Page 44 of Paging Dr. Summers

“You two,” Alejandro said, his voice tinged with curiosity. “You have the same smile.”

“We do?” I asked. I didn’t think that was a thing. Not even my friends who were identical twins had the same smile.

“There’s just something about them,” Alejandro responded.

“I think I see it,” Roman added his two cents. “They both have pouty pink lips.”

“Enough about our smiles. Let’s go play.” With an impish grin, Lola took off, peeling off her swimsuit cover-up as she sprinted toward the pool. Alejandro was right behind her, catching her just before she could dive in.

With an effortless sweep, he scooped her up and leaped into the water, both of them vanishing beneath the splash. Lola’s scream turned into laughter as they surfaced, and Alejandro pulled her close, sealing the moment with a kiss.

“Those two,” Roman muttered, shaking his head with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

“They seem happy together,” I said, watching their playful antics.

“That’s their problem.”

“What?” I laughed, glancing at him as we strolled toward the pool. I couldn’t help but feel relieved that Roman didn’t seem like the type to toss me in after them.

“I think it scares them. If they could actually admit it, they would probably be booking a church.”

“Oh, wow. You think they’ll get married?” I asked, recalling how Lola had told me she’d known Alejandro since they were fifteen.

“Eventually.” Roman smiled. “But I think Alejandro’s waiting until he can prove himself to Mr. Harrington.”

“In what way?”

Roman waved his hand around, gesturing vaguely. “Alejandro and I grew up in Aspen Lake, but not like this. We’re from the other side of the lake.”

“The other side?”

“You don’t know about the other side?” He waggled his brows with mock scandal. “What we lack in money, we make up for in fun.”

“So, you don’t think the Harringtons want them to be together?”

Roman shrugged, but the question lingered.

Meanwhile, my earlier conversation with Mr. Harrington—Maxwell, as he’d asked me to call him—suddenly made a lot more sense. Just as I’d suspected, he was worried about me. Specifically, my lack of a proper job and the fact that I was spending so much time with his daughter. Wow. Talk about an inflated sense of importance. Still, I hoped he wouldn’t get in the way of Lola and Alejandro.

“You ready for some fun?” Roman asked, nodding toward the pool.

“Definitely.” I dropped my bag onto a nearby lounge chair and slipped off my cover-up.

Roman’s gaze lingered for a moment before he averted it. “There really is something similar about you and Lola. It’s almost like you’re cousins.”

I burst out laughing. “Oh, believe me, my family is definitelynotrelated to the Harringtons.” Thank goodness for that.

I GAVE UP ON SLEEP and threw the covers off in frustration. Two hours of tossing and turning, and all I could think about was Brooke—what she might be doing with Roman. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t convince myself it didn’t matter. The thought of him holding her, discovering the taste of her lips, or feeling the softness of her pouty pink smile—it was maddening. Damn it, these thoughts were ridiculous.

I sat up, my feet pressing against the cool hardwood floor as I ran a hand through my hair. It had been a long time since I’d had a night like this. After Erica died, sleepless nights were all I knew. The bed had felt too empty, too cold. I’d missed the sound of her gentle breaths, the way she’d snuggle against my back, her leg draped over me like a warm anchor. For weeks, I couldn’t bear to sleep in our bed alone, choosing the couch instead.

But on this night, the emptiness of the bed felt different. It wasn’t Erica I was picturing beside me. It was Brooke—her honey-colored hair spilling across the pillow, her smile lighting up the room as she asked me one of her ridiculous questions that always had a way of making me smile, if only on the inside. The thought of her lying next to me was so vivid and unexpected, it made my chest tighten.

The guilt gnawed at me until I couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped up and headed for the sliding glass door in my bedroom, stepping out onto the wraparound deck. The clear night was quiet, save for thesound of the lake lapping against the shore—a sound that was once good at calming my nerves. I wasn’t sure it would work its magic this time.

I gripped the railing, the cool wood biting into my palms as a breeze swept over me, nipping at my bare chest. I welcomed the shock of it. It took some of the edge off of the storm brewing inside me.

If only I could work Brooke out of my system. I’d forgotten how easily and quickly a woman could invade your senses and take hold of you. It had been like that with Erica too. All it took was one date with her and I was hooked.

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