Allison reached her favorite spot and climbed up on the flat rock that overlooked the edge of the lake. In the distance, she could see the jetty lighthouse, the white structure with the large red band rising up to warn fisherman and boaters of the shallow water. At dusk, the light would come on, and revolve to warn anyone still on the water of the dangers that lay ahead. I wish I had a lighthouse of my own. One to warn me where last night would lead.
She finished her run and then fiddled around her apartment until it was time to head to her parents’ house for dinner. All her siblings had come plus Sam. Her brothers Ethan and Chase were staying with their parents for a few more weeks, and everyone else still lived nearby.
“Hey, sis, you looked like you were having fun last night,” Ethan teased her as she entered through the front door.
“Yup. It looked like you and Russell were hitting it off pretty well. So tell us all the dirty details,” Chase chimed in.
Allison wanted to tell them to shut up, but that would only encourage them to keep teasing her even more, so she bit her lip. She’d thought her flirting with Russell had been discreet, but her brothers were telling her otherwise.
When she finally thought the teasing was over, Reese leaned down to whisper in her ear as she took her seat at the dinner table, “Didn’t Mom relegate him to your couch last night? How did that go?”
Allison managed to contain her blush and just shook her head. Wasn’t there any way to get her family off the subject of Russell? And as quickly as possible.
Her brother Chase provided the opening a few moments into dinner.
“Hey, sis. I’m gonna stick around for a week or so. Want to do some kitesurfing tomorrow?”
“No way.” She jumped at the chance to change the subject. “But I’ll join you with a regular old windsurfer. Not that kitesurfing thing you love so much.”
“Hey! Don’t knock it until you try it. Kitesurfing is awesome.”
Allison shook her head. “No thanks. It’s way too dangerous and you get going way too fast. You’re going to kill yourself one of these days.”
Chase grinned at her and shook his head. “Nah. I know what I’m doing. I’m the best. Remember?”
Ethan shook his head at his brother. “So you say.”
Allison looked at Ethan. “When are you coming home from London?”
“I’m thinking about staying around one more year. I do want to come back to the States, but the city is awesome and I’m making great connections over there right now. I have this idea about starting up my own company when I come back.”
“What kind of company?” Reese asked, passing the salad to her mother.
“A venture capital firm. I’d like to become a business angel, preferably somewhere near Silicon Valley.”
“You an angel?” Chase asked, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth and chewing while he waited for an answer.
“Funny, man. A business angel. It’s a way for start-up companies to get the capital they need to reach the next level without having to go through traditional venture capital networks.”
“Sounds promising,” Grant told him.
“Gosh, I’m super-excited. I believe there’s a real need for this type of service. It’s been gaining popularity over in the UK for years, but is relatively new in the States.”
Allison sat back and listened to the friendly banter, grateful that nobody seemed to remember Russell.
The next day Chase and Allison went windsurfing. The wind was nothing more than a gentle breeze, and Allison enjoyed herself. Especially when she wasn’t thinking about Russell. She managed to keep her focus on the task at hand, but the minute she sat down somewhere, his image popped back into her head.
As the week wore on, her preoccupation with his image only grew worse. She worked at a small souvenir shop called Lake Memories, and several times she startled herself supposing she’d seen him walking on the sidewalk outside the shop. Of course, it never was him.
In the evening she walked to her favorite spot at the lakeshore to paint. Painting always eased her mind. Normally, she did landscapes in watercolor, but today the brush in her hands took on a life of its own. When she stepped back to view the canvas, she choked at the sight of her first portrait ever. Russell.
She quickly packed up her belongings, stored the painting in the shed, and headed to the Lighthouse bar, where her brother Terrence played in the live band. Terrence was Reese’s twin brother, three years older than Allison, and a wonderful singer and guitarist. He was still working on his big breakthrough and she sure wished him the best of luck.
Allison took a table near the side of the establishment, and tried to get into the mood of the place, but it didn’t work. She didn’t feel like dancing and turned down every offer she received. She felt lonely, but she didn’t want just anyone’s company. No, she wanted only Russell.
Two of her friends joined her half an hour later, making eyes at the band members and generally cutting loose and having fun. When Allison didn’t join in as usual, they became suspicious. “What’s up with you tonight?”
“Nothing,” she assured them.
“That’s not true. Come on, talk to us.”
She shook her head, putting a false smile upon her face. “There’s nothing wrong. I’m just tired tonight.” Her friends looked at her funny, and she knew they weren’t fooled by her fake smile.
Allison was the kind of person who always wore her heart upon her sleeve, and everyone knew exactly how she was feeling – because she would tell them. Not this time. She didn’t feel like herself, and it had been getting worse all week long.
The next song featured a slow romantic dance and she jumped up, fleeing homeward, hoping that she’d return to her normal cheerful self soon and forget about Russell even sooner.
Chapter 6
Russell sighed as he grabbed the chart for his next patient and saw who it was. Mrs. Caldwell had been to see him several times, and he had a bad feeling that this time she was going to insist on having her breasts enlarged.
She was a beautiful woman, but married to a very shallow man. So far, she’d had her nose done, her neck tightened, a tummy tuck, and a butt enlargement. Her husband was usually the instigator for her visits, always finding something on her that needed improvement, as if she was a piece of furniture. Since he had the resources, he had no conscience about the woman completely remaking her body to meet his particular likes.
“Mrs. Caldwell, you’re looking lovely as always,” Russell told her as he entered the exam room. “What can I help you with today?”
“Jerald thinks my breasts are too small.”
“Then Jerald should get his eyes checked. Your breasts are the perfect size for your body shape.”
Mrs. Caldwell shook her head, pulling up her shirt to show him her bare breasts, “No, I think he’s right. Two cups sizes would be perfect. What’s your opinion?”
“With all due respect, Mrs. Caldwell, this is a bad idea. If I make your breasts any bigger, they will look out of proportion to the rest of your body.” Russell was so used to looking at naked female body parts, his groin didn’t even stir at the sight of the naked, very pert breasts. Not like Allison’s breasts at all.
He hated that thoughts of her kept creeping into his mind. Allison was perfect, even though by most women’s standard her body was far from flawless. He’d long since lost any appreciation for an impeccable female body. He saw them all day long. There was a time when he’d been like any other red-blooded male, wanting a woman with large boobs, tiny waist, and butt you could hold onto. But not anymore. He’d grown tired of plastic women.
He wanted a natural woman who was comfortable in her own skin and didn’t need to look like a supermodel to feel content in her looks. Like Allison. She was a million times more beautiful than any of the perfect women he routinely operated on.
Allison and her happy smile had been on his mind the whole week. He attributed it to her, and the lust for life she exuded, that other thin
gs had been bothering him this week as well. He’d discovered he wasn’t happy with his life. Hadn’t been in a long time. And it was high time for a change.
Russell had always wanted to be a doctor, and when his parents died in that awful accident, it had only deepened his desire to help others. Maybe save them from the grief and pain of loss he and his sister had suffered.
He’d become a surgeon because that was where he thought he could do the most good. In his specialty, plastic surgery, he’d originally wanted to help accident victims, but over time, more and more patients came to him requesting cosmetic surgeries. They were willing to pay large sums of money to change their outward appearance, and nowadays, cosmetic surgery comprised more than ninety percent of his caseload. It left a stale taste in his mouth. That’s not what I wanted. I had bigger dreams for my life.
But then again, cosmetic surgery earned the big money. And he’d definitely reaped the benefits of his practice. At the age of twenty-six, he’d opened up his own private clinic, together with his business partner Dex Balden, and a mere five years later he’d become a considerably wealthy man.
Russell looked at Mrs. Caldwell and didn’t care that his next actions would be completely against the secrets to becoming successful. Enough was enough; he was sick and tired of jumping through hoops and performing surgeries on women who didn’t need them.
“Mrs. Caldwell, I cannot see any justifiable reason to perform the surgery you are requesting. In my opinion, enlarging your breasts would create a scenario for future medical problems and I’m afraid I cannot in good conscience participate in that. Please get dressed and I’ll let the front office know there is no charge for today’s consultation.”
“Dr. Barkin. You cannot deny me this surgery. I can afford it and it’s my body…”
Russell shook his head, holding up a hand to halt her tirade. “Mrs. Caldwell, I’ve made my decision. You are certainly welcome to seek a second opinion, but this clinic will not be performing a breast enlargement on you. Not today, and not next week. Good day, madam.”
Russell left the exam room, not surprised when a very irate Mrs. Caldwell stormed from the office a few minutes later. She talked heatedly with someone he assumed was her husband as she left, and Russell wished the both of them well. They certainly deserved each other.
He was sitting at his desk later that afternoon when Dex wandered in. “What’s up with you today?”
Russell set the pen he was holding down and looked at his partner. “I wish I knew. I guess you heard about Mrs. Caldwell?”
“The entire office and the building heard about Mrs. Caldwell. What the hell where you thinking?”
“She doesn’t need the surgery,” Russell said in defense of his action.
“Most of our patients don’t need the surgery, but they’re willing to pay. It’s not our obligation to judge them.”
“Don’t you ever wish you were using your surgical skills for something useful? I mean, there has to be more to this than making lots of money.”
Dex shook his head. “You’re getting philosophical on me now. What’s really bothering you? We’re rich. We’re famous. We don’t have to work crappy night shifts or take weekend calls. And we’re both amongst the most-wanted bachelors in Chicago and can have any woman we want by snapping our fingers. What else do you want?”
Russell looked at his partner, realizing he’d been just like him a week ago. Not anymore. After meeting Allison more than a week ago, the realization had slowly sunk in: his life was shallow and poor in so many aspects – despite all of his money. He wanted more.
“Don’t you miss truly helping people?” Russell inquired of his friend.
“Sometimes. But we’ve both been there. Helping people doesn’t buy houses, or cars, or vacations.”
“But you can only have so many cars.”
“Man, you already donate two days a month to the local hospital. And for no pay, I might add.”
“That’s what I want to do. It gives me a sense of fulfillment to help those patients. I leave the hospital smiling. I haven’t left work here smiling for a very long time.”
“So what, you’re going to take on more pro bono days at the hospital? Do you realize how much money you could be making during those two days? I mean, charity is fine and all, but it doesn’t pay the bills.”
Russell sighed. He and Dex had been friends since med school, and had enjoyed lots of fun together. In fact, until last week, they’d both been content with their clinic. And while Dex was a nice guy, he didn’t get that Russell sought a deeper sense of purpose for his life. But how could he blame him? He barely understood it himself.
His phone buzzed, alerting him that his last patient of the day had arrived, “Duty calls.” He stood up and walked with Dex down the hall.
Dex glanced at him one last time and said, “Russ, you need to go out and have some fun. Take a day off and remind yourself of the benefits of being us.”
Russell nodded his head; maybe his friend was right. While he wished there was a way he could do the job he loved and still earn money with it, he also had to be a realist. Then again, he’d earned enough money to retire this minute and never work again.
His income, combined with the inheritance he’d gotten from his parents was more than he could spend in an entire lifetime. My parents…
He flinched at the thought of his parents, and that dark tunnel he’d been avoiding for years on end opened up. He firmly closed it down, needing to focus on the patient waiting on him. Now wasn’t the right time for a nightmare walk down memory lane. In fact it never was. Russell had buried his pain somewhere deep down and did his best to keep the emotions confined – all of them.
Laura, a new patient, already waited on him when he opened the door to the exam room. She wanted to have a smaller, more defined nose. Another nose job. God, how I hate it. Her nose is cute, nothing you have to work on.
She was a flirty little thing, and by the end of the exam, she was openly hitting on him. Laura was a beautiful dark-haired woman with curves most males would do anything to get their hands on, and she was his for the taking. An easy outlet for his frustrations.
All he had to do was say yes. Then he could take her home, sleep with her, and maybe then he’d be able to forget about Allison. “So, Laura, I think we can definitely help you out.”
“Oh, goody.” She glanced at her nonexistent watch and batted her lashes at him. “It’s getting awfully late. Could we discuss this over dinner?”
Russell sidled up to her and smiled with a nod. “I think that could definitely be arranged. I’ll meet you downstairs in the parking garage.”
He quickly closed his computer down, not giving himself time to think. He called ahead and had dinner waiting for them in the carryout lane of his favorite Italian restaurant, and twenty minutes later he was escorting the lovely Laura into his apartment.
Dinner was a hurried affair, and as he viewed the remains of their meal several hours later, he faced the fact that Laura had not been Allison. Bringing her to his place had been a mistake. Sleeping with her had been an even bigger mistake. While he was with Laura, he’d seen Allison’s smiling face, felt her soft strawberry blonde hair, and heard her enthusiastic laughter. He wanted Allison, and her alone.
He offered to drive Laura home around midnight, and politely declined the offer of her phone number. Back in his own apartment he decided to pass her surgery off to Dex.
How much longer will my one-night stand with Allison haunt me?
Chapter 7
Allison was sick and tired of thinking about Russell all the time. He’d invaded her heart and her body, and despite her best efforts she hadn’t been able to ban his image from her mind.
When Saturday rolled around, she couldn’t face another day of sitting around her apartment moping, so she hopped in her car and drove up to Ashton to visit her sister Reese. It was a twenty-minute drive, and as she entered the small exclusive resort town, she marveled that her sister had been
able to make it here.
Ashton was one of those places like Aspen – it catered to the rich and famous, and was a whole lot fancier than Sandy Beach. The villas were bigger and the cafés more elegant, and she’d never seen more Bugattis or Lamborghinis cruising the streets than here.
Reese greeted her at the front door, and as she waited for Reese to grab her shoes, Allison shook her head at how organized Reese’s small apartment was. She’d always admired her sister for being so super-organized. Everything had its own place in her house – and in her life. Reese surely would never experience such turmoil over a man, let alone jump into bed with one she barely knew.
Allison’s sister earned a more than decent living as a professional organizer, helping her rich and famous clients organize everything from their schedules to their bedroom closets. Not to forget their shoe collections…Reese had once told her about a female client who owned easily a thousand pairs of shoes and wanted them organized by type, color, and season.
“How about we head down to the promenade for some iced coffee?” Reese suggested as they stepped out of her doorway.
“Sounds good.”
They walked the two blocks in relative silence, being observers of those around them and taking in the atmosphere of the small town. After grabbing their drinks, Reese led her sister over to a small bistro table. Once Allison was seated, Reese leveled her gaze at her and demanded, “Okay. Spill it. What happened?”
When Allison had decided to come up here she knew she couldn’t keep quiet if Reese asked. She’d never been able to keep anything from her sister and now was no different.
Allison had played it out in her head, how she would carefully tell the story of how she and Russell had gotten caught up in the moment, breaking the news to her sister slowly. When she opened her mouth, all of her carefully rehearsed words flew away.
“I slept with Russell!”
“What?!” Reese shrieked, and an older lady at the next table raised her eyebrow at them.
Momentous Kisses: Love in Sandy Beach Page 3