Night Shifts with the Miami Doc

by Ann Mcintosh

  They’d stopped at a red light, and he turned to give her a grin.

  “Over on Miami Beach. It has a really nice outdoor seating area with a view of the beach, and hopefully it won’t be too cool to sit out there. Sometimes they have a live band, too.”

  He went on to explain that the restaurant was owned by a famous Miami power couple who’d translated their musical success into a number of lucrative businesses.

  “Sometimes she even comes out and sings with the band.”

  “That would be cool,” she said as they got on the highway. “I love her voice.”

  Just before he could answer, his phone rang, and since it was paired with his car, the name Serena flashed on the screen set into the dashboard.

  Hmm... Who’s that?

  “Excuse me,” Mateo murmured, before connecting the call. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Are you at home?”

  The voice sounded young, and the question seemed loaded, so Regina couldn’t help watching Mateo out of the corner of her eye, waiting to see how he reacted.

  There was no change at all in his demeanor as he responded, “No, I’m not.”

  “Darn it.” Serena’s disgruntlement was clear. “I can’t find my white, fleece-lined hoodie, and wanted you to look to see if I left it there.”

  Curiouser and curiouser.

  What was the relationship between Mateo and this Serena? Clearly a close one, and the wave of anger and, strangely, betrayal that washed through her made the breath hitch in her suddenly tight chest.

  “I know that’s not the only warm hoodie you have. We bought a bunch before you left.”

  “But that’s my favorite.”

  “Unless you’ve undergone a radical change in habits since leaving home, I suggest you dig through the pile of laundry in your room. It’s probably there.”

  The sound that came though the speaker was clearly a huff, and Regina saw Mateo’s eyebrows contract. Then his lips twitched in an abbreviated smile.

  “Am I wrong about the pile of clothes?” he asked, letting his amusement bleed over into voice.

  After a little silence, Serena sighed. “No.”

  “Okay, go look there. And if you still can’t find it tomorrow, let me know and I’ll look in your room.”

  Another sigh. “Okay.”

  “Good girl,” he said, his gentle tone somehow going straight to Regina’s heart. “Talk to you tomorrow. Love yah.”

  “Wait. Where are you anyway? What are you doing?”

  “None of your business,” Mateo replied, putting on his indicator, signaling his intention to exit the highway. “Bye.”

  He disconnected the call just as they were going down the ramp, and Regina could see the still-tender smile on his lips.

  “Sisters,” he said, ruefully. “Terminally nosy.”

  Ah, that explained it. Some of it anyway.

  “I wouldn’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t have any.”

  Mateo shot her a glance. “Brothers?”

  “Nope. I’m an only child, and now glad of it.”

  He chuckled, then changed the subject, asking her how her first week at the hospital had gone, leaving her with a bunch of questions she wasn’t sure how, or whether, to ask.

  Why was his sister calling him about her jacket, rather than their mother?

  How old was his sister anyway? Sounded like there was a big age difference.

  And did this mean that Mateo—a grown man in his midthirties, at least—still lived at home?

  Okay, there were several cultures that expected, even encouraged, their young people to stay in the family home, some even after they married. Was that the case with him, and if so, how did he stand it?

  At eighteen Regina had fled her parents’ home and never looked back. There was no way she’d have been able to continue living under her father’s thumb, being told she’d never amount to anything more than a vessel to carry some man’s children. She’d refused to be broken by his outdated and insulting behavior up until the end of high school, but it had gotten harder and harder not to start believing him.

  No. The only way to make something out of her life had been to hightail it out of there and succeed in her chosen profession—thereby overcoming her early upbringing.

  Even after her father died, it never occurred to Regina to go back home and live with her mom, or have her mother come to San Francisco. She doubted that even crossed her mother’s mind, either, since they weren’t particularly close.

  Clearly, Mateo must have been far luckier in the parent department. But although she tried not to judge, she couldn’t help mentally shaking her head. His living at home just seemed so incongruous.

  Seemingly, behind that masculine exterior lay a mama’s boy!

  Yet, even as she had the thought, she knew she didn’t actually believe it. No matter his living arrangements, Mateo was definitely his own man.

  “How are you finding the schedule? Is it what you’re used to?”

  His question pulled her out of her contemplations, and she replied, “It’s easier, in a way. I’m used to two weeks on call, and two off, and dealing with ICU patients tends to lead to more callouts or nights spent at the hospital. This week I only had to go in a few times for emergencies.”

  “So what do you plan to do with your time off while you’re here?”

  “I have some developmental courses I need to get done before the end of the year, so I’ll probably buckle down to those.”

  He shook his head, those sensual lips coming together in an amused little twist.

  “The end of the year, and you’re thinking about them now, in January? How about sightseeing, or having some fun somewhere new?”

  “It’s not a vacation,” she said, hearing the defensiveness in her tone. “My time is better served focusing on my professional advancement.”

  “You say vacation like it’s a dirty word.”

  His amusement had her looking away, out the window. They were driving over a causeway, lights glinting on the water of Biscayne Bay. Somehow the beauty of it brought a sense of melancholy.

  “I don’t take a lot of them.” Unwilling to elaborate, she left it there.

  “All the more reason to make good use of the time here,” he said easily. “There’s so much to do and see within a couple of hours of Miami, it would be a shame to come all this way and not experience some of what’s on offer.”

  Regina shrugged. “I’ll see if there’s anything that piques my interest.”

  From her peripheral vision, she saw him slant her a look, but he didn’t pursue the conversation any further, instead starting to point out various interesting landmarks as they arrived in the trendy Miami Beach community.

  At the restaurant, they were ushered through the sleek, stylish bar and indoor area, and onto the patio. Here, casual elegance was the byword, and the piped music was low enough that the sound of waves crashing on the shore could be heard above it.

  “That cold front that came through a few days ago is still affecting the sea,” Mateo said as he held out her chair for her. “Listen to those waves.”

  Regina couldn’t help laughing lightly. “Those couple of days when it passed through, you’d have thought it was snowing, the way some of my colleagues were behaving. One came in dressed in a wool coat, scarf and knit cap.”

  He chuckled with her, laughter lighting his face and making his eyes sparkle.

  “We Floridians take our warm weather very seriously, and make a huge stink if it’s disrupted. I swear that’s one of the reasons my sister has been fussing about wanting to come home. She’s at college in Gainesville, and the temperature there was at least ten degrees lower than here.”

  He’d opened the door to that particular conversation, and Regina couldn’t help wanting to walk through.

  So after
they’d ordered drinks, she asked, “How old is your sister?”

  “Serena? She’s nineteen. It’s her first year at college, and she’s having a hard time settling in. She has some social anxiety and self-esteem issues, so I’m trying, as best I can, to help her work through them and be able to stay where she is, rather than transfer back here.”

  Difficult to know the right questions to ask, so instead, Regina said, “It sounds like you’re a very involved brother.”

  He looked up from perusing the menu, and his brows came together slightly, just for a moment, and then he gave a wry smile.

  “I guess you don’t know my family story, but I’ve been guardian for my three youngest siblings for over a decade. They were the reason I gave up my residency in San Francisco and moved back here, after my parents died in a plane crash.”

  Her heart clenched in sympathy. Despite the time that had passed, she could still hear the sorrow in his voice.

  “No,” she said softly. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “Thank you, but it’s okay. Well, long enough ago that I’ve gotten used to them being gone, although I definitely miss them every day, especially when one of the youngsters has a problem and I have to figure out the best way to deal with it.”

  Still trying to figure out the age gap, she asked, “How many children did your parents have?”

  “Six. Three biological and, later, when we older ones were teenagers and getting ready to go to college, they adopted Ben, Micah and then Serena.” His smile was tender and a little wistful as he continued, “Mom always said that we, as a family, had a lot to offer, but I think they adopted because she just really loved mothering. Lola, Cristóbal and I were all becoming independent, and didn’t need that as much anymore, and she missed it.”

  “So when your parents passed away, you stepped in.”

  She wasn’t surprised by the story, really. It was something she could definitely see him doing.

  “It made sense. Lola had just gotten her dream job with a publisher in New York, and Cristóbal was working as a geologist with an oil company, so he was away more than he was home. I could relocate and rearrange my life without too much fuss.”

  Relocate and rearrange.

  The words stood out to her and left her wondering just how much he’d given up to take up the mantle of guardian for his young siblings.

  Did he have to rethink his specialty, knowing some were more labor-intensive than others?

  What kind of social life had he been able to enjoy, with three kids to look after?

  How had he managed, suddenly being thrust into the role of father figure?

  Yet, those weren’t things she was comfortable asking, so she kept all the questions she had bubbling inside to herself.

  Instead, she simply said, “That must have been incredibly difficult for you—dealing with your grief and having to adjust to being de facto parent, too.”

  He looked back down at his menu, his expression calm, but he also shrugged one shoulder, as though in dismissal.

  “It was what needed to be done, and what my parents would have wanted—no, expected—me to do. I have no regrets.” Then he glanced up at her and smiled, saying, “So do you see anything that catches your fancy?”

  She turned her attention to the menu, but she found herself staring blankly at it, consumed by a rare, tender emotion she had no name for.

  This Mateo was a departure from the man she’d thought she was going out with, and she wasn’t sure how to handle that revelation.

  Instead of the drool-worthy hunk she was considering seducing, now she saw the quietly strong, truly admirable person. A man of stature, who’d shouldered responsibilities others would have run away from.

  And as to that question he’d asked, about whether she saw anything she fancied...if she answered honestly, it would be to say, Yes, you.

  Pulling herself together, she finally got down to picking something to eat, but a swirl of conflicting emotions kept battering her insides, and she wasn’t sure what to make of them.

  Part of her wished she could just ignore it all and enjoy a lovely dinner in this romantic spot without giving their conversation, and her feelings about it, another thought. But she knew herself well enough to admit that wasn’t possible, and the damage had been done.

  Mateo Herrera had not only gone up more than a few notches in her estimation but had also increased her attraction to him apace.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MATEO LEANED BACK in his chair, replete from the delicious meal. Relaxed in a way he couldn’t recall being for a long time.

  It felt good to have adult conversation on a Friday night without worrying about getting home. Getting used to this new way of living was taking some time, but having Regina’s company made it seem effortless, and well worthwhile.

  The sense of loss he’d experienced when Serena left home had taken him by surprise. His older siblings had expressed their opinion that at least now Mateo could have a life of his own, one not predicated on the other kids’ needs, and at first he’d agreed. But then reality had set in.

  Almost everything, including his work schedule, had revolved around his siblings. With the immediate responsibility gone, he’d been adrift—perhaps even a little depressed.

  But he was too young to have empty-nest syndrome, wasn’t he? And it wasn’t as though Ben, Micah and Serena didn’t still need him. Hell, he got calls from one or the other, or all three, almost daily. Although they were all young adults now, he was aware of being the linchpin of the family—the one everyone knew they could count on to be there, no matter what.

  Sometimes he thought perhaps he was being egotistical, but the others had said much the same at various times over the last few years.

  That they were glad he’d held on to the house their parents had lived in, so they could always come back home.

  Or how grateful they felt to have him to talk to, or ask advice of.

  Several times a year they all got together for birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, always at the house in Miami, and it was during those times that Mateo felt the warmth of his parents’ love most keenly.

  His mother and father may be gone, but the family they’d built had survived, and that was the most important thing.

  But an evening like this, spent with a beautiful and intelligent woman, made him all too aware of what he’d been missing while holding it all together.

  They’d talked about all kinds of interesting topics, and, with some judiciously placed questions, he’d learned quite a bit about her. One of those things was just how ambitious she was, and her complete focus on her job.

  “You did a degree in business, and then a master’s in hospital management?” he’d asked, in total disbelief. “When did you have the time?”

  “Well, I made the time,” she’d replied, giving him a small smile. “But remember, I didn’t have three kids to take care of, or much of a social life, either.”

  “Was the sacrifice worth it?”

  She’d looked down at her plate for a moment, as though either dismissing or considering his words. Mateo realized which it was, when she met his gaze again.

  “It will be, when I become the first black female Director of Medicine at the hospital.”

  There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in what she said, or any doubt that it would, indeed, happen.

  The urge had been there to question her confidence, but there was no way to do it without being rude. And it wasn’t as though he didn’t believe she could do it; he absolutely knew that she could. But there were hurdles ahead of her that he knew were out of her hands, and he couldn’t help wondering if she had taken them into consideration.

  Then she’d said the most telling thing of all.

  “When I set my mind to something, nothing stands in my way. And opposition only makes me more det
ermined.”

  She’d glanced down again, as though considering whether to say more, and he knew he had to respond. He wanted to understand her better, learn what made her tick.

  “It’s a good way to be,” he admitted. “Not many people have that ability, and they crumble under pressure.”

  Her nod was curt, and her lips tightened fractionally.

  “When they do, they give up their dreams, rather than fighting for them.”

  “Sounds as if you’re speaking from experience.”

  Those lioness eyes suddenly seemed fiercer than usual, but then they softened with a flash of what he interpreted as sadness.

  “My father didn’t believe women should be educated, or that his wife should work. My mother wanted to be a lawyer, and she already had been accepted to law school when they met, but he dissuaded her from going back once they’d agreed to marry.” She shook her head. “I decided at a very young age not to follow in her footsteps, and when he tried to browbeat me into looking for a husband right after high school, I left home.”

  Her words stunned him and made his chest ache.

  “How did you manage?”

  She shrugged, but he could see the tension in the stiff set of her shoulders.

  “My grandmother took me in, and I worked my ass off to go to college, and then to medical school. I refused to doubt I could do it, even though my father said it was impossible.”

  Then she smiled and visibly relaxed.

  “And after my father passed away, my mother went to law school after all. She was almost sixty when she graduated, but now she’s an advocate for disadvantaged kids in Brooklyn.”

  “That’s amazing,” he said. “You must be really proud of her.”

  “I am.”

  It had been a sobering discussion. One that made him even more aware of how lucky he’d been in life. His father had amassed a fair amount of money in oil exploration, and his parents had always been totally and completely supportive of their children’s ambitions.

  It would have never occurred to either of them not to be encouraging and uplifting.