Chapter two #2
Handing me a stack of files, she says, “These are half of Dr. O’Neil’s patients for the week. You’ll need to become familiar with them.”
“Of course.”
“And don’t bother making any evening plans this week. You and Seth are going to take turns managing our surgery patients until the night shift comes in.”
I was already expecting that, but I humor her. “Not a problem.”
With a curt nod, she leaves. I place the files on my desk and step up to my mirror. Adjusting my tie and glasses, I give myself a quiet pep talk.
“This is your chance, Parker. Show Dr. O’Neil that you can handle this. Show Beth and the staff that you can juggle chaos and remain as cool as a cucumber. And before you know it, you’ll get everything you’ve been working for. Good things are coming. Just…don’t fuck it up.”
Famous last words.
***
“A woman just came in who says she wants you to take a look at her goldfish.”
I look up from the dog I’m examining, glaring at Cassandra. “Are you serious?”
“Well, I have to say, it’s more original than the ones who ask you to look at their kitten.” She lifts a brow, giving me a look and says, “I think we both know that’s code for pussy.”
Emily, the technician beside me, snorts.
Sighing, I remove the stethoscope from my ears and hang it back around my neck before I begin running my fingers over the dog’s body, checking for lumps.
“Can we just put a sign on the door that says If you’re looking for Parker Sheppard, he’s entered the witness protection program? ”
“Kind of hard to back that up when you’re right here,” Cassandra retorts.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t have time for this shit. If Willow wasn’t my sister-in-law, I’d slap her with a lawsuit for making my life a living hell.”
Cassandra folds her arms across her chest. “You’re not even going to consider taking advantage of your situation?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, all of these women are throwing themselves at you. You could be banging a new woman every night, and yet, you act repulsed by the whole thing.” She snaps her fingers. “Oh, I get it now! You’re gay.”
“What?” I practically shriek, and not in a manly way, I might add. Lowering my voice, I say, “I’m not gay, Cassandra. What on earth makes you think that?”
She tilts her head, inspecting me. “I don’t know. The glasses? The hair?”
“Plenty of straight men wear glasses, and what’s wrong with my hair?” I reach up and pat my short, light brown locks. Everything seems to be in place, and I just got a fresh haircut last week.
“Nothing really, but you also never have a girlfriend or go on dates.”
“That’s because I prefer being single.”
And the last woman I slept with left an impression on me that I can’t seem to shake. Not only was she beautiful, witty, and phenomenal in bed, but she sprang out of my hotel room so fast afterward that it shook my confidence a bit, I’m not gonna lie.
“Which would make sense if you were taking these women up on their offers, but you’re not,” Cassandra retorts.
“In case you haven’t noticed, these women aren’t after casual sex. They’re after a husband. They want to marry the man that Willow portrayed in that video and I’m actually…”
“Old man! Get back here!”
I spin around to find Beth chasing Dr. O’Neil as he hobbles down the hallway, cane in hand. The last thing anyone expected was to see him back here after only one day.
“Careful who you’re calling an old man, Beth!” he snaps back. If these two didn’t talk to each other like this on a daily basis, I might be alarmed, but Beth can handle Robert.
“You are not supposed to be here!” she scolds.
“Says who?” he fires back, eyes bouncing around the hospital.
The entire staff is practically frozen as we all watch Beth chase down our boss.
But if it were me, I’d listen to Beth—not just because she frightens me a little, but because she is liable to kick that cane right out from under him just to teach him a lesson.
“Your doctor, for starters.”
Robert waves her off. “That man doesn’t scare me.”
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
Dr. O’Neil stops right next to me, and I grab the dog I was examining and hand it off to Emily. “Dr. O’Neil—” I start, but I’m interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Oh my God, Dad! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at home!”
All heads spin to the back door where the beautiful, quirky blonde I swore I’d never see again strides in, hair flying behind her, purse slung over her shoulder, and a look of irritation plastered on her face.
“June Bug? What are you doing here?” Dr. O’Neil says, his expression softening.
Wait. June Bug? The stranger I held hands with on a flight and then had one unforgettable night with is the June Bug my boss has talked about for years? His daughter?
“Cashlynn?” The surprise in my voice is enough to catch her attention, but her eyes flick toward me for only a second, recognition flashing, before she refocuses on her father.
“You’re supposed to be at home resting, Dad.”
“I did. And now I’m fine.” He waves his cane around in the air as I dodge it and swiftly move to the side.
“I knew this was going to happen. Beth was right to call me.”
Robert glares at Beth. “You called her?”
“With good reason. Look at you, you stubborn mule.”
“I’m fine!” he bellows, and the staff scatter to every empty space they can find while several dogs in cages start barking. Once the chaos has died down, Robert turns to his daughter. “So it takes me getting hurt for you to come visit your old man?”
Cashlynn’s face softens just slightly. “I, uh…” Our eyes meet again and recognition flashes in her eyes for the second time, followed by a look I should have realized was a warning of things to come. “Well, yes, but that’s not the only reason I’m here.”
Robert sighs and then pulls his daughter in for a hug. “I appreciate the concern, June Bug, but I’m fine. Truly.”
“If you say the word fine one more time, I’m going to karate chop your leg,” Beth interjects.
“Now, there’s no need for violence.” I step between Beth and Robert while my heart pounds violently in my chest.
Just act cool, Parker. No one needs to know that you slept with Dr. O’Neil’s daughter. You can talk to her later and agree to just keep it between the two of you. Easy-peasy.
“So what else would bring you down to Carrington Cove, June, if it wasn’t just to make sure that I’m not dying?” Robert glares over at Beth again before focusing back on his daughter.
Cashlynn gnaws on her bottom lip before glancing back over at me. “Well, uh…you see…”
A pinch develops in Robert’s brow as he takes a step closer to his daughter. “Is everything okay, June? Are you in trouble?”
Cashlynn’s gaze keeps moving back and forth between me and her father. “No. Everything is fine, Dad. I just…”
“You’re worrying me, sweetie.”
Cashlynn takes a deep breath and then marches over to me, weaving her arm through mine and flashes a bright, suspiciously forced smile. “I’m here to see my fiancé. I believe you know Parker, Dad. I mean…obviously you know Parker.”
My mouth drops open as Robert’s eyes snaps to mine. “I…I’m sorry,” he stutters, “Did you just say…fiancé?”
“Uh, Cashlynn—” I start, but she cuts me off.
“Yes. Fiancé.” She squeezes my bicep, then presses up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “It was time to stop hiding, right, muffin?”
“Muffin?” I mutter to myself, the urge to vomit coming on strong.
Robert turns to me, bewildered. Yeah, you and me both, boss. “Parker? Is this true?”
“Dr. O’Neil—” I start, but Cashlynn tightens her grip, practically cutting off my circulation.
Ouch. That fucking hurts.
“It’s true, Dad. We’re in love, and I’m moving here to be with him.”
At that moment, Seth waltzes into the office and stops dead in his tracks as he takes in the scene. “Uh, Dr. O’Neil, I thought you were supposed to be resting…”
“I’m fine,” Robert grates out before directing his irritation back at me. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand how you two are engaged.” The skin on his neck is turning red, which can only mean that the yelling is about to start again.
Cashlynn lets out a nervous laugh. “Well, Dad, it’s actually quite a funny story…”
“I’m not laughing,” he replies, his eyes darting back and forth between us.
Me comforting you on a flight and then fucking you so hard in a hotel bed that we left marks on the wall isn’t a funny story, Cashlynn.
Robert narrows his eyes at me. “I have to say, Parker, I would have expected to hear something like this from you, not to be bombarded like this…”
“Don’t blame him, Dad,” Cashlynn interjects. “It was my choice to keep this from you. He was just going along with what I wanted.”
“And why would you want to keep it from me?” His face starts to turn red again, and I brace myself to cover my ears. “If my daughter is engaged to one of my employees, one I practically think of as a son, why would you hide that?”
Seth clears his throat, clearly perplexed. “I’m sorry. Did you just say that these two are engaged?”
Cashlynn nods and moves in closer to me. Her breasts are plastered against my arm now, reminding me of what they felt like when she was beneath me that night almost a year ago.
Fuck, not now. I can’t get a fucking hard-on during this chaos.
“Uh, Cashlynn—” I start, but she interrupts me yet again.
“Yes, we are!” Cashlynn declares enthusiastically.
Seth crosses his arms over his chest and a slimy smile spreads across his face. “Then where’s your ring?”
Cashlynn and I both glance down at her left hand that’s wrapped around my arm right now—the one with a very bare ring finger.
“You didn’t get my daughter a ring?” Dr. O’Neil inserts himself once more.
“And more importantly, you didn’t ask for my permission first?
” The vein in his forehead begins to pop.
“What the hell is happening right now?” His eyes dart around the room, but everyone else is hiding behind machinery and counters, watching from a safe distance.
Smart of them.
Beth chimes in, thank God. “Cashlynn asked him not to say anything, Robert. Remember?” She motions for him to move toward a chair, but he waves her off. “Perhaps you should take a seat…”
“I’m fine!” he yells again as my balls shrivel up and try to climb up inside of my body.
Yeah, not sure how this could get any worse.
“Parker proposed spontaneously, so he didn’t have a ring. We agreed to pick one out together when I came down here.”
So now it looks like I’m buying a ring, something I swore I’d never do again, for a woman I barely know. Yeah, this just got worse.
“So you’re moving home?” Robert asks, looking down at his daughter. “But what about your job?”
“Uh…”
All cylinders finally fire in my brain, catching me up to speed, so I say, “You’re going to be working remotely for a while, right, babe?”
Cashlynn looks up at me as a sigh of relief leaves her lips. “Yes, until I can figure out my next move.”
Yeah, you might be relieved right this second, woman, but I have a fuck ton of questions and we are definitely having a conversation later.
“Convenient,” Seth mumbles so low that I’m pretty sure no one but me hears it. I glare in his direction, but as all of this slams into me, panic rises in my chest.
Needing some fresh air and a moment to freak out, I release my hold on Cashlynn and then glance at the clock.
“Well, I think I’m going to take an early lunch.
I didn’t eat breakfast this morning and now I’m starving.
” Patting my stomach, I turn to Dr. O’Neil.
“Glad to see you’re feeling better, sir.
When I return, I can catch you up to speed on a few things… ”
“Like how you ended up engaged to my daughter without telling me?” The pinch in his brow tells me he’s not happy, and honestly, I get it—because I’m fucking irritated in this moment as well.
“Not today, Dad. You’re going home,” Cashlynn says to her father.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Robert slams his cane on the ground. “This is my practice and I have a right to be here!”
“Okay, why don’t you at least go sit down in your office if you’re so hell-bent on staying” Beth says, trying to diffuse the situation. She and Cashlynn move toward Robert, so I take that as my chance to get away.
I stop by my office, grab my wallet and keys, and speed out of the parking lot toward Catch & Release, needing that long lunch break now more than ever.
The boys aren’t going to believe this.