Page 83 of Accidental Doctor Daddy

“Why are you name-dropping people like I’m supposed to know them?” I stiffened, rummaging through a box of parmesan wheels.

She ignored the question. “He mentioned that your date probably qualifies for AARP.”

The urge to defend Dom almost made me crack, but that was what she wanted. “Not sure why that’s your business.”

Winner shrugged, leaning against a metal rack. Her eyebrows waggled, practically humming with glee. “Something about father-daughter confusion by the server?”

A spark of anger flared in my gut.Are we really going to do this?“Yeah, it’s a shame they don’t train their servers to be less nosy. No one likes when someone butts into their business,” I said pointedly.

She chuckled, unbothered. “Okay, Miss Secretive. But I gotta say, hooking up with an old man—that’s a power move, if you’re looking to be a sugar baby.”

My patience snapped as I dumped the parmesan onto a dolly. “Stop acting like you know me or my life and get back to work.”

She smirked, raising her hands in mock surrender. “So touchy about your old doctor boyfriend. How does he pronounce that mouthful of a last name? Mortally?”

“Winner, get back to the line,” Carrie’s no-nonsense tone echoed in the chilly space as she approached us. “Ella, in my office. Now.”

My stomach lurched.Shit.Winner shot me a smug grin and ducked out, leaving me alone with our boss, whose eyes glittered with something that wasn’t friendly.

“Office,” Carrie repeated, turning on her heel.

I followed, nerves twisting in my belly. I’d lied to Carrie about Dom for a while, sure, but I’d planned on telling her soon. Winner…she must have told her.

Inside Carrie’s office, she closed the door behind me with a click, arms crossed over her chest. The room was small, cluttered with stacked papers and a half-finished cappuccino on the desk, but it felt cavernous under her glare.

“What’s up?” I asked, trying for casual, though my voice wavered.

She pinned me with a hard stare. “Mortally?Mortoli, right?”

My heart thumped. “You’re spying on us in the walk-in?”

“No, I happened by when Winner asked you about a date you never mentioned, so I listened in, and yeah, okay, that sounds like spying. Whatever. Point is, you don’t talk to me anymore. Not like you used to. If you’re dating Dominic Mortoli, the doctor who saved your life…that crosses all kinds of ethical boundaries for him, right?”

“Okay. And that concerns you because…?”

Her eyes blazed. “It concerns me because no doctor with his reputation would casually date a patient unless he had cause to do that. The only way he’d justify that is if,” she swallowed, “if he was the father of your girls.”

Fuck. I didn’t want to lie to her anymore. It was past time for this to come out. “You’re right. He is.”

She glanced away, the hurt plain on her face. “You lied to me, Ella. Lied about the father of your kids. You let me think it was some random fling or nonexistent man, but all along it was Dom and you knew it was him, right?”

My cheeks burned hot. “Carrie, I?—”

She shook her head, jaw tight. “Everyone’s whispering that you have a sugar daddy.God.And I’ve been nothing but supportive, letting you have extra time off, covering your shifts. I thought we were friends.”

“We are friends,” I insisted, voice shaky. “I just…it was complicated, okay? I didn’t want to make things messy with Seth and Dom both in the same hospital department. And I planned to tell you soon, once Dom and I were certain about us.”

Her nostrils flared. “Messy? Ella, do you realize how bad this looks forme, vouching for you, letting you take extended leave, only to find out from the rumor mill that your baby daddy is some guy from my husband’s department? You made me look like an idiot.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to blindside you.”

She exhaled, raking a hand through her hair. “We used to share everything, or so I thought. Why did I have to hear about your relationship by spying on you in the walk-in?”

Shame crawled up my neck. “I didn’t want to complicate things. You and Seth have enough drama with the hospital politics. Dom’s going for the same promotion, and Seth hates him. If I told you about us, you’d tell Seth, and?—”

“And you didn’t think I’d have your back if I knew?”

“You’re married to Seth, not me. Of course, I thought you’d tell him.”

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