Her Texas Rescue Doctor

by Caro Carson

  After a long moment, Martina unclipped her stylus once more. “Of course. This is what I’m here for.”

  This is what we pay you for.

  Sophia gave Grace a little pat, then slowly rolled her booted foot from left to right as she listened to Martina’s list. Grace watched the motion with pleasure; that pat had felt like sisterly approval.

  Alex must have passed behind her on his way to the kitchen, for she heard the sound of a drawer opening, the rattle of silverware. She guessed he was putting away the breakfast dishes.

  “Obviously, then, everyone knows we were serious. Pretending we weren’t won’t fix this.” Sophia sounded more like the pre-Deezee version of herself. No whining, thank goodness.

  “I’ll come up with a way for you to get the most mileage out of this bad publicity.” Martina tapped her stylus on her tablet at the same rapid pace that she tapped her spiked heel on the polished concrete floor.

  We didn’t need anyone to handle bad publicity until you brought bad publicity into our lives.

  The kitchen sounds had stopped. Grace peeked over her shoulder. Alex was sitting down at the dinette table with his back to them, intent on a newspaper. He was being so polite, giving them a sense of privacy, but he had to be able to hear every word.

  Martina’s stylus and her heel both went still. “The mystery is this trip to Texas. You’re dropping out of the public eye for a week. Why? We can spin it so that you left Hollywood to visit a hot new lover in Texas. You abandoned Deezee, you see. You left first. If you’d already found another man before last night, then this girl becomes nothing more than his rebound girl. She’s a consolation prize, or a woman Deezee was only using to assuage the pain of his broken heart.”

  “And she’s so hideous, the fact that he went from someone like me to someone like her will make him look desperate.”

  Grace cringed. When she and Alex had talked on that bench yesterday, she’d bragged about her sister’s lack of snobbery.

  “What do you think, Grace?”

  Her sister was actually asking for her input. It felt like it had been years instead of months since she’d been treated like a part of her sister’s team instead of her sister’s errand girl.

  Martina steamrolled over Grace’s chance to offer her opinion. “It’s the best option. You stay hidden, and I’ll let it be known that you are not to be expected to attend any South-by events, because you’re on something of a honeymoon with your new man.”

  Grace glanced at Alex’s back again. Had he heard Sophia ask for her advice? She wanted him to believe what she’d told him yesterday, that her sister was a good person and a hard worker who deserved her success—and who deserved Grace’s loyalty.

  “I think a fake boyfriend is a dangerous idea.” Grace scooted her chair so that she was facing Sophia more squarely. “You know what they say. If there’s no photo, it didn’t happen. Eventually, when no photos of a mystery man in Texas surface, you’ll end up looking desperate, so desperate that you made up a fake boyfriend. Don’t risk it. Your reputation always was that you’re smart and mature.”

  “Was?” Only Sophia could put so many nuances of emotion in that one syllable.

  “That’s why it caused a sensation when you started dating Deezee. He wasn’t the kind of guy people expected Sophia Jackson to date.”

  “It was a brilliant move,” Martina said. “It got you tons of exposure.”

  It was time for Grace to do some steamrolling herself. “Dating him changed your public image, but not for the better. If the industry is already less confident that you are the smart and mature actress they thought you were, then imagine what will happen to you if word gets out that you made up a whole fake boyfriend scenario. Professionally, it could be a disaster.”

  Sophia looked from her to Martina. “Grace is right.”

  Grace is right.

  Grace’s hands were shaking again. Thanks to Alex’s pancakes, she knew it wasn’t low blood sugar. It was sheer relief. She’d just fought for her sister’s career against an experienced publicist, and she’d won. She sat back, sagging in relief as much as she could in a hard chair.

  Martina stood and began pacing. “Then we need to arrange for you to be seen. That hideous boot comes off in a week, correct?”

  “I’ll still have to wear an ankle wrap.” Sophia shot a look at Alex’s back. “And the doctor says no high heels for two more weeks after that.”

  Martina checked her tablet without slowing her steps. “There’s a black-tie event put on by a few oh-so-worthy causes toward the end of South-by. A charity gala. Tell your stylist you need one of those hems that puddles on the ground, so no one will see you’re wearing flats.”

  Grace picked up her trusty notebook. It was time to make a list and get this meeting adjourned, so Alex wouldn’t have to politely ignore people in his own house any longer.

  “I’ll contact the stylist,” she said. “The messaging is everything. We need a gown that a smart and mature woman would wear who wasn’t pining after a cheating boyfriend. It shouldn’t look desperate, like she’s trying too hard. Something that says she’s confident being out in public alone.”

  “Alone?” Sophia and Martina both looked at her like she was a bizarre talking table lamp again.

  “She needs to be seen with a new man, so it’s not just a rumor,” Martina said. “She’ll be a surprise celebrity at the event, and she’ll have a surprise boyfriend on her arm. This will solve the mystery of why she’s disappeared in Texas. The press will eat it up.”

  “What man do you have in mind?” Sophia asked. “Is there anyone still in the closet who’d like to appear devoted to me?”

  Grace didn’t dare turn around to see Alex’s reaction to that. She spoke as quietly as she could to her sister. “I thought you said I was right about avoiding the fake boyfriend?”

  “You were right that rumors about a fake boyfriend weren’t enough. We need an actual man for photos, someone who is here in Texas to justify why I flew down in the first place, before Deezee cheated on me.”

  Martina gestured toward the flat-screen television, as if she could bring its black, powered-off screen to life with a dramatic flourish of her hands. “I can see the gossip shows now. ‘Sophia Jackson has a secret rendezvous in Austin.’ A classy gown, a handsome mystery man. It will sink Deezee and his tawdry hotel girl. Sink him.”

  She was totally focused on defeating the man who’d once been her most famous client. He’d only been a stepping stone to Sophia.

  Grace gave up trying to look bold. “Deezee is going to be angry. He’s unpredictable when he’s angry.”

  Sophia dropped her head back on the couch, looking tired. “Well, then, we need someone brave enough to weather his crap. Better yet, we need someone who won’t care if Deezee goes on a rant about him.”

  Grace doodled in a corner of her notebook. “Someone with no reputation left to save? I don’t think you should be paired with another loose cannon.”

  Martina stopped next to Grace. “Sophia means someone who isn’t in the industry at all. Deezee couldn’t hurt someone who didn’t need to impress the press.”

  And you wouldn’t have to deal with another celebrity’s angry publicist, would you?

  Sophia had her eyes closed now, pneumonia wiping her out. “It’s hard to find someone who isn’t in the industry. Grace had a point about reviving that smart and mature approach, although mature is the absolutely wrong word to use.”

  “Let’s say down-to-earth, shall we?” Martina said. “We need someone normal. An everyday man, making Sophia Jackson seem approachable, someone women identify with. Someone men think they might actually stand a chance with.”

  Sophia opened one eye. “But Mr. Normal Guy will have to be attractive. Hard body. Not old.”

  Grace glanced over her shoulder. Alex was still
sitting with his back to them. His hair was damp from his shower, almost black against the nape of his neck, longer than it had looked at the hospital. He wore a red T-shirt that was so worn, it had faded to a pinkish mud color. He looked down-to-earth to her. Not old. And last night, in the light of the refrigerator, he’d definitely had a hard body.

  Martina kept talking. “So, we need a man who is respectably employed but not tycoon-wealthy who lives here in Texas who is the right age and who is straight and single and willing to pretend he’s dating Sophia Jackson. And we need to find him today, tomorrow at the latest.”

  A moment of silence followed that.

  This is my sister. I have to try one more time.

  Grace clenched her notepad in her hands. “Or we could try the truth. Deezee was a lousy boyfriend, which you found out when you flew down for the Texas Rescue grand-opening ceremony.”

  No one answered her. Behind her, she heard Alex shove his chair away from the table.

  Martina was glued to her tablet screen now, as obsessed as Sophia usually was with her phone. “This black-tie event benefits several causes, including Texas Rescue. Absolutely perfect. Your trip begins and ends with a Texas Rescue event, and you’ll have a secret getaway with a hot guy in the middle.”

  Grace felt Alex’s presence behind her. Martina did a little double take when she looked from her tablet to the man standing behind Grace’s chair.

  “Alex,” he said over Grace’s head, the briefest of introductions. “I live here. If you’re referring to next week’s Black and White Ball, it’s sold out.”

  “They won’t turn Sophia Jackson away.”

  He addressed her sister directly. “You can have my ticket if you need it. West Central is one of the beneficiaries, as well. Part of the proceeds are going to help replace those curtains in the ER with walls. I’m sure you’ll want to help make it a success.”

  Sophia opened both eyes then. “Like I care. I’m never going to be your patient again.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Grace wasn’t sure how to interpret that. Maybe he meant that he was glad Sophia wasn’t his patient, because he couldn’t date a patient.

  Martina dismissed Alex with a flick of her fingers. “There is no question that she can go to the ball. Now we just have to pick out which guy she should take.” She sat down on the armrest of the couch, nestling right next to Sophia, like they were sisters about to share a Netflix marathon on her tablet.

  Grace had to scoot her chair closer to the sofa to be able to see the screen, as well. Alex was behind her still. It would take more than Martina’s finger flick to make him move if he didn’t feel like it.

  Martina ignored them, cozy with her client. “The only positive photos of you on social media for the past three months were taken with Texas Rescue yesterday.”

  I arranged that photo op.

  No one thanked her.

  “Let’s review that ribbon-cutting group photo.” Martina pointed at the screen. “How about him?”

  Of course, she’d pointed at the most obviously handsome guy. Grace shook her head. “Thor? He’s not interested in Sophia.”

  Sophia roused herself, offended. “Says who?”

  “You didn’t like him, either. He’s the paramedic that actually rode with you in the back of the ambulance.”

  “Oh, him. I’m an actress. I can pretend I like him.”

  Martina had already moved on. “There are three firefighters. This one is too young.”

  Grace felt Alex step closer behind her. On top of everything else, she now had to suffer while he listened to her sister sort through all his friends like they were her personal shopping catalog. This wasn’t going to put Sophia in her best light.

  “This one’s too old,” Sophia announced.

  Charming, Sis. Just charming.

  Martina tilted her head and considered the photo. “But very distinguished. A little Clooney gray at the temples. He could add some gravitas to your reputation.”

  “Too old.” Sophia tapped the last fireman with her fingernail. “This one’s just right. Looks about thirty. Confident. Photographs well.”

  Alex bent so close, Grace could feel the rumble of his deep voice as he spoke over her shoulder. “That’s Luke. He’s married to the director of Texas Rescue.”

  “Buzz kill,” Sophia muttered, as if Alex had arranged for this Luke to be married just to spoil her day.

  “How about one of the doctors?” Martina asked. “They get instant respect as soon as you say their name. Imagine yourself saying ‘I’m here with Dr. John Doe from Texas Rescue.’ This one looks perfect.”

  “All those guys are married and happy about it. Some of the women in that photo are single, though.” Alex sounded a little sarcastic to Grace’s ear.

  Martina set the tablet in her lap. “Here’s a story. ‘Sophia Jackson has a female fling, a girlfriend with benefits, taking a break after all the drama of dating men, most recently DJ Deezee Kalm.’ We could work that angle.”

  Alex stood up straight again, leaving Grace’s shoulder feeling cold. “You don’t decide to change your sexual orientation for a week. That’s not how it works.”

  “It’s called experimentation,” Martina said, sounding condescending. “Very Bohemian and naughty in my day, but now it’s almost de rigueur. Still, if any of these women were inclined...”

  Grace hated her blush, but she hated even more that Alex was witnessing this. They were in his house, though. She couldn’t ask him to leave his own living room.

  “I want to be seen with a man,” Sophia said. “Thirty-ish. A doctor would work.”

  They were describing Alex. He was standing right here. It wasn’t like either woman to beat around the bush, but maybe they were hoping he’d volunteer.

  “It sounds like you’re talking about Alex,” she said, wanting to get this over with. “Dr. Alex Gregory.”

  Sophia dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “The man has to be drop-dead gorgeous to make it believable that I’d leave Deezee for him.”

  Grace felt all the pain of that insult, but more, the unfairness of it. She dared to turn her head far enough to see how Alex was taking it. He was really very handsome underneath all that scruffy...

  Oh, my.

  All that scruffiness was gone. Alex had shaved. His hair, still wet from the shower, was slicked back. With those dark-framed glasses...

  Martina had twisted around, too, and was openly studying Alex. “Actually, he’s got a very Clark Kent vibe going.”

  Grace’s breath caught—it was what she’d thought from the first.

  Martina tapped her stylus. “Which means we could turn him into Superman.”

  Sophia slid farther down the couch, settling in for a nap. “Be serious.”

  “I am,” Martina said, her voice as sharp as the points of her designer pumps. “Open your eyes, Sophia.”

  She obeyed, craning her neck to check out her host. “Oh.”

  “Oh, indeed. Clark turned into Superman in seconds, but thankfully, we’ve got a whole week.” Martina stood and tossed her tablet on the couch. “Well, I’m positively parched. Someone get me a vodka tonic.”

  No one moved.

  Grace couldn’t stop staring at clean-shaven Alex, but his neutral expression was impossible to read.

  “He hasn’t agreed to anything, Martina,” she said.

  Martina only laughed. “Well, Dr. Gregory, are you ready to become the most interesting man in Texas?”

  Chapter Twelve

  “No.”

  Alex crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to cower or cringe as three women evaluated him solely on his looks. He knew how to act like he didn’t care: tall kids who wore glasses and spoke with Russian accents had to learn quickly in high school.
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br />   “That’s all you have to say?” The woman named Martina looked exactly as he expected a behind-the-scenes show business shark to look. She was what he’d expected Sophia’s assistant to be. “I’m offering you the chance to walk the red carpet with one of America’s hottest stars, and all you can say is no?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Very funny.”

  At least Martina got his sarcasm.

  He looked at Grace, the voice of reason in this group. Her knuckles were nearly white as she clutched her notebook. He hated to see her so anxious. She’d done such a good job defending her sister and taking on Martina, even if she’d lost the battle over this publicity stunt.

  “Do you have someone in your life, then?” Martina persisted. “Someone you’re afraid to make jealous?”

  “No.”

  “You’ll be compensated for your time away from work, of course. I hear those med-school student loans are such a burden. Young doctors are drowning in debt, they say.”

  The loans weren’t fun, certainly, but a substantial portion of his medical school had been covered by scholarships. As Chief Resident during his last year, he’d earned a higher salary than the other young doctors-in-training. His house was the right size for a bachelor. He had one high-end pickup truck and two carbon-fiber road bikes. He was doing just fine.

  Ms. Hollywood Shark was taking the wrong path to persuade him. The day he paid off a med-school loan by dressing up as a starlet’s boy toy was the day he needed to turn in his man card.

  Grace was looking at him with that same look she’d had in the ER’s kitchen. Fear, worry—and hope. She was facing a mess, and she hoped he’d be able to help her fix it.

  Of course, anything that hurt Sophia’s acting career would hurt Grace, too. That was unfortunate, but still not a reason to make him play their game. This entire conversation had only driven home the point that an actress’s life was inherently self-absorbed. He didn’t feel obligated to support that.