I defiantly took a large bite of salad, chewing and smiling at Gail the whole time. This night was going to be fun. I would not let Brad and Olivia ruin it for me.
After a dinner of salmon en croute, buttered asparagus, and strawberry white chocolate cheesecake and coffee for dessert, the auction started. I scanned the bid list to see if I wanted to bid on anything. Grabbing a pen out of my purse, I circled two things on the list – both luxurious trips.
A week-long stay at Canyon Ranch in Arizona for two people. I could take Venus and we would have a great time. The other prize was a trip to Maui including flight, hotel, and loads of activities like whale watching, golfing, and a shopping spree. If I won this, I’d send my parents.
I looked at Venus’s list. She had circled a shopping spree in Paris. Perfect for her.
I put Brad and Olivia out of my mind as we laughed, took out our paddles, and started the bidding war.
Chapter 32
I won both the trip to Hawaii and to Canyon Ranch.
Brad won a piece of jewelry – a beautiful, heart-shaped diamond necklace – that I’m sure he got for Olivia, because when the auctioneer said “Sold to Number 15” and pointed to Brad’s paddle number, she smiled.
“That bitch,” I muttered under my breath, but Venus with her sharp ears heard me.
“Now, that’s not nice. She saved your dad’s life.” Leave it to Venus to bring things back into perspective.
“She did her duty as a physician, but that doesn’t mean I have to like her as a person. She’s trying to rub her attachment to Brad in my face, and I don’t like it at all.”
“How does she know that you like Brad?”
“Women can tell that kind of thing. It’s like a shark sniffing blood in the water.” I paused and took a sip of my wine. “That woman just rubs me the wrong way.”
“Let it go for now. Enjoy the evening.”
The band started playing and I excused myself from the table to go to the restroom. The ladies room was vacant as I headed for the last stall. A few seconds later I heard the door open and the click-clack of high heels entering. Then voices.
“…definitely has the hottest date tonight. What’s his name again?”
“Brad Whitford. He’s an OB/GYN, of all things.”
My ears perked up as I sat perfectly still in my stall.
“Oh, yeah. He works with Hope Love. What’s he doing with Olivia Campanelli?”
“From what I heard, they used to be hot and heavy in med school. I guess since he moved out here, they’ve rekindled the flame.”
The stall next to me open. I stayed glued to my seat.
“If that flame goes out, I’d be happy to fill her shoes.”
“Yeah, like you have a chance. He’s a little out of your league. Anyway, could you imagine dating a gynecologist? Somebody who looked at titties and vayjayjay’s all day?”
“As long as he came home to me every night, I wouldn’t care.”
The toilet next to me flushed and the girl walked out.
“True. Well, doesn’t matter. Once Olivia gets her hooks in a man, she doesn’t let go.”
More heels clicking across the floor. The door opened and then slammed shut.
I eased out of the stall and washed my hands. Checking my reflection in the mirror, I reapplied my lipstick and fluffed my hair. Olivia may be prettier than me and have a successful, best- selling book but I had…what? What did I have? Not Brad.
I left the restroom and headed back to the table. Not watching where I was going, I ran smack into someone. I looked up and saw Brad.
“Sorry.”
“Are you okay?” Brad asked me with concern in his voice.
“Yeah.” I looked around and saw that Olivia was nowhere to be seen. “What happened to your date?”
“She had an emergency call, so I’m on my own.”
The band started playing and people drifted toward the dance floor.
“Well, I’m getting ready to leave myself, so…” I started to say goodnight, but Brad grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the dance floor.
“Come on. Let’s have a quick dance before you go.”
I started to protest, but I saw Venus in the corner of my eye and she was motioning me to go.
I let Brad lead me to the dance floor. The band was playing a slow song – “Lady in Red” – which was appropriate, since most of the women at the Heart Ball wore some shade of red dress.
Brad pulled me tight against him and I inhaled his scent. He smelled so damn good. I swear I could feel every part of his body pressed up against me. Every part. And it felt so good.
“You look very pretty tonight.” He whispered in my ear. His warm breath on my neck sent shivers up my spine.
“Thank you. You look pretty, too,” I replied. He laughed as he rubbed my back softly.
I felt that everyone was staring at us, but when I looked around, I didn’t see anyone paying attention. The song ended and I started back to the table, but Brad steered me in the other direction.
“Where are we going?”
“Let’s get some fresh air. It’s such a nice night.”
We walked out onto the terrace, which overlooked the city lights of LA. The cloudless sky shimmered with thousands of twinkling stars.
“So, I just wanted to let…” I started to say, but Brad leaned in and put his mouth on mine, kissing me so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to react. It felt so good that I found myself letting go and kissing him back. I forgot where I was and what I’d meant to say.
If I’d thought the first kiss was good, this one was even better. I always wondered what it meant when someone said they saw fireworks when they kissed someone special. Now I knew. I saw fireworks when I kissed Brad. My body pressed tightly against him as he wrapped his fingers around my hair and pulled me closer. I felt every inch of his body and I wanted more. As our kiss became deeper and more intense, I rubbed my hand down his back. He tasted good. He smelled good. My head was swimming, but I didn’t want the kiss to end.
He finally pulled back and cupped my face with his hand.
“What are we doing?” I asked, not knowing the answer myself.
“I don’t know, but it feels right,” Brad answered.
“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t.” I pulled back.
“Why not? You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“We work together. This just complicates things.”
“Is there some rule that I don’t know about that says we can’t have both a working and a personal relationship?”
Had he been talking to Venus? He was sounding just like her.
“Yeah, there is. If something goes wrong, we still have to work together.”
“Nothing will go wrong. And if it did, we’re both adults.”
“What about Olivia?” I blurted out.
Brad looked puzzled for a second. “What about her?”
“Aren’t you guys seeing each other? She was your date tonight.” I pointed out the obvious.
“She was my date tonight. But that doesn’t mean we’re seeing each other. Not romantically.”
“But you used to date.”
Brad laughed. “Back in med school we went out a few times, but it was nothing serious. I told you that. We’re just friends. That’s all.”
“I don’t think Olivia thinks you’re just friends.”
Brad reached over and pulled me closer again. “Then I’ll just have to make that clear to her.” He kissed me again.
“I don’t know…” I started to protest as the kiss ended.
“We’ll take it slow. See what develops. Give us a chance, Hope.”
“We’ll see.” I stepped around Brad and started for the door. “I need to get back to Venus. She’s having a tough time right now, and I’m being a bad date leaving her for so long.”
“Okay. But we’ll talk about this some more. Maybe over dinner tomorrow?”
“It’ll have to be dinner at the hospital cafeteria. I’m on cal
l, remember?”
“I love cafeteria food.” Brad laughed as he put his hand on my back and led me back into the ballroom.
Brad said goodnight to me and Venus and headed toward his table.
“Well?” She eyed me suspiciously.
“I’ll tell you in the limo.”
“Don’t leave out any juicy details.”
Chapter 33
I woke up early and decided to give Frederick a break from cooking. Craving some chocolate pastries and a café au lait, I threw on my Juicy sweats and drove down to a local French bakery that I absolutely loved. As soon as I entered the bakery, the smell of fresh muffins and divine pastries hit me. I decided to order some beignets – piping hot, powdery white French donuts – along with the chocolate pastries and two café au laits to go. Even though I had to work tonight, I was in a great mood and taking up residence on cloud nine. All I could think about was kissing Brad. I felt as giddy as a high school girl with her first boy crush. Why not give love a chance? Brad and I had a lot in common, and I didn’t see why we couldn’t try dating.
I drove through my neighborhood and passed a dark blue Mustang on the way in. It looked just like Brad’s car, although there must be thousands just like it around LA. I checked my watch. Besides, it was a little after seven a.m. Brad would be on the way to the hospital to make rounds.
Walking into the kitchen, I nearly bumped into Frederick, who was already up and fixing coffee. I set the white bakery bag on the counter and handed him the coffee. “No need for cooking. I brought us breakfast. Thought you might want to sleep late.”
He ran his fingers through his tousled hair, leaning his muscular body against the granite countertop. Frederick was such a nice, good-looking guy. With his looks, charm, and cooking ability, I was certain that he wouldn’t be single for long.
“I’d planned on it, but the doorbell woke me up. I didn’t know you’d left.”
I thought back to the blue Mustang that I’d passed on the way home. I looked at Frederick wearing his pajama pants, no shirt, and a just-got-out-of-bed look. Oh, shit.
“Who was it?”
“Dr. Whitford. I told him you weren’t here. Was that okay?”
I nodded. What in the world did he come by for?
I could just imagine what had gone through Brad’s mind when Frederick answered the door. Brad didn’t know about Frederick. I never got the chance to tell him that my housekeeper was living with me.
“He said he would see you later.” Frederick handed me a chocolate pastry, but I wasn’t hungry anymore. I took the coffee and headed into the bedroom to change for work. The best thing to do was to let Brad know right away about the situation with Frederick. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
The hospital was bustling with the usual activity when I arrived. I took the elevator to the fourth floor, where the maternity ward was. New parents and family members stood in front of the nursery window snapping pictures and cooing over newborn babies. I said hello to the nursing staff that roamed the hallways delivering medication, taking vital signs, and otherwise caring for patients. I stopped Candy, one the labor and delivery nurses, and asked if she had seen Brad.
“Yeah.You just missed him. He finished his rounds a couple minutes ago.”
I’d seen his car in the physician’s parking lot. We must have missed each other in the elevators or something.
“How’s it going?” I asked Candy.
“Good. He seemed a little concerned about Janessa but said he would talk to you at the office.”
“Janessa? What’s wrong with her?” My heart skipped a beat. I’d just seen her in my office a few days ago. She’d been doing great.
“Oh, you didn’t know? She was admitted last night.” Candy dropped her voice to a whisper. “She lost her baby. It was touch and go with her for a while, as well. She was hemorrhaging, but we got it under control finally.” Candy saw the concern in my eyes. “She’s in room 214.”
“Thanks.” I went to the nursing station and grabbed Janessa’s chart, scanning it before I went to see her. While I’d attended the Heart Ball, Janessa had been taken to the hospital with bleeding and cramps. Her BP and heart rate had spiked. Dr. Kelso did everything he could, but Janessa lost her baby.
I knocked softly on Janessa’s door and walked in. The lights were dim, and I saw Apollo sitting by her bedside sipping something – probably coffee – from a white Styrofoam cup.
“Hi, Apollo.” I glanced over at Janessa, who was sleeping. IV lines and a BP monitor snaked around her arms. She looked peaceful, and I didn’t want to wake her.
“Hi, Dr. Love. It’s been a rough night,” Apollo whispered.
“I’m so sorry about the baby. I wasn’t on call last night, but the nurses gave me an update.”
He just nodded his head. Even in the dim light, I could tell he was exhausted and probably hadn’t slept.
“She’s going to be all right?” he asked me.
“Yes. I looked over her chart. Dr. Kelso is the best around. I’m sure he did everything he could.” I reached over and patted his hand. “I saw that Dr. Whitford came by and checked on her.”
Apollo put down his coffee cup. “He was just here. He said Janessa will probably be released tomorrow.”
“I’ll stop by later this afternoon and check on her.”
Walking down the hall, I pulled out my cell phone and checked my messages. I hoped that Brad had called, but I didn’t have any missed calls.
When I got to my car, I decided to call him. He picked up on the third thing.
“Dr. Whitford,” he said very formally, even though he must have known it was me.
“Hi Brad.”
“Hey. I just left the hospital.” His voice sounded distant. Or maybe it was my imagination.
“I know. I went by and visited with Janessa, but she was sleeping.”
“So you know?”
“Yeah. Apollo was there.”
“It’s too bad.”
“Yeah.” This conversation was awkward. I felt like we’d just taken a huge step back in our relationship.
He gave me a quick run-down of the rest of the patients and confirmed that I would do afternoon rounds and take the on-call night shift.
“I’ll be there.” I decided to go ahead and get this out in the open. “Brad, I wanted to talk to you about this morning. You know, when you came by the house.”
“It’s nothing, Hope. I don’t need to know your personal business.” His voice sounded hurt.
“I want to explain. Frederick is …”
“Sorry, I have to go. I’ve got brunch reservations.” I thought I heard Olivia’s voice in the background. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow at the office.” Brad hung up.
Great. I guess we weren’t going to have dinner after all. Had I screwed up a potentially great relationship with the man I was just beginning to fall head over heels for?
Chapter 34
Afternoon rounds went by quickly. Janessa was faring pretty well – her blood pressure had stabilized and she was no longer bleeding heavily. I decided to release her. Apollo had planned to take her to Santa Barbara for a week of rest and relaxation, which I agreed would be the best thing for her.
I also released Kasey and the twins. They were doing wonderfully and the moms were still over the moon with their sweet babies. I think Kasey’s mom was still in shock that she had one white and one black grandchild, but she had a big smile on her face when she held the babies.
The hospital was quiet that night with no deliveries or emergencies. I got a few hours of sleep and did the morning rounds before heading to the office, still in my green scrubs and tennis shoes.
I was the first one there. I made a carafe of fresh coffee and went into my office to check messages and look over the projected budget for the fertility clinic. I’d shown the figures that Brad had worked up to my dad, and he gave me the green light to go forward with the lease. When Brad got in, I could give him the good news about the lease and dis
cuss hiring a new physician assistant. My parents planned on coming down this week for a long visit now that my dad was feeling better, and he planned to discuss everything with us then.
The alarm chimed, letting me know that someone had just come through the back door. Probably Heather, I thought, as I resumed looking over the numbers and making a list of what we needed to do to get this clinic started.
“Good morning.” Brad walked into my office. “Coffee’s ready.” He handed me my favorite Betty Boop mug.
“Thanks. I was just going over the numbers for the clinic.” I slid over the paperwork. “And I spoke to Frank. He gave the go-ahead to sign the lease next door. I was thinking we could…” I stopped when I saw his expression. He looked like someone just stole his puppy. “What is it?”
“I don’t know how to tell you this. I wanted to wait till Frank arrived so I could tell you both at the same time.”
A lump formed in my throat. What now? I motioned for him to continue.
“I have to leave the practice. I know we just signed a contract...”
“What? Why? I thought this was what you wanted.” My voice was full of hurt and frustration. All Brad had talked about the last few months was how he wanted to build the fertility practice.
“When I came to your house the other morning…and met your boyfriend, I was hurt. I didn’t realize until then how strongly I felt about you.”
I put out a hand to stop him. “Brad, that wasn’t my boyfriend. Frederick is my housekeeper.”
“But he came to the door and it looked like I interrupted something....”
“I know. He’s living with me temporarily. His boyfriend threw him out and I offered to let him stay with me until he could find someplace else. He cooks and cleans for me. That’s it.”
Brad let that sink in for a moment. “Frederick is gay?”
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