Snowed in with the Doctor

by Dara Girard

  “Yes, but I’ll invite you to my office and we’ll make love under the desk.”

  Lora laughed. “This is going to be strange. I’m so used to hating you.”

  He placed a kiss on her shoulder. “I’m glad I was able to change your mind.”

  “Me, too.”

  * * *

  The day before their rescheduled flight back, Lora stood staring out the window. “I almost don’t want to go back. I’m afraid to. This has all been so wonderful. It’s like a dream, and I don’t want to wake up.”

  “It’s not a dream.” Justin wrapped his arms around her. “It’s real. I’m real. And in case you don’t believe me, I still think you’re undisciplined.”

  “I know.” She pushed up her glasses. “What if your sisters don’t like me?”

  “They will.”

  “Or your dog?”

  “I’ll replace him.”

  She turned her head and frowned. “That’s not funny.”

  Justin gave her a reassuring squeeze. “He’ll love you. Relax, we’ll make this work.”

  Lora looked out the window again. “It’s just that I’m scared to be this happy. Before Suzette got sick my life felt so perfect, and then it all fell apart.”

  “Nothing is going to happen.”

  She turned to him and lightly touched his face. “You mean so much to me now. I didn’t expect it, but it’s true. If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”

  Justin held her close, not knowing what to say.

  Chapter 9

  Fifteen days to Christmas

  Minnesota already felt like a dream. Justin waited in the cafeteria line, absently picking up the items in front of him. Only two days ago he’d been alone with Lora, but now they were back in the real world. She’d offered to cook dinner for them tonight, and the day couldn’t end fast enough. He paid for his meal, then sat at one of the empty tables.

  Oliver took a seat in front of him. “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  “What happened? I heard there was a bet among the research staff that one of you wouldn’t come back alive.”

  “We worked things out.” He looked around, then lowered his voice. “She’s going to cook me dinner tonight.”

  “That she-devil has a domestic side?”

  “I told you it was a misunderstanding.”

  Oliver sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “I do.”

  “At least you’ve found someone who understands your disease.”

  Justin cleared his throat. “She doesn’t know yet.”

  “She doesn’t know? Why haven’t you told her?”

  “I started to, but the timing wasn’t right.”

  “There won’t be a right time.”

  “I’ll tell her soon.”

  Oliver paused then said, “Has she met any of your sisters yet?”

  “We just got back.”

  “So that’s a no?”

  “Correct.”

  Oliver sat back. “She will soon.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Maureen’s here.”

  Justin spun around in his chair and saw his sister making her way toward his table. “Damn, what is she doing here? I don’t know how she keeps getting past security.”

  “No one would dare stop her.”

  His sister marched up to his table. “I knew I’d find you here. You’re like clockwork.”

  “What do you want?”

  She kicked his chair. “Why won’t you answer your phone? We’ve been worried sick about you. Ann told me you were acting weird at dinner last week, then you’re off to Minnesota, get caught in a snowstorm and come back without returning any calls, forcing me to come here to see if you’re still alive.”

  “As you can see, I’m fine.”

  “You should have called.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “He’s been preoccupied,” Oliver said. “By the new woman in his life.”

  Maureen took a seat, smiling. “New woman? What new woman?”

  Justin sent Oliver a look. “It’s nothing.”

  “She’d find out eventually,” Oliver said.

  “Find out what?” Maureen asked.

  Justin sighed, knowing there was no recourse. “I’m seeing someone.”

  “A colleague,” Oliver added.

  “Someone who works here?” She stood. “I have to meet her.”

  “She’s not here today,” Justin said.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Go home.”

  “I’m going to find her.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “I’m not leaving until I meet her.”

  “I’ll show you a picture one day.”

  “Stop being stubborn. I won’t embarrass you. I just want to see what she’s like. Oliver, help me.”

  “You’ll meet her later,” Justin said. “But not here. Now go home. I’ll call you tonight, I promise.”

  “You’d better, or next time I’ll bring Sarah and Ann with me.” She kissed him on the cheek and left.

  “You enjoyed doing that, didn’t you?” Justin said to his friend.

  “I’ll do worse if you don’t tell Lora the truth. Find the time to tell her.”

  * * *

  Warren needed a new plan. He sat in Union Station wondering what he should do next. Justin hadn’t been disciplined by Oliver, as he’d hoped would happen. Instead of being reprimanded and blamed for Lora’s inappropriate outburst, nothing had happened. And Lora was still in her position. He’d have to get in Rollins’s good graces another way. He’d tried to butter him up as much as he could while Silver and Lora were in Minnesota, but it hadn’t worked. He sighed.

  “Why such a heavy sigh?” a female voice said.

  Warren glanced up, ready to tell the woman to leave him alone, but once he saw her, all words fell away. She was a woman who could give him a hard-on the size of a missile. She was gorgeous, with a face meant for fantasies and a body that inspired wet dreams.

  “Just thinking about work,” he said. “I’m a lead scientist working on a special treatment for sickle cell anemia, and one of our patients just passed away.” He did his best to look devastated.

  She took the seat next to him. “Oh, that’s awful. You poor man.” She lightly touched his thigh.

  He wished her hand would move higher, but he’d wait for that. Right now he just needed a name and a number. “Yes, it’s been hard.” He held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Rappaport.”

  “Sylvia Turner,” she said.

  Minutes later, he had a number and address and a date to meet again. Warren had gone to Union Station for lunch and to think. When he left, he felt much better than he’d expected to.

  * * *

  Sylvia watched Warren leave with a sense of satisfaction. She was going to enjoy this assignment. She still remembered her conversation with Belinda, who she’d met several years ago when she’d pulled an elaborate con game on Belinda’s greedy ex-husband. Sylvia hadn’t known he was married—he’d sworn he wasn’t—and her informant (a former private investigator with a hustler’s love for money) had been sloppy. After conning him out of $100,000, she’d discovered the truth. She’d felt badly that his wife had suffered, too.

  She’d sent Belinda half of her earnings—anonymously—but she somehow found her. And the moment they met, they became instant friends. Belinda got rid of her cheating, conniving husband and gained a friend. Ironically, Sylvia gained something she usually didn’t have—someone she could trust. She had associates who helped her with her cons, but her circle was small—it was safer that way. So when Belinda asked for her help, she knew she couldn’t ref
use. Sylvia waited until Warren was out of sight before she dialed. “Hey Belinda,” she said. “I just met with that Rappaport guy. Poor Lora. I can see why she fell for him. He’s very charming.”

  “I don’t care,” Belinda said impatiently. “Did it work?”

  “Oh, yes, he’s completely hooked.”

  “Good. He has to learn his lesson.”

  “Don’t worry, Belinda. I’ll give him one he won’t forget.”

  * * *

  What had she been thinking? Lora wondered for the twentieth time as she dusted and polished her apartment in preparation for Justin’s visit.

  Their flight back from Minnesota had been uneventful. They hadn’t been able to get seats together, again, and had separated at the airport parking lot.

  “Well, I’ll see you at work,” she’d said.

  “Only at work?”

  “Uh...no, you could come over for dinner.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll bring the wine.”

  Now she found herself rushing around her apartment hoping to make it man-ready. A single man hadn’t entered in years. She wanted to show sophistication, so her collection of teddy bears dressed up as doctors and scientists went inside her bedroom closet. She grabbed a fitted cream-colored silk blouse and a knee-length black leather skirt that showed off her figure, from her closet, and she fixed her hair while the dinner simmered. She then put on a hint of eye makeup but painted her lips a deep cherry red. She wanted them to say “kiss me” without her saying a word. By the time the doorbell rang, she was ready. She swung the door open with a smile and got the reaction she wanted. Justin stared, mesmerized. “Hello,” she said.

  “Hello,” he said in a husky voice.

  “Do you want to come in?”

  He shook his head a little, as if trying to focus, and held up two bottles. “I didn’t ask if you wanted red or white so I bought both.”

  “That’s perfect.” She took the bottles from him and opened the door wider.

  He stepped inside, then turned to her. “Right now I think I’m staring at perfection.” He pulled her to him and kissed her.

  “I don’t want the dinner to burn,” she whispered against his lips.

  He reluctantly released her. “All right.” He sniffed the air. “Something smells good.”

  “Thank you. Dinner’s just about ready. Please take a seat.” She pointed to her dining room.

  He kissed her once more, then went to sit.

  Lora caught him looking around her place but couldn’t read his face clearly. It was annoying that he was able to mask his emotions. She really wanted to impress Justin and had gone out of her way. She had made a plate of spiced meat patties, fried plantains and baked zucchini with sautéed red onions. When Lora was growing up, her mother had made sure she could cook some basic West Indian dishes, just in case she ended up marrying a man from “back home.” Little did her mother know that if Lora married, she didn’t expect to cook much but instead planned on having her meals cooked by a personal chef or delivered.

  Justin ate with evident enjoyment. Finally he set his utensils down and sat back. “The food was amazing. I love Caribbean cooking.”

  Lora beamed. “Thank you.” She fell quiet, then said, “But there’s something you don’t like.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “When you looked around my apartment what did you see?”

  “You have a very nice place.”

  “But it’s not organized enough?”

  Justin started to look uncomfortable. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

  “But I want to know.”

  He sighed. “Okay. Why don’t you have any decorations?”

  “What?” Lora thought his comment odd coming from him—his office was so sparsely decorated.

  “It’s ten days before Christmas, and you wouldn’t know it from looking at your place.”

  “Oh, I don’t really celebrate Christmas.”

  “Why?”

  “It was never a really big deal at home.”

  “But you’re an adult now. We only have so many holidays to celebrate. You don’t even have a pathetic Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”

  “A Charlie Brown what?”

  “Like the tree featured in the cartoon holiday special.”

  “I’ve never seen it.”

  He stared at her for a moment, as if waiting for a punch line. “Really?”

  “Nope.”

  “How about the movie It’s a Wonderful Life?”

  “A wonderful what?”

  “Life. It’s a classic holiday film.”

  “What’s it about?”

  Justin stood. “No, I can’t have my girlfriend living like this.” He checked his watch. “It’s only eight-thirty. Get your coat.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Shopping. A lot of the stores have extended hours, so we’ll be fine.”

  He took Lora to a local general gardening store, where he bought her a small holly bush and a miniature tree, taking the time to get the one with the freshest scent. He also bought several boxes of tiny white Christmas lights, an assortment of glass-blown ornaments and a nutcracker. They went to an entertainment store and picked up several holiday DVDs. Back at her apartment, they decorated the holly bush, which went outside and then strung lights around the balcony while holiday music played softly in the background. Once finished, they stepped back to admire their work.

  “That’s better,” Justin said.

  “Thank you.”

  “Now it’s movie time. It’s a tradition in my family. We choose a film every holiday season and sit around watching while eating caramel popcorn and gingerbread cookies.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “What are your holiday memories?”

  Lora remembered her Dad shouting. Her mother in tears while she and her sister tried to stay quiet to avoid being in the line of fire of their father’s acid tongue. There were no holiday lights or sweets. “I don’t have any. My parents were usually working. I have nothing to complain about.”

  “Tell me you’ve seen A Christmas Carol.”

  For her, the holidays meant forced family gatherings where her father’s anger ruled. Everyone trembled in his wake. He thought Christmas was foolishness and let everyone know. They had a tree, but no ornaments. He didn’t allow gifts, saying it was Jesus’ birthday, not theirs. Her mother stayed silent. There was no real joy or brightness at this time. As a child, most of the time after breakfast, she would go over to Suzette’s house and spend time with her and her mother until it was time for the holiday dinner, which was once again dominated by her father’s presence.

  “No, but I did see Scrooged and thought it was hilarious.”

  “Not quite the same thing. Well, I’m going to fix that. We’re watching that movie tonight.” After A Christmas Carol they watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the movie didn’t end until 4:30 a.m. They decided to call in sick that day, make love, spend more time with each other and watch A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life.

  Lora loved all the movies and teared up during the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life where George Bailey is at the bar praying to God. She cheered at the end when the town came to his rescue.

  “I wish someone had found out what that awful Potter did.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Real wealth is knowing who your true family and friends are.”

  She groaned. “I almost forgot.”

  “What?”

  “This weekend is my family’s holiday party.”

  “When?”

  “This Saturday.”

  “I can make it.”

  “I’m not sure you should.” She’d worked hard to get a date just for the event to show off, but now she d
idn’t want to.”

  “I’d really like to meet your family.”

  “Okay.”

  Maybe this time it would be different.

  Chapter 10

  Lora looked into her new compact mirror and applied more lipstick. She didn’t usually check her makeup, or wear any for that matter, especially when she went grocery shopping, but today was special. She looked around the supermarket. If she was going to pick up a man, she had to look her best. She spotted Justin in the produce section pretending to look at the apples. She only had to walk over to him and say something. Boy, was he handsome. She seemed to notice it more and more every day. It was sweet of him to help make her fantasy come true. She put her compact away, straightened her back and walked toward him.

  She knew it should be easy, but she suddenly felt shy and awkward. She hadn’t expected so many people to be around. What if someone overheard? But it wouldn’t be fair to have him come all the way there and not try. Anyway, it was just for fun. She took a deep breath, smoothed her hair and walked over to him.

  “You know, the best way to choose an apple is to smell it, right where the stem is,” she said. “If you smell a fragrance, it usually means it’s sweet.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that.”

  “I also know a great recipe you can try once you find the right ones.”

  “I’m not much of a cook.”

  “I’d be more than willing to help.”

  “If you want something easy,” a female voice purred, “I have a few tips.” Another woman appeared next to Justin and lightly touched his sleeve.

  Lora looked at her unexpected competition. She was an attractive brunette with light blue eyes and a body that could distract anyone. She wore a red jacket trimmed with white, making her look like one of Santa’s naughty elves.

  Justin turned to her and smiled. “Oh, thanks, but—”

  Lora walked in front of him. “Back off.”

  “Why should I?” the woman asked. “It’s a free country.”

  “Because he’s mine.”

  “You might have seen him first, honey, but that doesn’t stop me from reeling him in.”

  “Cast your net somewhere else because you’re going home empty.”

  The woman looked up at Justin. “That’s for him to decide.”