15. Suzie
Suzie
I stood beside the table where Gavin relaxed and stared out at the zen garden, and laughed. “Where on earth did you manage to find a tablecloth?”
Gavin turned slowly, a sexy grin on his face that melted my insides like ice cream on a hot summer’s day. “I’m a resourceful guy.” He stood with a small shrug and pulled my chair out. “Good meeting?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. It was boring and uneventful, just how they’re meant to be. Seems like you’ve been busy for the past hour.”
“Oh, yeah. I rustled up this tablecloth and even got the kitchen staff to use real plates. You’ll see.” Gavin winked and sat across from me with an excited smile. “You said you were hungry and I hope you meant it.”
I damn well did mean it. Morning sickness had been terrible over the past few days, lasting until around eleven o’clock, which made mornings pretty awful. But on the heels of a morning filled with nausea came an afternoon filled with a wealth of food. By lunch each day, I was so ravenous that I could eat whatever I wanted and without guilt. It was a fair trade-off, since breakfast foods were either disgusting like oatmeal, or offered up too many calories like biscuits and bacon and cheese. “I’m starved.”
Gavin looked over my shoulder with a smile as he hopped from his seat. “Our orders are ready.”
Tell him now. This is the perfect time to tell Gavin you’re pregnant with his baby. I needed to tell him, but not here and not now. If he reacted poorly, the scene would play out for the three-dozen people eating and working in the cafeteria right now, and word would spread like wildfire around JRMC before the shift was over.
Later. I would tell him later.
“All right, here we are. Avocado and bacon burger with sweet potato fries for you. Double cheeseburger with the works and onion rings for me.”
I growled at those beautiful words. “Yes, please.” My stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl that would make a bear proud. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s kind of sexy. Do you do that trick with beer, too?”
Not for the next thirty weeks or so. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Very much.” The heat in his gaze was palpable and I pressed my knees together, stunned that after a morning spent wrapped around the toilet, I could even think of sexy things. It was a testament to just how appealing Gavin was. Of how much my feelings for him were growing.
Our eyes collided in an intense moment filled with raw heat. The attraction and chemistry swirled between us, like those mists of air in science fiction movies. It was a surreal moment, and I cursed my dry eyes for forcing me to blink. “You must be excited to start recording your songs.”
His whole face lit up at the mention of studio time. “I cannot stress to you just how excited I am. I can’t remember the last time I went this long without spending time in the studio.”
“Just don’t overdo it,” I warned.
“I won’t. I’ve already promised Dr. Parnell that I would treat my voice like the precious commodity it is.” His hand went unconsciously to his throat, a flash of worry in his deep green eyes, before he shook it off with a smile and attacked his burger once again.
“Good to hear. But just to make sure you take a break, how about you come to my place for dinner tonight? Eight o’clock?”
“Sounds perfect.”
It would be. Dinner would give me time to get my thoughts in order, to figure out a way to tell my temporary fling that I was not only pregnant with his baby, but that I was keeping it. It was more than enough time to steel myself against any possible reaction he might have to the news. I didn’t expect anger or happiness, more like a resigned indifference—that was the best I could hope for.
“This is cozy, isn’t it?”
I froze at the sound of the familiar voice and looked up slowly to find my brother grinning down at us both like a fool. “Drew. Did you need something?”
“In a minute. What’s going on here?”
“Lunch,” I answered primly. “Obviously.”
“With your most favorite musical artist of all time. How exciting.” He turned to Gavin with a teasing smile. “Dr. Drew. Wright. Nice to meet you. My sister loves you.”
“As a musician,” I added unnecessarily since neither man was paying me much attention.
“Yeah, I know. She’s told me about a thousand times,” Gavin answered and rolled his eyes.
“Has she?” Drew’s gaze slid to mine, his expression filled with mischief. “Interesting.”
“Get to your point, Drew, or you’ll be on call for the next six months.”
He let out a low chuckle but he didn’t dare call my bluff. “Fine. I have an indigent patient who’s in need of surgery pretty immediately and I need you to sign off on everything.”
I sent Gavin an apologetic look. “Duty calls, I’m afraid.”
“No worries,” Gavin said with a dismissive wave of his arms. “The studio calls and we have dinner plans tonight. Eight o’clock sharp.”
I nodded, steadfastly keeping my gaze away from my entirely-too-curious brother. “See you then. Have a good time in the studio.”
“I plan to. See you later, Suzie Q.” He turned to my brother with an outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you, Drew. I’ve heard lots about you, too.”
“Yeah? Maybe we’ll trade stories someday.” Drew flashed a crooked grin and we walked away together. “This is a very interesting development,” he whispered as we stepped onto the elevator.
“Not now, Drew.”
“You’re right.” He chuckled. “This will be a far more interesting chat during our next dinner. I can’t wait to hear all the details.”
There was one detail in particular that would really shock him, when the time came to tell him. Or maybe he would find out when the gossip made the rounds around town. “Where is this patient of yours?”
Drew laughed again. “Gotta get ready for your date tonight? With Gavin.” He sang his name and got in my face, a teasing smile on his lips.
“Did I say I missed you? I must’ve been talking about another baby brother.” I gave his shoulder a playful shove just before we entered his office and we put our work faces on.