Page 97 of The Blessings of Christmas
When Dr. Darling cocked an eyebrow, he had this great pirate thing going on. “You’ll have to call Uber.”
Aw, he cares about me. But not really. Something had changed. “All right.” Maisy could drive her over for her car tomorrow. Tears swelling in her eyes, she nodded.
“If you have any questions, let us know. Our number is on the paperwork.”
Then he left. With a swirl of his crisp white coat Dr. Darling, hottest man on the planet, was gone, his footsteps echoing down the hall.
Rustling papers in her hand, Betsy rattled off a bunch of instructions. “Any questions?”
Yes. Is he married or dating anyone?“No, I’ll be fine.” Grabbing the paperwork, Victoria slid off the bed.
“Let me help you on with that jacket.” Betsy sniffed. “Real leather, huh?”
“Yes.” Victoria stuck her arms in the sleeves. “Thanks so much.”
With her paperwork in hand, she made her way back to the waiting room. Some EMTs wheeled in a gurney. The guy looked like he was in bad shape. She shrank into the wall. Suddenly, her eye didn’t seem so major. Victoria stepped into the cool night air. Once in her car, she called Uber.
“Palm Beach,”Derek muttered to Betsy after they’d finished with another holiday accident. This time, a more serious one. “Give me a break.”
“She’s a very pretty girl,” Betsy said, like the mother that she was. “And she seemed quite taken by you.”
Blowing out an exasperated sigh, Derek stripped off his rubber gloves. “Of course a Pomeroy would spend the holidays in Palm Beach. She’s probably a spoiled brat. Did you see the boots?”
“I think she owns that pantry in town. Victoria’s Pantry. I’ve been there once or twice. My daughters love it. Great pastries.” Betsy threw him one of her mysterious grins. “Hey, some guys would like those boots.”
“I’m not ‘some guys.’”
“Okay then.” Holding up her hands like she was warding off evil demons, Betsy backed away.
Slamming a foot onto the pedal to open the trash, Derek tossed in his used gloves. “I tried for weeks to get in to see her father. When I finally made it into his inner sanctum, Victor Pomeroy turned me down flat.
“You mean, for your clinic?” Betsy asked softly.
“Right. I’ll be in my office, charting.” Glad to escape, he thundered down the hall. Their Christmas tree shivered as he passed the desk. Derek didn’t care if Victoria owned the moon. He’d left women like her far behind. Sissy Hanover had been enough. And Victoria had some of the same entitled markings.
CHAPTER 2
Three and a half weeks until Christmas. Sipping her morning coffee, Victoria stared down at the square from her living room. Her eye itched and her heart was still back at that urgent care center. Every time she thought of Dr. Darling, her pulse picked up.
Tall, dark and hotter than a doctor had a right to be.
But he hadn't seem interested. At first? Maybe. But by the end, something had changed. Maybe she was just imagining things. Between her eye and Dr. Hot Stuff, she’d had trouble thinking. Hitting on patients was certainly not professional, so she’d give him a pass. Taking another sip of her gingerbread coffee, Victoria decided to leave it at that. After losing Jackson to Emily this past year, she was feeling cautious about men.
Applying her makeup this morning had been tricky. But having only one eye to deal with had saved time. With that bandage staring right at her in the mirror, she couldn’t concentrate on her hair. Finally she swept it up into a ponytail.
Victoria wanted to rip the tape and gauze off her injured eye. But she didn’t. If she closed her good eye, she could imagine Dr. Hot Stuff standing over her. Sniff the mint on his breath, feel the warmth radiating through the trim white lab coat.
Get over it, Victoria. Time to get dressed. A kelly green sweater might help raise her spirits. Then she pulled on tapered black slacks and her black boots with buttons. They’d been oh, so irresistible when she visited the Jacksonville Nordstrom's last month.
Grabbing her red and green plaid tote, she carefully made her way downstairs. These suckers were steep and she gripped the handrail all the way down. Outside, the air felt crisp and clear. Yep, winter had definitely come to Sweetwater Creek.
While she walked five steps to her shop, a Scorsese’s truck rumbled down the cobblestone alley and stopped. The branches she’d left at the back door were gone. Maisy must have taken them inside. She was always there by nine, ready for deliveries. Then Maisy and Darla filled the display cases. The scent of fresh bread and cinnamon gave the pantry such a homey feeling.
Gino rolled down the window of his truck. “What happened to you?”
“Just an accident. I was decorating our tree.”And defacing the square. Self-conscious, she fingered her patch.
Hopping out, he opened the back of the truck. “You feeling okay?”
