by Rowe, Julie
“You will?”
“In the Helen’s House waiting room, I think.”
She frowned. “Why there?”
“It’ll be great for business. An up-and-coming plastic surgeon helping the less fortunate in any way she can with you as the supportive owner of the health facility she works out of? A place that allows philanthropic doctors like Calla to support their community by providing free care to anyone who needs it?”
“That might work.”
“You see?” Alex spread his hands and grinned. “I’m going to spin this into a public relations coup for you.”
Helen flicked at a non-existent piece of lint from the hem of her suit jacket. “I hope so. I really do. Photographs of celebrities before and right after surgery, a topless photo of a royal from Belgium, and now this.”
“Someone is certainly talking to the tabloids. Any ideas about who it might be?”
Helen pursed her lips. “I can’t imagine anyone employed by us doing this.”
“What about someone you fired?” Alex asked.
“No one recently.”
“No arguments with any of the staff? No disgruntled patients or temporary workers?”
She shook her head to all.
Alex looked at the newspaper again. The angle made it certain that the photo was taken from the clinic and not an office. Possibly one of the security cameras.
Combine that with the other information leaks and he knew Helen was only partially right. Someone was deliberately sabotaging her business. But only someone who worked for Helen and knew the inner workings of Seacliffe would have access to photos in patient charts and the security cameras.
Not a large group of people.
“Not to worry, I’ll take care of the press conference. My investigator will be over to ask a few questions.”
Helen winced. “I don’t know if I can afford that.”
Helen was not the sort of woman to allow her emotions to show. That she shared her concern with him showed how much she trusted him. “Don’t worry, the bill will be something you can handle.”
“Alex, you don’t have to—”
“I want to, Helen. A favor for a friend.”
“Are you sure you don’t want a nose job or something? I could make you the most handsome man in the city.”
He controlled his automatic recoil from her offer. At one time he might have taken her up on it. At one time he cared about what people thought of him. That time was long gone. “Helen, if I did anything to straighten out this crooked monument on my face, I’d lose track of who I am. There’s no point in improving something that doesn’t need to be fixed.”
“You’re an interesting man. One minute humble, the next arrogant.”
He bent over her hand and kissed the back of it. “For my next trick, I’ll solve the world economic crisis.”
“Just save my newest surgeon and I’ll be happy.”
He’d try, but so far, Calla Roberts had demonstrated one troublesome trait in particular. Unpredictability. He had absolutely no idea what she would do or say next. It was incredibly sexy.
And incredibly dangerous. To her employer, and possibly, to his reputation.
Chapter Three
Reviewing x-rays at Helen’s House was one of Calla’s favorite things to do on early Friday mornings.
X-rays told the story of a person’s life. How fast they grew, how badly they’d broken their arm in second grade, if they worked as a plumber or a mechanic rather than a desk jockey. But, the best part was they never lied. She’d learned the hard way to trust the silent information a body gives rather than what comes out of a person’s mouth.
Lies were the reason she was here, rather than in Chicago with her brother. Lies had stolen all her money and most of her self-confidence.
She finished examining one x-ray, put it away, and glanced at the large bouquet sitting in the middle of the table behind her.
Someone had sent her flowers and written her a poetic apology note, but hadn’t signed it. Had they forgotten or were they afraid she’d dump the whole thing on their head? The note didn’t tell her what they were apologizing for.
Despite that, it did make her feel…valued. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Someone had noticed how many hours she put in at the clinic and Helen’s House. Someone had noticed that she was more than a doctor. She was a woman, too.
But who could have sent it?
Please, God, not Jeff MacKay, the movie star who believed his own press. She was probably the only woman in the world who didn’t want his attention.
What about Alex Hardy? Could he be her secret admirer? She snorted as a thrill went through her at the thought. No, it couldn’t be him. He wasn’t a man who hid behind foliage and poetry. He was arrogant, blunt, and tactlessly honest.
Who knew she’d find those traits so attractive?
She shook her head. No, she wasn’t attracted to him. Not at all. Not even a little bit. Liar, liar, a little voice in the back of her head said.
“Hey.”
She turned and found Alex standing in the doorway. Her heart rate rocketed into the stratosphere. She had to nod and take a sip of coffee before she could say, “Morning” in a reasonable tone of voice.
He was dressed in a tailored suit, looking far more delicious than should’ve been allowed at that hour.
“Morning,” he replied. His gaze went to the huge bouquet, then came back to her face. His mouth didn’t move, but she saw one eyebrow raise a fraction.
He glanced at the x-rays attached to the light box on the wall, three all together, and the pile of films waiting to be reviewed. “How many of those do you have to look at?”
“About twenty cases worth this morning.”
“You have that many patients today?”
“No. I review all the x-rays here. I’m the next best thing to a radiologist, which we don’t have at Helen’s right now.”
“Oh.” He examined the x-rays with a rapt expression. “Creepy.”
She laughed. “Creepy?”
“Sorry, I’m having a Hamlet moment.” He lifted on hand toward the x-ray, then paused and said in a dramatic tone, “I have this urge to cast out an evil spirit.”
“You never cease to amaze me.” His sense of humor surprised her. Wasn’t it illegal for a lawyer to be funny? She wanted to laugh out loud and kiss him silly. That thought was another shock. She didn’t actually like him, did she?
“I’m glad I can entertain you.” Then he turned his sharp gaze on her. “And I hope you can keep up this happy-day attitude.”
“Why?”
Here it comes, he wants to cancel our date. Which she’d be fine with. Absolutely fine. So why did she feel so let down?
He handed her a newspaper.
She put her coffee and recorder down and took it from him, the bottom of her stomach dropping into a black hole. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Nope.” He went back to looking at the x-rays, leaning closer and squinting as if that would help him decipher what he was seeing. “Don’t these things gross you out a little?”
Calla barely heard him over the static filling her ears. The picture on the front page of the tabloid and the headline right above it was the same one he’d shown her two days ago.
Local Plastic Surgeon Moonlights as Drug Dealer.
Rage, rich and red hot, spilled out from deep within her chest, spreading throughout her body until she feared the newspaper would dissolve into ash and smoke in her hands. She lowered it and narrowed her gaze at the lawyer. “Did you do this?” she asked in a quiet voice no one could mistake as being safe.
He frowned. “No.”
She stared at him, daring him to lie.
He met her gaze with one that was as solid and cool as granite. “No.”
“Who did?”
“That I don’t know. Not yet, anyway. Talking to you is the first step in my investigation.”
“Investigation?”
“Hel
en Ridgeway came to see me yesterday afternoon. She showed me an early proof of that paper.”
Calla closed her eyes as a shower of guilt and regret cooled her anger. “Damn, I’m going to lose my job, aren’t I?”
“Should you?”
“Maybe. For stupidity.” She read the article. It made her out to be some kind of predator. “Wow, they don’t pull their punches.”
“News isn’t news unless you’re portrayed as the poster child of one or more of the vices.”
The way he said it, with distain and disgust, made her ask before thinking, “Which one were you accused of?”
Her question jerked his head around, his eyes wide with shock.
Yep, she was going to get fired for stupidity.
Then he did the last thing she expected.
He answered. “Vanity.”
“Vanity?” She gazed at his face with its interesting crooked nose. “Really?”
For some reason, that made him laugh. “Or pride, if you prefer.”
“What were you vain about?”
“Something very, very small.”
She looked Alex over. He didn’t just have a robust nose, he had big feet, hands, and shoulders, and he was very tall. “Small is not a word I’d use to describe you.”
Both his eyebrows went up.
He was such a guy.
“I didn’t mean…” She rolled her eyes. “Grow up, would you?” Of course, now she really did want to speculate on the size of other things.
Distraction.
She needed one before she said something stupid or suggestive. No matter how yummy he looked in that suit, how good he smelled, or how surprisingly funny he was, she couldn’t get involved with anyone, let alone her employer’s lawyer.
Calla tore her gaze from him and forced herself to glance at the paper again. She cleared her throat and asked, “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to need a lawyer. Those are some nasty charges. The police may investigate.”
“But…” The police? “I didn’t do anything wrong.” She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. “Stupid and wrong aren’t necessarily the same thing.” Wringing her hands wasn’t helping.
“Which is why you’re going to need a lawyer.”
She couldn’t afford a lawyer, unless… “You’re waiting for me to ask, aren’t you?”
“That would be the polite thing.”
“Are you expensive?” His eyes lit up and she quickly rephrased her question. “Are your hourly lawyer rates expensive?”
“I think we could work something out. A trade so to speak,” he said.
“Trade? Like what, a nose job?”
“Nope. I want…” He allowed the sentence to die and contemplated the ceiling for a moment. “My relatives are pushy and annoying. Some of them will try to corner you and ask embarrassing questions, others might tell you stories about me. There’s usually at least one fistfight or screaming match, and my grandmother loves it all.”
“What do you mean she loves it all?”
“She loves the drama, the noise.” He glanced at Calla. “She lives alone in her big old house with a full-time caregiver—we call her the Granny Nanny—a couple of staff who’ve been with her for over thirty years, a cook/housekeeper, and a chauffeur/gardener. But once a week her family invades and she’s on stage again. Queen of the show. It wears her out. She sleeps for a day afterward, but refuses to put a halt to the family dinners.”
“So, what do you want?” she asked cautiously.
He sighed. “I can’t ask you to lie.”
“You can’t ask me to lie, but you want to?” She cocked her head.
“Yeah.”
“Well, well, you’re a human being after all. How’s this for a trade: You represent me if I need a lawyer—”
“When, not if,” he interrupted.
She smiled, showing him her teeth. “—and in return I lie to your family for you?”
The corners of his mouth tilted upward. “What, exactly, are you going to say?”
“How about if I imply that you’re taken?”
He laughed. “A suggestion won’t work. She’ll ask you straight up.”
“So, I say we’re dating and serious about our relationship.”
He nodded slowly. “That might work.”
“So, it’s a deal?”
He considered her for several moments. “For how long would you be willing to be my girlfriend? My family is a determined bunch and my aunt is the worst one of all.”
“It’s not like I’m doing anything else.” She shrugged.
He laughed, long and with real joy. “Careful, your enthusiasm will put me on a pedestal so high I’ll break my neck if I jump.”
Ha! “Good thing I’m a doctor.”
He sobered. “You’re an interesting woman, Dr. Roberts. Or should I call you Calla?”
“Calla, since we’re dating, and I’m probably the most boring person you know.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I live for my work. A glutton for punishment. Nothing exciting about that.” Oh God, now she sounded like she was into bondage or something.
Alex’s lips twitched, but instead of jumping on her verbal blunder he surprised her by changing the subject. Sort of. “I would love to discuss your idea of punishment in detail, but I have a meeting I cannot be late for. So, moving along, someone is trying to discredit the clinic and using any means available in which to do it, including the photograph of you dealing drugs.”
“I told you, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Anyone looking at this picture is going to think you did.” He pinned her in place with a stare. “I thought you did.”
“Why?” She couldn’t understand it. One question and the whole thing could be explained.
“Because it’s easier to believe the lie. It’s also more interesting, and the media is happy to fulfill their insatiable need for drama, intrigue, and a sympathetic, redeemable villain who made a wrong choice somewhere along the way.”
She lifted her chin. “Not everyone thinks the worst of me, you know.”
“Oh?”
“Did you know poetry came with these flowers?” She gestured at the bouquet.
“Did it touch your heart?” he asked with a grin.
She glanced at it with the soft, secret sort of look only a woman who’d been given an unexpected compliment would wear. “Yes.”
Her expression along with the short, staccato answer made him blink. “Really?” How could she look like that? She didn’t even know who gave her the damn flowers.
She smiled, plucked the note from the bouquet, and opened her mouth to read.
He coughed. “Are you sure you want to share this with me? Perhaps it’s too personal?”
“You’re my boyfriend, right? You’re also a lawyer, you know how to keep your mouth shut.”
“Wonderbar.”
She held up the card and began again. “My apologies, Doctor, for my foolishness. I am but a man, blind and deaf to the skill of your hands and generosity of your heart. You deserve so much more than this, but all I can offer you is my apologies and my thanks.”
“No wonder he didn’t leave a name.” Alex wrinkled his nose. “That sucks.”
“Hey, I like it.” Okay, so maybe Alex didn’t write it. That didn’t mean he could make fun of it.
“In which case, I’m very glad you became a surgeon and not a poet. But back to our little problem.”
“Maybe Dr. Lazarus sent them,” she mused. “He’s one of those old-school gentlemen.”
“Jeremiah Lazarus?” Alex asked. “Co-owner of the spa?” Alex didn’t wait for her to answer. “No, flowers and poetry aren’t his style.”
“He is concerned about his staff and he’s thoughtful,” Calla argued. “I can easily see him doing this to show his support.”
Alex pressed his lips into a hard line as he stabbed a finger at the paper. “This we can spin into something else. I’m giving
a press conference and we’re going to be there. All of us.”
“All who?”
“You, me, the kid, and his mother. We’re going to show everyone the work you do for free at Helen’s House and how, when your patients need you, you’re there for them with whatever resources you can provide within the law.”
“What, like show-and-tell? You know I can’t break doctor/patient privilege.”
“You won’t. I’ve already talked to your patient and her son. They’re totally on board with this.”
Surprise had her asking, “Really?”
“Really.” Relief and suspicion went to war inside her head. “What’s all this going to cost me? My firstborn?” He was a lawyer and he’d gone to an awful lot of work before he’d secured her services as chief girlfriend and liar. Lawyers never did anything for free.
“Nothing. In this, I’m representing the clinic.”
She suspected his nothing would add up to something eventually. “How generous of you.”
He went over the details with her, but she didn’t like it.
“This blows.”
Alex looked at her. “You’d rather get fired and arrested for suspected drug dealing?”
“A lot of our patients aren’t going to like the news crews hanging around like vultures over a kill. It’s going to drive some of them away.”
“It’s really our only option. We have to move fast and talk to the police before they show up with an arrest warrant.”
“What I want to know is who is doing this.” She pointed at the paper.
“That is the real point of my press conference.” Alex raised one eyebrow and smirked. “I plan on discrediting the seller of the photos, painting them as a voyeur at best and a criminal at worst for violating patient confidentiality laws.”
“That could backfire, you know. The seller could get nasty.”
“He’s already nasty.” Alex shifted and accidently bumped into her, knocking her off balance. He grabbed her shoulders before she could stumble. “Look, you don’t have to say a thing.”
His touch, gentle but sure, felt much better than it should have and she took a step back. “That I can probably do.” Her body swayed toward him and she had to force herself to stay where she was. “Let me know when and where you need me. I have to finish these reports.”
