Gladys. I told you they’d wait for me. Now, let’s get you a seat.” Nathan glances up and nods at me. “Vincent, can we arrange a cup of tea for Gladys? Let’s make that two cups of tea and an orange juice. Her daughter and granddaughter will be back from the loo in a minute.”

I move towards the counter to place Gladys’s order. Kate seems to have disappeared, but the door behind the counter opens and she’s back.

We lock eyes before she sees she has more customers.

“Gladys!” Kate calls. “Didn’t see you last week. Everything okay?” She rounds the counter and takes over from Nathan, escorting Gladys to the table nearest the counter.

She and Gladys talk, but I can’t make out what they’re saying because of the noise from our group greeting Nathan. I sit, taking a sip of coffee and looking at the gaggle of people in front of me having at least twelve different conversations at the same time.

“Are we all here now?” Carole asks from beside me.

I nod. “As far as I’m aware, there are no more Coves due.”

She pats me on the knee. “It’s nice to see you again. You’ve not been over for months. Perhaps you’ll stay a bit longer this time.”

The prickling on the back of my neck almost disappears and I place a kiss on her cheek. “I come when I can,” I say. “But I have to say, I miss the place when I’m gone.”

“So what is it we’re doing here?” she asks. “I don’t believe you’ve brought us just for a day out.”

My aunt has had an extremely distinguished career as a surgeon. She’s the sharpest member of our family by far. Nothing gets by her.

“No one believes you’ve suggested coming here for a day out,” John says.

I check to see if anyone—namely, Kate and the older woman who works in the café—is listening. “Can you just suspend disbelief for a couple of hours while we’re here? I’ll fill you in when the time is right.” The last thing I want is to be overheard by Kate and the older woman. They might overhear and jump to conclusions.

“Of course we can. As long as you’re okay,” Carole says.

I get regular texts or emails and calls from all my cousins and even my uncle, but it’s always Carole who checks in to make sure I’m okay. She’s done it since I was a kid. I used to fantasize about missing my plane back to the States after a summer spent in England with Carole and John. I guess that’s why I came to university here. And why I studied medicine. I wanted to be just like them.

Have a family, just like them.

“More than okay,” I reassure her. “You know how I like to track down a good investment.”

She raises her eyebrows but says no more. I’ll fill them in later. I’ll only buy this place if the earl accepts the price I’m willing to pay. I’m just not sure what that price is and figuring it out is what today’s all about.

John coughs and peers over at the counter. “That chocolate cake looks jolly nice, Carole—”

“No, John. It’s five past ten and you’ve just eaten carrot cake.”

He grumbles and takes another sip of his tea.

I smile and lean back in my chair.

It’s good to be back.

THREE

Vincent

In the parking lot, after three promises that I’ll go up to Norfolk before I fly back to New York, I stand by my car as my family leaves.

Them being here was a cover, but it was good to see them.

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