Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books

by Florella Grant

  “That’s horrible,” Reagan cried for him, but Dean didn’t need the sympathy. The past was the past, and he learned years ago to let it go.

  “Oh, my father came around, gave my mother the divorce she wanted for years, and sent me birthday cards once a year.” She kept her eyes glued to Dean as he continued the story. “He showed up at my high school graduation, the first and only time I’d seen him in years. When my mother passed away, he didn’t attend her funeral or send his regards to me. But the reason I’m telling you all of this,” Dean paused and took a sip of his coffee, “is because I wanted you to see what happens when two people stick together after one them commits adultery. It seems honorable. My parents stayed together because in those days, that’s what married people did. She never stepped outside her marriage for sex again, but the damage was done. I think if she didn’t cheat, I’d have a stronger relationship with my father, but to this day I’m paying the price for her infidelity.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Reagan said and took his hand into hers. “It’s no wonder you were so quick to change your mind about Matt when I told you.”

  Dean leaned forward and gave her a friendly hug. “Once the hurt is done, the relationship doesn’t truly recover. No matter what people try to tell you. I loved my mother more than anybody in this world, even though she wasn’t perfect, but I wouldn’t want to see anyone go through the agony of what my parents went through. You, Reagan, deserve happiness, my father deserved to be happy. God,” he started getting teary. “Him and I would have had a better relationship if he’d left my mother.” Reagan scrunched her eyebrows together and Dean could read her mind. “Yeah, yeah,” he added, “You don’t have to say it, if he left after it happened, they wouldn’t have conceived me.”

  She sat back and bit her lip, trying not to laugh. It wasn’t his intention to tell her the story, but if it helped her to understand how important it was for her to stand her ground, then he was glad he did. She couldn’t contain herself and laughter rose from her throat and echoed through the room. Reagan hit him with a pillow, and they laughed together.

  The night grew dark and when Dean saw her yawn, he knew he should leave. Reagan stood to walked him to the door. “I’m glad you came,” she said then reached up to hug him goodbye.

  His arms wrapped around her midsection as her arms crossed behind his neck. Her perfumed skin touched his bare arms and he let them linger there as long as he could. Damn I want her!

  Dean backed away before she could feel how bad his desires grew. “Anytime,” he said then turned to leave. Dean stood by his car as he looked up to her window. Reagan had turned the lights off and he wondered if she undressed already. He shook his head and started his car. He hoped someday he’d could make her happy again.

  Chapter 12

  “HOLD THE DOOR PLEASE,” Reagan called out as she rushed into the main entrance of Bay City Medical. As she approached the open door, she noticed Dean holding it. They worked the same schedule and often arrived at the same time. “Oh hey,” she said and smiled at him as she passed.

  Dean raced ahead of her and pressed the button on the elevator. They waited for a brief minute before the elevator opened and they entered. “Feeling better?” he asked. Dean leaned against the back wall and watched her every move.

  “A little,” Reagan answered. She wasn’t herself during the rough time in her personal life, but with friends like him she knew she would be alright. “Thank you again for the talk we had the other day.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, then moved closer to where she stood. “It’s not always easy to hear things like that, but sometimes hearing how infidelity affects others can open your eyes. I didn’t mean to be harsh.”

  The doors opened and someone entered the small space. They paused their discussion until they landed on their floor. “It wasn’t harsh,” she touched his shoulder as they walked out into the corridor. “I think it helped me over this bump.” They parted ways when they reached the nurses station. “So, I’ll see you in the OR.”

  “See you then,” he said as he continued forward.

  Mercy and Zoey, one of the floor nurses, watched as Reagan walked up to them and took a seat. “Oh my God, he’s so hot and you two look good together,” Zoey said as she watched the doctor walk away.

  Reagan looked at Mercy, who tried her hardest not to laugh, and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, he’s cute but we are not together,” Reagan said.

  Zoey stood playing with a strand of her hair. “I always see you guys together, and you always come to work together. Are you serious?”

  They worked with each other, that was obvious. “He’s a surgeon and I’m his scrub nurse.” It didn’t take rocket science to figure out why they saw each other so much. “Yes, I’m serious,” Reagan smirked and turned her head. She looked to Mercy and noticed the rose color in her cheek. “Mercy, you know better,” she said in case her bestie had any wild ideas of her own.

  “I told you from the start,” Mercy stated, “Doctor Everly is cute. Reagan, you’d be a fool not to go after him.”

  Reagan rolled her chair toward the charts and grabbed one to get to work. The girls were acting like kids and she didn’t have time. “Dean and I are just friends-”

  “Dean? You’re on a first name basis with Mr. Hottie?”

  “Yes, Zoey, we all do, and you know it. Doctor Everly,” she corrected herself, “and I are just friends. Nothing more. It hasn’t been that long since my break-up, do you think I could be with someone else so fast?”

  “Matt is,” Mercy spit out. Reagan knew what she meant. She kept her head down to look like she’d been reading the chart, but she could feel the steam coming out of her ears. Matt didn’t move on, he messed up.

  “So, if you aren’t interested in Doctor Everly,” Zoey questioned, “does that mean you wouldn’t mind if I tried?”

  Reagan ignored her but focused on the patient information instead. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Dean walking down the corridor and Zoey running toward him with a spring in her step. Reagan’s head tilted toward Mercy to see if she noticed. Mercy bit the side of her mouth and began writing a progress note.

  Laughter from Zoey distracted Reagan from her work. She looked up and watched the way her coworker flirted with Dean. She batted her eyes and straightened his collar. Oh my God, he’s letting her flirt with him!

  A pit grew in Reagan’s stomach. Jealousy? No, she convinced herself. There wasn’t anything between them and no explanation why her stomach wobbled like mad.

  “Mercy,” she said. “Let’s go eat, I’m hungry.” Hunger was the only thing that made sense to her, although she ate breakfast. They stood and walked in the opposite direction than the cavorting couple.

  REAGAN WATCHED DEAN like a hawk for the next few days. When in the OR, she focused on him like he was about to make a life-threatening mistake. She knew it had nothing to do with his skills. Someone hit on him, probably asked him out on a date, and she couldn’t stop wondering. Why the secret, Mr. Hottie?

  Nothing changed between them. They arrived at work together, left around the same time, ate lunch together as often as possible. Reagan couldn’t figure out why she was so caught up on what he did when he wasn’t around her.

  “You’re a million miles away,” Dean waved his hand in front of her face during their lunch. “Reagan?”

  She snapped out of her thoughts. It didn’t matter if Dean dated someone or not, she had no right obsessing over it. She gave Zoey permission to chase after him. “I’m here,” she replied and took a large sip of her beverage.

  Dean talked about a procedure he’d done during his residency and she pretended to care. After a while, Reagan figured out it had something to do with one of his upcoming surgeries, but it didn’t concern her. All she needed to know was when to pass him a scalpel. “Are you listening?” he quizzed.

  Dean studied her face, and she knew he could tell if she lied or not. Reagan shook her head and yawned. “Actually,” she laughed, “
I was eyeballing those fries.” Her fingers stretched out toward the food he left on his tray.

  He pushed the tray across the table, and she grabbed a bunch and dipped them in a side container of mayonnaise. “Oh, that’s disgusting,” he said as he watched her shove them in her mouth.

  “Not as disgusting as the story you just bored me with,” she said with her mouth full.

  Dean smiled and crossed his arms. His cell phone rang, and Reagan watched as he glanced at it. “Sorry,” he said as he stood. “I need to answer this.” He stepped away from the table and headed toward the cafeteria doors.

  Reagan looked around the room, didn’t see Zoey anywhere then remembered it was her day off. Blocking out the noise of the crowded room, she tuned in to his conversation.

  “No problem, glad you called,” Dean said. “I’m on my lunch break.” He leaned against the door, one hand covering his ear “Yes,” he continued. “I can be there by six.” Reagan's eyes focused on his lips as they spoke, hoping to read something her ears weren’t hearing. “I look forward to it, see you then.”

  Dean turned toward the table. Reagan threw the remaining fries in the garbage pile and stood as he approached. He scrunched his eyebrows together as he sat back down. “I have to run,” she lied to avoid talking to him.

  The tray splattered against the back of the trash can, wrappers fell onto the floor, as Reagan threw the lunch mess away. She stormed out of the cafeteria and didn’t look back to see his face. He probably didn’t care anyway, it appeared hearing from a woman made him happy.

  Why do I feel this way?

  Reagan ran down the hallway and entered the stairwell instead of taking the elevator back to her floor. As she pushed herself up the stairs, she realized she had feelings for Dean. Halfway up, Reagan leaned against the wall and caught her breath.

  Her hands rushed to her forehead and brushed the hair out of her face. Dean was there for her when she needed someone to lean on. It made sense that she cared for him, but she wondered if she did more than care? She didn’t know, she forgot what it was like to be single and being attracted to someone.

  Reagan gave him to another. A lump found its way in her throat and her eyes watered. What have I done?

  The door above her opened and a small group of interns began descending the stairs. She wiped her eyes and continued going up. They looked at Reagan as they passed but said nothing. She must have been holding it together better than she thought, either that or they were in the profession for the money and not bedside manners. The thought caused her to giggle, and she continued to her floor.

  Mercy waited in the nurses’ station. “There you are,” she pierced her lips together and held her hands on her hips. “We have to scrub in, and you wait until the last possible moment to come back from lunch.”

  Reagan ignored her lecture and chuckled at the irony. She told Dean she had to run but forgot she did. They raced to the scrub room and began preparing to enter the OR. “Who’s the surgeon?”

  Mercy looked at Reagan like she had two heads. Reagan Fowler knew everything about the OR schedule, at least when her head was on tight. “Stillman,” Mercy answered. Reagan let out a sigh of relief, at least she could get away from Doctor Dean Everly for the afternoon.

  “Oh, thank God,” she said as she covered her hair with a surgical cap.

  Mercy paused from donning her protective gear to look at her distressed friend. Her eyes narrowed on Reagan as she asked, “What's up with you?”

  Reagan flapped her hands against her thighs and shrugged her shoulders. “I think I'm falling in love with Dean.”

  Mercy clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “Oh my God, I told you!”

  Reagan leaped toward her friend and covered her mouth. The minute the words came out, she knew she misspoke. She didn't know what she'd been feeling, but she recognized jealousy when she saw it. I'm definitely jealous of whoever caught his heart.

  “Promise me you won't say a word to anyone!” Mercy nodded and Reagan released her hand from the girl's mouth. “I don't know for sure and I'm positive he's seeing someone.”

  “No, I don't think-”

  “You ladies coming in to help or are you just going to stand there looking pretty?” Stillman urged them to get their butts in gear.

  Reagan wondered what Mercy wanted to say but there wasn't any time to ask. Work waited for them. It didn't matter, she thought.

  I'm positive Dean has a lover and I refuse to let it get to me.

  Chapter 13

  HIS HYUNDAI GENESIS idled as Dean worked up the nerve to enter the office building. He cut into human hearts without flinching, so why would his palms sweat as he anticipated the meeting? The air-conditioner circulated around the car. Dean reached over and held his clammy palms near the vents.

  He stepped out of the Genesis and made his way toward the building. He looked at it with awe, everything about it displayed elegance. The landscape was impeccable, perfect rows of flowers, white stones covering the dirt, and two impressive lion statues guarded the main door. His fellowship in surgery didn’t pay him enough to have business acquaintances there.

  An older gentleman in a pressed uniform greeted him and pulled the golden handle on the door, allowing Dean’s entrance inside. “Thank you,” he said. The doorman pointed to a waiting area, then turned his attention back toward the door. Dean turned his head to the area where he would wait. It was nothing like the waiting rooms in hospitals. A couple lush leather armchairs sat near the front window, and a small glass-top table with the daily newspapers stacked sat in between.

  Dean sat but it wasn’t long before a young woman, dressed like a professional, approached him. “You must be Doctor Everly?” Her hand extended. Dean reached for it and noticed the coolness of her skin. “Right this way,” she said and pivoted.

  He looked around the grand office as they walked down the hall. Artwork in large gold frames lined the walls, and their footsteps echoed as they walked across the marble floor. As they approached their destination, a lavish mirror hung on the wall. One glance at it and Dean knew he didn’t dress for the occasion.

  The secretary opened a door and directed Dean to have a seat. “Mr. Bishop will be right in,” she said, then turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

  He took a deep breath and exhaled as he sat back and faced the oversized oak desk. Bookshelves lined the walls full of encyclopedias and other resource books. Dean leaned and pulled back a metal ball and watched it swing back and forth, producing the only sound in the room. When the door next to him opened, Dean reached for the Newton’s Cradle to stop the hypnotizing rhythm. He jumped out of the plush seat he sat in.

  “Doctor Everly,” a firm voice addressed him. Dean reached for Mr. Bishop’s hand. The man’s gentle hands and polished nails told Dean he hasn’t done any kind of manual labor in his life. Not that surgeons did any kind of work that resulted in callouses, but the career had its share of body complaints.

  I take it this guy didn’t bus tables throughout college.

  “Thank you for meeting me so late in the day,” Dean said to the attorney.

  “No problem,” he said. “Neil Oswald was always busy at Bay City Medical too.” They sat down and faced each other. Bishop looked old enough to retire, a frown caused creases in his forehead. “He was a good man and I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Dean nodded in agreement. Neil Oswald did more for him than his own father. He cared for Dean when he was down, cheered for him when he excelled. To say he was a good man was an understatement. “That he was and thank you.” he replied.

  Bishop pulled a large stuffed envelope and a manila folder out from the drawer in his desk. “I’m sorry this took so long to put together, but we’re dealing with a large estate and there are always complications along the way.” Dean nodded in agreement, though he didn’t understand what the man talked about.

  He knew Oswald included him in his Will, but he didn’t think it big enough to cause any ki
nds of problems. Neil Oswald never married or had children, but he had nieces and nephews. Those were the recipients of the Will where complications might occur.

  They’ll fight each other tooth and nail for a piece of Neil’s fortune, while I just want his memory to live forever.

  It took more than an hour to go over the fine details of Oswald’s Last Will and Testament. Dean signed his name so many times, he could have done it blindfolded. Legal mumble jumble fell from Bishop’s lips, but Dean didn’t pay too much attention. When they finished, he leaned back into his chair and brought his knuckles to his lips and his eyes moistened from emotions that ran through him. Dean never expected to hear what the attorney told him.

  The entire Oswald estate was his. Everything Neil Oswald touched, now belonged to Dean, and he didn’t know how to handle such news. So, I’m not here for a few grand? He’d hoped for a nest egg, but the whole nest was the furthest from Dean’s mind.

  “You had no idea, did you?” Bishop asked.

  Dean shook his head and looked down. “I don’t think I can accept this. What about his family?”

  “It’s done,” Bishop stated. “You just signed for it, all of it. He must have told you?”

  “No, well not this much.”

  Bishop smiled and placed the paperwork back inside the folder. “As far as his family goes, they all received their share, a smaller scale, and are fine with it. Neil Oswald came from a strong, independent, wealthy background. They don’t need his money, nor will they fight you for it.” The attorney lowered his head and Dean realized he wasn’t the only one who lost a dear friend in Oswald.