Not Pretending Anymore

by Penelope Ward

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess. Maybe that’s just the way life is—but it seems silly.”

  It hit me that although Molly was talking about Will, she could have been talking about what went down with her mother and father. And it wasn’t lost on me that Will had the same occupation as her old man, and Molly and her stepmother were both nurses. I was no psychiatrist, but I sensed there might be some deep-rooted correlation.

  I got up to put my plate in the sink. “When’s the next time you work with Dr. Hyperopia.”

  Her nose scrunched up. “Hyperopia?”

  “As opposed to myopia. It’s what you call someone who can see long distance, but not up close.”

  “Oh.” She smiled. “I get it.” Molly took her plate to the sink and rinsed it. “He’s the on-call OB this Friday night. So if anyone goes into labor, I’ll probably see him then. It’s rare we go a night without the OB having to come in to deliver.”

  “Why don’t I come pick you up for lunch, then?”

  “Uh…because I work seven at night to seven in the morning. My lunch hour is at midnight.”

  I shrugged. “So?”

  “I’m not going to ask you to come to the hospital at that hour.”

  “You didn’t ask. I offered.”

  “I know…but…”

  “It’s a date, Mollz.”

  She sighed. “Okay, thank you. Let’s see if he’s even there.”

  We cleaned up the rest of the kitchen together in silence, and then Molly said, “I think I’m going to call my mom back. If I don’t, she’ll worry all night about how upset I was when I hung up. I should probably also get in touch with my sister, though it’s pretty late in London now. Maybe I’ll wait until morning to call her.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “By the way, I haven’t had Belgian waffles and ice cream since I was a kid. It was delicious. Thanks for making me breakfast for dinner.”

  “No problem. I’m going to go do some reading in my room for work. But if you want to talk after you hang up with your mom, you know where to find me.”

  “Thank you.”

  Molly poured herself another glass of wine and said goodnight before heading down the hallway to her room. She turned back as she got to her bedroom door, only to catch my eyes glued to her ass. I’d thought she was going to be pissed off, but instead she smirked.

  “I guess you’re not afflicted with hyperopia?”

  My lips curved to a grin. “Twenty-twenty vision. Thank God.”

  “Goodnight, Dec. Thanks for everything. And I don’t just mean making me dinner.”

  “Anytime. ’Night, Mollz.”

  CHAPTER 6

  * * *

  Molly

  “Holy crap. Some woman who just pushed out a watermelon is going to be pregnant again too soon.”

  Daisy and I were sitting at the nurses’ station next to each other, but I had no idea what she was talking about. I looked up from the computer screen and traced her line of sight.

  Oh my. A man was strutting down the hall carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers. He had on a well-fitted, three-piece suit with the knot of the tie slightly loosened, and a five o’clock shadow peppered his carved jawline. Not just any carved jawline—Declan’s carved jawline. Spotting me, he flashed a million-dollar smile and two cavernous dimples.

  “Actually…” Daisy whispered. “I think he just got me pregnant.”

  I’d had no idea he was coming since he was supposed to call first. So between the surprise of seeing him and how amazing he looked, I seemed to be incapable of speaking. Instead, I sat and stared until he walked right up to me.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  Daisy’s eyes widened as I stood.

  “Declan…what are you doing here?”

  He held up a bag I hadn’t even noticed in his hand. “I made you dinner…or I guess it would be your lunch.” He extended the flowers to me. “And brought you these.”

  “They’re beautiful. But…you didn’t have to do that. I didn’t realize you were coming.”

  “I wanted to surprise you. Did you take your break yet?”

  I shook my head. “No. But I can go in, like, fifteen minutes. I just need to finish up a few things here.”

  Daisy, whom I’d forgotten was still sitting next to me, stood up and plucked the patient’s chart from my hands.

  “I’ll finish for you.”

  “Oh…okay. Thanks, Daisy.”

  Declan’s ears perked up hearing the name. “Daisy, huh?” he said. “I’m Declan, Molly’s date for dinner this evening.”

  “Nice to meet you, Declan.”

  “You, too. I appreciate you covering for my girl so I can eat with her. I work days, and she works nights, so I miss seeing her face.”

  Daisy seemed unable to stop smiling. “That’s so sweet. Take as long as you want. It’s pretty quiet tonight, so I can handle things on my own.”

  Declan held out his hand for me to take over the counter and led me to his side. “Lead the way, beautiful.”

  As soon as we were out of earshot, he leaned to me. “So that’s Ivy, huh? She doesn’t hold a candle to you. If Dr. Dickalicious picks that over you, he’s not only blind, he’s a moron.”

  For some odd reason, my heart was racing. I wasn’t sure if it was the surprise visit, the act we were putting on at work, or the fact that I’d actually sort of swooned when Declan walked in the way he had. The man had such a big presence.

  “That’s very sweet of you to say, even if you’re full of shit,” I said. “But I hate to tell you, we seem to be having one of those rare nights where none of our patients are in labor, so Will isn’t even here. I wish you would’ve called first so I could’ve saved you the trip.”

  Declan shrugged. “It’s okay. I wanted to check in on you, anyway. Today was your dad’s first day of chemo, right? You mentioned he was going to call you afterward. I figured you might want to talk about it.”

  I led Declan into the break room. Technically, it was supposed to be for employees only, but no one really cared, especially on the overnight shift. He began his food prep, just like he did in the kitchen at home. Taking a Tupperware out of the bag, he popped it into the microwave and pulled out a chair for me to sit in while he warmed up whatever he’d brought.

  “Did you get to talk to him?” he asked.

  “I did. We talked for almost a half hour, which is honestly the longest conversation I can remember us having in a decade. Mostly we discussed his treatment plan, and which doctors we liked and didn’t like. It was sort of more like a doctor and a nurse going over a patient’s medical records than a father and daughter talking, but I guess it’s a start.”

  He nodded. “It’s good that you have common ground to ease into things.” The microwave dinged, and he removed the dish and set it down in front of me. “Homemade gnocchi in cream sauce.”

  “Wow. Homemade? Like, you made the pasta, too?”

  “Yup. Told you I’m the perfect roomie.”

  I forked two pasta dumplings and slipped them into my mouth. If Declan hadn’t been standing there to watch my reaction, I might’ve let my eyes roll into the back of my head and moaned a little. It was that good.

  “This is absolutely delicious.”

  He sat down across from me and smiled. “Good. Eat up.”

  I forked more pasta. “You want to share?”

  “Nah. You eat. I already had some. But tell me how you left things with your father. Did you make a plan to visit him in person?”

  I sighed. “He invited me to come over for dinner.”

  “That’s good. When?”

  “Tuesday.”

  Declan scratched his chin. “I have a meeting, but I can probably reschedule it.”

  “No, you don’t have to do that. I can go on my own.”

  He took out his cell and started to type. When he was done, he tossed it on the table. “Done. I emailed the guy and asked him if we can do it Friday instead. I’m sure
it won’t be a problem.”

  I shoveled more gnocchi into my mouth. “You’re really a good friend, Declan.” Even though we’d only known each other a couple of weeks, I somehow knew I could count on him.

  A few minutes later, I had nearly emptied the container. I scooped up a few more gnocchi and lifted the fork halfway to my lips. “I want to eat the rest of this, but I’m stuffed.”

  “You sure you’re full?” Declan asked.

  “Positive.”

  “Good.” He leaned across the table and closed his lips around the fork. “Because I lied. I haven’t eaten anything yet. I worked really late, and those damn dumplings take a while to make. I rushed out because I didn’t want to miss your break.” He chewed and kept his face in front of me, leaning over the table. “So feed me the last of that, will ya?”

  I laughed, but shoved two more heaping bites of gnocchi into his mouth. We were both so busy with the food and enjoying each other’s company that neither of us heard someone walk into the break room.

  Not until a man’s deep voice interrupted. “Hey, Molly…”

  I turned to find Will Daniels holding a coffee mug. His eyes moved back and forth between Declan and me.

  I cleared my throat. “Hi, Will.”

  Declan’s eyes went wide as he realized what was happening, a smug look of “mission accomplished” written all over his face.

  Will extended his hand to Declan. “Will Daniels.”

  “Declan Tate. Nice to meet you.”

  “You’re a friend of Molly’s?”

  “We’re dating, actually,” Declan answered without missing a beat.

  Will looked over at me, understandably confused. We’d just had coffee last week, and I’d mentioned my roommate, but not that I was dating anyone. I hadn’t mentioned Declan’s name, so he had no way of figuring out that my new “love interest” was the same guy I’d spoken about.

  Not knowing what to say, I stammered, “Uh, it’s...new.”

  Will forced a smile. “I guess a lot can change in a week.”

  “Yeah.”

  He turned to Declan. “Whatever you guys nuked in the microwave smells amazing.”

  Declan grinned. “Thank you. Gnocchi. I made it.”

  “Ah. A chef.” Will walked over to the coffee pot and filled his mug for what felt like ten awkward seconds. He put the top on and said, “Well, I’ll let you two get back to your dinner.”

  Then he was gone.

  After Will was safely out of earshot, Declan spoke low. “Okay...you want my assessment on Dickalicious?”

  “Yeah.”

  He continued to whisper. “Doc was definitely jealous. That whole thing was awkward. It was great. He was clearly disappointed and surprised to find you with me.”

  Hope filled me. “You think?”

  “I don’t think, I know. So this was good. Definitely not a wasted trip.”

  “What now?” I asked. “I mean, could this backfire? Now that he thinks I’m taken?”

  “I didn’t say we were dating exclusively, just that we were dating. Trust me, next time he gets you alone, he’s going to ask about me. That will be your opportunity to let him know we’re not that serious. I’ll just be present enough to make him realize he needs to hurry, or he’ll lose the opportunity.”

  Blowing a breath up into my hair, I said, “Well, this is far simpler than exposing my nipples. And I don’t even have to be disgusted with myself.”

  “It’ll be fun, Mollz.” Declan replaced the lid on the gnocchi container. “Speaking of the fun we’re having, I was hoping maybe you wouldn’t mind being home next Wednesday night? That’s a night off for you, right? I was thinking of asking Julia to come over to brainstorm on the campaign at our place. Might be a good opportunity for you and me to…flirt.”

  I couldn’t exactly say no; he’d helped me out a lot tonight.

  “Oh...yeah. Of course. I can do that. It’s only fair. You just did me a huge favor.”

  He smiled wide. “Cool.”

  He did look especially handsome in the suit tonight.

  Declan stayed until my break was over, and then I went back to work.

  Later that night, sure enough, Will caught me at the nurses’ station.

  He shuffled through some folders and said, “Declan, was it? He seemed nice.”

  My heart pounded. “Yeah. He is. Like I said…it’s new. Nothing serious or anything.”

  “He seems pretty serious, though, if he’s bringing you food at midnight...”

  “I thought that was nice of him, yes. But it’s not exclusive.”

  He put a folder back in its rightful spot, then turned to me and said, “Good to know.” He winked before heading back down the hall.

  That thrilled me, but at the same time, I had to wonder what the hell was taking him so long to ask me out. He could have easily done so by now.

  A few minutes later, Daisy appeared. “Holy shit, Molly. Spill on your new guy.”

  I gave her the same story I’d just given Will—that it was new and the verdict was still out.

  “Well, if it doesn’t work out, send him my way, because a man who looks like that and brings you food and flowers is gold.”

  I felt like saying, yeah, men like that don’t exist.

  But then again, what about Declan was really fake? He does look the way he does, and he is an amazing cook. While tonight’s dinner might have been for show, the Belgian waffles he made me the other night weren’t. And neither was his offer to accompany me to visit my dad, or the fact that he was a really good listener.

  My sights were set on Will, but for some reason, as the night wore on, it was Declan I couldn’t stop thinking about.

  CHAPTER 7

  * * *

  Molly

  Declan found a parking spot around the corner from my father’s house in Lincoln Park.

  “So I’ll just be here doing some work if you need me.”

  I felt bad making him wait in the car. He’d said he had work to do, but I couldn’t imagine he would have chosen to be stuck in his vehicle if he weren’t doing me a favor. And if I admitted that I felt bad asking him to wait here for me, he’d insist on doing it anyway. So instead, I made it seem like I needed his support at dinner. It wasn’t a total lie.

  “Do you...think we could change the plan? I’d love it if you could come inside with me.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “You want me to have dinner with you and your dad?”

  “I know it’s kind of random for me to bring you along, but I’d prefer not to be alone.”

  “Well, that’s all you had to say.” Declan removed his seatbelt. “But what’s the story?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Who am I supposed to be?”

  I punched his shoulder gently. “How about my roommate, Declan?”

  “Now there’s a novel idea.” He chuckled.

  “Just be yourself.”

  He winked. “I can do that.”

  We exited the car and made our way up my father’s front steps. He lived in a three-million-dollar, single-family home on a posh, tree-lined street in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Chicago.

  My “stepmother” Kayla answered the door. “Molly, it’s so good to see you.”

  She patted me on the back as we did the obligatory hug.

  “You, too.”

  “And who’s this?” she asked.

  “This is my friend Declan. Hope you don’t mind me bringing him along.”

  “Of course not! We have plenty of food.”

  “Good to meet you,” Declan said.

  I could’ve sworn Kayla gave Declan a once-over. That wouldn’t have surprised me. Anyone who could steal a man from his family has no shame.

  “Where’s Siobhan?” I asked.

  “Your sister is at her friend’s house. She wanted to see you, but she was invited to a sleepover that started at four. She was torn.”

  “Ah,” I said. “Hopefully I’ll catch her next time.”

/>   As much as I would have liked to see my nine-year-old half-sister, I was kind of happy to have my father all to myself tonight. Siobhan was so talkative that no one would have gotten a word in edgewise.

  “Your father is in the living room,” Kayla said.

  We followed her through the foyer into the house. Dad had been looking out a window and turned when he heard us enter.

  He opened his arms. “There’s my beautiful daughter.”

  “Hey, Dad.”

  As we embraced, I could feel how thin he’d become. His head was bald, but I knew that was because he’d proactively shaved it. But it was still shocking to see.

  His eyes moved to my right. “Who’s the guy?”

  Declan extended his hand. “Hey, Dr. Corrigan. I’m Declan, Molly’s roommate.”

  My father nodded in recognition. “Oh...this is the funny guy you told me about.”

  Declan’s eyes widened.

  “Shh…” I smiled. “Declan can’t know I talk nice about him.”

  “I’m glad he could join us.”

  “Me, too, Dr. Corrigan.”

  “Please call me Robert, Declan. Can I offer you something to drink?”

  “That’d be great.”

  We followed Dad into the dining room. The room was adorned with gorgeous crown molding. The old-school architecture of my father’s house was striking. He opened the liquor cabinet, which was a built-in hutch in the corner.

  “I’ve got almost anything to suit your fancy. What do you like?”

  “A scotch will be great,” Declan said.

  “Coming right up.” He turned to me. “And my Molly? What does she want?”

  “I’ll just have a white wine.”

  He hollered into the kitchen. “Kayla, can you pour Molly some of the white you opened last night?”

  “Of course,” I heard her say.

  Over a dinner of pasta carbonara that was surprisingly good, considering it was made by a juvenile, my father told stories from my childhood while Declan seemed to enjoy every minute. Kayla just nodded most of the time, which was fine by me. I didn’t want to have to pretend to be enjoying a conversation with her. With my dad, on the other hand, as much as we’d had our troubles, I genuinely enjoyed his company. I’d missed him.