The Dating Series

by L. P. Dover

  Sitting in my office, I look up at the clock and it’s almost lunch time. All my morning appointments are done, and I just finished my last patient’s hygiene exam. On top of that, I did a total of six fillings, three extractions, and a crown. Not bad for a Monday morning.

  “Sophie.” Ellie’s voice catches my attention and I turn around quickly. She nods toward the front of the office. “Since it’s almost lunch and everyone’s leaving, I’m going to run by Tanner’s house. This isn’t like him to ignore me.”

  I want to join her, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. If Tanner listened to my message, he knows how I feel. The ball is in his court now. “Go,” I say. “And call me as soon as you find him.”

  She’s already turning for the door. “I will.”

  The office is quiet and most everyone has left except my two front desk ladies and Lexi. She walks quickly toward the sterilization room with a tray full of dirty instruments. Instead of going to the break room, I go into the examination room and glove up so I can help Lexi clean. I spray down the chair and all our equipment.

  Lexi walks in and gasps. “Oh my God, you scared me. What are you doing?”

  I wipe down the chair and smile. “Thought I’d help so you can get out of here for lunch.”

  She sighs. “You don’t have to help me, Dr. Peterson. There’s still ten minutes before lunch time starts.” She reaches into the jar of alcohol wipes and pulls out a few. “Besides, my hubby left me a text message and said he’s running a few minutes late. We’re meeting at Chantilly’s if you want to join us.”

  I shake my head even though I really do love Chantilly’s. They always bring out mini poppyseed muffins and strawberry butter for an appetizer, and their chicken salad is to die for. I could really use some of their chocolate cake right about now too, but . . . “No. Enjoy your time with your husband.” Maybe one day I’ll be able to do the same. At the rate I’m going, it’s not going to happen.

  “Okay,” Lexi replies, “if you change your mind that’s where we’ll be.”

  Once the room is cleaned, I take off my gloves and toss them in the trash. Lexi finishes placing the protective bags over the instruments, and when we walk out, my front desk lady Karen charges toward us. She’s a petite woman in her late fifties with short red hair and a round build. She also happens to be my parents’ neighbor. When she got laid off from her job at the bank, I hired her immediately.

  “Thank goodness, I caught you in time,” she calls out breathlessly. “We have a new patient just walk in the door. Says he’s in pain.”

  With it being lunch break, I don’t want Lexi having to stay with me. I look over at her and she shrugs. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  That makes me smile. “Enjoy your lunch. I got this.”

  Then I turn to Karen. “Get him to fill out the paperwork and I’ll bring him back.”

  Karen blows out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Dr. Peterson.” She disappears back up to the front desk and when I walk by the glass door, my breath catches in my lungs. I gasp and flatten my back against the wall. There’s no new patient at the front desk. It’s Tanner. He’s here. More importantly, what the hell’s going on? Why didn’t he just say he’s here to see me? Then again, maybe he really does have a tooth ache, but if that’s the case, he should’ve gone somewhere else.

  “Dr. Peterson, are you okay?” Lexi asks.

  I grab my chest. “Yeah.” I quickly look at Tanner again, standing at the front desk with his pen flying across the paperwork impatiently as he fills it out.

  Lexi comes up to me and peeks around my shoulder. “He’s cute. You know him?”

  Moving away from the door, I bring her with me. “It’s Tanner Hayes, Ellie’s brother.” I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks, and of course, Lexi notices it.

  She tries to hide her smile and fails. “Yeah, I heard he was coming into town. Did something happen between you two?”

  Memories of the other night flash through my mind. I shake my head to make them disappear. “Just a little. Long story short, we had an amazing night and then I freaked out. He tried to tell me how he felt, only for me to shut him down. I tried to apologize but he’s been ignoring me.”

  Lexi snickers. “I can tell you like him.”

  I rub my aching chest. “God help me, I do. He infuriates me though. I’m pissed he hasn’t called me back.”

  Karen rushes through the glass door to us and hands me Tanner’s chart. Lexi holds her hand out for it, her eyes twinkling. “I have an idea to make him sweat. It’ll be payback for not calling you back. That is, if you don’t mind?”

  Grinning, I hand her the file. “Go for it.” I hide around the corner so I can hear what she says to him. A couple seconds later, I can hear the glass door open and the sound of them walking into the examination room.

  “I’m sorry you’re having a tooth ache, Mr. Hayes. My name is Lexi and I’m Dr. Peterson’s assistant. Do you mind showing me where you’re hurting?”

  Tanner sighs. “Is there any way I can just see the doctor?”

  “Well,” Lexi says in that sing-song voice of hers, “Dr. Peterson always likes for me to get all the information first.”

  “Okay, fine,” Tanner agrees, sounding defeated, “it hurts here.”

  I peek into the room and I can see Lexi looking at his mouth. She winks quickly at me and smiles. “All right, Mr. Hayes, I just need to take an x-ray and then put some topical around that tooth so the doctor can numb you up. You’re most likely going to need to have it taken out.”

  It takes all I have not to burst out laughing. Tanner jumps out of the seat and holds up his hands. “Hell no. My tooth’s not going anywhere!”

  And at that moment, our eyes meet. My heart flip flops in my chest, and there’s no denying the chemistry between us. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at him. “That’s for ignoring me.”

  Lexi clears her throat. “Okay, I think I’m going to go. Unless you really have a tooth ache?” she asks, turning to Tanner.

  He shakes his head. “I have an ache, but it’s not in my mouth.” The way he looks at me is so serious it makes me tremble. Lexi backs out of the room and I mouth the words thank you to her as she leaves.

  Tanner nods toward the hallway where Lexi just walked away. “Did you put her up to that?”

  “Nope,” I say with a sardonic smile. “That’s just Lexi’s humor.” Silence fills the air and I sigh. “Why didn’t you call me back? Ellie and I have been worried about you.”

  “Where is she?” he asks.

  I waved a hand in the air. “Out looking for you. She left about ten minutes ago to find you.”

  He runs a hand over his face which has more sun on it than it did yesterday. “I’m sorry. I’ll call her. Yesterday was a shit day for me. Like literally. When I heard your message this morning—”

  “This morning?” I cut in. “It took you that long to listen to it?”

  A laugh escapes his lips. “Believe me, Soph, if I could’ve listened to it earlier, I would have. I knew you’d be angry so that’s why I came here instead of calling you back. I didn’t think you’d see me otherwise.”

  “Where did you go yesterday that you couldn’t call anyone back?”

  “Well,” he began as he took a step toward me, “let’s just say you’re going to love this. I drove to the beach to catch a few waves but ended up not being in the mood for it. On the way home, I stopped by a local dive and dropped my phone in a toilet full of literal shit.”

  Gasping, I slap a hand over my mouth. “Seriously?”

  He nods. “It took all I had not to fucking puke all over the damn place in there. But then it gets worse.” I wonder if he’s telling me the truth, but I can see the sincerity in his eyes. He takes another step toward me. “As my phone falls into the shit-filled toilet, it splashes all over me. By this point, I’m regretting ever leaving your house in the first place. I should’ve just stayed there until we worked everything out.”

  He
stares at me all serious and it’s so hard to keep a straight face. In my mind, I can see it all … him in a disgusting bathroom with shit all over him. “So, you’re covered in shit in a dingy bathroom. What happens after that?” I ask, keeping a hand over my mouth to hide my smile.

  He comes closer and I’m dying for him to pull me into his arms. “After that, I go out to my Jeep and strip down, only for a cop to show up and threaten to arrest me for indecency. But when he saw and smelled the shit all over me, he let me go. Guess he didn’t want to touch me. Hell, I didn’t want to be anywhere near myself.”

  “Oh my God, Tanner, that’s insane. So, you weren’t ignoring me then?”

  Reaching for my hand, he pulls me close. “Of course not. I would never ignore you, Soph. By the time I got back into town last night, the phone store was closed. I went there first thing this morning to get a new one and that’s when I found out you left me a voicemail.” His hands cup my cheeks. “Believe me, I was scared to death that you wouldn’t want to see me. That’s why I came here pretending to be a patient. I figured Ellie would play along if she was here.”

  I have no doubt she would. “She came to see me yesterday,” I confess. “Turns out I was wrong about everything. There’s nothing to worry about with her. All she wants is for us to be happy.”

  Pulling me in tight to his body, he brings his lips down to mine. “Does this mean you’re not scared to be mine now?”

  I kiss him again. “I’ll always be scared of getting hurt, Tanner. Love isn’t easy.”

  Tanner rubs a thumb over my lips. “No, it’s not, but we’re going to make it work. I’ve waited a long time for you and I’m not about to screw that up. I’m in it for the long haul.”

  His words make me smile. “Good. Guess we’ll see where the road takes us.” Taking his hand, I lead him to my office and shut the door, locking it behind us. “And we can start here.”

  Tanner kisses me deeply and slides a hand under my shirt to unclasp my bra. “I’m falling in love with you, Sophie. I wish you knew how much.”

  I pull back and look right into his crystal blue eyes. “I know the feeling.”

  THE END!

  Praise for A Date for Good Luck

  A Date for Good Luck is the next book in this wonderful dating series by the dynamic duo of Dover & McLaughlin. They have once again hit it out of the RomCom park with Hope and Kellan.

  —Michele McMullen

  An adorable St. Paddy’s Day romantic novella of overbearing parents, lots of green beer and falling for someone you least suspect.

  —MissPetiteBrunetteBookBlog

  What started as a sham ends up becoming a beautiful love story. One of the things I like the most about these series is that in less than 100 pages, these 2 authors are able to develop a beautiful and fun story.

  —Yoneidis Martin Martinez

  5 of 5 STARS! McLaughlin and Dover are a match made in romance heaven. Humor and heart collide to make beautiful music together.

  —Isha Coleman

  Overall, this is a romantic novella told in dual POVs and includes St. Patrick's Day, green beer, a wedding, and a HEA. And how could one resist an endearment like "lassie" said in a whisper in a husky Irish brogue? Shiver…

  —Sharon

  One

  Hope

  New York City. Feels strange to be back again. I’ve missed the big city, but I love my home in Arizona more, even if I did grow up in a luxury condo in Soho. The view is amazing from my old bedroom. The walls are nothing but windows, and I can see the Hudson River, dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. One thing I always loved about New York were the parades. I gave it all up to move out west to work for the University of Arizona, much to the dismay of my parents. No more posh lifestyles for me. I adore my apartment and the private cactus garden and fountain in the middle of the courtyard. It’s like my own personal heaven. Quiet. Peaceful. Not the hustle and bustle of New York.

  “Hope, you okay in there?” my mom shouts. “Haven’t seen you all morning.”

  Rolling my eyes, I type away on my laptop. “I’m fine, Mom. Just trying to get some work done before this afternoon.”

  Of all the times for my cousin to get married, she had to pick the busiest time of the year for me. Then again, it’s not her fault I’m so crammed with work. It wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t one of her bridesmaids. I’m happy for her though. I just have to suck it up for a couple of days and then I can get back to Arizona.

  My bedroom door opens and my mother walks in, already dressed in her black Gucci pantsuit for tonight. Her platinum blonde hair is pulled high in an updo and her makeup is perfect like always. With all the family in town for my cousin Hallie’s wedding, all of my aunts and uncles are going out on the town while all the kids go out for the bachelor and bachelorette parties. She always feels the need to make sure she looks extra good when family is in town. They all like to impress each other with everything they’ve accomplished in life. I love my mother to death, but all she managed to do in life was snag a wealthy husband. My father is a well sought-after lawyer, but he worked his ass off for the money he earned. Hence, why he is still at the firm. I got my work ethic from him.

  My mother comes over to my desk and picks up the framed picture I have of me and Hallie. We grew up together and are the same age. There was a time when she was my best friend, but when I moved away, things changed. She met her fiancé here in New York and I had my life in Arizona. We kept in touch every now and again until life got in the way.

  “I remember this picture. It was right before graduation.” She sets the photo down and I glance over at it. Hallie and I look so much alike it’s crazy. Most people thought we were twins. We both have long, blonde hair, green eyes, and stand at five feet seven inches. The only difference is she has perfectly straight hair and mine has a natural wave.

  “So much has changed since then,” I say, my voice low. I didn’t realize I said it out loud until I hear my mother snort.

  “It has. All of your friends are married or engaged right now.”

  Here we go. I’ve only been home for one day and she’s already started on the “when are you going to get married and have kids” rant. I focus back on my laptop. “Why are you so adamant that I get married? All that should matter is that I’m happy, right?” Sighing, she sits down on my bed and I swivel around in my desk chair to face her. “I chose a career, Mom. Most parents would be thrilled about that.”

  “I am,” she says, patting my hands. “It’s just all of my friends are having grandbabies and I really want to be a grandmother before I get old and gray.”

  Pursing my lips, I stare at her as if she’s lost her mind. “You look like you’re thirty, Mom. You’ll be ninety years old before you actually look old and gray. I have plenty of time.”

  She shrugs and looks over at the outfit I’m supposed to wear tonight for the bachelorette party. It consists of a white bridesmaid T-shirt, green beads to wear around my neck, a green tutu to wear over my green and white shamrock tights, green tennis shoes, and a green glitter purse. Hallie definitely went all out. The tutu is kind of cute.

  “Hallie dropped all of that off last night,” my mom says, looking at the clothes with disgust. “A little tacky if you ask me.”

  That makes me smile. “It’s Hallie, Mom. She’s always been quirky and fun. I wouldn’t expect anything less from her.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” She shakes her head and focuses back on me. “Okay, now back to your life. Are you seriously not dating anyone? You can’t go to this wedding alone.” She pulls out her phone and looks up at the ceiling. “I have a friend whose son is single. Maybe I can get him to come as your date.”

  Mouth gaping, I snatch the phone out of her hands. What the hell does she think she’s doing? “What? No!” I snap. “That’s the worst idea ever.”

  She holds her hand out for her phone. “Well, if you’re not dating anyone, it doesn’t matter, does it? It’ll save you the embarrassment of sitting at
the singles table.”

  Is that really a thing? If it is, I’m screwed. “I’m a bridesmaid. I get to sit with the bridal party.” At least that better be the case. I’m not sitting at the damn singles table looking pathetic.

  My mom shakes her head. “I don’t know, sweetheart. I’m going to ask my sister and find out what she and Hallie planned out.” Hallie wouldn’t do that to me. So, help me God, she better not.

  My mother tries to snatch her phone out of my grasp, and I stand. “Jesus, Mom, I’m dating someone,” I blurt out, throwing my hands in the air. The last thing I want is her setting me up with one of her friends’ sons. I’ve met some of them over the years and they’re definitely not my type. I prefer men to actually be men and not spend more time in the bathroom fixing their hair than I do. “I don’t want you calling Aunt Beth,” I snap, handing her back her phone. “If I show up at the wedding with someone, I don’t want the guy I’m seeing to get mad. It’ll cause more problems than I want right now.”

  My mother gasps in delight. “Oh honey, why didn’t you just tell me that? When do I get to meet him?”

  What the hell did I just do? I thought by admitting I was with someone it’d get her off my back. Now I have the feeling it just made things worse. “Soon,” I promise her.

  She waggles her brows. “How about for the wedding? I don’t care where he’s at or how much it costs. I’ll pay for his plane ticket. There’s no excuse for him not to be there.”

  The woman is relentless. It’s the one thing I’ve always admired and yet hated about her, even though I love her to death. She’s a woman who always gets what she wants. The only things she never achieved was getting me to stay in New York and seeing me marry a high-society man.