Page 20 of Paging Dr. Summers

When we arrived at the strawberry toss, there was a line. I had no idea it would be so popular. I’d never tossed a strawberry before, unless you counted into my mouth. Maybe waiting in line was a good thing. It would give us more time to get to know each other. Gauge whether he was summer-fling material. Did that sound awful?

But before I could ask him, “If animals could talk, which one do you think would be the rudest?” I heard my name being called by the sweetest voice.

(PS: I think swans might be the rudest. Sure, they look all sweet and graceful floating on the water. But have you ever noticed how they seem not to want any other kinds of birds near them? I’m just saying, I think they’re snobs.)

“Brooke!” Sophie yelled.

I turned to find Sophie running toward me, with her uncle not farbehind. And dang it if he didn’t look good. I was still sticking with the friend thing, obviously. No way was I considering coming in after Erica. But as my friend, he shouldn’t have been glowing all golden in the sun or wearing clothes tailored to show off his athletic physique. Because I knew what was under his perfectly fitted shirt.

Ripples. Lots of them. A symmetrical arrangement so beautiful it hurt. I had to wonder if an angel had carved it by hand.

One may wonder how I knew this. From my deck, I’d witnessed him running on the beach the day before without his shirt on. And yes, I’d needed some ice water to cool me down afterward.

It probably wouldn’t have affected me so much, but dang it if he wasn’t the cutest when he played with his niece in the water. And when he was helping me paddleboard—every time I wobbled, he steadied me with his strong, reassuring hands. Those magical doctor hands sent tingles right through my wet suit, making my heart race. To top it off, he was so proud of me when I got the hang of it that he high-fived me, and I could have sworn he held on to my fingers for just a beat longer than necessary.

Maybe I’d imagined that part. Maybe.

Once I gained confidence, we’d paddled around together. As we glided across the water, he’d shared stories of paddling with his dad to a small island half a mile out. They would make a campfire and sleep under the stars. It made me want to do the same. He’d been uncharacteristically animated as we’d talked—or maybe that was his true self, hidden beneath his broody exterior. Maybe the prickly version of him was the impostor.

“Hey, Sophie!” I said brightly, holding out my arms for her. “I didn’t know you guys were going to be here.”

Sophie ran into my arms, giving me a moment to lock eyes with Logan, who seemed wary of approaching. It was a common theme when we were together. It was like he always needed to warm up to the idea of being my friend.

Sophie squeezed me extra tight. “Mom’s making some content this afternoon, so she asked Uncle Logan to bring me here.”

I noted the conspiratorial tone in her cute voice. Eden knew I wasgoing there on a date, and it was apparent she was hoping Logan and I would get to know each other better this summer.

“That’s fun.” I smiled at an uncomfortable Logan, who had planted himself a few feet away.

He cast me a furtive glance and mumbled, “Hi.”

“Hey, there.” I did my best not to sound breathy.

Jake sidled up to me, his brow pinching.

“Uh, Jake,” I said awkwardly, and maybe a little guiltily, since I now wished I were there with Sophie and Logan instead of him. There was just something about Logan that made me want to know him better. I wasn’t getting that same vibe from Jake. Nothing screamed, “This man will be of some consequence to you.”

“You know Logan, right?” the rest of the sentence fumbled out of my mouth.

“Yeah.” Jake stepped forward and held out his hand to Logan. “It’s good to see you, man. I hear you’re the new ER doctor at the hospital.”

Logan took Jake’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “I am,” he said dryly, offering zero pleasantries.

Jake dropped his hand, unsure where to go from there.

I was getting used to Logan’s surly side, so I intervened. “It’s so fun that you guys are here. What have you done so far?”

“We just got here,” Logan stated.

“I want to do the strawberry toss first,” Sophie sang a little too deviously.

Logan’s cheeks warmed to a mild red.

I couldn’t help but think it was adorable. “Well, it sounds like Jake and I will just have to challenge you and your uncle to see who can toss the most strawberries into their basket.”

“We’re so going to win.” Sophie left my arms but stayed by my side. “Right, Uncle Logan?”

Logan blew out a long breath and hesitated, as if mentally steeling himself. “Yeah,” he said flatly.

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