The M.D. Next Door

by Gina Wilkins

  “How long ago did you lose your father?”

  “A little over five years ago. I remember Alice mentioned that your father is still living. In…Texas?”

  “Dallas,” he confirmed with a nod.

  “Are you close?”

  He shrugged. “We get along okay but I wouldn’t call us close, especially since my mother died ten years ago. He’s an architect and he travels a lot with his job, always has. We see each other a few times a year, talk on the phone once a month or so. Alice emails him occasionally and sends him pictures of herself.”

  “I see.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw her toying with the little tassel hanging from her clutch zipper. Was she a bit more nervous about this outing than her serene expression let on? He had to admit it felt a bit different being with her without Alice chattering between them.

  After a momentary pause, she spoke again. “Alice was looking forward to her sleepover party this evening.”

  “Yes. Her three best friends are all going to be there. There will be some major giggling in that house tonight.”

  Meagan laughed softly. “If it’s anything like the sleepover parties I attended at her age, I’m sure you’re right. I hope she’ll get a few hours sleep.”

  He shrugged. “She can rest tomorrow. She doesn’t have any other plans, except for Waldo’s obedience class.”

  “What are you going to do about Waldo’s class next week? Alice mentioned that next weekend is her visit with her grandparents in Heber Springs. Will you be taking Waldo to class?”

  “I guess so, though the instructors recommend having the same person work with the dog in each class. But he’s just going to have to settle for me this time. If he flunks that class, Alice can blame me rather than her precious dog.”

  She smiled in response to the joke, but spoke seriously. “It’s nice that Alice’s grandparents live close enough for her to maintain a relationship with them, especially since her mother is so far away.”

  Seth nodded. “It’s just under a two-hour drive to their home on Greer’s Ferry Lake. They moved to Heber Springs when Harold—Alice’s grandfather—retired from his law practice in Jonesboro, where they raised Colleen. I met Colleen in law school, here in Little Rock. Her parents are decent people. They’ve mellowed in the past few years, and they’re very fond of their grandchildren. They fly to Denver fairly often to visit their other daughter’s family, and they see Alice one weekend a month. She enjoys spending time with them.”

  “I’ve always been close to my grandparents. My father’s parents are still living in Florida, and my paternal grandmother and I stay in touch through the computer. She’s addicted to the social networking sites. My mom’s mother, on the other hand, has never touched a computer. She always considered them vaguely sinister.”

  Seth laughed. “There are times I’d agree with her.”

  Traffic had almost stopped when they approached the parking deck of the luxury hotel. He inched the car forward, hoping the deck wouldn’t fill up before he found a space. At least Meagan seemed to have relaxed with him a little during their chat about Alice. He wasn’t sure why she’d been tense at the beginning. Maybe it was just that first date thing.

  Ten minutes later, they walked into the glittering ballroom. DeAnna had gone all out on decorations for the event, which was to raise money for a local battered women’s shelter. He’d never seen so much glittering purple in one venue. Attendance was good; the ballroom was almost filled with attendees in elegant clothing, their conversations underscored by the music of the eight-member orchestra situated in a far corner of the room.

  He spotted quite a few familiar faces immediately, mingling in ever-changing groups or seated at the purple-and-silver draped tables arranged around the edges of the ballroom. He smiled and nodded toward one of the portly senior partners of the law firm, who was making a beeline toward the food tables. On the other side of the large room guests mingled around more tables, some scribbling their names on pads flanked by elegant floral arrangements. A silent auction was part of the night’s festivities. Seth supposed he’d have to examine the offerings and make a bid, himself. He hoped there was something worth bidding for.

  “Dr. Baker!”

  Both Seth and Meagan turned in response to the greeting. A heavyset matron in a dress better suited to a somewhat younger woman surged toward them, towing a painfully thin man in an ill-fitting tuxedo behind her.

  Glancing at Meagan, Seth could almost see her groping for a name. “Mrs., um, Clayton, isn’t it?”

  “Clanton,” the woman corrected. “Olivia Clanton. You took out my gallbladder last fall?”

  “Yes, of course,” Meagan said smoothly, smiling graciously at the couple. “How are you?”

  “Well, I haven’t had any more trouble with my gallbladder, of course,” the woman replied with a laugh. “But I’ve been plagued with pain in my left shoulder something fierce. Do you think surgery would help it?”

  “You should see your primary care physician, who will refer you to someone who specializes in whatever is causing your problem. An orthopedist or rheumatologist, perhaps.”

  Not particularly satisfied with Meagan’s subtle brush-off, the woman went into more detail about the pain she encountered whenever she raised her left arm above her head. Her husband stood behind her, giving both Meagan and Seth wryly apologetic looks. Seemingly from experience, Meagan was able to extricate herself fairly quickly. Claiming to see someone else trying to catch her attention, she excused herself and nudged Seth in the opposite direction. He complied happily, leading her toward the silent auction tables.

  “I guess you get hit up all the time for free medical advice,” he commented sympathetically.

  She shrugged lightly. “Probably no more than you get hit up for free legal advice.”

  He nodded to concede her point.

  It turned out both of them knew quite a few people at the event. Considering they had a few mutual friends in the local professional community, it was actually rather surprising they hadn’t met previously. She introduced him to a few people, and he did the same for her. It didn’t escape his notice that people reacted somewhat differently when he added “doctor” to the front of her name.

  She seemed quite comfortable making small talk with strangers, sharing air kisses with acquaintances, skillfully juggling champagne and hors d’oeuvres, politely applauding the trite speeches from the event organizers. He couldn’t help remembering how Colleen had thrived on this sort of occasion. If it had been up to her, they’d have attended some sort of social event almost every evening of the week. Networking was important to their careers, she had lectured repeatedly. They had to place themselves repeatedly in front of the social elite to be accepted as one of them.

  That had been one of the issues that had caused the most friction between them. Seth had wanted to spend more evenings at home with Alice. He hadn’t been opposed to attending even one function a week, but more than that was too much for him. Eventually Colleen had started attending without him, though she never left without a complaint that her husband refused to support her career aspirations. He’d always considered that an unfair accusation. He’d done everything he could to support her, but he would not miss his daughter’s childhood to further Colleen’s ambition.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Meagan chatting and laughing with an acquaintance beside the silent auction tables while he tried to pay attention to the smug boasting of a couple of the law firm’s most prestigious clients. She seemed to be enjoying herself. He supposed she was glad to be out and about again, but he couldn’t help wondering if this was her idea of a good time.

  Seth wasn’t much of a dancer, despite the classes Colleen had forced him to attend early in their marriage. She had insisted that learning to dance and to play golf and tennis were all crucial for anyone with aspirations of mingling with the professional and social elite. Still, he didn’t mind so much dancing with Meagan a couple of times durin
g that evening. She was very relaxed about it, which put him more at ease and he had to admit she fit very nicely into his arms. Those few turns around the small dance floor were unexpectedly turning out to be his favorite part of the evening.

  Meagan was just full of surprises, he thought as they ended another pleasant dance and politely applauded the orchestra. The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know. It seemed she was bewitching him as easily as she had his daughter. He couldn’t help worrying a little about the potential complications—for all of them.

  Meagan was secretly relieved when Seth hinted he was ready to leave the charity gala somewhat early. He’d told her on the way in that he didn’t tend to stay until the end of a party, and she’d assured him that wasn’t her usual habit either. Usually, she’d added, she had to get away early because she would have to be at the hospital only a few hours afterward. Even though that wasn’t the case this time, she was still ready to leave as soon as Seth indicated they’d stayed long enough for his purposes.

  All in all, it hadn’t been a bad evening. Seth was certainly a pleasant escort. The fundraiser had been for a good cause. She’d seen the social politics at work, of course; that was part of any society event. Plenty of kissing up and schmoozing, but that was as common in the medical world as in the legal or financial or other professions. She’d never been particularly interested in playing those games, settling instead for doing just what was expected to keep her active in her own professional network.

  She’d concluded long ago that she would never have been happy with a socialite’s life, serving to bolster her spouse’s career or flitting from one charity event to another. She was so impatient to get back to her own work, to feel truly useful again. There had been parts of her enforced vacation she’d enjoyed, she thought with a glance from beneath her lashes at Seth, but she was glad there was only one week remaining before she could get back to the hospital.

  Squirming a little in her seat, she felt her healing abdomen muscles protest the movement. She was frustrated by how quickly she still tired after her surgery. She was accustomed to going at top speed for long hours without feeling the effects until she crashed at home at the end of the day, to being on her feet twelve or fourteen hours a day without even being aware of the passing time. Now, after three hours at a standard charity function, she felt as though she’d just run a daylong marathon.

  “How are you holding up?” Seth asked as he drove, suggesting he was not oblivious to the signs of her weariness, even though his eyes were focused on the road ahead.

  She made an attempt to speak briskly. “I’m fine, thanks. Your partner’s wife put together quite an affair, didn’t she?”

  “Yeah, she did a good job. I’m sure she had plenty of help, but still she can be proud of the results. She raised a tidy amount of cash for the shelter tonight.”

  “Yes, she did. I know the donation will be greatly appreciated. My sister volunteers at that shelter sometimes, and they always need extra funds.”

  “What does your sister do?”

  “My sister’s a second-year resident in the psychiatry program. Mom works part time as a bookkeeper and serves as full-time caregiver for my grandmother. She needs the spa day worse than any of us.”

  “Your sister is also a doctor?”

  She nodded. “My brother, too. I tease them about following in my footsteps.”

  “Three doctors in the family. Your mother must be proud.”

  “Our parents just wanted us to be self-sufficient. Mom would be proud no matter what careers we had chosen to accomplish that goal.”

  “That’s what I want for Alice,” he confided. “For her to be happy and secure in her future. I want her to be prepared to take care of herself.”

  “An important goal for any child, boy or girl,” she agreed. “My parents encouraged us to train for a career that would always be in demand, preferably one we enjoyed doing. They didn’t push medical school, but they approved our choices.”

  “What sort of medicine does your brother practice?”

  “He’s a surgeon, too. Pediatric orthopedics. He’s in the last year of his residency.”

  “And you all plan to remain here in Arkansas?”

  “Yes. Mitch considered going elsewhere for his residency, but our dad died just before Mitch’s last year of medical school. Our grandmother had just had her first small stroke. Mitch felt like he should stay close to Mom, even though she tried to convince him she would be fine if he wanted to leave the state for a few years. Arkansas was always Madison’s first choice. She loves being near to the family.”

  “Nice that you’re all so close-knit.”

  She smiled a little wistfully. “Yes, it is. Even though the careers we’ve chosen have limited our time together. As I said, it’s rare for us all to have a day to spend together. I hardly remember the last Christmas when at least one of us wasn’t working or on call. But we all call or see Mom as often as we can, and she keeps us informed on how everyone is doing and we get together when we can.”

  Seth responded only with a nod as he merged into traffic on the highway toward their neighborhood. He seemed to be growing more distracted as they neared her house, for some reason.

  He had just taken the exit from the freeway when he asked, “Do you go to a lot of those charity things?”

  She shrugged. “My share, I guess. Usually for some sort of medical cause—funding research for various diseases or raising money for new hospital equipment, that sort of thing. Why?”

  “Just curious. Do you like them?”

  Was he asking if she’d enjoyed the evening? She worded her response carefully. “I always try to have a nice time.”

  “I don’t go to many. I have a few pet charities I try to support. There’s no way to keep up with all the good causes. And I attend a few, like tonight, because there’s no politically acceptable way to get out of it without offending someone important to my job. I mean, it was a good cause but I’d have been just as happy to send a check as to attend the gala, you know?”

  If there was a message imbedded in that speech, she seemed to be missing it. “I’m sure a lot of people there felt that way tonight, though everyone seemed to be on good behavior.”

  He nodded. “Just saying.”

  Fortunately, he turned into her driveway just then, so she didn’t have time to come up with a response. Which was good, because she wasn’t at all sure what, if anything, he expected her to say.

  She wasn’t surprised that he insisted on walking her to her door, nor did she protest. She appreciated the little niceties of dating as much as any woman.

  “Thank you for going with me tonight,” he said as she stuck her key in the lock. “I enjoyed your company.”

  Her hand on the doorknob, she smiled up at him. “I had a very nice time.”

  He hesitated a moment, as though he were reluctant to leave. Knowing he was returning to an empty house, she wondered if he was hoping she would invite him in.

  “I usually have a cup of tea to relax after one of these things,” she said somewhat tentatively. “Would you like to have a cup with me before you head home?”

  She was satisfied that she’d worded the invitation clearly enough. Just a cup of tea and a few more minutes of conversation and then she’d expect him to be on his way. Considering they were still in the process of getting to know each other, she was far from ready for anything more, regardless of the attraction simmering between them.

  His pause was almost imperceptible. She suspected he’d analyzed her words and her tone before responding, “Tea sounds nice.”

  Refusing to second-guess the impulse, she opened the door and ushered him in. Aware that this was his first time inside her home, she watched him glance around as she set her purse and keys on an entryway table. She wondered if he noticed that her decorating style was actually quite similar to his own. Clean, modern lines; inviting, conversational groupings; warm, earthy colors. He favored darker wood tones than she did,
but other than that their styles meshed quite well. So, she wasn’t surprised when he said, “I like your place.”

  “Thank you. I usually drink my tea at the kitchen table, but we can sit in here if you’d rather.”

  “The kitchen works for me,” he answered promptly. “You might have noticed, I tend to prefer casualness to formality.”

  “I have noticed,” she said with a smile as he tugged at his bowtie, letting it hang at the sides of his now-unfastened collar. “You can’t get out of that tux fast enough, can you?”

  Okay, so that question hadn’t been worded so well. What had been intended as a teasing acknowledgement of his discomfort had instead led her thoughts onto paths they really had no business being on at this point. Firmly pushing thoughts of Seth-sans-tux from her mind, she asked quickly, “What kind of tea do you prefer? I have quite a few selections.”

  Looking at her just a little quizzically—oh, heavens, was she blushing? At her age? Honestly!—he replied, “Earl Grey. Hot.”

  She had already turned toward the kitchen to hide her pink cheeks, but his words made her spin around again in pleasure, momentary embarrassment forgotten. “I’ll make it so, Captain.”

  A grin spread across his face, making her swallow hard again. Wow. Did this man have a nice smile!

  “You’re a Trekkie?” he asked in amused disbelief.

  “In my family, there’s little choice.” She turned toward the kitchen again, hearing him follow when she left the living room. “My parents met at a sci-fi convention in the ’70s. They had both watched the original series as kids, and they made sure we saw all the series and films.”

  He laughed. “You’re kidding! A sci-fi convention?”

  She nodded, accustomed to the reaction to her description of her parents’ meeting. “My mom was there on a date with her geeky boyfriend, as she describes him. Dad was dressed as a Klingon. Apparently it was love at first grunt.”

  Dropping into a chair at the round, glass-topped table in her modern granite and stainless kitchen, Seth grinned. “What about the geeky boyfriend?”