Nervousness gave way to laughter. She leaned against the wall, barely hearing the light rap on the door. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles. Clearing her throat and struggling to gain composure, she called, “Come in.”
The door creaked open, revealing an aqua eye hedged in black lashes. “Excuse me, Ms. Vaughan?” a low voice asked.
“Yes?” Darcy answered, swallowing a chuckle. The door opened gradually, unveiling a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a thigh-length white coat, jeans and the most handsome face she’d ever seen.
“I’m Dr. Cabin Creighton.” He set a sealed syringe on the counter, then took her hand briefly into his strong grip. “Please excuse my attire.” He patted his denim-clad thigh and grinned, revealing white, even teeth. “Dr. Fourman responded to an emergency, and I was called in underdressed.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I haven’t seen one of those in a long time.” She pointed to his lab coat.
He grasped the lapel and cocked his head, his black hair falling across his brow. “My father’s from the, ‘doctors in white coats,’ era. I wear it to make him happy.”
“Is your father’s office in Verden?”
He glanced at her chart before setting it on the counter. “It was, until his retirement. He founded the Verden Clinic back in the sixties. I’ve recently taken over his practice.”
Darcy nodded. “The name sounded familiar.” She recalled a skinny, aqua-eyed boy with large dirt-red sneakers, diving from a lakeside mesa. She looked up at him, admiring how well he’d grown into his feet. “I live at Chickasha Lake.”
“I’ve often wondered why it it’s called ‘Chickasha Lake,’ even though it’s located in Verden city limits.” He slid a pair of latex gloves from a box on the counter and snapped them onto his hands. “I spent a lot of time at that lake as a kid. Our house was on the outskirts of Verden.” Taking a small packet from a glass canister, he glanced at her. “I attended school here in Chickasha. Sometimes I never quite made it. I’d wash up on the lakeshore at three o’clock instead.” He grinned, a glint in his eyes.
She smiled. “My twin sister and I went to school in Verden and never missed a day. The lake was in our back yard. We would’ve been caught for sure.”
He looked at her, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “What I would’ve given to live at the lake back then.” He pulled the alcohol prep from the package. “Now. Let me see those teeth marks.”
****
Cabin cleared his throat, aware of her discomfort. She blushed, tugging her skirt down, exposing the adhesive bandage on her right buttock. “I’m going to remove the bandage, tell me if I hurt you.” He carefully uncovered the wound. “Is it tender?” he asked, lightly touching her inflamed skin with a gloved finger.
She winced. “A little bit.”
Gently, he disinfected, applied ointment, and redressed the wound. When finished, he turned away, facing the wall as she adjusted her skirt.
“Now the fun part. You’re going to need a tetanus shot.” He unwrapped and assembled the syringe. “Pick an arm...any arm,” he coaxed in his best carnival barker voice.
“This one.” She raised her right arm. “I’m right-handed. The soreness will work out quicker.”
“Good point. Relax your arm, please.”
She averted her gaze as he administered the shot, then applied a small bandage.
“All done.” He removed the gloves, and tossed them into the trashcan.
“Wow, I didn’t feel a thing.” She looked down at her purple bandage. “Fancy.”
“I’m going to write you a script for antibiotics and pain reliever that’s a little stronger than over the counter. Follow the directions on both medications, and be sure to take the pain reliever before bed tonight.”
Darcy nodded. “Thank you for fitting me in, even if it was against my will.”
“My pleasure.” His face warmed as the words rang true. “Did you say you have a twin sister?”
“Yes, her name is Scarlett. She’s moving in with me tomorrow, as a matter of fact.”
He massaged his chin. “Could it be, we splashed around in the lake together when we were kids?”
“It’s possible.”
“I remember cliff-diving with my buddy, Brent. We were...oh, maybe fifteen years old—the same summer we finally got rid of those ridiculous mullet haircuts.” He shook his head. “Anyway, there were these cute blonde twins, one in a full piece suit, one in a bikini, and we called them ‘Doublemint.’ Like the gum.”
Darcy half-raised her hand and grinned. “I’m the full piece suit.”
Her laughter made him smile just as it had earlier, when he’d heard it through the closed door.
Chapter Two
“Bit on the ass. Unbelievable. You’ll probably catch rabies someday from one of the snot-nosed beasts in that kennel you call a classroom.” Scarlett perched oversized sunglasses on top of her head like a tiara.
Darcy stepped through the door, and onto the front porch, the joy of seeing her sister already warring against feelings of inadequacy. “Good morning, sis. Nice to see you, too. By the way, those kids mean the world to me. I told you on the phone, it was an accident.”
“Forgive me, Dar, you know I’m positively tactless. It’s a birth defect.” Scarlett ignored Darcy’s outstretched arms, taking her instead by the shoulders and kissing her cheeks. “Tell me, while we’re here in the sunlight, is my Botox diminishing? Do you see a wrinkle?” She ran a garnet-tipped finger down her forehead.
Darcy wondered what would possess her sister, at twenty-nine, to undergo so many cosmetic alterations. Then again, Scarlett was a fighter, and age was an enemy. She wasn’t about to let it get the upper hand. Darcy squinted at Scarlett’s brow, stepping closer.
“Never mind. I’m sure it’s holding up fine.” She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her designer bag and shook one out, then rummaged for her lighter. “
There
you are,” she said, flicking the black disposable. She lit the cigarette and dragged deep, tipping her head back to exhale.
Darcy coughed, the smoke Scarlett blew above her head somehow finding its way to her lungs.
“Nasty cough. Did the biter have a cold?” Scarlett backed up her stilettos, teetering on the very edge of the porch.
“It’s the smoke.” Darcy fanned her face.
“Oh, good. I thought you might be contagious.” Scarlett turned her platinum-streaked head toward the lake. “I need coffee.” She crushed the filter beneath her pointed toe before kicking it into Darcy’s begonia blossoms, then brushed past her sister, clicking through the house to the kitchen. “It’s quite...sunny, isn’t it?” she asked, sweeping the yellow walls with her gaze.
“That’s why I like it.” Darcy shrugged, handing her a mug of coffee. “Still take it black?”
“Black and kicking.” Scarlett opened and closed Darcy’s cabinets, searching. “Should’ve guessed. Bone dry.” She sifted through her bag on the countertop and pulled out a small silver flask. “Ah, no worries.” She spun the lid with her thumb and emptied the amber liquid into her mug. After a few cooling blows, she took a sip. “Mmmm...heaven.”
Darcy poured herself a cup, whitened it with cream, and stirred. “It’s only seven-thirty in the morning, maybe you should pace yourself.”
Scarlett tossed her head and laughed. “God, you sound just like me.”
Darcy frowned, raising an eyebrow.
Scarlett perched on a blue barstool. “I mean your
voice
. Sounds like you’ve been smoking.”
Darcy’s frown deepened. “Secondhand.” She cleared her throat.
“You should go with it. Throaty little schoolteachers are sexy.” Scarlett leaned onto her fist and arched her brows.
Darcy’s cheeks warmed. “Anyway... I’ve only seen you once since Dad and Mom moved to Florida.” She scooted a stool from the bar and cautiously sat. “What have you been up to for the past…three years?”
“Don’t be absurd. You know it’s not like that. We’ve texted and chatted on the computer plenty of times. I even sent you a link to my blog.” She took a long sip of coffee.
“True, but that’s hardly the same as seeing you in person. I tried once to visit you at Renewals, but they wouldn’t let me in. I ended up flying back home.”
Scarlett held up a hand. “Don’t mention that dreadful place.”
“I’m sorry. It really is good to see you, sis.”
Scarlett raised her chin. “It’s damn good to see you too, Dar.” Her breath, laden with booze, coffee and cigarettes, transcended the gap between them. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” Her heels clicked on the tile, and she steadied herself against the countertop. “I’m going to the Benz to get my things.”
****
Liz stepped into Darcy’s classroom. “Glad to see you and
your booty
are back with us.”
“You and me both.” Darcy rolled her chair from the desk and stood.
“How’s it going with your evil twin—um, I mean twin, in town?”
Darcy’s blood heated. “Liz, enough. I told you, she’s had a rough life. Give her a chance.”
Liz shrugged. “I just don’t want you getting hurt by her. I don’t trust her.”
“You don’t know her.”
Liz let her gaze rest on Darcy. “Neither do you.”
“Is that why you stopped by? To warn me about my own sister?”
“Not entirely. I have a favor to ask.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve maiming or murdering Scarlett, the answer is likely yes.” Darcy grinned.
“Well, I kind of invited someone to the lake, and sort of told him we could use your boat dock this coming Saturday.” Liz cringed. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Darcy cocked her head. “Who is he?”
“Great!” Liz released a long breath. “His name is Richard Bradshaw. He’s a physician’s assistant, and he has a doctor-friend with a boat. The friend offered to drive Richard
and the boat
to the lake, then pick them both up later.”
“Generous friend.”
“I know, right? Richard said the guy works most of the time, and doesn’t utilize the boat much. Apparently he moved to Verden in April to take over his father’s practice. He fills in at the Clinic in Chickasha sometimes, that’s how Richard met him.”
Darcy’s stomach quivered like an elevator between floors. “Sure, it’s completely fine for you and Richard to use the boat dock. I’ll bring the shed key so you can get to the barbeque grill and other supplies.” She struggled to appear only minimally interested.
Liz knit her brows. “What’s
that
look for?” Her face fell. “Oh-no, you know something about Richard, don’t you? Oh, please don’t tell me he’s married.”
“No. I mean, I don’t know.” She paused. “I don’t know
Richard
. But I think I know his friend.”
“The doctor? I didn’t even tell you his name.”
The first bell rang. Excited stomps and yells filled the hallway.
“I’ll bring the key tomorrow.”
“Thanks. See you at lunch.” Liz weaved through Darcy’s arriving students on her way out.
****
“
Yoo-hoo
!” Scarlett waved to Darcy from the neighboring porch.
Darcy waved back through her open car door before sliding out.
Scarlett swept an arm through the air. “It’s official. We’re neighbors.”
Darcy walked up the front steps of Bessie Roberts’s A-frame cottage. “You’re moving in here? You
do
remember me telling you Bessie died here a few days ago, right?”
Scarlett shrugged. “So, that makes it available.”
Darcy’s mouth tightened at her sister’s callousness. “How can you say such a thing? Show some respect.”
Scarlett’s features softened. “You’re right. Bad word choice.” Her eyes glistened. “I remember Bessie from when we were kids. I truly am sorry she passed, but I do need a place to stay…and her family wanted the house occupied. So here I am, just trying to make the best of a sad situation.”
Darcy nodded, relieved to see her sister had some compassion. “I’m glad you’re moving in.”
“Me too. And maybe being neighbors will satisfy that absurd, twinly urge I have to be near you.” Scarlett lit a cigarette. “Grab a load of stuff and come inside.” She motioned to the high-end shopping bags lining the porch.
Darcy threaded bags onto her fingers and stepped into the entryway. “I’ve always thought it was lovely.”
“It’ll do. Of course, redecoration is a given. I’ll need to call Charles right away for referrals in this area.” Scarlett flicked her ashes onto the wood flooring. “And I’m in dire need of a good cleaning woman. The place is filthy.”
“Not filthy, just…lived in.” Darcy stepped around the ashes, through the dining room, and into the kitchen she’d always admired, with its natural wood cabinets and mosaic tile countertops. “The kitchen is charming.” She smiled sadly, remembering long chats with Bessie across her oak table, eating homemade snicker doodle cookies and drinking tea.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “So, my sweet sister, the rest of my belongings will arrive by truck tomorrow. Thankfully, I will be out of your hair and your spare bedroom.”
“You can stay as long as you need to. It’ll take a while to get your things situated.”
“Thank you, but tonight will be our last slumber-party.”
Darcy pulled her vibrating phone from the front pocket of her jeans and opened a text from Liz.
“
Richard’s friend is Dr. Cabin Creighton
.”
Although she’d already known, her heart fluttered, and she fumbled the phone, dropping it onto the kitchen tile.
Scarlett swooped it smoothly from the floor and read the text. “My-oh-my. ‘Dr. Cabin Creighton’ certainly has turned your fingers to butter,” she cooed.
“Do you mind?” Darcy opened her palm to Scarlett. “Personal medical business.” Her words came out breathy and weak, just like when she faced off with Scarlett as a child. She stared at the phone, her ears and cheeks warming.
“Nonsense.” Scarlett tossed the phone, causing Darcy to fumble it a second time. “My eyes also turn
garishly
green when I’m hot and bothered. Or so I’ve been told.”
Darcy stuffed the phone into her pocket. “I’m going home to start dinner,” she growled, her stomps echoing through the unfurnished house. She slammed the door, then walked through Scarlett’s yard to her own. She clomped up the steps and banged through the front door, feeling like both a teased child and an excited teenager. She scolded herself for becoming a humiliated eight-year-old around her sister, and for turning into a jelly filled sixteen-year-old at the mention of the doctor’s
name
.