The Doctor She Always Dreamed Of (15 page)

She made it sound like she'd be serving out a sentence under house arrest. Which made no sense, didn't she want to be pregnant? “Krissy—”

Without waiting to hear what Kira had to say, Krissy turned and walked out of the kitchen toward the bedroom they were currently sharing.

Kira followed. “Krissy,” she said again. “What about your job with Derrick?”

“That's all you're worried about?” She dropped down on her hands and knees to drag her duffle bag out from under her bed. “I'd thought for sure you'd get on me about prenatal care and not doing anything stupid while I'm pregnant.” She stood and plopped the duffle onto the bed.

Kira let out a breath. “You're an adult and a nurse. I know you know you need good prenatal care. And I know you're responsible enough not to do anything stupid while you're pregnant.” But maybe she should mention... “Like surfing. You probably shouldn't try surfing.”

Krissy stopped, holding a stack of T-shirts she'd just taken out of her drawer, and smiled. “There's the overprotective sister I know and love.”

“And heavy lifting,” Kira added. “Make sure you get someone to help you with lifting.”

“I will.” Krissy packed the T-shirts in her duffle. “Don't worry about me. I promise to take good care of myself.” She returned to the dresser and pulled open her pajama/sweats drawer. “As far as Derrick, I talked to him. He didn't have any problem with me leaving. Said he'd get along just fine. Frankly,” she stopped what she was doing and looked at Kira. “I think I reminded him of you and he was glad to be rid of me.”

“So you're done? You didn't even give him notice?”

Krissy shrugged. “I offered to stay on for a couple of more days, but he said no need. So I told Zac to book us on the first flight he could get.” Her eyes met Kira's. “We're leaving tomorrow afternoon.”

So soon? One more day? Then Krissy would be off on yet another adventure while Kira remained at home. Alone with Mom. And with Krissy gone, Kira knew she'd feel the loss of Derrick even more. She felt tears collecting in her eyes. She quickly turned so Krissy wouldn't see.

Her sister's arms came around her in a great big hug. “It's only for a few months.” She squeezed. “Then I'll be back. Promise.”

Too choked up to talk, all Kira could do was nod.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

O
N
T
HURSDAY
MORNING
, before any of his staff arrived, Derrick sat out at the reception desk, looking over his schedule of patients, dreading the insanely busy day ahead and missing Kira. He stared down at a picture of her on his phone. She'd been asleep in his bed, so peaceful. He brought up another one of her sitting in the exact same spot where he was sitting, with a big, beautiful smile on her pretty face. His heart squeezed.

It hadn't even been two whole weeks, and he missed her so much. But he'd made it clear he wanted to try. She'd made it clear she didn't. If they were to have any hope of a future together, the next move would have to be hers.

He looked around the messy desk. Kira wouldn't have allowed it. He needed to find a new office manager, but couldn't bring himself to do it. A small, irrational part of him still clung to the hope that if the position remained open, maybe she'd come back to work...back to him.

Stupid.

And now he needed to find a nurse to replace Krissy, too.

God help him. Short-staffed again. Too much work. No fun. He'd come full circle.

Someone knocked on the glass door. Derrick looked up to see a thirtysomething woman with short blonde hair, wearing light blue scrub pants, a multicolored scrub top, and a pink stethoscope around her neck.

Was she lost? Derrick stood and answered the door. “May I help you?”

“My name is Andrea. My friends call me Andy.” She held out her hand.

Derrick shook it.

Andrea went on, “A few weeks ago I brought my nephew in. He'd fallen off of his bike. You took him as a walk-in.”

Derrick tried to place her, but couldn't.

“You were great with him. The staff was nice. I'm new to the area so I talked with Kira to see if you had any RN work available. At the time she'd told me no, but she had me fill out an application.”

Derrick started to feel a glimmer of hope.

“Anyway, she tracked me down last night to tell me a nursing position opened up, and if I could start immediately, it's mine.” She held up a paper lunch sack. “So here I am.”

Derrick's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. Kira. “Come in.” He invited Andrea in. Partly because it was the polite thing to do, partly so he could close the door with her inside so she wouldn't think about leaving. “Give me a minute to take this call.”

“Sure thing.”

Derrick accepted the call. “Hello?”

“It's Kira. Don't hang up.”

“I know it's you,” he said. “That's why I answered the call. What's up?”

“I have a nurse coming into the office today. Her name is Andrea. I already did her interview and checked her references. You can find the paperwork in the top drawer of my...of the file cabinet in my...in the office manager's office, in a file labeled Excellent Nursing Candidates. All you need to do is make a copy of her nursing license, which I told her to bring with her, and fill out the new hire paperwork that's in the same drawer in a file labeled New Hire Paperwork. I left a bunch of packets paper clipped together.”

Typical Kira. So organized and right on top of things. Derrick couldn't help but smile. “She's already here.”

“Oh. Sorry. I'd hoped to catch you before she arrived. But hey, she showed up early. That's a good thing.”

“Yes it is.”

“Tells you what kind of employee she'll be,” Kira said. “I knew I liked her.”

“I do, too.”

The silence that followed grew awkward, until Kira broke it. “Well, that's it then.”

Andrea stood a few feet away, looking around, trying to pretend she couldn't hear his every word. But Derrick wasn't ready to end the call. He turned and walked to the far end of the waiting room. “How are you?”

“I'm doing well. How are you?”

“Better now that Andrea's here,” he told her the truth.

“I'm glad.”

She sounded glad for real. “Thank you for looking out for me,” he said, touched by what she'd done.

“You're welcome.”

He probably should have ended the call there but he couldn't say goodbye without letting her know, “I miss you.”

She didn't respond at first, but then she said, “I miss you, too.” Her voice so low he could hardly hear her.

More silence followed.

Derrick would have been content to stand there all day maintaining the connection between them. But he had so much to do. “I really need to—”

“Me, too.”

“Call me sometime,” he said before he could stop himself.

“Goodbye, Derrick.”

He hated the finality of her tone.

“Goodbye.”

Andrea proved to be a nice addition to his staff. She worked hard, got along well with Sara and Bonnie, and had no problem covering the reception desk when asked. His business thriving, he was making money and paying down his loans faster than he'd imagined possible. Sure, he worked his ass off, but what else did he have to do?

One week passed in a blur of patients and paperwork, then two, then three.

He got up to visit Mom and Dad once to see firsthand how well Mom was doing.

Kira never called.

He was finally getting used to life without her—to the point late one Saturday afternoon, after office hours, he'd pulled out her file labeled Excellent Office Manager Candidates and started looking for her replacement—when Krissy called.

* * *

Saturday night Kira sat at her kitchen table, sipping a glass of wine, scanning through the real estate listings she'd printed out at work, condos and small houses for sale within half an hour of Derrick's office. If she bought a house, she'd need to worry about mowing the grass in the summer and plowing snow from the driveway in the winter. A condo would be easier, but then Mom wouldn't have a private yard for her garden. Up in Westchester County she'd need a car, another expense. And she'd need to learn how to drive.

She took a few more sips, okay, more like large swallows of wine, then refilled her glass. It'd taken three weeks, but Kira, with Tippy's happy agreement to relocate with them, had figured out a doable plan that just might work. Assuming Derrick hadn't moved on. Assuming he still wanted her in his life and as his office manager.

“Three weeks.” She took another sip of wine, staring at her phone. “Idiot.” Why hadn't she called him? “Because you pushed him away and compared him to all the losers that'd come before him. He has every right to hate you now. And you're too much of a coward to call him, to admit you were wrong and you want another chance. Which is why you're sitting here talking to yourself rather than to him.”

Last night, after refusing to discuss the topic during her prior phone calls with Krissy, Kira finally admitted that she'd never told Derrick of her plans to move so she could be closer to him. Why get his hopes up if she couldn't make it happen? And now, three weeks later, she was worried too much time had passed, that she'd missed her opportunity. Typical Krissy, she'd freaked out saying—

Someone knocked on her door.

Kira glanced at the clock. Who would be knocking at her door at eight o'clock at night? She stood, glanced into the living room to make sure Mom was occupied, then headed to the door. She looked through the peephole and sucked in a breath...could not believe her eye.

She opened the door.

There stood Derrick dressed as Debbie, carrying his briefcase.

“What are you doing here?”

“You going to let me in?” he asked in his Debbie voice.

Kira nodded and made room for him to enter.

Once inside Derrick said, “Krissy called. She said your mom was sick again and you were being too pigheaded to call me because you didn't want to bother me.”

Sounded like something Krissy would do. Sweet, interfering Krissy.

“And you came?”

He stared deeply into her eyes as he cupped her cheek. “Of course I came. I'll always come if you need me. Never worry about bothering me.”

God she loved him. Kira flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back. “So what's going on?”

Kira stepped back. “Nothing.” She motioned into the living room. “Mom's fine. Watching television with the volume on low in a dimly lit room as usual.”

“Then why—?”

“Come.” Kira held out her hand. He took it and she led him into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”

He eyed her glass of wine. “I'm driving so maybe a cup of coffee if you have?”

Kira opened the refrigerator. “Instant okay?”

“Instant's fine.”

While Kira took out a mug, filled it with water and set it in the microwave, Derrick set his briefcase on the floor, pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table. “What's all this?”

Her back to him, Kira froze.

She heard him moving around the papers.

Well... She turned. Krissy had gotten him here, the rest was up to Kira. “I'm guessing all this,” she pointed to the papers on the table, “is the reason Krissy had you come all the way down here. Because it'd been so long since we'd spoken and I was nervous to call you...”

“Houses in Mount Kisco? Somers? Golden's Bridge?”

The microwave pinged. Kira made Derrick's coffee like she had so many times at work. Then she put together a small plate of the Oreos she always kept on hand for Mom and delivered both to the table. “I guess none of that matters if you've filled your office manager position.” Kira sat down across from him.

Eyes filled with caring, affection, and hope, met hers. “I haven't.”

Thank you! “And would you be willing to keep it unfilled for a little while longer until I can find a place up in Westchester, sell my condo, and move Mom and me up there?”

Still staring at her, he nodded. “But what about your high-paying job with WCHC?”

Kira smiled. “Turns out I like the perks of working for you more than a big salary.”

He slid his chair back and held out his arms. “Come here.”

She didn't hesitate, straddling his lap, hugging him close. “God I've missed you.”

He squeezed her tightly. “I've missed you, too.” He pulled back to look at her. “So. Damn. Much.” He moved some hair from the side of her face, then slid his hand to the back of her head, and pulled her in for a deep, loving, wonderful kiss.

“I smell Oreos,” Mom called out from the other room.

Kira stiffened. Not now.

“Go,” Derrick said.

“I'm sorry.” Kira climbed off of his lap.

“Don't be.”

She called out to Mom, “Be right there.” Then to Derrick she said, “This is my life. Even with Tippy working as a live-in, she's going to need help, and time off. And I'll need to—”

“I understand, Kira,” Derrick said. “I only wish I could help, that everything didn't fall on you.”

How had she gotten so lucky? Kira took the package of Oreos down from the top shelf of the closet where she hid them. “After Mom gets settled in our new place, and I honestly have no idea how long that will take, maybe I can introduce a new caregiver. But even then—”

“I know what I'm getting into.” Derrick stood. “I'm going into this relationship with my eyes wide open.” He walked up behind her. “I can deal with sharing you.” He leaned in and set a tender kiss on the side of her neck. “It's not having you in my life that's giving me trouble.” He pressed in close. “Not having you in my bed.” He thrust his pelvis against her butt. “Not seeing you every day or being able to talk with you.”

“Oreos!” Mom yelled.

Kira turned in his arms, went up on her tippy toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Hold that thought.” She opened the refrigerator, grabbed the milk, and poured Mom a glass. “Be right back.”

Mom taken care of, Kira returned to find Derrick leaning against the counter, still decked out as Debbie, waiting for her. She walked right into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist, setting her cheek to his chest. “I know there are no guarantees in life, but I need some assurance you're not going to change your mind, that you won't, at some point demand more than I can give you, that you—”

“I'm not going to change my mind—”

“Because I love you and I'm letting myself think about a happy future, for the first time in a long time. A future with you and I know I'm getting totally ahead of myself, but maybe a baby. And if you have any concerns, any doubts...” She'd rather know now than have her heart broken later. “Because I'll be uprooting my life, and my mom's life. For you.”

He lifted her chin and stared down into her eyes. “I have no doubts, Kira. I love you. I want you in my life, in my future.” He sealed his words with a kiss. “I say we get working on that baby sooner rather than later.” He thrust the bulge of his erection against her.

Kira laughed.

“That wasn't quite the reaction I was hoping for.”

She laughed again. “It's your dress.” She palmed his fake breasts. “And these.”

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Would you like to join me in your bedroom so I can take them off?”

Arousal surged through her system. She leaned against him. “You have no idea how much.”

He thrust against her again, his erection even bigger and harder than before. Okay, maybe he did have an idea how much.

His hands caressed up her sides, stopping to cup her breasts before traveling back down to her butt. “When do you put your mother to bed?” He held her in place as he thrust his hips again. Lord help her.

Kira glanced at the clock. “Around ten.” A whole hour and a half. “But maybe I can get started a little early tonight.”

“You do that.” He kissed her. Then, his lips still pressed to hers, he said, “I'll be waiting for you in your bed.” As if that wasn't alluring enough he added, “Naked.”