Page 15 of Hello Doctor

His eyes widened. “Um, your face is green.”

My mouth fell open. “Oh my gosh, I forgot I had a facemask on.” So freaking embarrassing. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“I thought we both deserved a drink,” he said.

“True,” I agreed. “Why don’t you pour us a glass and I’ll go wash my face so you’re not drinking with a green-skinned monster.”

He chuckled, and I hurried to the bathroom, wondering how much more I could embarrass myself. At this rate, he’d only see me as Rhett’s dorky sister forever.

I washed the mask off my face, swiped a little mascara through my lashes and squared my shoulders, trying to remind myself that Fletcher wasn’t an old crush—he was my boss, coming with a peace offering.

When I walked out to the living area, Fletcher was already on the couch, sipping a glass of red wine. He hadn’t seen me yet, so I watched him for a moment. He had such great bone structure—a square jaw, high cheekbones, a perfectly pointed nose that was chiseled and just slightly rugged. Dark stubble dusted his jaw, and his pink lips were tantalizing as they pursed over the rim. Not to mention he wore a dark blue T-shirt and gray sweats instead of his usual dress clothes, showing his strong arms and legs.

He was art, the best possible kind.

“Hey,” I said before my jaw could come unhinged and fall on the floor.

He smiled over at me, and my heart melted, forgetting the way he’d pulled away from me, how distant he had seemed this week. No, to my heart, I was sixteen years old again, and he was the cutest boy I’d ever seen. Forbidden and way too cool to notice someone like me.

“This is a good show,” he said, gesturing his glass toward the TV.

“It’s my favorite,” I agreed. I sat on the opposite side of the couch, tucking my feet under me and getting comfortable. He handed me a glass of red, and I took it, saying, “Thanks.”

He held out his glass, and I clinked mine to his.

“The first week.” He sipped, looking at me cautiously. “How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted,” I admitted. “How do you do this all the time?”

He shook his head a little and shrugged with a small smile on his face. “Parenting is... the hardest thing I’ve ever done. About ninety percent of the time, I’m worried I’m failing miserably. But then there are these moments that make everything okay again.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Kids have this way of keeping you humble. I’ll be so mad at Maya one minute, and the next, she’ll ask for an extra hug before bed or tell me I’m the best dad in the world, and all is right again.”

“I get that,” I said. “After she put gum in my hair, she offered to braid it so I looked like Elsa.”

His jaw dropped. “She putgumin your hair?”

“Whoops.” I cringed. “I didn’t mean to tell you that.”

He shook his head, rubbing his lips together. “And yet your things are still here. Does that mean you’ll stick around for another week?”

His brown eyes were on me, just a shade or two darker than Maya’s hazel. I used to be mesmerized by all the flecks of green I saw there. The way his eyes always smiled even when his lips were level.

Hell, I was still mesmerized.

“Me and my short piece of hair are staying,” I said. I reached up, finding the two-inch section of hair at the crown of my head that was now shorter than all the rest.

He rubbed his free hand over his face. “I can’t believe she did that.”

“You know, I talked to my sister-in-law this week—the one who married Gage. She said, ‘all behavior is communication.’ Maya’s just communicating really loudly how hurt she is.”

His eyes shined as he nodded. “I want her to start communicating that she’s going to be okay.”

I put my hand on his forearm, wishing I could take away his pain along with Maya’s. “She’ll get there.”

This time, he didn’t move away.

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