Susan Mallery - Prince Charming, M.D.

As his history teacher lectured on the precursors to Pearl Harbor, Trevor noticed he was getting more attention than usual.

Karl, a fellow football player and full-time jerk, leaned over and whispered, “I heard about you and Dana. Way to go.”

Trevor frowned. The comments continued when he left class. By lunch he realized the entire school knew. He was furious for both Dana and himself and concerned for her. While making love was seen as a rite of passage for males, females could easily be labeled sluts. He didn’t want anyone saying anything bad to Dana.

He searched for her through lunch, but never saw her or her friends. Finally, he cut his last class and drove to her apartment.

She was pale, her cheeks tearstained, her shoulders slumped as she answered the door. Her pain was so tangible he felt it cutting through him, too.

“Dana, what—”

She held up her hand to stop him from talking. “Don’t,” she said harshly, her voice cracking with sobs. “Just don’t. You got what you wanted. I almost understand that. What I don’t understand is how you could have told everyone.” Fresh tears filled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

“I didn’t,” he said. “I swear.” He didn’t tell anyone. Except Joel. Joel, who had always watched Dana, had always made cracks about her. Trevor hadn’t thought about it one way or the other until that moment Had his friend wanted Dana for himself?

“Do you know what they’re saying about me?” she asked. “Do you know what they called me today?”

He was bleeding to death. He could feel the gaping hole in his chest. “Dana, listen to me. I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“Liar.”

She said the single word with a finality that told him she’d already made up her mind.

“I never want to see you again,” she continued. “Don’t come over here or talk to me. Don’t even look at me. I’ll hate you forever. I swear I will.”

He’d tried everything. He’d written notes, spoken with her friends, called her daily. But he had nothing he could offer her as proof. Joel had denied everything, then taken Dana’s side, as if he, too, believed Trevor had been the one to spread the rumors. Trevor’s only relief had come the following fall, when he’d finally left for college.

Trevor reached for the beer on the table at his side and gave his head a quick shake, hoping to dislodge the memories. He knew better than to spend much time in the past It had a way of grabbing on to him and never letting go. Dana had thought their brief relationship meant nothing to him, yet she was the reason he’d completed his undergraduate degree in three years instead of four. At first he’d buried himself in his studies to forget. Eventually he got caught up in the process, until the work consumed him and became its own reward. And now she was back in his life.

He knew he hadn’t returned to Honeygrove because of her, yet he couldn’t be sorry she was around. He didn’t expect to pick things up where they’d left off, but he would like a chance to make things right. For reasons he didn’t want to explore, he would prefer that Dana not think of him as the bad guy. When that was resolved, he would make some effort in his personal life. It was time to find someone, and settle down. He wanted a loving relationship and a couple of kids. Goals most men found easy to accomplish, although he’d had a hell of a time making that happen.

All he wanted was someone to see him for who and what he was on the inside. Someone to care about him, to believe in him and the truth instead of the rumors.

He finished the beer and stood. If that didn’t happen, there was always work. He could bury himself in it just as he’d buried himself in his studies. It was one lesson he’d learned very well.

* * *

“We went dancing,” Sally said. “You know, that new club downtown? The one with the really cute D.J.?” She sighed rapturously and wrapped her arms around herself. “He held me close and I thought I was going to die.”

“You’re going to wish you had if you let yourself fall for him,” Melba intoned ominously. “I’m telling you, don’t go getting serious about Trevor MacAllister.”

Angie, a blond nurse pretty enough to make other women dislike her on sight, came up and joined the conversation. “Listen to Melba,” she said, and gave a slow, self-satisfied smile. “You might have had him Saturday night, Sally, but I had him all Sunday night, and I do mean all.” She gave a little wink, then walked over to the elevator and pushed the Down button.

Dana wished there were a means for her to gracefully escape from the conversation, but she was trapped between Sally and Melba, with no way to tell them she wasn’t interested in the object of their conversation. Worse, she was stuck waiting for him. He needed to talk about several changes in the current surgery schedule.

“Like I said, we went dancing,” Sally repeated, speaking loudly so that Angie could hear. She tucked a strand of dark curly hair behind her ear. “Some of us don’t believe in putting out on the first date. You know, some of us believe we’re worth more and have some class.”

Angie glanced over her shoulder and grinned. “Some of us got asked and some of us didn’t.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m so tired. I swear, I didn’t get but a couple hours’ sleep. I would blame him completely, but he kept telling me he was inspired.”

Dana gritted her teeth. She told herself she was annoyed at being kept waiting, then shook off the thought. No point in lying to herself. She knew better. She was cranky because she’d actually started to believe Trevor’s “I’m so alone” act. To think that she’d gone over and actually helped him unpack. He must have been laughing when she left. All that talk about his ex-wife and how he’d found her with another man.

She clutched her clipboard and wished she could toss it across the room. To make matters worse, she’d truly felt sorry for Trevor. Like an idiot, she’d assumed he’d spent Saturday night in. After all, she’d heard his television playing until nearly nine at night

She turned to Sally. “I know that Trevor moved over the weekend,” she said. “He must have been busy unpacking. What time did he pick you up?”

Sally looked surprised that Dana had joined the conversation, but she answered quickly enough. “Late. The club doesn’t really get going until almost eleven.”

There went that theory. By ten Dana had been reading in bed. She wouldn’t have heard Trevor leaving the town house. Not that it was any of her business.

She knew that her irritation was fueled by the fact that she’d been so taken in by him, and had been feeling guilty for being slightly less than pleasant during their conversation. She’d seriously considered inviting him over for dinner on Sunday. Good thing she hadn’t.

Never again, she told herself. She would do her best to avoid the man like the wart scum he was. The next time she saw him, she would—

The elevator doors opened and Trevor stepped out. All conversation ceased as the four women turned their attention to him.

“There you are,” he said.

Dana blinked. He’d walked right past Angie and Sally with little more than a nod, but he was giving her one of his better smiles. That didn’t make sense. How could he ignore those other women? He’d dated them. According to Angie, he and the pretty nurse had done the wild thing through most of the night.

“Dr. MacAllister,” she said, ignoring the frenzy stirred up by her suddenly out-of-control hormones. Bad enough that he was a skirt chaser. Worse that her own body betrayed her by melting on command every time she saw him and he bestowed a smile on her. Why couldn’t she grow up? A crush at fifteen was excusable. A crush at her age made her look really stupid.