by Kira Blakely
“You really think I’m all that different?” I asked.
“Are you kidding?” he asked, his dark eyebrows rising into surprised arches. “I barely recognized you when I stepped into my office and saw you waiting for me. I mean, I knew you were the same girl, but you had a poise that gave me pause.”
I was intrigued.
“Tell me more, Dr. Rex,” I said, sidling close to him.
He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as if remembering something. Then he looked away for a brief moment in thought before going on.
“You’re wrong if you think that the reason I dated you back in high school was because you were there and I was single and you looked like easy pickings. That’s not the case at all. See, I’d dated just about every type of girl that school had to offer, everyone from cheerleaders to student government girls to everyone in between. But when I saw you… I don’t know, there was just something different about you, something that intrigued me.”
“Something good, I hope,” I asked with a smile. “And not something that made you think I was the type of girl who’d let you get to third base within an hour of the first date or something.”
“Nah, not like that at all. It was more like that these other girls seemed to a have a solid sense of who they were. At least, the type of person they thought they were. You…were different. I could tell right away that you were something special, but that you were the only person who didn’t believe it.”
“I was pretty damn insecure back then,” I said, my heart fluttering a little at his words. “I mean, you’re right—it seemed like everyone at school had who they were figured out except for me. I was just the gawky girl who floated around campus, never really appearing on anyone’s radar.”
“Except for mine,” he said, his eyes locked on me, his voice clear and confident.
I felt the hot spread of blush on my cheeks. Then the next words came out in a clumsy tumble.
“Then why did you just throw me aside like I was nothing?”
There was strange, immature brattiness to my voice, as though my old, less secure self had come out for just a moment. Connor looked away, weighing his next words carefully.
“Because, like you said, I was different. And I had a reputation to maintain. Back then being a womanizer who was with a different girl every week was an important part of who I was. I know, it was stupid, but that’s high school for you. So, stupidly, I broke up with you. Only later did I realize just what I’d thrown away so carelessly.”
A tingling spread out from my heart and the world seemed to melt away around me.
“And…” I started. “What would you do if you could do it all over again? If you could talk to that old Connor again?”
I knew I was pressing my luck, but I didn’t care. I needed to know just where I stood. To my surprise, I noticed that Connor’s and my hands were both resting on the stone barrier of the balcony, nearly touching.
“I’d tell my stupid teenage self what I had right in front of me,” he said, his body moving closer to mine. “I’d make him understand what an amazing girl he had, tell him that women like this don’t come around every day.”
Almost as if being pulled by some sort of strange force, our lips moved closer and closer by the second.
“You don’t have to go back, though,” I said. “You’ve got me right here.”
A smile tugged up on one side of his mouth.
“I certainly do.”
Then he kissed me hard.
Chapter 21
Connor
I was more than a little nervous stepping into the office that next morning. Richter had made his ultimatum, and I knew that he would be interpreting my ignoring our conversation as me calling his bluff.
But there was no way I was going to let him blackmail me. Not a goddamn chance.
“Morning, Dr. Rex,” said the receptionist as I strode through the lobby.
“Morning, Becky,” I said. “What’s the agenda for the day?”
“The board’s bringing in some new faces,” she said. “Transfers from Los Angeles, mostly nurses and such.”
I glanced around the place, noting a handful of mostly young women who I hadn’t seen before.
“And I’m assuming that I’ll be taking one or two of them under my wing?”
Becky nodded, her face scrunched up.
“You know the board is about things like this. They want staff shift to be as smooth as possible.”
“Smooth for them, at least,” I said with a smirk.
“You know it. And by the way, we’re all totally upset to hear that you’re going to be leaving us.”
“It’ll be for the best,” I said. “Can’t stay in New York forever, I suppose.”
“At least you’re going with your new family!” she said, her expression brightening. “New start and all that.”
A pang of…something hit me at that moment. The truth—that there was no wedding, no marriage to look forward to, no Alice—hit me hard. Disappointment rushed through me, settling heavy in my heart.
“Yep,” I said. “New start.”
“Anyway,” she said. “I’ll let you get to it. I have your usual room set aside for your clinic hours.”
“Thanks, Becky.”
And with that, I took off. As I stepped into my office and shut the door, little movies played in my head. I imagined what it might be like to actually make a family with Alice. I thought about what our wedding might be like. I imagined taking her someplace wonderful for a honeymoon—Rome, maybe—and spending a carefree week together, just her, me, and Hunter. Then we’d come back to the states and start getting settled into our new home.
I thought about coming back after a long day at the hospital, walking into the house to the smell of something delicious cooking in the oven.
Wait a minute, I thought, checking myself. Alice is a career girl.
Fine—coming home to Alice busy at work in her sunny office, the windows facing the beach. I imagined coming up behind her and slipping my arms around her body, kissing her softly on the neck and…
A shrill buzz cut through the air and snapped me back to reality.
“Dr. Rex?” called Becky through the intercom. “Your first appointment’s here.”
I thanked her, shook my head one last time to bring myself back to the present moment, and headed off toward my office.
The first appointment was the usual fare—a middle-aged man with various vague aches and pains. I recommended some exercise and a more balanced diet and sent him on his way. Then, before I had a chance to even think about what was next, a knock sounded at the exam room door. I screwed up my face a bit, curious who’d be there so soon after my last appointment.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Dr. Rex?” came a woman’s voice on the other side of the door.
“Yep. Come on in,” I said.
The door opened slowly and in stepped what had to be one of the most stunning young women I’d ever laid eyes on. She was a redhead, with fair, flawless skin, sky-blue eyes, and features that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the cover of any magazine. Her shapely, busty figure was poured into a pair of dark slacks and a tight T-shirt that looked like it was one stretch away from ripping open at the chest. She regarded me with a wide-eyed expression, a small smile forming on her blood-red lips.
Back in my med school days, this pretty little thing would’ve been the kind of girl I was all over—literally and figuratively. Now, however, I just wanted to know who she was and why she was walking right into my exam room.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“Um, hi,” she said, eagerly sticking out her pink-nail-tipped hand toward me. “My name’s Lillian Winters.”
“Hello, Lillian Winters,” I said, shaking my head, my eyes narrowed slightly. “Something I can do for you?”
Her eyes went wide, the sun pouring in through the exam room window making them as blue as it gets.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did n
o one tell you who I am?”
“Should I know?”
I unbuttoned my coat and took a seat on the edge of the examination table, the paper crinkling underneath me.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Are you one of the LA nurses?”
Relief spread over her face.
“Yes! That’s me,” she said, pressing her hands to her bosom. “They sent a bunch of us over for the week to help us get acclimated before the big transfer.”
“I see,” I said. “And did you just come to introduce yourself personally? I mean, I’m going to be gone by the end of the month, so if you’re looking to network around here you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Oh, that’s not it at all,” she said. “I just…um, well I’ve heard so much about you. I’m a cardiac nurse practitioner, and you’re, well, a little bit of a legend.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“A legend, huh?” I asked.
“Are you kidding?” she responded, taking an eager step toward me. “You should’ve heard the reaction when the girls and I heard that you were transferring to LA. But, um, I get to be one of the lucky ones who gets to work with you in advance.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, ignoring the fact that she was fawning over me like some kind of groupie. “Work with me?”
“That’s the other thing,” she said, sliding her body up onto the exam table next to me.
She was close now. Too close.
“They’re pairing the incoming nurses with doctors during this week of orientation and, well, you’re my match.”
She looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and bit down gently on her lip. Things were getting a little too close for comfort. I hopped off of the exam table and put a little distance between the two of us. But that didn’t dissuade Lillian from whatever was on her mind. She slowly slid her body off the table and stood before me.
“So, you’re going to be my shadow, then?”
“That’s right,” she said, her voice taking on a more seductive tone. “I’m going to be working very, very closely with you over these next few days. I just wanted to make sure that we were good and acquainted.”
I couldn’t help but notice just how quickly Lillian was able to switch from an “adoring fan girl” persona to a “naughty nurse” one. It was almost as if she were trying different angles and seeing which one found more purchase.
“Well, pleased to meet you,” I said, eager to get back to work and finish off the rest of my clinic hours. “Anything else I can help you with?”
“I suppose not,” she said, not letting my icy tone knock her off course in the slightest. “I just wanted to make sure you knew how…excited I am to be working with you, even for a little while. I’m sure you have lots to teach me.”
With that, she gave me a wink, turned, and headed out.
Once she was gone, I crossed my arms and leaned back against the window. Something seemed…off about all of this. Sure, cute nurses weren’t exactly hard to come by, but the way this girl was so quick to hit on me, to let me know that she was available for whatever I might want, just struck me as odd. She was either a girl who didn’t waste any time, or she had something else in mind entirely.
Something was up. And I was going to figure out just what it was.
Chapter 22
Alice
I tapped my fingers against the balcony table, my eyes on the city spread out below. The evening was getting on, but the air was still pleasantly mild. I cast an eye into the living room and spotted Hunter plopped in front of his video game, his eyes locked onto the screen. With a flick of my wrist, I checked my watch. Connor was running late for our interview, and I couldn’t help but let a tinge of anxiety spread out from my gut.
Before I could wonder just where he was, the elevator doors opened up and out stepped Connor. I watched through the glass doors as Hunter sprang up from his seat and threw his arms around his dad’s legs. Goddamn, it was cute. I couldn’t believe what an affection I’d been developing for that little guy, but here I was, pretty much in love with the kid.
“Sorry I’m running late,” he said, stepping through the balcony doors and taking a seat across from me. “They’ve got us training some new nurses who’re transferring. Everything takes twice as long when you have someone standing over your shoulder, you know?”
The words came out in a rush, and almost sounded rehearsed. For a moment, I thought there might’ve been something he wasn’t telling me. But I let the issue pass.
“So,” he said, sitting back in his chair and folding his hands on his lap. “Last interview, huh?”
“Yep,” I said. “You eager to be done with all of this?”
He looked away for a moment, clearly giving the matter some thought.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s been strange to go through my past like this, but it hasn’t been without its moments.”
He flashed me a smile, and I knew just what he meant.
“So,” I said. “I’ve saved the most important topic for last.”
“Oh?” asked Connor, raising an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
“That’s right.”
I pointed toward the apartment, in the direction of Hunter.
“Ah,” said Connor. “You want to know the story behind that little dude.”
“Sure do,” I said. “And can’t help but notice how cagey you’ve been on the subject of his mother.”
He tensed a bit.
“There really isn’t that much to tell.”
“You always say that,” I said. “Then it ends up not being the case—not even a little.”
“OK,” he said. “Then I’ll let you get right to it.”
I went through the usual process of getting my computer set up. Then, with a tap of my finger on the trackpad, I began.
“Hunter’s mother,” I said. “Tell me all about her.”
Connor looked away for a moment.
“Her name was Kendra,” he said.
“Oh—I like where this is going. When there’s a girl named Kendra involved, you know it’s going to be good.”
Connor smirked.
“This was back when I was still doing my residency. I was fresh out of med school and ready to make my mark on the world. And this was when I was still in the middle of my wild streak.”
“I’ve heard whispers about the legendary med school days of Connor Rex,” I said.
“That so?” he asked.
“I do my research.”
“Well, the less you know about them, the better. I wasn’t quite the cad I was in high school—the rigors of med school worked a lot of that out of me—but I was definitely full of myself. I kicked ass in med school, finishing at the top of my class. So, that first year some of the boys from my graduating class and I got pretty tight, and we decided to let New York just how hard us doctors could party.”
I leaned forward, eager to hear what was next.
“And there were more than a few girls who were ready to jump at the chance to hook a doctor right at the start of his career. Kendra was one of them.”
“Tell me what she was like.”
“Wild.”
The word shot out of Connor’s mouth without a second of hesitation.
“Go on.”
“She was a party girl through and through. Basically, the kind of girl I was all about in high school. She was tall, blonde, and with a body that left her never in want of attention from men. To call what we had a ‘whirlwind’ would be putting it very lightly. She and I fell for each other hard and fast. And after a month we were already talking about getting married.”
“Damn,” I said. “No screwing around for you two.”
I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t feeling more than a little jealous right about now.
“No kidding. After a particularly crazy weekend, we made the decision to get married on a total whim. So, we flew off to Vegas and did the deed.”
“Just like that?”
“J
ust like that.”
“And how did the wild and untamed Connor Rex handle married life?”
He smirked.
“You’re already thinking I was the bad one, huh?”
“Can’t say it’d be a bad guess,” I said, returning the expression. “Speaking from experience, after all.”
He flashed me a good-natured smile and went on.
“Believe it or not, I was ready to settle down. The little foray back into the party world wore thin very quickly. And, for god knows what reason, I thought Kendra was on the same page.”
“But no?”
“But no. She was still begging me to go out and get wild every night, to continue our lives just as they’d been before we got married, only this time with a big ring on her finger and a doctor husband on her arm that she could show off to all her girlfriends.”
“Then she got pregnant?”
“Yep. And I was certain that this would be the thing to get her to calm down. And she did, for a time—there’s only so much partying you can do when you can’t drink and you’ve got a big baby belly.”
He looked away again, a big, proud smile spreading across his face.
“Then Hunter came along.”
He glanced up, watching Hunter for a few moments through the balcony door.
“From that moment on, as soon as I held him in my arms for the first time, I knew that he was the thing my life had been missing. As soon as you’ve got that first kid, your life stops being about you—you’re just not important anymore. The moment I laid eyes on that guy everything else just disappeared. Suddenly, all of the things I’d convinced myself were important were blown away like burnt paper in the wind. All that mattered was making sure that he had a good life, that he wouldn’t have to want for anything.”
My heart grew warm listening to him talk. There was love behind every one of Connor’s words, and as much as I may have found myself wondering just how much Connor had truly changed, how sincere he was these days, there wasn’t the slightest bit of doubt about the love he had for his son.
“And what about Kendra?” I asked. “Was she as on board as you were?”
“At first, yeah. There was a little stretch there when I was certain that she and I had crossed some sort of threshold, that we’d both put our crazy years behind us and were ready to take on the next phase of our lives.”
