Page 3 of Hello Doctor

Lying on an exam table was not the way I’d dreamed of Fletcher and me hitting second base. And trust me; I’d done plenty of imagining. I stifled all my embarrassment—and most of my inappropriate thoughts—as his large hands cupped and kneaded my full breasts.

This close, I could smell the fresh scent of his cologne, see the short, dark brown stubble along his strong jawline. Fletch had always been good-looking, even as a teenager, but now he’d grown into his height, going from a lanky teen to filling out his dress clothes and white coat like no one’s business. And does a breast exam always feel like this...?

Whoops.

Thinking inappropriate thoughts again.

But still... I wondered what he thought of me. Back in high school, before all my hormonal issues, I’d been a lot smaller than I was now. Not that I’d never been thin in my life, but I’d gained almost a hundred pounds since graduation. A lot of which he had seen up close and personal in the last half hour.

He stepped back, removing his warm hands from my skin and nodded. He looked completely unaffected by the exam, while my nipples were still hard and aching for his touch. “Everything seems normal, but Brenda will call you with the results of your pap. Should be ready by the end of the week, if not early next week.”

“Great,” I said with an awkward smile.

Silence hung between us. We used to know each other so well. Spent almost every weekend together and saw each other at school. To be fair, he’d hung around to see my older brother Rhett, usually keeping him out of too much trouble, but it had been years since we’d seen each other or even talked.

I wondered if he was still the same person I’d known back then, the one who always told Rhett to let me tag along. The one who took me to prom when my former date moved away unannounced.

I’d never had so much fun.

But after that night, he’d never called.

I was just Rhett’s kid sister all over again.

“Well, thanks for the exam,” I said finally. “I’ll go square up with Brenda.”

“Actually...” He glanced at his watch. “Can you meet me at the diner in an hour for lunch? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

My stomach fluttered nervously, and heat hit my cheeks. “Oh-um-yeah-sure,” I chirped so quickly it would be a miracle if he understood me.God, could I stop acting like I was sixteen years old, please? That would be great.

“Great.” His smile made my heart beat faster. Thank god the stethoscope was around his neck instead of on my chest because he’d be able to hear even more clearly how much my high school crush affected me.

I turned to leave the office, and he said, “Hey, wait up.”

I stopped in the hallway, my overly theatrical heart waiting for him to admit his undying love for me because I definitelyfelthis lack of a wedding ring. (His hands were on my breasts, after all.)

Instead, he held his hand on the cherry-wood doorframe and said, “Don’t tell Rhett I’m back yet. I haven’t had a chance to call him.”

Yet again, it was about my brother. I tried to hide my disappointment with a smile. “Sure, but don’t wait too long. The rumor mill might beat you to it,” I replied, ducking my head and walking away so he could see another patient.

In the waiting room, Brenda grinned up at me. “Your copay is thirty dollars, my dear.”

My dear?My coochie was out, and a man who was not Doctor Deb walked in.My dearmy unshaven ass. I might be hanging onto this grudge against her for a little while for not warning me about Fletcher.

I got out my card and let her swipe it, signing the receipt and getting the heck out of Dodge.

With still an hour until lunchtime, I got in my truck, pulled up to the diner’s parking lot and then texted my friends group messenger thread. Henrietta was my sister in law who quickly became one of my best friends, and Della had been my bestie since she moved to town in seventh grade. She especially knew all about my massive crush on the new doctor in town.

Liv: FLETCHER MADIGAN IS BACK IN TOWN. I REPEAT, FLETCHER MADIGAN IS BACK IN TOWN.

Liv: AND HE JUST SAW MY VAGINA.

Liv: AND I DIDN’T EVEN WAX.

Della: YOU HAD SEX WITH FLETCHER?!

Henrietta: I DON’T KNOW WHO FLETCHER IS OR WHY YOU HAD SEX WITH HIM OR WHY EVERYONE IS YELLING.

I shook my head at the phone, smiling.

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