Читать книгу Healing Dr Fortune - Judy Duarte, Judy Duarte - Страница 9

Chapter Three

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While Max ran into the pharmacy to pick up some vitamins and a special diaper rash ointment Dr. Kragen had recommended, Kirsten waited in the car with the sleeping baby secured in his seat in the back.

She’d been relieved to hear that Anthony was healthy and thriving. And now that her worries had been somewhat stilled, she couldn’t help thinking about the kindness of Dr. Fortune—or rather, Jeremy. He seemed to have taken a special interest in her, although she couldn’t say how or why she’d come to that conclusion.

It was in the way he looked at her, she supposed. The way their gazes seemed to connect and the hormones and pheromones that seemed to spark whenever he was near.

She reached into her purse and pulled out his business card. She’d been a little surprised that he’d given it to her—and pleased that he had.

But how many doctors actually gave out their personal phone numbers? Not many, she suspected.

She turned the card over and looked on the back, where the numbers were written in bold strokes—clear and legible, unlike the proverbial doctor’s scrawl she would have expected to see.

He’d given her permission to call him, but would she? Should she?

Maybe she could use the results of their visit with Dr. Kragen as an excuse to call him now. At least, he would then have a record of her number.

She hesitated only a moment before taking her cell phone from her purse and dialing the number he’d given her.

Jeremy answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

Her words jammed in her throat as she contemplated hanging up before indentifying herself. But she felt compelled to finish what she’d started. “Dr. Fortune? This is Kirsten Allen. I just wanted to let you know that Dr. Kragen told us Anthony looks good and appears to be healthy.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I’d worried about not having any of Anthony’s medical records, but Dr. Kragen ordered a blood test to check to see if he’s had any of his immunizations yet. So that’s one less thing for me to stress about.”

“Jim’s one of the top pediatricians in the county, so you were in good hands. He has a private practice, but he works one day a month at the clinic.”

Kirsten bit down on her lip as she contemplated a response. She wasn’t ready to end the call, although they really had nothing else to talk about.

“Well,” she said, “I just wanted to thank you again for being so nice to me … to us.”

“It was my pleasure, Kirsten.”

As silence stretched across the line, she suddenly wondered if she’d been wrong to think that he was interested in her in any way other than that of a kindhearted professional.

“Well …”

“Would you like to have dinner some night?” he asked, throwing her a curve.

Her heart dropped like dead weight, then rumbled back to life. “That sounds like fun.”

Fun? She rolled her eyes. Why hadn’t she given him a more sophisticated answer, one more grown-up and better suited to a doctor’s dinner date?

“How about tomorrow night?” he asked.

So soon?

Goodness. Where would they go? What would she wear? Yet in spite of the questions and the fly-by-night insecurities that pelted her, she found herself saying, “Sure.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

So was she, even if a swarm of butterflies had settled in her stomach.

After he asked for her address and she gave it to him, he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

When the call ended, she sat dumbfounded for a while, the cell phone still in her hand.

Had she just imagined that conversation? Had the handsome doctor just asked her out to dinner? Would she have the right clothes to wear? Would she say the correct things?

Of course she would. She was a college graduate, for Pete’s sake—an accountant. Okay, so she was unemployed at the moment. But that was only temporary. She had the skills and the résumé to land another job soon.

A knock sounded at the passenger window, and she turned to see Max waiting to get into the car. So she hit the unlock button and slid the cell phone back into her purse.

“Who were you talking to?” he asked, as he climbed in.

“Dr. Fortune. He asked me out to dinner tomorrow night, and I told him yes. Do you think you’ll be okay by yourself with Anthony? “

Max chuffed. “I don’t believe this.”

“Believe what?”

“You brought Anthony to the clinic yesterday so you could hook up with a doctor? How long has that been going on? “

“What are you talking about?”

“Your crush on Dr. Fortune.”

“You’re imagining things. I don’t have a crush on him.”

“Then what’s going on? “

She had no idea. She found Jeremy Fortune attractive and the thought of dating him exciting. And for some wild reason, he seemed to find her attractive, too.

“It’s no big deal,” she told her brother. “Like I said, I met him in the parking lot yesterday. We’ve talked briefly a couple of times, and he asked me out.”

“A doctor seems to be a cut above your usual boyfriend. Don’t you think a guy like that is out of your league?”

Jeremy Fortune might be, but that didn’t keep Kirsten from smiling—or from dreaming about being with him.

It was all very Cinderella-ish, she supposed. And even if she didn’t have stepsisters to tell her that she wasn’t princess material, she didn’t need them to. Between her own doubts and Max’s, she was already having second thoughts about her date with the handsome doctor.

But she shook off a few lingering insecurities, as well as any possible shortcomings she might have, and looked forward to tomorrow night.

Jeremy pulled up along the curb of an older, two-story home in a quiet Red Rock neighborhood. It wasn’t anything like the yard or porch he’d seen in his dream, but then why would it be?

The house in his dream had only been a random nocturnal image, he reminded himself. It didn’t mean anything.

Sure, when he’d spotted Kirsten in the parking lot of the clinic, he’d thought she bore a slight resemblance to the woman he’d envisioned, but that was just a coincidence. He would have found her attractive anyway. The similarity had only opened his eyes and allowed him to escape his troubles for the time being.

After parking his car, he made his way to the front door and rang the bell.

Max answered, a scowl plastered to his face. He invited Jeremy in, but he didn’t crack a smile.

“How’s it going?” Jeremy asked.

“Okay.” Max closed the door. “My sister will be out in a minute. Have a seat.”

Jeremy scanned the tidy room, noting the simple furnishings that had been carefully placed around the room: a beige sofa adorned with brightly colored decorator pillows, a wrought-iron floor lamp with a matching shade, dark wood furniture.

Red candles and a few photographs were displayed on the mantel over a brick fireplace.

The living room had a cozy, welcoming feel about it, and he could tell Kirsten took pride in her home.

Max sat in a recliner, his eyes glued to the television, watching a college basketball game. A portable travel crib rested beside him, where Anthony lay on his back, kicking his feet and watching a dinosaur mobile.

“Who’s playing?” Jeremy asked, taking one last stab at being friendly.

Max was so focused on the game that it took him a moment to respond. “Oklahoma State at Texas A&M.”

“What’s the score?”

“The Aggies are up by five.”

Silence again.

Jeremy decided to let it go. He was just about to take a seat when Kirsten entered the living room wearing a simple black dress and heels. Her hair had been swept up into a twist, revealing that small pair of diamond studs.

She wore only the slightest bit of makeup: mascara to highlight those pretty blue eyes, a pink shade of lipstick to accentuate a natural pout.

He’d known she was attractive in denim and T-shirts. But the transformation from casual tomboy to classy dinner date was jaw-dropping.

“You look great,” he said.

Her cheeks flushed when she smiled. “Thank you.”

Max lifted the remote toward the television and turned down the volume. Then he stood, crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one hip. “So where are you guys going?”

Jeremy hadn’t suffered through a date-night interrogation since he’d been a teenager going to his last high school prom. And it prickled him to have to go through it now, especially from a man who was probably more than ten years his junior. But he shook off his irritation and played the game. “I thought we’d go to Bernardo’s, the new Italian restaurant that just opened up a few blocks down the street from Red. That is, if Kirsten doesn’t mind.”

“Bernardo’s sounds good to me.” She offered him a breezy smile, then grabbed her purse from a small table near the door. “I’ll see you later, Max. You can call me if you have a problem with Anthony.”

“I’ll be okay.”

Good, because Jeremy was looking forward to putting some distance between them. What was that guy’s problem?

Jeremy opened the door, then followed Kirsten out of the house. Moments later, they were in his rental car and headed into town for dinner.

“I’m afraid I need to apologize for my brother’s rudeness,” Kirsten said. “His life has been turned upside down, so he’s been a little testy with everyone lately.”

“No apology necessary.”

“I know. But …” She pursed her lips. “I guess everyone has their cross to bear. And Max is mine.”

Jeremy wasn’t sure why she felt that way. “How old is he? Twenty-four? “

“Actually, he’s twenty-six.”

“Then I’d say it’s probably time for him to move on and make a life of his own.”

“I wish it were that easy.” Kirsten glanced out her window at the passing scenery, then back to Jeremy. “He’s between jobs, so I can’t very well boot him out into the street. And now that he has Anthony …”

“I can see how that would complicate things.” Jeremy had a strong sense of family loyalty, too, so he understood why she was supportive of Max. “How’s it working out?”

“It’s been tough.” She gave a half shrug. “But there’s not much I can do about it until he lands another job and can move out.”

“What kind of position is he looking for?”

“Anything at this point. I think he wants to move as badly as I’d like to see him go. But he doesn’t have a high school diploma, which limits his options when it comes to finding something that will pay the rent, and now he has day-care expenses to cover.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I know.” She took a deep breath, then sighed softly. “I tried to talk him into getting his GED and picking up some college courses, but he refused to even consider it.”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid it was probably because I suggested it.” She rested her hands on top of the small black purse that sat in her lap. “And because he’s never been particularly ambitious. After he dropped out of high school, he just drifted from job to job for one reason or another.”

“In that case, you might not be doing him any favors by letting him stay with you.”

“Actually, two years ago he was hired on at the feed store and was able to keep that one until a couple weeks ago. He really seemed to like it, but when the new management took over, they laid everyone off, and Max was back at square one.”

Healing Dr Fortune

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