Evan clenched his teeth as he forced a casual smile. It was a lot harder to accomplish than he thought. But he had no choice. Every time he engaged in conversation with Jake, he found himself unable to fully let his brother have it. He stopped short. Because of what Jake had revealed to them. The truth about their father had hit him hard. Jake’s entire life had been a lie, and the resentment he’d felt toward his brother growing up now made him feel like an ass.
“So how’d you find someone new so fast?” Quinn asked.
“You remember the woman and kid I saved in that car accident?”
Jake motioned to the waiter for more coffee and then turned back to Evan. “Uh, not really, since you never talk about it.”
Fair enough. He’d always shut down a conversation when it turned to the accident. He didn’t enjoy talking about his feelings to anyone. And ever since his brothers had gotten married, they actually engaged in those types of conversations every now and then.
“Well, her.”
Silence. John, the waiter and owner, poured their cups and then quickly left the table, in a hurry to help the other patrons in the busy restaurant.
Jake eyed Quinn and then leaned forward. “Okay, this is painful to listen to, Ev. You have to hurry up and spill the details. I’m the brother in this family who doesn’t talk. Not you. So explain.”
“All right. Well apparently she’d been trying to get in touch with me this last year—”
“Why didn’t you ever go see her?”
He balled up his napkin and then dropped it onto his plate. “I needed to move on from what happened. I didn’t want to know who they were. Hell, I didn’t want to see anyone for a long time, least of all them. It would drag me back to that day, and I didn’t want to think of everything I’d lost.”
Silence, and then his ever-sensible eldest brother spoke up. “Evan, you saved a woman’s life. And her son’s. I know you had to pay the price with the damage to your hand and then losing that Alexandra woman. Maybe this is a good reason for you to stick around and settle in Red River. Like it or not, buddy, this is your town.”
Evan stared at Quinn for a moment before looking down. He didn’t want to be talking about any of this. Especially his hand. As for Alex, the fellow surgeon who ditched him, he was over it. Or her. He suspected his family was hoping that this brief stint in Red River would mean he’d come back here for good. But that was the last thing he wanted. Filling in for Dr. Chalmers had been enlightening, and he knew there was no way he’d ever be satisfied with family practice. There was no thrill, no adrenaline rush. Despite not being able to perform surgery, he still preferred the inside of the ER to that tiny office.
He hadn’t been ready for his career to be ripped away from him. There was no way either of his brothers could understand—they were both family men. He wasn’t made like them—his feelings didn’t run as deep. No one had ever come close to meaning more to him than his job. So how could he tell them that he wanted to get the hell away from this town, first chance he got?
He cleared his throat and forced a smug expression on his face. “What is this? What is wrong with you two? We used to talk about game scores and work. All this personal crap is getting a little much, especially without any beer around. You both need to get your estrogen levels checked,” he said, pleased with himself when they both gagged on their bacon.
“Yeah, funny. When are you going back to the ER again?” Jake asked with a smirk.
“So here’s the thing, I’m not going back to the ER.”
Quinn smiled. “Red River finally won you over? What was it? Being back with us? The kids?”
He swallowed his coffee alongside a large dose of guilt at his brother’s question. “Not exactly. I’m in the running for a position as chief director for a new group of medical clinics.”
“That’s great. Where are the clinics? Toronto?”
Evan nodded.
“You never mentioned this before, right?”
He shook his head. “It’s something that just fell into my lap. I was recommended for the position by the chief of staff at the hospital and met with the board of Medcorp.”
Quinn frowned. “Medcorp? Aren’t they private plastic-surgery clinics?”
Evan nodded.
“You’re going to work in a plastic-surgery clinic?”
His fingers tightened around the handle of the cup. “I’m going to run the clinics. CEO to be exact.”
Neither of them said anything for a minute. Then Quinn piped up. “Well how’s that exciting? I mean, you still won’t be a surgeon. And you won’t be in the ER. So how’s being a director of a bunch of private clinics thrilling?”
Money. Power. Prestige. That was it in a nutshell.
Jake placed his fork down and gave him a classic no-bullshit face. “So you’re going from saving people’s lives to dealing with boob jobs and lipo? That’s better than family practice?”
He knew they wouldn’t get it. He didn’t bust his ass, graduate from high school and university early, didn’t push to be the best only to end up in Red River making chitchat with the townies. No freaking way was he settling for this. “How is Holly feeling?” Evan asked, trying to divert the attention off of him. Quinn was very predictable: all Evan needed to do was ask the man something about his pregnant wife, and that would be it.
Quinn’s face softened at the mention of his wife. Worked like a charm every time. “Good. Counting down the days till the baby is due. Her OB is going on vacation, so she’s worried about that, even though there is someone filling in for her. And she’s driving herself—and me—nuts trying to organize everything. Every minor detail. The nursery has been set up for three months already. Now she’s worried that she’s washed all the baby clothes too early and needs to wash them again,” he said with a laugh.
“Yeah, that phase almost killed me when Claire went through it,” Jake said, taking a sip of coffee.
Evan ducked his head. His brothers were talking about nesting and babies. And they were acting as though this were a normal occurrence. How times had changed. “Well, tell Holly if she needs anything or isn’t feeling well, to come and see me.”
Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “I think you can stop with the offers for family physicals. She doesn’t need to see you, Ev.”
Evan rolled his eyes. At least that sounded more like his brother. “Look, man, I have no intention of going anywhere near where you’ve been, so relax.”
Jake cleared his throat. “So back to the woman situation—”
“There’s no situation. I better get moving. I need to get a jog in, especially after eating this trash,” Evan grumbled, rising.
“Uh, so when are we going to meet this woman? Not that I really care or anything,” Jake said shifting his eyes guiltily. “But Claire will kill me if I don’t get details.”
“The wedding is soon enough. Don’t show up at the office this week.”
“You wish. You’re bringing her to Eunice’s wedding?”
Evan shrugged, trying to put Eunice Jacobs’s garlicky toe out of his mind. “Well, I thought that way Grace could meet all of you at once and get it over with, so you don’t have to spy on me around town and then blame it on your wives.”
Jake snorted. “Yeah, like we’d ever do that.”
“Hey, you’re still coming for dinner Sunday night, right? Holly has some crazy idea that this will be the last Sunday night dinner before she goes into labor. And Ella keeps talking about how you promised to lend her your stethoscope for some doll examination,” Quinn said with a chuckle. Evan smiled in return. His niece was adorable. And totally smart. She and his nephew were the only kids he liked being around.
“Absolutely wouldn’t miss it. Apparently, there’s a flu going around her doll community, so we’re opening up a hospital in her room,” Evan said, pulling out his wallet.
“Well, you have fun playing with dollies Sunday night, Ev,” Jake said with a smug smile.
“You bet,” he said throwing down a ten-dollar bill.
“But Ella already told me that Uncle Jake plays dollies the best. Something about your high-pitched voice.” Quinn’s deep laughter and Jake’s expletives followed him out into the warm, fresh air.
Nothing like time with his brothers to bring him back to his roots. No one in the world could drive him crazier than his family.
Chapter Four
“Chris, don’t go too close to the water!” Grace yelled as her son scooped up a handful of rocks at the river’s edge. Christopher, she’d discovered, could throw rocks into any body of water for hours at a time. She glanced down at her watch. They still had an hour before it was time to meet Dr. Manning at their “new house.” She hadn’t known what traffic would be like, taking the long, spineless-person route again. Turned out, the country roads had been quiet, and they’d gotten here from Toronto much faster than she’d predicted.
As soon as they had left his office yesterday, she and Christopher had walked the small Red River downtown area. She had been in a slight daze, but after seeing the small school and meeting the principal and the kindergarten teacher, she’d been much more excited. Christopher was thrilled with the school and the large playground. The town was totally charming, like right off the front of a postcard.
She had tried to be as honest as possible with Christopher and told him if they loved it in Red River, then they’d live here. But for now, they were helping out Dr. Manning, and it was a nice thing to do considering. Chris seemed to love that idea that they were coming to Evan’s rescue. She let him enjoy that feeling. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty. But guilt had followed her all the way back to Toronto yesterday. She had cost Evan his career as a surgeon.
Once they were back in their apartment, she’d spent the night after Chris went to bed making a To-Do list that went on for pages and then packing up their things. She was upset that there wasn’t enough room in her small car to take even a few of her painting supplies. Well, that would be for next weekend. Or whenever she got her first paycheck and they could splurge on the tank of gas it would take them to get there and back.
Of course, on this morning’s drive, her nerves had set in. She had never done anything this impulsive. She’d always lived in Toronto. In an apartment and, at one time, a shelter. And after her mother had died, in a city of millions, she’d felt so alone. She’d lost touch with the few high school friends she’d had. She’d always had a part-time job in school, because she wanted to help her mom with bills. She never really had time to pursue other friendships. Then after that she’d met Brian and thought she’d met a truly dependable man. A man who would stand by his wife and child, a man nothing like her father…and she couldn’t have been more wrong.
Well, she’d never make that mistake again. She was fully content being a single mother. She would never let another man come close to destroying her. And then, in fifteen years, when Chris was an adult, she intended to adopt five cats, gain fifty pounds, and never use antifrizz products on her hair again.
“Don’t worry, Mom!” Christopher yelled, wobbling slightly as he shot her a toothy grin before chucking a rock into the water. The resounding gulp from the river as it swallowed the rock earned a loud, “Yessss.” She sat down on one of the large boulders, took a sip of her coffee from the paper cup, and watched. The river was clear and running smoothly, filled with the abundant spring rain. The trail system along the river ran for miles according to the signs, the gravel path winding by the banks of the water. Green grass and meticulously landscaped gardens made the park a gorgeous place to sit on a spring day.
A pretty, albeit very pregnant woman, walking with a little girl along the trail appeared. The little girl approached Christopher, and he handed her a fistful of rocks. The two of them were soon completely preoccupied with seeing who could make the biggest splash.
Grace rose and walked over to the where the woman was standing.
“They seem to have made friends,” the woman said, smiling as Grace approached. She extended her hand. “I’m Holly, and that’s my daughter, Ella.”
“Hi, I’m Grace. Nice to meet you. That’s my son Christopher,” she said smiling. This was small-town life. People actually just struck up conversations with strangers. She looked over at Christopher, who was chattering a mile a minute with the little girl. The woman didn’t even look her up and down or make her feel awkward for not being dressed fashionably. It was strange; in the city, no one cared to know more about her. There were rich people, normal people, and homeless people. They all walked sided by side on the streets, and she just blended in as one of them. Here, everyone would soon figure out what their situation was really like. It was disconcerting. She hoped that the kids at Christopher’s school were kind…
“Do you mind if we sit down and watch? I really need to get off my feet,” Holly said with a laugh. Grace gave her a sympathetic smile and nodded, walking over to the nearby bench.
“When are you due?” she asked once they’d seated.
“Not soon enough. Another six weeks, but right about now it feels like I’ll be pregnant forever,” she said with a groan.
“I remember that feeling,” Grace said, taking a sip of coffee. She would never forget the end of her pregnancy. It had been horrible, those last few weeks. She’d never felt so alone or so scared. First her mother—the dearest person in the world to her—had died, and then her world and her stability had been ripped apart when Christopher’s father just walked out on them without warning, without leaving a dime, without leaving a phone number. Somehow, she had found the strength to go on. But there were nights, lying awake in her dark room, that the ache for her mother would fill her until she was forced to release the tears that she controlled on a daily basis. She had no one to rely on; no one had her back anymore. It had been a crash course in reality, and she’d learned the hard way to never let her and her son be vulnerable to anyone else again.
“I shouldn’t complain; it’s been a pretty good pregnancy, and my husband’s been wonderful. I guess I’m just anxious at this point.” She took a deep breath and turned, smiling at Grace. Her green eyes lit up. “Enough about me though. Are you new to Red River?”
Grace tilted her head. “Sort of. I just accepted a job as a receptionist for a doctor’s office.”
“That’s great. I hope you like it.”
Grace tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “Me, too. It’s a big change for us. But I’m starting to think we’ll like small-town life.”
“Red River is one of the nicest places in the area to raise a family.”
She crossed her legs, taking a sip of coffee. “So you grew up here?”
Holly nodded. “I went away to school and worked in Toronto as an interior designer for a while before relocating back to Red River. I never thought I’d move back here, but destiny sort of had other plans for me, and I married the man of my dreams, and well, the rest is history,” she said with a smile that held such undiluted happiness that Grace couldn’t even imagine.
Christopher gave Grace joy, and there wasn’t anyone in the world more important to her, but the choices she’d made and the regrets she had kept her from feeling true happiness. She noticed the way Holly looked at her daughter, the peace on her face. The sparkling ring on her finger, a symbol that she was still with the father of her child.
“That’s wonderful,” Grace said after a few seconds of silence. “Red River is a pretty little town.”
“It is. Where are you from?”
“Toronto.”
“Oh wow! So you’re a city girl, too. This might take some getting used to at first, but it’s a great place for kids, a real sense of community. Let me know if you need anything at all. Information about the school, whatever. And look at your son and my daughter—they get along so well.”
“I’m planning on enrolling Chris at Red River Elementary. He’s so excited about it.”
“Oh nice. I bet they’ll be in the same class. There’s only one class per grade,” she said with a laugh.
Grace blinked. “Wow, what a change from what we’re used to.”
“I know. So how long have you been a receptionist?”
Grace liked everything about this woman. She was positive, friendly, and someone she would have loved to be friends with. She hadn’t had a true friend in years. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d just sat and chatted with another woman. She’d become closed off and so busy trying to do everything that her social life was nonexistent. And going out would have meant hiring a sitter, which would have meant spending money.
But sitting next to Holly made her reflect on everything she was lacking. She was embarrassed. Embarrassed that they had nothing. Embarrassed by having a job that wasn’t her real passion, that didn’t sum up who she was. It still hurt, admitting that she hadn’t pursued her dream of being an artist. It always felt like a cop-out. She couldn’t cut it, so she had given up. She didn’t drive on highways anymore. She let fear dominate so many areas of her life.
“Ever since high school, really. My mother worked in a doctor’s office. Single mom. To help make some extra money, I’d go in with her after school and do filing. And then after that, I got a full-time job while pursuing art school in the evenings. Christopher was unexpected. I had to take a bit of a break from it. I just ran out of time, between work and raising him. Maybe this year,” she said, quickly trying to smile so that it didn’t sound so pathetic.
“Don’t be hard on yourself,” Holly said softly. Grace swallowed hard, as she saw the compassion in her new friend’s eyes. “I remember the first few months here with Ella, and I was by myself trying to raise her. I know it’s hard, all on your own. You can do it. You just need time and support,” she said. Her eyes lit up a second later. “Do you still have all your work? A portfolio?”
Grace nodded slowly, toying with the lid of her cup. She was curious as to why Holly had been all on her own. Unless Ella wasn’t her husband’s child. She wasn’t about to pry and act nosy. Besides, the woman was asking about Grace’s portfolio. What were the odds of meeting someone who actually cared enough to ask about her art?
The Doctor's Fake Fiancee Page 4
