“I came by to find out how things went,” Dan continued when she didn’t reply.
Phoebe had to bite her tongue. Her initial reaction was to tell him if he had wanted to know that then he should have been there, but she didn’t want to start an argument. Besides that, she didn’t know if she wanted him to see Jacob’s doctor again since she’d gotten close to the man.
“It’s an infection, but it can be treated. However, he is going to have to stay in the hospital until it’s gone.” Phoebe knew she was rather short with her ex-husband and she’d left out some details, but at the same time, she didn’t wish to pursue it more than she had to. In fact, she wanted him to get out of the house so she could tend to a few things herself before she had to get back to the hospital.
“Well that’s too bad, but he’s a tough kid. He’ll kick it soon enough,” Dan said with a nonchalant tone.
Phoebe cringed. She hated the way he treated the entire situation like it wasn’t a big deal. Their son had almost died. He’d had heart surgery at only six years old. She didn’t take this lightly, but Dan didn’t acknowledge that any of this was worthy of concern. It was a miracle Jacob was doing as well as he was, and his father wasn’t humbled by this at all.
“How are you doing?” Dan asked, suddenly yanking her thoughts back to the present. Phoebe didn’t smile.
“Bills are piling up faster than I can keep up with and it’s hard to fix some of the annoying things that have been going on around here. The oven shuts off on its own every time I use it. The window in my bedroom won’t open and there’s a leak in the tub in Jacob’s bathroom. But besides all that, I suppose I’m fine.” Phoebe didn’t mask the sarcasm in her voice and she didn’t ask him how he was doing. She didn’t care how he was.
“Good, I’m glad this place is working out for you. We always said it would make a good rental. Who would have thought that you were going to end up living here yourself!” Dan laughed at his insensitive statement, shaking his head with a smile.
Phoebe wondered if he was being serious. It was hard to tell sometimes if her ex was really that heartless, or if he merely said such things to get under her skin. Either way, it made her wish he would leave.
“Don’t you have anything you should be doing?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Why, Phoebe! That’s the first time you’ve asked anything at all about me in as far back as I can remember! I’m flattered, to be honest. It’s nice of you to be concerned about wasting my time. Yes, I do have a few things I should be doing this evening, so I guess I’ll be on my way. You’ll do me the favor of letting me know how Jacob is doing?”
He rose from the chair as he spoke, and Phoebe nodded. She was floored once again at his lack of perception or whatever game he was playing.
She had to fight with herself not to tell him to keep up with the news himself, but she also felt the less Jacob had to deal with his father right now, the better. Since their marriage had fallen apart, the boy had favored his mother, despite the fact she encouraged him to have a relationship with his father.
She knew his dislike for the man had nothing to do with her and everything to do with how Dan treated him. She wasn’t going to get into that argument right now. Dan walked up to her and stopped in front of her. Putting an arm on her shoulder, he leaned in for a kiss.
Phoebe turned her head and leaned back. “Dan, don’t.”
“Next time then,” Dan said with a shrug. “I know I’m wearing you down. I can see it in your eyes. I know you so well, my Phoebe.”
He walked past her and out the door, letting it close behind him with a loud bang. Phoebe sighed and felt a little sick. He seemed to think that they were going to work things out. Again, his perception was way off since a reconciliation was the furthest thing from her mind. As far as she was concerned, he’d had his chance and he’d blown it.
She had forgiven him for the wrong he had done her, but she had learned her lesson about him. She wasn’t about to go back for more. She leaned against the counter and watched out the window as Dan drove away, and in spite of herself, she had the fleeting wish that it had been Alec trying to kiss her, not her ex-husband.
“Stop it. You can’t think that way if you’re going to get on with your life.” Phoebe turned away from the window with a frown, continuing to talk to herself. “It’s so hard not to think about him, but he’s Jacob’s doctor and Jacob comes first. Always.”
4
“Pepperoni with anchovies!”
“Right here!” Alec raised his hand, and the waitress brought the pizza and set it down on the table between them.
“This place is always so busy, and I just love it! The atmosphere makes me feel almost carefree. Their pizza is the best, too.” Phoebe smiled her best smile and had to be careful not to bat her eyes at him. She was a grown woman after all.
He smiled back at her. “You do look less worried tonight, though I know you are. It’s stressful when your child is sick, and I know Jacob doesn’t feel well most of the time.”
“It’s just good to get a break and remember there’s still a life to live—somewhere out there. I don’t mean to be a downer, but I hated like the devil to let him go with his father. I really didn’t have a choice, though.” Phoebe wrinkled her nose and frowned.
“You’re not being a downer. Facts are facts, Phoebe. As much as we’d like to, we can’t avoid them. I’m just happy to be here with you tonight.”
Alec reached out and took her hand and squeezed it gently. She felt her heart speed up and tried to regain her composure. His touch was compassionate with maybe something more to go with that.
Suddenly she felt herself flush. Feeling nervous, she pulled her hand back and looked around the room.
“It’s a good thing we got here when we did. Look at all the people in here!” Phoebe changed the subject awkwardly, but it would have to do. She needed to step back a bit.
When she looked back at him he was smiling at her playfully. Clearly, he’d recognized her clumsy attempt to lighten the moment.
“It’s packed in here, all right. I have to say that I wouldn’t mind finding a quiet place to have dessert when this pizza’s gone. You’re beautiful enough to look at all evening, but it’s getting loud and I want to be able to hear you, too.”
The flush came again. This time it started at her toes and rushed all the way up into her scalp. She looked down self-consciously and then briefly wondered if the part in her hair was red. If so, maybe it wouldn’t be so obvious against her copper colored hair.
“You have a beautiful smile. It’s nice to see it for a change.”
Phoebe wanted to argue, but his compliment made her heart flutter and her smile widened. She felt powerless to resist his charm even though she knew she should. All she wanted to do was get to know him better.
The evening was next to perfect. Casual and fun. After dinner they stopped in at Georgia’s Café and had a slice of pie made from local peaches, of course.
The stars were starting to come out and the moon was bright. Phoebe hoped he would lean in and kiss her. Part of her wanted nothing more than to pursue a relationship with this man, but another part of her whispered that it would be a bad idea. Would it be so wrong to share a kiss?
Before she could stop it, the unwelcome memories of her divorce popped into her mind. Dan was bringing far more drama into her life than she cared for. She was aching for Alec’s lips to touch hers, but she knew she couldn’t.
So, she didn’t give him a chance.
* * *
The alarm sounded, and Phoebe sat up quickly. She swatted at the snooze button and missed it, before shutting it off altogether. She was groggy and still tired. She felt unsettled, too. Something felt… odd.
Was it Jacob? He was in the hospital but doing pretty well. She was used to having him be away some Saturday mornings, anyway.
Then she realized what had her so confused. She’d been dreaming about Alec Dawson. They’d been on a date. An awesome date.
She slinked back down under the covers and threw her arm over her forehead. “Geez. I can’t get away from that man. He’s everywhere.”
Actually, the dream was very much like the first time she’d ever gone out with him. She still treasured each moment of that night in her heart. Most of the time she believed it had been a mistake to even flirt with the idea of dating him. But, there was another part of her that wished it had turned out differently. Was that her fault or was it just not meant to be?
They’d only gone out a few times before she broke things off with him, but things were still uncomfortable for her. She struggled with whether she ought to call him Dr. Dawson or Alec. He had asked her to call him just by his first name. She’d obviously done that outside of his office or the hospital, but she didn’t feel like that was a line she should cross now. She feared the familiarity might be too much.
Why was I even dreaming about that night? Him? Because I’m vulnerable because of all that’s going on. That’s it. Nothing more. Phoebe thought more about it as she brushed her teeth and decided she needed to hurry up and get to the hospital. She didn’t want Jacob to be wondering if she’d abandoned him.
Phoebe quickly put on some makeup and walked back to her bed, sitting down with a sigh. She hated the way she felt. She was worried about Jacob, but that was really nothing new. It was unsettling and frightening, but she was familiar with those feelings.
Her problem was that she was falling for a man she shouldn’t fall for. After heartbreak and a nasty divorce, she didn’t feel ready for another relationship. But there was more to it than that. She’d misjudged Dan and ended up married to a self-centered jerk. Could she trust her instincts again?
She yanked off her nightgown before grabbing her shirt and pulling it over her head. There was no time for this. She needed to be on her way.
“I’ll worry about all this mess later.” Phoebe stomped out to find her car keys knowing there was no way she’d think of much else than Dr. Alec Dawson after the dream she’d had last night.
5
“Hi, honey. How’re you feeling this morning?”
“Hi, Mama. I’m okay, I guess. I want to go out and play, though.” Jacob frowned even though his eyes had brightened when Phoebe walked in.
“Hi Susan. How are you this morning?” Phoebe looked over at the nurse who was there the day before. “I’m surprised to see you here again today.”
“It’s my weekend to work, so here I am. I’m good, though. Weekends are usually quiet around here.” The nurse smiled as she took Jacob’s temperature and blood pressure.
“Any news from the doctor today?” Phoebe felt her palms start to sweat at the mention of Jacob’s doctor.
“Dr. Shannon came in this morning. I think he has weekend call. I don’t know if Dr. Dawson will check in or not. Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t.”
“Oh, I didn’t remember. It’s been almost six months since Jacob was in here. Time flies and so does my memory.” Phoebe chuckled trying to sound natural even though the whole conversation seemed contrived on her part.
“You’re not kidding. My memory is almost shot.” Susan laughed, then she motioned Phoebe to follow her outside. Immediately worried, she looked back at Jacob and then went with the nurse to the hallway.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen overnight?” Phoebe felt the panic rise in her chest.
“No, no. Everything’s fine. I just heard you wanted to stay last night but they talked you into going home. I know you spent many nights here when he had the surgery and it took a toll on you.”
Phoebe nodded with a frown. “I just felt horrible leaving him. I know he’s probably scared, though he hasn’t said so.”
“I know. But he was fine. He had movies and books and plenty to keep him occupied. And in my experience, he’s better off if you’re rested.” Susan reached out and rubbed her arm.
“Thank you. I know you’re right. And I know he’s going to be okay. I’m anxious to find out his progress when we get the next lab results.”
“I think that will likely be tomorrow or Monday. Probably needs a day or so for the meds to start working.”
“Or not.”
“Think positively, Phoebe. He’ll get over this fast. He’s gotten stronger since the surgery.”
Phoebe nodded and went back to Jacob’s room. They spent the rest of the morning playing Go Fish. She was so tired of that game she wanted to scream, but Jacob needed to be occupied as much as possible. She knew he didn’t feel well and playing a game kept his spirits up.
Just as her stomach growled for the third time, Jacob’s lunch came. She helped him settle in to eat and sneaked a bite of his bread.
“Hey there, girlie!”
Phoebe turned as she set the remains of Jacob’s lunch aside and smiled. “Anna! What a surprise! I didn’t know you were coming by.”
She leaned over to peek around Phoebe at Jacob. “Well, I couldn’t let my best guy be in the hospital without a visit from his favorite adult, could I?”
Phoebe shook her head and laughed. “I suppose not. It’s good to see you. Thanks for coming.”
“I was also planning to kidnap you and take you to lunch.”
Phoebe looked uncertain. “I’m hungry, but I was just going to grab something in the cafeteria. You can come with me if you want.”
“Not a chance. We’re getting out of here and we won’t be gone long. How about Pasquale’s?” Anna’s face brightened.
A shiver went up Phoebe’s back as she thought about her dream. She’d shared a pizza with Alec at Pasquale’s in her dream and on their first date. Not sure she could go in there, she shrugged. “They’ll probably take too long, Anna. You know how busy that place is.”
“No, it won’t.” She turned to Jacob and smiled. “Hey, buddy. I’m taking your mama out for lunch. We’ll be back as soon as we can, okay?”
“Okay. Will you play Go Fish when you come back?”
“Of course. I take every chance I can to beat you.” She giggled and so did Jacob.
Anna grabbed Phoebe’s arm and pulled her as she headed out of the room. “Come on, then. Let’s go get some pizza.”
6
“How’re things at the pharmacy?” Phoebe picked at her salad and raised her eyebrow. There was usually a good story or two from Anna’s job worthy of an eyebrow lift.
It had been a while since she had seen her best friend, Anna Baker, and she was always interested to hear how work was going. Anna worked at Miller’s Pharmacy, and she seemed to manage to witness just enough to be entertaining.
“Oh, you know, the usual. Teenagers coming in embarrassed to buy condoms. A girl home from college for the weekend caught shoplifting last week. Lipstick. Stuck it up her sleeve but someone saw her do it.”
“Really? She risked getting caught for lipstick? Wow.” Phoebe took a bite and shook her head. “Unreal.”
“I know. I’m sure her parents are mortified. I’m so glad I don’t have a teenager. I can’t imagine being able to get them to adulthood in one piece.” Anna smirked as she looked up from her own salad. She was taking her time arranging the bits of cheese and croutons, making sure everything was just right before she started.
“I don’t know what kind of crazy girls come to a pizza place and order a salad,” Phoebe said as she nodded down toward her friend’s plate.
“Right? Perhaps the ones who care more about their waistlines than taste.” Anna made a face as she drizzled the dressing on the salad, then she offered the rest to her friend. Phoebe tried to decline at first, but with a sly smile, she took the dressing and finished it over her own.
“You know me too well,” she said with a laugh. “With all this dressing I should have just had pizza.”
“I’d take it myself, but then…” She let her voice trail off as she looked down at her stomach, and Phoebe laughed.
“Whatever! You look like you did in high school. I’m the one who never lost the baby weight!” Phoebe
made a face, blowing out her cheeks and putting her hands on her side.
“I have to admit, for thirty-five, you still look like you’re in your twenties, and I’m not just saying that to be nice.” Anna was looking at her friend with critical eyes, and Phoebe felt herself blush. Though the two girls were always on each other’s sides, it still felt good to hear a compliment from an old friend.
“You’re so sweet. I needed a compliment today! So, how are things going with Joe? I’m assuming good since I haven’t had any of those late-night phone calls.”
Another sly smile formed on Anna’s lips, and she gave Phoebe a wink. Phoebe’s eyes slowly widened.
“He didn’t!”
“He did! Well, not yet, but he’s going to! I don’t know when, though. The suspense is killing me! And I have to act like I don’t expect it.” Anna rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, and Phoebe leaned forward.
“How do you know? What did he say?” she asked without giving her friend time to answer in between.
“He asked me for my ring size, then he took me to the mall and asked which of the rings I liked best. I asked him why he wanted to know, and he told me he was looking for a friend, but I think you and I both know what that means.” Anna had a twinkle in her eyes, and Phoebe nodded.
“Think of it, a Christmas engagement! How romantic.” Phoebe breathed. Though there was a small twinge of jealousy in her heart, she was genuinely happy for her friend. She remembered what it felt like when she knew Dan was going to propose. The two of them hadn’t been together long, but she was madly in love with him, and fully believed it was going to be forever.
“What about you? Any new men you’ve been holding back about?” Anna asked suddenly, changing the subject back to Phoebe.
A Doctor's Patience (Hero Hearts; Medical Romance) Page 2
