Jessa James - Dr. Hottie

“None taken. I do know how to use a scalpel, after all.”

“Don’t worry about it, I know what I’m doing,” Addy hissed. “Did you get my email? Dad has to have the pills split into morning and evening doses, or they’re not effective. And the cleaners always come on the second Tuesday of the month, so don’t deadbolt the door on those days. Kenzie, are you listening? The whole house can’t fall apart just because—”

“Oh my God, yes , I get it, okay? And I got your freaking three-page checklist. Just… go have fun with your hot doctor husband, okay? Go bonk your brains out or whatever.” Kenzie gave a sudden laugh. “Maybe we’re more alike than I thought.”

“I wouldn’t take it that far,” Addy said, and Kenzie wrapped her arms around her.

“I’ll miss you,” Kenzie said, barely loud enough for Jack to hear.

“I’ll see you almost every day at the restaurant.”

“It’s not the same.”

Jack looked away. That kind of familiar affection made him nervous. It was foreign to him, and he felt like he’d stepped into something he wasn’t meant to see.

His family just didn’t do affection. He imagined what would happen if he hugged his mother the way that Kenzie has just hugged Addy. Distressed would be one way to put it, that was for sure.

He sat in the Jeep to wait out the goodbyes, and couldn’t help but think of his own family back in Melbourne. His own parents had never been in the same room as one another if they could help it. And after his dad died, his mother had seemed … almost relieved. He’d never attributed that word to it before, but that’s what it was. Like a weight had been lifted from her life.

“Ready?” Addy was at his window, a cautious smile on her face.

“I am. Are you?”

“I guess so. As ready as I’m going to be. This isn’t so strange, right?” she asked as she dropped her voice to a whisper. “I mean, in some countries, people get married and they’ve never even seen each other before.”

“Yeah. But I think a little more thought and preparation goes into arranged marriages compared to what we’re doing.”

He kept an eye in the rearview mirror as she followed him to his condo.

“This is where you live?” she asked, nervous. “This is where Jeremy lives.”

“Oh yeah? I think I’ve seen him around, now that you mention it. I had a pretty unpleasant run-in with him, and that was without the news of our marriage! Maybe it’ll be easier to make him jealous than I thought.”

She looked around as he picked up the two boxes from her car. She trailed him to the house.

“Well, this is it!” He pushed open the door with a flourish.

Addy wrinkled her nose and looked around. “Not much for decorating, huh? Or furniture?”

“I figured those could be some of your first wifely duties. Decorating and furniture shopping.”

“Ha ha,” she said, and took one of the boxes from him. “At least you got a couch. A new one. It still has the tag on it.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry ‘bout that,” he said. “It was just delivered a few days ago. Look around. I’d give you the grand tour, but that seems a bit formal.”

He grabbed a beer out of the fridge as he listened to her footsteps down the short hall.

“It’s just one bedroom,” she said, already done with the tour. She gave him an accusing look and opened her mouth, speech clearly prepared.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take the couch,” he said and held his hand up. “I washed the sheets on the bed and everything. It’s all yours, nice and clean.”

“Well. Okay,” she said.

Side by side, they went out to the cars to grab the next load of boxes, only to see Jeremy’s truck. It blocked in both their cars. Jeremy was en route to his own condo, but broke out with a laugh when he saw them.

“What’s so funny?” she asked. Jack hadn’t heard that kind of edge in her voice before. “Actually, never mind. I’m not surprised that you’d think marriage is a joke.”

“Marriage?” Jeremy asked, incredulous. He pulled down his sunglasses. “Yeah, good luck getting anybody to believe that bullshit. What, did the Aussie need a green card or something?”

“You—”

Before she could finish saying anything, Jack grabbed her and dipped her nearly to the ground. His lips met hers and even he was surprised by the magnetic pull between them. She let out a small gasp, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her teeth. For a moment, he forgot where he was—or that it was all a ruse. She knotted her fist in his shirt and pulled him closer, afraid he might drop her, and the cuteness of it made his heart surge.

Finally, he pulled her back up and she let out another gasp for breath. Jeremy was silent before them, and Jack offered up a grin.

“Fuck off,” Jeremy said with a scowl. With hunched shoulders, he stalked to his building.

“That was Oscar-worthy acting,” Addy whispered to him.

They dumped the rest of the boxes on the counter and Addy headed for the fridge.

“I’m starving,” she said. “I was too busy packing this morning to eat. There’s nothing in here,” she said as she held the door open and looked at him.

“It was a bachelor pad until just now, remember? Don’t worry, I’ll order a pizza.”

“Um, yeah, because I’m not about to make a dinner of beer and … Vegemite? Seriously?”

“Americans have mac and cheese. We have Vegemite. Comfort food, what can I say?”

“Yeah, that’s all yours.”

“What about the beer? I know that’s on your Addison-approved list.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I meant real food. Besides, it didn’t exactly work out great the last time we had beer together.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll call the pizza place again.”

“Again?”

“Yeah, let’s … let’s just say they know me there. I’m already a regular, and I’ve only been in this country for about a week! That’s impressive, right?”

“Not quite the word I’d use. Tomorrow, I’ll stop by the store after my shift. Man cannot live on pizza alone.”

“The store? So, are you saying … are you …”

“Am I what? Capable of grocery shopping?”

“I mean, are you any good at cooking?”

“I’ll have you know that I learned from my mother, who used to cook everything at the restaurant before she…” Addison’s eyes started to water and her words faded. “Anyway, what do you want? For dinner tomorrow, I mean?”

“Um… how about… cheeseburgers?”

“Yeah, I get enough cheeseburgers at work. Besides, aren’t you a doctor? Don’t you know they’re heart attack bombs? How do you feel about lasagna?”

“Great? I guess? What do you want on the pizza?” He hadn’t seen this authoritative side of her, at least not directed at him. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

“Anything but pineapple. You know the whole Hawaiian pizza thing was originally designed as a joke?”

Jack dialed the number, the third most recent call in his log. He sipped on a beer while he watched her unpack, but couldn’t quite figure out what most of the stuff was. She moved so fast as she zipped between rooms that it made him dizzy.

“Slow down, express train. Pizza’s here,” he said when he heard the knock at the door.

“Where do we eat?” she asked as she emerged from the bathroom. She’d tied her hair up in a messy knot on top of her head and her cheeks were flushed from the unpacking. Something about it, complete with that little tank top and cut-off jeans, made her look carefree and innocent in a way he hadn’t noticed before.

“How about my bed?”

“Excuse me?”

“I meant the couch. You know? My bed?”

“Yeah, you’re so funny,” she said, but she accepted the plate he handed her and pulled out a generous slice.