Джина Уилкинс: The M.D. Next Door

Unfortunately, he was involved in an important and convoluted case with one of his most influential clients and it simply hadn’t been possible for him to get away from work now. He’d have to work quite a bit this weekend, too, but the case should be resolved by the middle of next week. There would be other cases, of course, and piles of other career responsibilities but he was going to take his full two weeks of vacation this summer to spend with Alice, whatever it took to accomplish that feat.

He’d have a whole month this summer — the last two weeks of June and the first two weeks of July — to devote to clearing his schedule. Alice would be spending those four weeks in Europe with her mother, who was combining some vacation time with a few business obligations in France, Switzerland and Belgium. Colleen had arranged her schedule so Alice would join her in London, then accompany her on her travels during the following month, along with a responsible au pair to entertain Alice when Colleen was busy.

Seth dreaded those weeks. He would miss Alice horribly. He would also worry about her safety the entire time, though he knew Colleen would be as obsessively conscientious about that as she was with all the other details in her minutely-organized life.

“This dinner looks good,” he said, slicing into the chicken enchilada on his plate. “I’m starving.”

Alice smiled smugly. “I helped Nina make the enchiladas. She’s teaching me to cook. And she’s going to teach me to knit. We were talking while we made the enchiladas and I said I wished I knew how to knit and she said she used to knit all the time before her arthritis made it hard for her to hold the needles for too long, but she said she was sure she could teach me if I really want to learn. She’s bringing needles and yarn Monday. Cool, huh?”

“Very cool.” He loved that his daughter had an almost insatiable thirst for knowledge. She wanted to learn about everything. She’d been taking piano lessons since she was eight, and played clarinet in school band. She was an avid reader and enjoyed visiting museums and science exhibits. Yet he made sure she took some time just to relax and play, something neither he nor Colleen had been encouraged to do as children.

Seth’s father was still a workaholic architect and his late mother had worked for the state government in a high-pressure, supervisory position in the family services department. His mother had dropped dead at fifty-one of a massive heart attack; she’d been in the middle of a conference call when it had happened. That had been ten years ago. Seth had vowed then that he wouldn’t let his job work him to death.

Playtime and vacations had been very rare in his own overly scheduled and often-lonely childhood; he had tried very hard to make Alice’s different despite his career obligations. And if there were times when he felt like he neglected his own needs in favor of hers and his job’s — well, that was a choice he’d made when he’d become a single dad. All too soon, she would be eighteen and leaving for college. He’d have plenty of time for himself then, he thought with a ripple of anticipatory melancholy.

He had just swallowed his first spicy bite of chicken enchilada when the doorbell rang. With a frown, he set down his fork. He wasn’t expecting company. It was a little late for deliveries. Casting a wistful glance at his cooling meal, he rose. “I’ll be right back.”

Anxious to get back to his dinner, he opened the front door without checking to see who stood on the other side. He blinked a few times when he recognized Waldo, wiggling and yapping like the idiot mutt he was. And then his gaze lifted to the face of the slender blonde woman awkwardly juggling the squirming pup in her arms.

“Are you missing someone?” she asked in a pleasant, amused voice.

The dog barked happily, twisting his head to lick his companion’s chin.

“Waldo!” Having heard the commotion, Alice rushed forward to rescue the caller from the dog. “How did you get out?”

“He came to my door,” the woman explained, rather eagerly surrendering her burden. “I heard scratching and when I went to investigate, he bounded right inside as if he’d come for dinner. I told him he was out of luck because I haven’t cooked anything yet. I figured you didn’t know he was out.”

“No, we didn’t.” Seth glanced at Alice. “Obviously he’s found a break somewhere in the fence. He’ll have to stay in the garage until I can find where he got out. I’ll look as soon as we’ve finished eating.”

“Bad boy, Waldo,” Alice scolded. “You could have been hit by a car! You’re just lucky Meagan rescued you before you got hurt.”

“Put him in the garage and wash your hands, Alice. We’ll take care of him after dinner.” He knew they would never be able to eat in peace if they left the boisterous pup in the house. He certainly hoped the obedience classes would be as worthwhile as Alice predicted.

He turned back to their caller when Alice hauled the dog away. “Thanks for bringing him home. I guess.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome. You’re Alice’s dad?”

“Yes, I’m Seth Llewellyn. And you must be Meagan Baker. Alice talks about you all the time.”

Alice hadn’t mentioned, though, that their neighbor was in her early thirties and quite attractive. Her just-above-shoulder-length hair looked soft and slightly wavy, probably salon-lightened to a pretty honey blond. Her eyes were blue, her gaze direct and confident. She didn’t appear to be wearing much makeup, but then she didn’t need any. Her skin was smooth and clear, a little pale, and her nicely-shaped mouth was a soft, natural pink. Very nice.

They shook hands, and he noticed her grip was firm, her skin smooth and warm.

“Alice is such a sweet girl. I’ve enjoyed visiting with her.” She smiled as she spoke, making him believe her.

“She enjoyed spending time with you this week.” He grimaced ruefully. “I wish I could have spent more time with her during her break but I couldn’t get away from work. I hoped her new pup would entertain her for a few days, but having you to visit and being able to swim in your pool has really added to her enjoyment of the days off from school.”

“I’m glad. She’s made my week pass more quickly, too. I’m not used to being at home with nothing much to do.”

Seth studied her face more closely. Her skin was naturally fair, but was she just a bit too pale?

“Are you okay?” he asked tentatively. “You look a little—”

She pushed a strand of hair from her face and he noted her hand wasn’t quite steady.

“I had surgery two weeks ago,” she admitted, and he thought he detected just a hint of frustration in her tone. “I guess Waldo was a little heavier than I realized.”

He recalled that he’d been ordered not to lift anything heavy for a few weeks after an emergency appendectomy back in college, the only time he’d had surgery. Waldo was not only rather heavy, he’d probably wiggled and squirmed all the way from Meagan’s house.

“You should have called us to come get him. Please, come in and sit down for a minute. Let me get you a glass of water.”

“I didn’t have your number. And I’ll be fine, really. I don’t want to disturb your dinner.”

“You said you haven’t made anything for yourself yet. Why don’t you join us? There’s plenty of food.”

Returning just in time to hear the offer, Alice added her own appeal. “Oh, yes, join us, Meagan. We just started eating. I helped Nina cook, and she said we made way too much for just two people.”

Looking a little flustered, Meagan demurred at first, but Alice was hard to resist. Mere minutes later, the three of them sat at the dining table where Alice served Meagan a heaping plate of chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice while Seth poured their guest a glass of raspberry iced tea.