“So where does he rank? Top three?”
“Considering he’s only number four, definitely.”
“Okays, so Josh, Brad, then creepy Fred. So before or after Josh?”
Anna thought for a second. Creepy Fred had been her boyfriend for two months her senior year in high school. She lost her virginity to him on prom night. So cliché. Both Josh and Brad had been long-term relationships. She missed Josh. Brad, not so much. As far as sex went though—Hayden took the cake.
“Number one.”
“No way. Come on, you were totally in love with Josh. You mean to tell me that some guy you just met was better in bed?”
Anna nodded. She hadn’t stopped thinking about it.
“He invited me to come stay with him in Phuket.”
Eileen creased her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“He’s going to Thailand for several months on some doctor exchange thing. He told me to come stay.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think he was sincere. Guys say that kind of stuff when they don’t want to see a girl again. Chances are he’s not even going to Phuket.” Anna hated the pity in Eileen’s voice.
Anna dug out her phone. “No, he is. See, he posted this on Instagram.”
Eileen checked out the picture of the packed up room. “Did he follow you back?”
Anna shook her head. “But he’s busy packing, you know.”
“I still don’t think he was sincere.”
“It’s not like I could afford it anyway.”
Money had always been a sore spot for Anna and Eileen, so Anna tried not to bring it up. Anna smiled to reassure her. “But it’s fun to think about it.”
Eileen sighed and stared out over the water. “I’m going to miss this place.”
Anna’s heart clenched. She didn’t want her to go. “So stay.”
“You know I can’t. I’ll miss you though.”
“But China. That’s so far away.” Anna couldn’t fathom the distance.
“It’s only for a year.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“Maybe you should come with me.”
“I can’t afford that.” Now she was starting to get irritated that Eileen wasn’t thinking about her. That was selfish and unfair of Anna, but she allowed herself to feel it anyway.
“Didn’t your grandpa leave you some life insurance money?”
“Yeah, but most of that went to pay for the funeral, and the rest is going to get me started in school.”
“School can wait. Go do something stupid. How much do you have left?”
Something stupid. Yeah, right. It wasn’t in her nature.
Anna looked down at her hands. She didn’t want to see Eileen’s face. “Just over a thousand.” That kind of money was pocket change for Eileen.
“Well, that’s enough to get you a one-way ticket almost anywhere in the world.”
“Somewhere like Phuket?”
Eileen laughed. “Maybe not Phuket, but somewhere. Seriously, you should take more chances. You’re only twenty-three, and you haven’t done anything but take care of your grandpa. Come on. Do something dumb.”
Eileen was right. Anna had never done anything that wasn’t expected of her. But she didn’t know how to do anything reckless. She’d toed the line and took care of her grandpa. She hadn’t planned on that becoming her life, but when situations got thrust upon you, you become that person. For her that was a caretaker. Now she didn’t have anyone to take care of.
Chapter 6
Hayden let Una out of her crate, and she made a beeline for the pool. Only his dog would spend twelve hours on a plane and jump into the pool first thing. Hayden smiled at the tiny Thai woman who showed him around. Her English was impeccable.
“The house comes with a full-time maid who will also do all of your cooking. Whatever you want from the store, give her a list and the money, and she’ll go buy it for you. She doesn’t speak English, but she can translate anything on her phone.”
The house was on the beach in Phuket. Hayden hadn’t had a chance to check out the area around him because it was dark on the way in. But the house and grounds were gorgeous. The air was hotter than anything he’d ever experienced though.
They walked over by the pool. “This is your guesthouse and spa. If you want a masseuse, let me know, and we can have one come in.” She pointed toward the room next to the pool. Sure enough, there were two massage tables. Hayden would be taking advantage of that. His work wasn’t easy, and it was nice to relax.
“Let’s plan on every Wednesday at seven. If I like it, I might add another day.” If this clinic was anything like the clinic he moonlighted at when he wanted a change of pace, he’d need to add three more days, just to get out the stress in his shoulders from dealing with vain people all day.
“Very good. Now, if you’ll follow me.” She motioned toward the main house.
He didn’t want to follow her. Just beyond the pool was the crystal clear water of the sea. He wanted to grab a chair, take off his shoes, sit on his private beach, and relax, since he didn’t get to do that very often. He should’ve told the clinic he wanted to start a week later and taken the time to enjoy the city first.
He followed the woman into the main house, which was modern and sleek. The L-shaped home had four bedrooms, all opening up to the courtyard. The bottom floor had an entertainment center with a wide couch, and an office space. Next to it was a tiny kitchen that was no bigger than his wet bar.
They walked out the sliding door of the kitchen and stepped into an outside kitchen. Hayden had never seen such a thing. It had cupboards, a fridge, and a stove, just like any kitchen he’d seen in the States, but it was completely open to the elements, except the roof overhead.
Then she directed him up the stairs that led to the doors for the gym and master suite. There was an enormous bed, and the bathroom had a shower head in the middle of the room. No doors or curtains. Weird. A wide window in the bedroom looked onto the beach.
“Can I get you anything else tonight?” the woman asked.
“No, I think I’ll just turn in.” He had to report to the clinic first thing in the morning, and he didn’t sleep well on the plane.
“Ubon will be here in the morning, and she will make you pancakes. Will that be okay?”
He almost laughed. Here he was thousands of miles from the U.S., and his cook was going to make him pancakes.
“Sure. Thank you.”
She went down the stairs, and he whistled for Una. She loved water. He might just have to keep a stack of towels in the bedroom so she didn’t get the floor wet after her swims.
After he rinsed Una off and dried her, he fell into bed. The bed was as hard as a rock. He’d read somewhere that all Asian beds were like that. He’d have to put a foam or feather mattress topper on his shopping list for tomorrow. He hoped Ubon would be able to handle it. He wouldn’t have a day off until Saturday.
He lay awake for longer than normal. He wasn’t sure how he was going to like Thailand and was nervous about his new job. Quite frankly, he was more than a little pissed at himself for letting Faith run him off, but he couldn’t stand being reminded of what he did to her.
Anna was a lot like Faith was before she befriended his colleagues’ wives. He wondered if Anna would’ve fallen into the same trap. He squeezed his eyes shut. Of course she would. They all did. Faith wasn’t the only nice girl he’d seen change.
He wondered what the wives would start with. Probably her breasts. That was usually the first surgery. They’d tell her he’d be more attentive if she went up a couple of sizes. Then they’d tell her that her cute little nose needed to be thinner. They might even convince her that she needed to botox her tiny laugh line. The wives were merciless. And usually wrong.
It was a shame that they all ended up that way; he liked Anna just as she was. Normally he didn’t have strong connections with the girls he slept with, but Anna liked Luna from Harry Potter and chocolate lava cake. She wanted to watch Disney movies with him
. He wasn’t sure why, but that endeared her to him. What movie would Anna have started with?
Sleep was pointless. He snapped a quick picture of Una and posted it on Instagram with the hashtag sleepydog. Then he browsed through Netflix and put on Toy Story. He’d never seen it before, and he figured it was a good animated film to start with.
He was surprised that he made it through the whole thing before he felt his eyes drifting shut. Maybe Anna was onto something with those Disney movies. He set an alarm and drifted off thinking of her.
The shower was nice, like standing in the pouring rain, but water got everywhere. Una assumed that since there was nothing blocking her, she needed a shower as well. There was altogether too much water in this place.
He dressed and jogged down the stairs. He stopped abruptly. Several covered dishes filled the table. There was no way he could eat all of this food.
He looked past the table and saw a tiny woman washing dishes. He sat down at the table and found that not only had she made stacks of pancakes, she’d cooked hash browns, sausages, and cut two platefuls of fruit. She rushed over to him and held out two bottles of juice, one orange and one pink. He pointed to the orange one hoping that it was orange juice.
He remembered what the woman said last night about English. He pulled out his phone and handed it over. She typed in her phone number and her name. Ubon.
Ubon was younger than he had expected. Maybe in her thirties. Her face was flawless and her hair long. Her smile revealed bright white but slightly crooked teeth. She was beautiful.
Via text, he thanked her for breakfast, told her she didn’t have to make that much in the future, and gave her a list of things he needed.
She smiled wide and nodded.
He followed his GPS to work. On the way, he spotted a sign with an enormous dessert that looked like the chocolate cake he shared with Anna. She’d looked so damn sexy eating that. Would everything he saw remind him of her?
He pulled up to his clinic and sighed. He would be in the office three days a week. On Tuesday and Thursday, he’d work at a local hospital.
He entered the sleek and classy building and met his colleague in the office.
“Dr. Jorgenson, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Dr. Phillips had fantastic things to say about you. I’m Dr. Ferrar, but you can call me Mike.” Mike was older, with graying hair.
Mike started the tour of the facility. “Most of our patients are from various parts of Asia and Europe, though we get a handful of Americans. How long are you planning on staying?”
“Six to nine months.”
Mike gave him a grin and clapped him on the back. “Then I’ll plan on you being here for about eighteen. Once people start here, they don’t go home. I came for a six-month stint, and that was ten years ago. The weather is great, the beaches are amazing, and the food is to die for.”
“How can you stand the heat?” The clinic was freezing, but when he stepped outside, he was sweating before he even reached his car.
“It grows on you. Did you bring a girlfriend or wife with you?”
“Nope, it’s just me.”
“Well, your maid can usually help you with your, uh, needs, until you meet someone. It’s quite expected.”
Mike paused as if to read Hayden’s reaction, but Hayden didn’t give him one. The idea disgusted Hayden, but he didn’t want Mike to know that.
“There’s also a nice singles scene. I met my wife here a few years ago. She was a client from Italy.”
Hayden cringed. After Faith he decided on bachelorhood, much to his parents’ chagrin. He got a lot of fulfillment out of helping his patients, and there were plenty of women to take care of his other needs. He didn’t need a relationship. If he did, he’d still be in Michigan with Anna.
He had to stop thinking about her.
They made their way to Mike’s office. Mike motioned for Hayden to sit. Then he picked up Hayden’s resume and perused it.
“I see you haven’t practiced in a clinic in a while.”
“I prefer a hospital. But I would moonlight occasionally at clinics to learn new techniques. It’s actually one of the reasons I came to Phuket.”
Which was true. If he spent time in clinics, he could learn techniques he could apply to patients who actually needed it.
“Well, for the next week, you can shadow myself and the other doctor who works here, and then you can start taking on your own patients. If you’d like, we can tell you when we get difficult cases so you can learn.”
“That would be fantastic. Thank you.”
That afternoon he arrived home and found that Ubon had come through with a new mattress pad on his bed and a huge stack of towels. He jogged downstairs to thank her and found a Barbie Doll lookalike standing in his outside kitchen with Ubon. They were conversing in Thai.
The woman smiled when she saw him and held out a basket of fruit.
“Dr. Jorgensen, it is so nice to meet you. I live next door and wanted to say hi. I’m Chloe.”
He took the basket from her. “Thank you. You speak Thai?”
“I do.”
“Can you tell Ubon that I’m very happy with her purchases today?”
“Sure.” She rattled off something in Thai, and Ubon glared at him. He didn’t have time to react before Chloe put her hand on his arm. “I’ve lived here for years. I hope you’re planning on staying for a while.”
“Only six months, I’m afraid. What brought you here?”
“My husband works at your clinic, Dr. Hollens.”
“I met him briefly. I spent most of the day with Mike.”
Chloe’s smile faltered. “Well, I hope he didn’t scare you off.” Hayden wasn’t sure what to make of this woman, but she definitely had information he wanted about his clinic.
Hayden pulled out his phone and sent a message to Ubon.
Could you get us both a glass of wine?
Ubon pulled out her phone and rushed to get the wine.
“Why do you have such a low opinion of Mike?”
She gave a light laugh. “I don’t. He’s just a little intense.” Hayden could tell she was trying to play it off as nothing, but something about Mike bothered her.
She accepted the glass from Ubon.
“Would you like to go for a walk?” He already felt a bit of kinship with her over Mike. He could use a friend here.
They walked down to the beach. “What’s the social scene like in the evenings? Where do you go out?”
“Not much of a nightlife around here. If you want to go down to Patong Beach, it’s full of tourists. My husband and I go to several nice restaurants in the area. I can send my maid over later with a list. Jim had to work late tonight, so I stayed in.” Her smile was tight. Hayden wasn’t about to tell her that Jim left before he did. He wondered if Jim was having an affair, or if he was simply avoiding his wife. Infidelity wasn’t uncommon in his field.
Chloe pointed out into the sea. “You know, renting boats is pretty cheap if you want to go out on the water. You guys only work three days a week, so you get a lot of time to explore. Phuket is beautiful.”
“I’ll be working in a local hospital on my days off. But thanks for the suggestion.”
She nudged him with her shoulder and gave him a coy grin. “Sounds like you’re a workaholic. You need to have a little fun. Ubon said you didn’t bring anyone. Did you leave a girlfriend or wife in the States?”
“No. I like being single.” He couldn’t figure out everyone’s fascination with his love life. It was nobody’s business but his own, but everyone here seemed to think they needed to know all the details.
Another couple walked toward them. “I thought this was a private beach,” Hayden said.
Chloe crossed her arms and scowled. “It is. They live on the other side of you.”
The woman had a wide smile and was another stunning specimen, but she was dark where Chloe was fair. He felt like he’d stepped into The Stepford Wives movie. They had the same cheekbones, sm
ile, nose, and figure. The woman wore a pink blouse with perfectly pressed white pants.
The man with her was enormous. At least six foot seven and two hundred fifty pounds. He wore no shoes, wrinkly khaki shorts, a button down bright flowered shirt, and necklace with a sea turtle charm. He had a goatee and a smile that matched the woman’s.
“Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Chloe?” the woman asked.
Chloe hesitated. “This is Hayden Jorgenson. He’s working with Jim.”
The woman’s eyes danced. “Ah, you’re the competition.”
“Excuse me?” Hayden asked.
“I’m Dr. Julia Kawai. I own a clinic across town. We compete for patients. I have to warn you I’m the best in the business.”
Ah, a woman surgeon. They were rare. She was probably right.
“I won’t argue with that. Women surgeons are fierce.”
She gave a light laugh. “I like you already. Meet Liam, my husband.”
Hayden stuck his hand out to shake it, but Liam reached over and crushed him in a hug. “Welcome to Phuket.”
“Thanks,” said Hayden, completely taken aback. But he had a feeling he’d be spending more time with Julia and Liam than Chloe and Jim.
“What do you do?” he asked Liam.
“I stay home with our twins. They’re two and are complete pistols.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.” Hayden wasn’t crazy about kids and couldn’t imagine twins. There was a time in his life where he wanted them, but when he wrote off women, the dream of a family went away too.
Julia laughed again. “Don’t let him fool you. We employ two nannies and a housekeeper.”
Chloe handed her empty glass to Hayden. “Thanks for the wine. I’m going to head in.” She smiled sweetly at him.
“It was nice meeting you.” He wasn’t sure what to make of Chloe. She was nice enough, but he knew claws were under there somewhere.
Julia waited until Chloe was out of earshot. “Be careful of that one.”
“Why?”
“She’s one of the wicked witches.”
Hayden raised his eyebrows at her. He’d never heard someone else refer to the wives like that. Especially not a woman.
Monkeys and Mayhem (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 4) Page 3
