Page 9 of Silver Fox in Cedarwood

“What?” He joined Dorian in the front seat.

“That was Len. I heard the teller say his name. She told Sid there was a Mr. Connor waiting to see him.” Dorian turned to Isaac. “I heard Len mention something about the animal shelter. You might try going there and accidentally running into him. Whatever you do, you need to decide soon. If you like him, then tell him. Tell Aiden. If either guy is stand-up, then they’ll talk to you, too. I know things with Aiden didn’t happen the way you wanted, but that’s not a loss, is it? He might be upset that you never said anything, but he’s married. He might encourage you to date his father.”

He doubted those things, but whatever.

“You’ll never know what could happen if you don’t try.” Dorian left the parking lot. “Since you’re not listening to me, do you need me to take you to the office?”

“I do.” He’d heard everything, but he didn’t want to think about Len for a moment. His heart ached too much. Each heated glance, the conversations that had lasted too long, the innocent touches that had sent electricity through his veins and the desire that had blossomed in his chest were too hard to ignore. He sighed and scrubbed his hand across his mouth.

“Do you want me to park next to your car? Or are you going inside?” Dorian asked.

“I need to head inside.” He rubbed the space between his eyebrows. “Thanks.”

“I appreciate you being a reference. I’m terrible at financial decisions,” Dorian said. “You saved my ass.”

“No problem.” He said nothing as Dorian pulled up to the staff door of the office. “Thank you.”

“Welcome, but for what? I didn’t do anything but drag you to the bank.” Dorian stared at him a moment. “For what it’s worth, you need to stop beating yourself up. Aiden moved on. Nick, your ex, moved on. You deserve to be happy. Why don’t you give this guy a chance?”

“Because Len is Aiden’s dad.” He hadn’t told Dorian that.

“So?”

He and Aiden hadn’t dated, but that didn’t mean he’d want Isaac to date his father. “It’d be awkward.”

“How do you know? You’re an adult—not a kid. You’ve matured and you should be happy. You should give this guy a chance,” Dorian said. “You might be missing out on your happiness.”

His faith in himself waned, not that he had much to begin with. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Since you won’t listen to me, why don’t you find a boy toy for an evening and fuck his brains out?” Dorian shrugged. “Or find me one.”

“You have no trouble finding boyfriends or guys to fuck.” He opened the car door. “I need to get to work. If you need help again, just holler.”

“I will,” Dorian said. “If you don’t tell Len you’re interested, I will.”

“Thanks. Bye.” He closed the car door. He loved Dorian like a brother, but Jesus, the man could push.

Isaac walked into the office and debated what to do next. He needed to check in with his receptionist, look at his calendar for the next day and learn how to use the apps on his new tablet. He’d never done his appointments via an app, so he had a lot to learn. He stopped in his office first and turned on the light.

Elise, his receptionist, strolled down the hallway. “Dr. McLean. Good. I needed to speak with you.” She stepped into his office. “You’ve got your tablet, yes?”

“The one connected only to the records and charts, yes.” He shuffled through his bag and produced the tablet. “Ready.”

“Good.” She tapped the screen. “All of your appointments are here. You can check the schedule at any time—whether you’re here or not. You can only access the patient records while on the property. The charts are here along with the records. You can also access them on the laptops in each exam room, too. If you type information into either the laptop or the tablet, it all ends up in the same place.”

“Very good.” At least the programs were easy to understand.

“Your first patients are lined up for the morning. I’ve given you some of Dr. Earle’s former patients as well, since they’re wanting to stay with the practice. Your first appointment is at nine,” Elise said. “I have a couple questions.”

“Sure.” He sat on the edge of his desk. “I’m an open book.”

“I’m told you’re gay.”

“I am.” He stared at her. In the dim light, the streaks in her hair weren’t as visible, but her eyes sparkled more. He liked her and her forthright approach. “Will that be a problem?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Actually, I heard you’re single, too.”

Jesus.“I am. Does everyone know and is it that big of a deal?”

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