Page 3 of I Knew He Was Trouble
Once I get back to my office, I head to the attached bathroom. I do my best to wash my top in the sink and dry it off with the hand dryer, but it doesn’t do much—the brownish stain is still visible on the light blue fabric.
I slip it back on, cringing at the dampness of the material against my skin. I always keep an extra pair of scrubs at the office for this very reason, but thiswasmy extra pair.
That’s right, I hadtwokids get sick on me today. I already stripped off my dark blue scrubs this morning after the first incident, so I’ll have to make do with these for the rest of the workday.
Flu season is an unwanted welcome to cooler weather. I love the reprieve from the warmer months but could do without seeing so many children suffering from illnesses.
I throw on my white doctor’s coat for the remainder of my appointments, attempting to hide the stain, but the smell sticks with me all day. Luckily, five o’clock hits without making it a trifecta.
As I pass the welcome desk, my receptionist, Nadine, gives me a pitying smile, further accentuating the wrinkles around her mouth.
“Rough day, Doc?”
I lift up the plastic bag holding my other pair of soiled scrubs like a prized trophy. “Just the yearly rite of passage as a pediatrician.”
“I guess you need to start keepingtwoextra outfits in your office during flu season.” She laughs, running a hand through her graying curls.
“You might be right.”
“Go get cleaned up and have somefuntonight.” She wiggles her eyebrows, lacking all subtlety. “You know, my granddaughter is still single.”
I shake my head, laughing under my breath. “Goodnight, Nadine.”
Since my receptionist is also my great-aunt’s best friend, I’m surprised Nadine doesn’t know that I typically stop by a flower shop and deliver a fresh bouquet to my great-aunt on Thursdays. I’m not sure that’s the kind offunThursday night she was referencing. However, I think I’m going to have to skip that part of my routine today. I don’t think Aunt D would appreciate the vomit stain on my scrubs and the smell accompanying it.
“I’ll get you to go on a date one day,” she declares.
“Good luck with that,” I call back over my shoulder at the relentless woman. If she wasn’t such a good receptionist, I’d fire her for her continuous attempts at matchmaking. But she’s become like another grandmother to me. Plus, Aunt D would tan my hide, so I’d never actually follow through.
I step out onto the curb. Before the door closes behind me, I hear Nadine tutting. “Such a waste of a perfectly handsome face.”
If enjoying peaceful evenings at home means I’m wasting myperfectly handsome face—her words, not mine—then so be it.
I do want to get married one day. Honestly, I thought I would be married by the time I was thirty. I even came close in my last serious relationship. Yet, now I’m thirty and have been single for a few years, but I don’t plan on resorting to set-ups anytime soon.
When I reach my SUV, my phone buzzes in my pocket with an incoming call. I pull it out and see my sister Tess on the screen with a picture of her mid-sneeze that I refuse to delete. Everyone needs blackmail photos of their older sister to embarrass her. It’s pretty much guaranteed that she has worse pictures of me, anyway.
I usually prefer to sit in silence on my car rides home, decompressing from the workday, but I know I should answer. I haven’t had a chance to call her back after she reached out yesterday, and if she’s calling again, it’s probably important.
The incoming call continues to ring over Bluetooth as I start the engine. I press the answer button on my steering wheel. “Hello?”
“He lives,” Tess practically screams.
I grimace and turn down the volume as I turn onto the road. “Is it impossible for you to start a conversation at a normal human decibel?”
“How else would I make sure you’re actually listening?”
“You could give me a pop quiz after…or just trust that if I answer the phone, I’m giving you my undivided attention.”
“Undivided attention, huh?” I can practically hear the gears in her head turning. “So, you’re focused solely on me and not on the road then?”
I make a right turn, heading toward my house.Busted.“I could drive home with my eyes closed.”
“Ugh, please don’t do that. I need you alive for the teeny-tiny favor I’m about to ask you, oh favorite brother of mine.”
I’m heronlybrother.
“Why do I have a feeling it’s not going to be a small favor?” I groan as I pull up to a stop sign, scanning both directions before rolling forward.
