The Doctor's Accidental Family. Jacqueline Diamond

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СКАЧАТЬ her from a long list of applicants, and consistently inspired her to do her best. This post might be more stressful than her previous position with a urologist in Santa Barbara, north of Los Angeles, but she took pride in it and it meant a lot to her.

      In the cafeteria, she plopped a salad onto her tray and, while waiting in line to pay, surveyed the airy, chatter-filled room for friends. Not that she had many yet, but her twin, Zora, had introduced her to a few people. She’d met others when they greeted her in the hall by the wrong name, and she explained the mistake.

      Mistakes. Her sister had phoned her last night to tell her about her encounter with the other Dr. Davis. Zady’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. Despite her initial shock at being approached by a man who strongly resembled her boss—and then hearing him claim the same name—she should have known better.

      After all, she had an identical twin. Yet, having done a bit of internet research on her boss, Zady knew the doctor was an only child. And also unmarried, not that she pictured him in a romantic light. Marshall Davis was cool, remote and precise, as a surgeon should be.

      According to Zora, the stranger was apparently Marshall’s cousin, which explained the strong resemblance. Zora had also heard from her husband—who kept an ear to the ground—that the men didn’t get along. Fortunately, they worked in different departments.

      Speaking of her brother-in-law, there sat Lucky at a table across the room with his friend and landlady, Karen Wiggins Vintner, a financial counselor. The forty-something Karen, black hair clouding around her thin face, was talking animatedly.

      After paying for her salad, Zady started forward, then paused as a lanky male figure crossed her path, her iced tea sloshing in her glass. Taller than his cousin, she registered.

      “I didn’t mean to... Oh, it’s you.” Nick Davis broke stride, oblivious to having cut off a couple of lab technicians. They circled past, keeping their no-doubt unflattering responses to themselves. “Startling you seems to be a habit of mine.”

      How had she ever confused him with her doctor? That casual air, the smile playing around the corners of his mouth, the way his gaze lingered on her...totally relaxed, but also unwelcome. She recalled what Marshall had said this morning when she mentioned running into his cousin.

      “Nicholas is a playboy,” he’d commented briskly. “Got a girl pregnant a few years ago and didn’t bother to marry her or support their kid. You’re too smart to fall for a loser like him.”

      “You bet I am,” she’d answered.

      “What should I bet you are?” The object of her mental digression continued blocking her path.

      Had she spoken out loud? Zady couldn’t believe she’d been so indiscreet, but she must have. Instead of answering—since he had no right to eavesdrop on her private thoughts, even if they had accidentally become audible—she countered with, “What are you doing here? You work nights.”

      Nick favored her with what many women would consider a heart-stopping grin. “Apology accepted.”

      “I didn’t...” But she had been embarrassed when she realized how bizarre her reaction must have sounded last night. “Okay, I was rude.”

      “Twice.” Arms folded, he remained in place, ignoring the heads swiveling toward them. The cafeteria was gossip central, and Zady figured she’d better defuse the situation quickly.

      “Sorry.” For good measure, she added, “Sorry for the second time, too,” and gauged the distance between him and the nearest table. Too narrow to squeeze through without spilling her tea.

      “That’s it?” This guy couldn’t take a hint.

      “Are you under the impression that I owe you something?” Zady wished she had the power to shift objects, specifically him. Telekinesis, that was the word. If she did, she’d move him across the room to the patio where a group of doctors were enjoying the sunshine that bathed Southern California even in January.

      “Courtesy,” the man said. “Friendliness to a stranger in a strange land.”

      “I prefer a more traditional approach to strangers,” Zady told him. “Like shooting them with an arrow. Or running in the opposite direction.”

      “Is that an invitation to give chase?” The twinkle in his eye nearly melted her defenses.

      But Zady refused to be played for a fool. A man who’d abandoned his pregnant girlfriend and their child really was a loser. Besides, she knew on which side of the cousinly divide her loyalties lay. A nurse’s duties to her doctor went beyond merely following orders.

      Instead of dignifying his comment with a reply, she said, “You never answered my question about what you’re doing here in the middle of the day.”

      Glancing toward the patio, Nick nodded to someone on the far side of the glass doors. “I was invited for informal introductions. Due to my last-minute arrival on staff, I gather I’m a little off the usual welcoming schedule.”

      Outside, the hospital administrator, Dr. Mark Rayburn, waited with a rather strained smile, Zady noted. “Gee, I guess I’ll have to let you go. What a pity.”

      “See you around, stranger.” With a teasing twist of the lips, Nick sauntered off.

      Why did he enjoy ruffling her feathers? Zady wondered as she headed for Lucky’s table. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed it, in a perverse manner.

      Aware that their interaction had been thoroughly observed, she struggled to smooth out her features.

      Except for his nosiness, her brother-in-law was a great guy, she reflected, taking a seat between him and Karen. Not only was he handsome, with dark coloring she credited to his Hispanic heritage, he was also a terrific husband to her sister. Zady would be a happy woman if she could meet someone like him, although preferably minus the elaborate tattoos peeking out from beneath the sleeves of his navy nurse’s uniform.

      “Enjoy your little chat with the new OB?” Judging by Lucky’s amused expression, he’d heard from his wife about Zora’s encounter with Nick last night. While Zady would hate to return to the days when she and her twin had barely been on speaking terms, she did not care to discuss her reactions to the annoying second Dr. Davis.

      To her relief, Karen cut in. “I have you listed for setup for the party,” she said, consulting her phone. “We’ve invited the guests for 2:00 p.m., so you should arrive by noon. It’s a week from Saturday, you’ll recall.”

      “It’s on my calendar.” Mentally, Zady placed the context: a dual-purpose party to be held at Karen’s large house. The celebration would serve as an informal reception for Karen and her anesthesiologist husband, Rod Vintner, who’d married in a small ceremony on New Year’s Eve. It would also be a joint thirtieth birthday party for Zora and Zady.

      Karen’s five-bedroom house was home to quite a clan: in addition to Karen, Rod and his two school-age daughters, Lucky, Zora and their twin babies also rented rooms, as did an older nurse.

      “Why isn’t Zady baking?” Lucky asked. “She’s famous for her apple pie.” He’d eaten several slices at Thanksgiving.

      “I thought you hated anything to do with a kitchen.” Karen peered questioningly at СКАЧАТЬ