Love M.D. (2 page)

“Everything. I’m not fussy. I just
need this place to be comfortable, and I need it to look and feel like a home.”

“But, I’d like to design
your
home. Not
a
home or
any
home.”

He looks at me with an unwavering
sexy stare. “It will be perfect. Don’t worry about it. I leave for Asia
tomorrow. Do you think you can have this completed by my return?”

“There’s a lot more than two weeks
of work here. I’m going to have to special order many of the major pieces of
furniture. Between that and delivery times, this place won’t be finished by the
time you return.”

“My bedroom? And kitchen, maybe?”

“I’ll see if I can make that
happen. But I’ll be in your hair for a while after. You’re talking new floors, finishing,
everything.”

His dimple makes an appearance. “I
don’t mind you in my hair at all.”

I ignore his comment and head for
the exit.

“Why don’t we head downstairs to
discuss your budget then I’ll need to do a complete walkthrough to take
measurements.”

As we arrive downstairs, the
doorbell rings.

“Excuse me one second,” he says,
heading to the door.

I stroll out to the patio and occupy
one of the chairs at the small bistro table. Moments later, he joins me with a
brown paper bag in hand.

“Care to join me for some dinner?”

“Thanks, but I had dinner before I
came. We can chat while you eat or I can go take those measurements and take a
look at the gym downstairs. We’ll talk budget when you’re done.”

“Please stay. Tell me about
yourself. Where are you from?”

“What makes you think I’m not from
here?”

He cocks his head, “Well, you have
a lovely accent.”

“I was born in the Caribbean, but I
grew up in Paris. I’ve lived in San Francisco since my late teens.”

“Quite the mix up. How’d you end up
here?”

“Long story…”

“I have all the time in the world.”

As I look at him through my eyelashes,
I chuckle. “And naturally, you assume I do? What makes you think I don’t have a
husband or a child to return home to?”

“Gut feeling.” He smiles. “Not to
mention a ring is absent on your wedding finger.”

Donc, il a remarqué...
[So
he noticed…]

“Well, you’re wrong.”

“Really?” he sounds surprised.

“Yes. Peaches and Pixie eagerly
await.”

He laughs. “Who are they? The
dogs?”

“Yes, my crew—the dog and the cat.”            

“What breed?”

“A mastiff and a British longhair.”

“That’s quite the combination.”

“They’re best friends, and I could
say the same about the motor bike and your ecofriendly car.”

“True. I know… sort of a
contradiction. So tell me?”

“Jada and I both entered a student
exchange program at college. When I found out my twin brother was in the
country, I decided to stay.”

“Why didn’t you know where he was?”

I shift uneasily in my chair.

“This upsets you,” he says intently,
pausing before he takes a mouthful of his seafood paella.

I rattle off a response, “My
parents were killed in a freak accident when we were young. My dad’s two
sisters decided to take us in. One lived in France and the other in Florida. I
suppose at the time they were doing the best they could, but they separated us.
Then at some point, they grew estranged and didn’t talk anymore. I had no
contact with my brother for years. I didn’t even know where he was or how to
find him.

Anyway, I did the exchange program,
and the craziest thing happened. We went to Daytona Beach for spring break and I
was at a bar getting some drinks and turned to leave and walked straight into
him.”

“Wow. Did you recognize him?”

“Immediately.” As I remember that
day, my eyes well up. I still remember the feel of our arms around each other
as we wept in a tight embrace. “All we have is each other. When I told him I
was in San Francisco, he transferred here, and I stayed for good so we could
rebuild what we lost. He’s my life. He’s an architect, and I’m an interior
designer. I swear we didn’t plan that. We run our business together. I’m sure
you’ll meet him at some point. His team will handle any work done here.”

“Thank you for sharing that with
me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can tell you it wasn’t such an extraordinary
story. So you and Jada are close then?”

“Yes. She’s been my client for
years. I’ve designed everything she owns, from all her resorts to her home with
Jonathan. She’s my best client. In recent years, she’s become my closest
friend. Your turn. What about you?”

“Well, where do I start? I’m going
through a divorce after eight years of marriage and decided to come back home.”

Donc, vous n’êtes pas tout à
fait encore divorcé ...
[So you’re not quite divorced yet…]

“Kids?”

Hesitating, he looks away from me, takes
a sip of his wine, and shakes his head. I get the distinct impression there’s
more he’s not telling me.

“My dad’s getting older, and I wanted
to spend time with him. My sister also needed help with her practice and there
was an opening at a hospital here. Everything seemed to be in alignment to
return home, so I did.”

“What kind of doctor are you?”

“Surgeon.”

“You’re one of those who spent half
your life at school.”

Nodding in agreement, he centers
his fork and knife perfectly in his plate, “Twelve long years.”

“Wow. You’re dedicated.”

“In this field, I have to be…”

“Simply getting through school
speaks volumes,” I say, resting my chin in my palms. “Anyway… we’ve digressed.
Let’s talk budget and colors schemes.” I prepare to take notes.

“Colors. Let’s stick to blues,
greens and earth tones and budget… I have no idea how much this sort of thing
will cost. Send me a quote, and we’ll take it from there. Keep in mind I want
this finished quickly. The faster the better.”

“Fast comes at a cost.”

“I understand.”

“How will we communicate while you’re
away?”

“There’s a twelve hour time
difference, so mornings and evenings will be best. I’ll be in surgery during
the day.”

“Surgery? All the way on the other
side of the world?”

“Yes. I lead a mobile clinic that
travels to third world countries to perform surgery on kids with cleft palates
and lips.”

Awww.
“That’s amazing.” A
flicker of warmth radiates through my chest as he speaks. “You’re very
passionate about this.”

“I am.” He stares into my eyes, and
I hold his gaze. It occurs to me what an incredibly huge heart he must have to
dedicate part of his life to this cause. The air between us intensifies. I feel
a pull between us, and I look away.

 “So? Email? Skype?” I ask, taking
down some nondescript notes.

“Sure. Let me get you all the information
and the alarm codes. May I?” he asks, referring to the notepad in front of me.
I hand it to him and he scribbles down the details.

“Will anyone have access to the
house during your absence?”

“No, just you. The gardeners have
access to the grounds but not inside.”

 “Have a safe trip tomorrow,” I say
as he escorts me to the door. “I’ll try to have as much as possible done by the
time you return.”

“Great. Maybe when I get back, I can
take you to dinner?”

A tinge of excitement quivers in my
chest, but I keep a straight face. “Thank you for the offer, Doctor Drake, but
one—you’re still married, and two—I don’t date my clients.”

“My divorce will be final in four
weeks. Perhaps I need to pay you for your time here tonight and find some other
designer. That way you’ll have no excuse to turn me down.”

“You’re persistent.”

“I usually get what I want.” He
smiles with a cute, boyish grin.

“And what? I’m the commodity you
think
you’re going to have, Doctor Drake?” I retort in amusement.

“I think you’re way too beautiful
and classy a lady for me to ever think of you as a commodity.”

Anyone else saying that might have
come across as rude and obnoxious, but the sweet spark in his eye that
accompanies his statement leaves me trying to suppress my blush.

“You know, were you not my client,
I may not have had such a tamed response.”

“Please, Miss Jenkins, don’t feel
the need to suppress how you
really
feel just because of the nature of
our relationship.”

“Good night, Doctor Drake,” I reply
curtly.

“That’s Morgan to you.”

I walk away but don’t give him any
satisfaction of turning around to look at him. A slight grin slips loose.

I watch
Zoë Jenkins as she walks away. What a
surprise. For the first time in a year, it looks like I can move on with my
life. Finally. I’m not sure if the circumstances of the last year caused me not
to notice beautiful women, or maybe I was just not in the presence of mind to
notice them, but Miss Zoë Jenkins certainly got my attention tonight.

She’s gorgeous. I love her eyes. They
almost seem to match her honey-golden skin. Her ass looks delectable in those black
trousers and as I watch her walk away, I wonder what they’d feel like in the
palm of my hands.

Drake get your mind out of the
gutter…

It’s been years since I dated, but
I get the distinct impression that if she’s ever going to agree to go out with me,
I’m going to have to work for it.

She’s nothing like the women that
sometimes throw themselves at me. That’s fine, I like the challenge. Med school
didn’t faze me, and neither will this. She has no clue just how determined I
can be when I make up my mind. Anyway, she doesn’t know me—yet. As I watch the
tail lights of her car disappear, I head inside and make sure, as of tomorrow,
she gets some inclination as to who I am.

After a late
night with
Dr. Hottie
and because
I have no meetings, I choose to sleep in. Eventually, Pixie, my cat, decides
that I’ve slept enough and digs her paws into my bare back, forcing me out of
bed. I shower and slip into a pair of jeans with a white shirt and a yellow
blazer. I pull my hair into a ponytail, slide into a pair of black pumps then
head out the door escorted by my crew—Pixie and Peaches, my dog.

When I arrive at our downtown San
Francisco office, it’s almost eleven o’clock. Zach is in a meeting with a
client, so I settle down in my office to enjoy my customary sandwich he makes
me every morning for breakfast. Today, it’s a grilled salmon sandwich.

I finish some renderings then begin
plans for Morgan Drake’s house. I scroll through the pictures I took of the
space and jot down some ideas. Because he gave me very little direction, I’ll
have to take my cues from items he already owns.

Zach barges through my office door.

“Sleeping in? Looks like someone
had a late night.”

“Good morning to you, too, Zach. As
usual, so nice of you to knock.”

“Did someone get some action last
night? I called you before midnight and no answer. That must have been some consult.”

“Shut up,” I laugh. “Mind your own
business.”

“You
are
my business. Tell
me about him.”

“There’s nothing to tell. He’s a
doctor who just moved here from Seattle.”

“You like him.”

“No, I don’t like him,” I lie. “He’s
married, and he’s a client. After Todd almost ruined this company we worked so
hard to put together, I’d be an idiot to get involved with another client
again.”

“Todd was an asshole. We’re going
to interact with many people in our line of work. Don’t pass up an opportunity you
might get to meet someone just because he might be a colleague. Not everyone is
like Todd.”

“It’s a matter of principle, Zach.
Clients are hands off. Need I remind you what Todd cost this business? I will
never put you, this business or myself in that position ever again. I don’t mix
business with pleasure and that’s final. I won’t even entertain the thought.”