Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (41 page)

Chapter Sixteen

“Hey! Glad you’re here. I’ve got to run to the hospital. The woman you used to work for was brought in and told the staff to call me since I’m her doctor. I’m having the hospital fax the details over, but I’m going to head on over there and see what’s going on with her since I don’t have any appointments for the next hour.”

Sharon couldn
’t say anything so she only nodded. Jake hurried back to his office and came out with his lab coat hanging over his arm and his black bag clutched in his hand before hurrying to the door. He stopped, looked back at her, and grinned.

“
You sure look nice. I like your hair up like that.” He headed out, leaving Sharon standing there torn between shock and delight.

When she could move, Sharon hurried to the fax machine, but it remained silent so she forced herself to return to her desk to set up for the day ahead. After logging on to her computer and bringing up all the needed programs, she made her way back to his office but the machine remained the same.

Her body buzzing with nervous energy and her mind in turmoil, Sharon retrieved the cleaning supplies and dusted Jake’s desk, the numerous bookshelves and book spines, the old water cooler in the corner, and then looked around. Unlike Old Doc’s office she’d seen years ago, Jake had no clutter at all to contend with so she headed back to her desk and sat down.

Thoughts of disaster and regret filled her head. What if she
’d caused her mother to have a heart attack? What if her harsh words and
get out of my life
attitude were too much for Candy’s frail state of mind? What if her mother being in the hospital was all her fault?

The bell on the door indicated Jake
’s first patient was early. Sharon smiled, but feared it was as shaky as she felt inside. “Good morning. Mr. Cork?”

The elderly gentleman nodded as he made his way over to stand before her.
“Sure am, sweet thing. Where’s that ol’ battle ax that usually fills that chair?”

Sharon
’s brows rose but she couldn’t suppress her smile. “If you’re talking about Mrs. Huff, she’s retired. I’m Sharon. It’s nice to meet you.”

“
Nice having a pretty little thing like you to look at while I wait to see the doc. Got me a new girlfriend. Thought I might need a little check-up and some man vitamins. You understand?” He wiggled bushy thick silver brows at Sharon and smiled a nearly toothless grin.

I certainly hope not.

Sharon didn’t let her thoughts show as he slowly made his way to the closest chair. She smiled at him, as was her job, but the thought of a bent over old man, who needed a cane just to shuffle his way to his seat, doing anything but going back to his home to nap in a recliner was a picture she had no desire to contemplate.

“
The doctor had to make a quick trip to the hospital. But he should be back shortly.”

The old man settled himself and nodded.
“I got all day. My girl won’t be expecting me till dinner time.”

Sharon
’s smile fell off as he seemed to instantly drift off to sleep, giving her time to wonder if Jake had seen her mother yet, if she was all right, if Sharon would be required to go see her and then everyone would know….

She couldn
’t. Not unless it was absolutely necessary. Candy had no one but herself to blame for her health or the broken relationship with her daughter. Sharon took a steadying breath. It went against her nature to be cruel, but she was done being mistreated.

The bell on the door rang and Sharon looked up. Jake was hurrying back in. He threw her a smile then looked at Mr. Cork curiously before looking back to her.
“My first of the day?”

Sharon nodded, wanting so badly to question him about her mother but not wanting to seem too anxious. She turned her attention to their sleeping patient.
“I think he wants some of those little blue pills.” Sharon grinned. “He has a new girlfriend.”

Jake smiled.
“Good for him, but are you sure he’s breathing?”

Sharon rose quickly and made her way to check his pulse. The chuckling behind her made her bite her lips to keep from smiling as Mr. Cork instantly awoke. She smiled down at him, and then winked just for the heck of it. Mr. Cork wiggled his brows again as Sharon straightened. She glanced at the prankster, and then smiled even sweeter at the old man.
“I’m sure the doctor will be happy to give you a prostate exam, just to make sure everything is as it should be before your date tonight.”

She turned to Jake and smiled.
“Won’t you, Doctor?”

The look on his face was priceless as Sharon made her way back to the desk, sat down, pulled her nail file out, and made studious work of filing her already neat nails. She glanced up to see Jake helping Mr. Cork to his feet, before he sent her an amused silent warning with his eyes. Sharon sighed long and loud, pretending to be bored, and then turned her attention back to her nails.

“Oh, Mrs. Gillll-bert?”

The singsong sound of her name coming from Jake
’s lips as he left the foyer didn’t bode well, Sharon was sure, but she matched his tone. “Yesssss, Doctor Jake?”

Jake
’s grin nearly took up his entire face. “Please come help Mr. Cork undress completely for his physical. Have the gown opening at the front please.”

The file slipped through her fingers and hit the desk as her mouth fell open. Jake
’s laughter followed him and his patient all the way into the first examination room. Shaking her head, Sharon rose and headed that way, figuring she deserved that one.

****

“I don’t ever want to see a naked man again for the rest of my life.”

Jake laughed and held up his hands.
“Not fair. Mr. Cork is close to ninety. We don’t all look that way.”

Sharon grinned and placed her spoon down beside the empty bowl of egg drop soup. Since she
’d gotten to choose the restaurant, and Jake said he loved Chinese cuisine too, they’d left Legend behind and headed to Pigeon Forge. Although the restaurant in Legend was probably just fine, she had no desire to dine in town, and Jake didn’t mind going to one Sharon remembered Ms. Addie taking her to on a trip to Gatlinburg. When they got there, the place she remembered was no longer there, but another one had opened and was turning out to be really good.

The food wasn
’t the only good thing about the trip though. Jake was amazing company. He talked about interesting things, but more importantly he listened to what she had to say. Not just listened, but
really
listened. Something Gerald had never been willing to do. He laughed at things she thought were funny, and he showed compassion when he spotted a man sitting on the side of the road that held a sign stating his family desperately needed food and he hadn’t been able to find work. Sharon had no idea how much cash Jake took from his wallet and handed out the window. But the man had burst into tears and thanked him profusely before walking away.

Gerald would have flipped the man off and told him to get lost. Sharon knew this because it had happened once when she
’d asked him to stop and let her give just a few dollars in a similar situation. Sharon could remember Gerald’s words as if it were yesterday. “That man makes more money every day than we do. You aren’t giving him a dime.”

The most ironic thing about his words, Sharon remembered, was that he hadn
’t even been making money at the time. Everything that they’d had was from her working two jobs.

“
I think I lost you.”

Sharon blinked and shook her head.
“Thank you.”

Jake
’s head tilted as his brows drew together. “For?”

“
Being you.”

Pleasure and surprise lit his eyes.
“That’s a really nice thing to say.”

Sharon looked into his eyes, wondering what if? What if she took a chance and let them test being more than friends? What if she told him about her past and he understood that she had only made all those mistakes because she hadn
’t known any better at the time? What if she admitted that the poor woman she still hadn’t gotten the guts to ask about was her mother?

“
Jake, I need to tell you something.”

“
Here you go. Good food. Yes?”

Sharon glanced up at the waitress and smiled, thinking she had probably been saved from making a terrible mistake. She looked at the huge bowl of shrimp and fried rice then glanced over at Jake
’s bowl of beef and broccoli. “This looks really good.”

Jake nodded and studied Sharon until the waitress walked off.
“What did you need to tell me?”

Sharon laughed.
“Oh, yeah. My son is playing football next Friday night, and I was wondering if you wanted to go to the game with me.”

Jake smiled.
“I’d love to. Maybe I’ll finally get to meet him. But I don’t want to wait a whole week before seeing you…outside of the office. I was hoping we could go out again tomorrow night. I’ve been dying to see the latest Razor movie.”

Sharon nodded hesitantly, wanting to spend so much more time with him, hoping she wasn
’t making a terrible mistake. “That sounds like fun, even though I have no idea who Razor is.”

Jake laughed.
“Not a
who
, a
what
. It’s Sci-Fi. Robots in space. Do you like that kind of stuff?”

Since Sharon hadn
’t been to a movie since Kyle Sanders took her in high school, she had no idea if she’d like it or not. But she liked him. “I’m sure I will.”

Jake looked horrified.
“You’ve never seen Sci-Fi? You’re in for a treat. Lots of action, and technology, but always with a human element.”

His excitement was so boyishly charming, Sharon couldn
’t help but get excited too. “What time? Where? I’ll have to get a sitter for Kyle, though…” Her excitement suddenly curtailed, Sharon bit her bottom lip.

“
No you don’t. Let’s take him, too. He’s what? Thirteen? Fourteen?”

Sharon blew out a breath. Her dancing with what could possibly, and would likely, end in disappointment was one thing. Bringing her child into it was something else.
“I don’t know. I haven’t even told him about tonight.”

Jake studied her for a moment before speaking.
“You haven’t dated since you and his dad broke up?”

Sharon bit the inside of her lip as she debated how to answer. If nothing else, she owed him honesty.
“My ex wasn’t Kyle’s dad. Biologically speaking. Not really in any positive way no matter how it’s spoken.”

“
Yeah, you said that before.”

“
Oh, I did, didn’t I? Short version, I was pregnant with Kyle when I met Gerald. I was just eighteen and had lost any hope that the boy I’d loved with all my heart would ever be allowed to be in my life again. His father made it clear that I wasn’t going to be. They had money. I didn’t. And that was that.”

Jake nodded but said nothing as he waited for her to continue. Although there was no condemnation in his eyes, Sharon felt the need to make him understand she hadn
’t used her husband, but rather had been used by him. “I was alone, and afraid, and wanted someone to be with me through a very tough situation. He wanted a meal ticket while he went to medical school and I was dumb enough to be it.”

“
Damn.”

Sharon relaxed, knowing that one word was for her, not against her.
“Yeah. I wanted to make him love me. And I wanted to love him, but it’s hard to love someone you resent more and more each day. The bigger I got while carrying Kyle the meaner he got. He stopped pretending I was anything at all to him, but he stayed and he was all I had.

“
To keep a roof over our heads and food on the table I worked two jobs until the day before I gave birth, then we basically went on welfare for the six weeks the doctor told me I couldn’t work. Once he cleared me, Gerald told me to get back to work or get out. By then I had given up on love but I had a newborn and couldn’t support us and take care of him too. Childcare was too expensive and with Gerald home a lot while he was working on his undergraduate studies I could get a neighbor woman to watch the baby the few hours Gerald was in classes each day. I worked sixteen to eighteen hour days, took care of Kyle as much as I could before sleeping a couple of hours a night, and no matter what I did it was the wrong thing in Gerald’s eyes.”

“
Damn.”

Sharon smiled.
“You already said that.”

Jake just sat there looking at her.
“I can barely think of the right words to tell you how amazing you are.”

Of all the things he could have said, that was the last thing Sharon expected, and to her horror, tears flooded her eyes. Instead of reacting to her tears with trepidation or irritation, Jake surprised her again by smiling and holding his hands out on the table. She took them and stared into his eyes as the first tears fell.