One Sure Thing (Mamma Lou Matchmaker Series) (19 page)

Faith, only half-satisfied with her sister’s answer, smiled and took out another sweatshirt. “Dinner is always a good start.”

“It was just one simple dinner Faith, No big deal.”

“Where’d you go?”

Hope took a deep breath and looked at her sister. “It was some Japanese restaurant near his office.”

“Did you have a nice time?”

“Yes.”

“Did he drive you home?”

Hope paused to consider her answer. “Yes, he took me home,” she answered testily.

“Then what happened?”

“Later he got up and left.”

“What do you mean he got up and left?”

“It was storming outside, so I assume he waited until the stormed passed.”

“Uh huh,” Hope said.

Faith nodded. “What did you do in the meantime?”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

Faith instantly broke out in a broad grin. “He got up this morning and left, didn’t he?”

“That’s not the point, the fact remains, that he’s impossible.”

Faith smiled mischievously. “Actually, that’s the point. Why don’t you just admit it?”

“Admit what?”

“Suit yourself,” Faith said innocently folding the shirt and placing it back into the box.

“What does he think? Am I supposed to be impressed or something? So what he has connections, so what he has influence.”

Faith continued folding the last sweatshirt. The bold blue lettering of the University of Pennsylvania sweatshirt was on top of the pile. She refolded the sweatshirt and placed it back in the oversized box. “Hope, you’ve got to admit, the man is impressive.”

“I am not impressed. So what if he can have a few sweatshirts delivered the next day. Anybody can do that.”

“No, I don’t think so. And actually it was the next morning to be exact.”

Hope looked at her sister, stunned by her lack of support.

“He probably just went online.”

“Since when does anything arrive just hours after it’s been ordered online? Please girl. Just admit it. The man is good.”

“Big deal, the University of Pennsylvania isn’t that far.”

Faith began rifling through the various sweatshirts. “Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Cal Tech, Duke, MIT, Stanford,” she rattled off. “Dartmouth, Columbia and of course the one that started it all, U Penn.”

“Are you finished?”

Faith giggled in spite of Hope’s stern look. “Yeah.”

Hope ignored her. “He wanted to have his grandmother transferred to Manhattan Medical. Then, he tried to rearrange my schedule to suit him. I spend half my time in the ER and half on the fifth floor. Can you believe that?” She rambled on uninterrupted for another few minutes.

Finally, Faith shrugged her shoulders innocently and said, “Manhattan Medical is a great facility. They have a state-of-the-art medical facility. I don’t blame him for wanting the best for his grandmother.”

Hope looked at her sister with annoyance. She wasn’t supposed to agree with him. She was supposed to be loyal to her. “So what’s Golden Heart? Chopped liver?”

“Of course not, Golden Heart is wonderful. But Manhattan Medical is arguably the best private hospital in the country.”

Exasperated, Hope looked at Faith as if she’d grown two heads. “What?”

“Hope, you’re getting all worked up over nothing.”

“I am not.” Hope crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

“So what, take a few days to hang out with a nice elderly woman. Read a book or two, get some rest. What’s the harm?”

“I don’t appreciate having my life dictated to me. Did I tell you that I have to go to the fundraiser this weekend?”

“Repeatedly,” Faith added dryly, as she sipped the last of her tea.

“Well, it bears repeating.”

“You know, you should seriously think about reducing your caffeine intake. You’re getting way too upset over something so minor,” Faith said. With a knowing smile, she added, “What’s really going on with you and Dr. Gates?”

“What? Nothing!” she practically shouted. Then lowered her tone and looked around the emptying cafeteria. “Nothing.”

“Uh-oh.” Faith started laughing. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier. He fits the profile perfectly doesn’t he?”

“What profile?”

“He’s a wealthy plastic surgeon, apparently gorgeous, probably lives in a fabulous place, has dozens of women after him, and is completely unavailable.”

“Oh please.” Hope tossed her hand up to quickly dismiss the notion.

“You are attracted to men that are totally unavailable.”

“I am not.”

“Oh please. Every man you ever dated was some lost cause. They either went back to their ex-wife or…,” she paused, “…or they were rich jerks, who were cowards and not their own man, or weren’t strong enough to stand up for themselves.”

Hope angrily looked at her sister through the slits of her eyes.

“There was a certain ex-husband who you helped put through med school when his father cut him off. You marry the fool, then he ups and divorces you because his daddy threatens to cut him out of the will. And on top it off he remarries some airhead who his daddy picked out for him.”

Hope went still. But to her surprise, the raw anger was gone. It was true, Nolan had no intention of keeping his vows and standing up to his father. It took him six months to admit to his father that they’d even gotten married.

“Why don’t you just admit that Dr. Gates is someone special?”

Hope was surprised by her reaction. Usually, the mention of her eighteen-month marriage immediately brought tears to her eyes. But now, other than mild irritation, she felt nothing.”

“Raymond’s nothing to me,” she stated impassively. But now, however, she was surprised at the pain she felt as she woke to a cold empty bed. It was the same feeling she had when Nolan left her without even a note.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing,” Faith said.

“Nothing,” she reiterated. “He actually had the audacity to accuse me of being self-righteous. Can you believe that? Me? Self-righteous?”

“Well Hope, you do have a tendency to come off a bit preachy.”

Hope’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me? Preachy? Since when have I ever been preachy?”

“Oh please, since when are you not?”

“I presume that’s a personal opinion.”

“No, it’s a sisterly observation. I’ve known you all my life. That makes me an authority. I’m your younger sister, so that makes me an expert.” Faith smiled sweetly at an angry Hope.

Suddenly, they laughed aloud until Hope accidentally hit the box with her knee. “And another thing,” she began with a deep breath, launching into another diatribe about the situation. “The day-shift … I haven’t had a day shift in over five years,” Hope said in an exasperated voice. “All of this because of one man.”

“Ah, but what a man,” Faith said with a dreamlike expression.

“How would you know? You’ve never even met him.”

“I don’t have to. Rumor has that he’s gorgeous with a capital
G
.”

“His grandmother just checked in the other day. How can the rumor mill get started about him already?”

“Your little spat yesterday morning was all the talk around the hospital this morning.”

“Oh please.”

“Girl, you know the rumor mill starts grinding quicker when gossip is this juicy. So tell me, did you really kick him you know where?”

“What? No.”

Faith looked disappointed. “I didn’t think so.”

“So what’s he really like? Everybody’s dying to know.”

“He’s an arrogant jerk—typical blade. He thinks that just because he’s a surgeon, the world revolves around him.”

“He’s not just any surgeon Hope. He’s a well-known cosmetic surgeon. He was even featured on a television program about his work.”

“Faith, anybody can get on television. I don’t think that’s any big deal.”

“You know Hope, I don’t remember ever hearing you protest so much.”

“Meaning?”

“What did Shakespeare say? Oh yeah, me thinks thou doth protest too much.”

“Well, me thinks thou has lost thy mind. There’s nothing remotely appealing about that man. He’s the biggest jerk I’ve ever met.”

Faith smiled knowing her sister too well. If she truly disliked someone, she wouldn’t even acknowledge their existence much less talk about them for half an hour. “So what you’re saying is that we just spent our entire break talking about a man that you care nothing about? And all those rumors about how handsome he is and how generous he is, and how skilled he is, are just that—rumors?

“Yes, well, no. Well… he’s kind-of cute in a classically handsome sort of way. He’s got these incredible dimples that he flashes when he smiles or laughs. And he’s got hazel eyes with yellow-green flecks in the irises.” Hope looked away with a dreamy expression then bit at her lower lip with a slightly wicked grin. “He’s sweet and caring when it comes to his grandmother. And he’s tall with broad shoulders and graceful hands that…” She trailed off as Faith’s already Cheshire-like grin expanded.

“What?”

“Girl-”

“Don’t even try it. He and I are just working together until his grandmother is discharged, which will be as soon as possible.”

“It sounds like there’s a lot more to the rumors than meets the eye.”

“I have to go. My shift starts in fifteen minutes.”

Hope stood and picked up her tray. “I don’t know who starts all these ridiculous rumors floating around this place, but it’s gotten totally out of hand.

“Hey wait a minute. What do you want to do with this box of sweatshirts?”

Hope paused, she’d forgotten all about the delivery. She came back to the table. “What am I supposed to do with them?”

“They were a gift, keep them. Wear them.”

Hope picked up the hefty box, and then began her tirade all over again. “Unbelievable…” Just then her beeper sounded. She put the box down and looked down at the code and panicked. “Louise Gates just relapsed.” She instantly ran from the cafeteria.

“I’ll put the box in your car,” Faith called out after her.

“Thanks,” Hope replied before disappearing through the open doors.

Faith sat and watched as her sister ran out of the cafeteria. She shook her head with concern hoping that Louise Gates would be okay. Then she looked at the box and chuckled. Hope wasn’t fooling anyone but herself. She had a thing for Dr. Gates even if she refused to admit it.

Faith placed her empty cup on the tray. She stood and went to the kitchen. She came back to the table and picked up the box. She thought about Hope and Raymond Gates, then decided to make a point of introducing herself to Louise Gates before she was discharged.