Page 2 of The Naughty One
Pain.Sorrow.
Romy was so distracted by the revelation that she didn’t realize the focus had shifted and everyone was staring at her. Suddenly feeling the heat of their stares, she swallowed hard, flushing. “I’m sorry, Dr. Allende, could you repeat thequestion?”
The amused look was back, displacing sorrow. “I was asking if you could give me the ways we can use to diagnoseankylosingspondylitis?”
Romy cleared her throat. “Of course.” She ran through the options and then concluded, “Of course, the disease is notoriously hard to diagnose, and once identified, it usually is a case of pain management. Opioids have little effect pain-wise, but we could try medical marijuana as a lastresort.”
“Hail Mary,” said the patient, a young man in his twenties, and they alllaughed.
“As alastresort, Billy.” Blue smiled and Romy’s entire body reacted to it. It lit up his handsome face and Romy could feel a beat pulsing between her legs.Stop it,she told herself,do not get a crush on yourboss.
After rounds,Blue asked to see her in his office. He motioned to the chair opposite his desk and Romy sat down, trembling with nervousness. Was she about to be bawled out for beinglate?
“Don’t look so scared,” he said mildly, his tone neutral but somehow still warm. “It’s just an introduction. I didn’t get to meet you like the otherresidents.”
From someone else that would have sounded passive aggressive. From him, it came across as oddlysincere.
“I’m sorry for being late, Dr. Allende,” sheapologized.
“Happens to usall.”
Before she could blink at that, he picked up a file and openedit.
“Dr. Romy Sasse, age twenty-nine, graduated top of your class at Stamford, did your internship and part of your residency at Johns Hopkins … why transfer here for your last year? Johns Hopkins was very reluctant to let you go; we had to fight foryou.”
Old memories made her cold inside. “I had to come home to Seattle. Personal reasons. Also, my mother is getting married, ratherunexpectedly.”
“And she needs you to behere?”
Romy hesitated. “No, it’s not that,but…”
“Butwhat?”
Romy sighed. It was none of his business, but she owed him this much after being late. “My sisters, Juno and Artemis, asked me to come. I’m the middle sister, the peacemaker. They have some concerns about Mom’sfiancé.”
“Really?” Blue looked interested, even though Romy couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. Or why she just kepttalking.
“It’s not that he’s a bad person, though I still haven’t officially met him yet. But he’s so entirely not what we thought Mom would go for …” Abruptly, she halted, catching herself in mid-ramble. “I’m sorry, you really don’t need to knowthis.”
“No, please goon.”
Romy frowned. “Well, then, you should know, my mom is a free spirit, a rainbow child, a hippie. Look at ournames.”
Blue smiled. “Okay, so Juno and Artemis, I get, butRomy?”
“Short for Romulus. Yes, I know it’s technically a boy’s name but, you see, I was a twin. Fraternal. My brother, Remy—Remus—died when we were five years old.” God, the pain of it still haunted Romy. “Mom thought I was a boy too when she was pregnant, hence thename.”
“So your name is actuallyRomulus?”
She was grateful he didn’t press her for more details about Remy. “No, she managed to change it at the last moment on the birth certificate. Romy is my legalname.”
“And you don’t like your futurestepfather?”
“I don’t knowhim.”
Suddenly Blue grinned. “I think your mom and Stuart Eames will be justfine.”
Romy gaped at him in astonishment. “How thehell…?”
