The Playboy's Proposal (Sorensen Family) (3 page)

With satisfaction, she hung up. It was time Mr. Henry Ellison realized the whole world wasn’t his playground and that he, like everyone else, had to follow the rules.

As she paused in the hallway outside his door, she rolled her eyes at the faint but distinctive sound of a John Mayer song playing softly.

What. A. Player.

Inside her own place, she poured herself a glass of wine and went to the couch. She kicked off her comfortable orthopedic sneakers and flipped the television on, bypassing changing into pajamas since her scrubs were just as comfortable.

Bonus.
Property Brothers
was running a marathon, and a new episode was just starting. She settled back to enjoy it, savoring her wine. Only halfway through the episode, she wasn’t paying attention to the show at all. Her thoughts were still on her nephew’s comment from earlier. About being alone.

As if hitting thirty hadn’t been hard enough, having the people she cared about echoing the same thoughts she’d been trying to block out for months hadn’t made it any easier. Usually she shrugged those comments off, excusing her single status as a necessity from her studies and then her work. But in recent months, seeing her brothers reach the level of happiness she’d only seen from her parents—and in fairy tales—she’d started realizing that something was missing from her life.

Not that she hadn’t been in relationships. But she’d never thought for a second that the four months she’d spent with Chip—a twenty-four-year-old orderly with a sweet smile and nice butt but not much happening upstairs—had been anything more than a fling. And when Chip had talked about making it more, she’d ended it quickly, not wanting to lead him on. Because he wasn’t the one. None of the guys she’d gone out with had been. They just happened to be the only ones she wasn’t a complete dork with when she tried to talk to them.

The guys that really made her pulse race, her breath catch…they were never going to want her anyhow. She’d learned that a long time ago. It was women like Daisy, pretty and vivacious, and naturally gifted with social skills, who easily earned the attention of men like Luke Seeley. And Jeff Nausbam before him, and Scottie Hall before them. Benny had resigned herself to halfhearted relationships with tepid chemistry and ho-hum romance—until Kate and Payton came and turned Benny’s brothers’ worlds around. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little envious.

She threw back the rest of her wine and got up to get a refill before turning the television off and heading to her bathroom. She set her glass down and leaned forward, peering into the mirror. It wasn’t that she was ugly. She knew that. Nor was she the same chubby-faced tomboy of her childhood.

But she did have a few more lines around the eyes than she once had. A chin hair that was growing more persistent and darker every year and would require pliers to remove soon, it was so stubborn. She leaned back. Her boobs, massive double Ds and once the bane of her pubescent existence, were only settling farther south.

Basically, everything was downhill from here.

And if she didn’t do something more proactive, she was going to be alone for the rest of her life. She’d be the old, lonely spinster aunt who would be extended the pity invitations to every holiday event.

Something had to change.
She
had to change. And she wasn’t talking about settling for anything second best. Not anymore.

If she wanted Luke Seeley to see her as more than the dorky new doctor who couldn’t string a sentence together in his presence, she was going to have to do something different.

The question was…what?

Chapter Three

“Your sister’s on the phone,” Marion said just after three on Thursday afternoon.

This can’t be good
. She only called when she wanted something. Henry picked up the phone. “Hey, Morgan.”

“Henry, I need a favor.” Just as he’d thought. “I have to catch a flight tonight to Orlando and my nanny has a family emergency, so she can’t stay with Ella. Can you take her? It would just be until Monday.”

Until…Monday?

“I don’t know…” It was one thing to have his niece for an overnight visit, but this was four
days
. Four nights. That was a lot of responsibility. “Don’t you have a friend or someone she would feel more comfortable with?”

“Jess and her family are leaving for Yellowstone on Saturday. It’s you or I’m going to have to cancel, which would be a logistical nightmare. Look, Ella is in a summer day camp on the weekdays until five thirty, meaning you’d only have the evenings and the weekend to keep her entertained. I wouldn’t be asking this if there were any other options.”

He didn’t have to ask whether this had something to do with work. There was nothing else in his sister’s life but her career as a motivational speaker and her four-year-old daughter, Ella. Sometimes he worried that despite having sworn to never become like their mother, she was getting awfully close to becoming a mirror image of Margaret Brighton.

He sighed, knowing that there was really only one answer here. “What time should I come get her?”

She gave him the details before ending the call to dash home to get Ella’s things together. Henry didn’t mind having his niece hang out with him and had actually enjoyed the time she’d slept over before—again, because Morgan was away somewhere for work. He’d even played a game of Candyland for the first time in his life.

He pressed his assistant’s extension. “Marion? You’re going to have to reschedule my four thirty meeting.” He considered the current contents of his refrigerator, which, according to his memory, consisted of hummus, brie, caviar, and maybe a bag of carrots. He should probably head out early, get some kid-friendly options. Including Skittles, which Ella had thought the greatest junk food ever when he’d bought some last time, even if they had to keep it their little secret since his sister was trying to raise a sugar-free kid, or some such nonsense. “I’m actually going to cut out of here in another hour. If there are any emergencies, send them to my cell phone, otherwise I’ll handle it tomorrow.”

“No problem. And don’t forget, you and Becks have that meeting with AirPro Athletics first thing in the morning.”

As if he could forget. The clients who needed to believe that Henry was merely misrepresented in the media. That he was a man of strong moral fiber and responsibility. A man who understood their vision.

Hell, selling things was his expertise. He could sell this.

He could sell anything.

…

He had to be the worst uncle in the history of the world. Henry couldn’t imagine what his sister was going to say when he talked to her later tonight. The only reason she didn’t know where they were now was because she’d written the name of Ella’s pediatrician and his phone number on the long list of contacts she’d left for him. Thank God Dr. Barnett’s office had an after-hours clinic versus taking Ella to the ER.

A Skittle up the nose? Now he was really busted.

Ella didn’t seem to be all that affected by the fact her nose was bulging on the left side thanks to the offending piece of candy, or by the more strenuous breathing sounds she made with the reduced air capacity.

It scared the crap out of Henry, though.

Where was the damned doctor? He looked at his phone. Twenty minutes past their appointment. There was a scuffling sound outside the room, like someone was flipping through pages, then the door opened.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Sorensen and I’ll be—” But whatever words were going to follow stopped as the good doctor looked up.

The madwoman who strode into his place like Godzilla the other night was standing in the doorway. No slippers, at least. Her hair was combed and pulled back into an uninspiring ponytail this time. Her clothing wasn’t much of an improvement from the pj’s either. She wore light green scrubs that successfully hid any curves from the discerning eye, hideous white sneakers, and the usual white lab coat, probably thrown on to convince her patients she really was a bona fide doctor. From what he could tell, her face was devoid of any makeup, not even a hint of colored ChapStick on those full lips.

Was she allergic to wanting to look pretty?

Her overall packaging was completely unflattering—something he couldn’t understand as a man whose whole career was putting forth the best package that consumers would clamor to get. Entirely unflattering…except for those dark-fringed, spectacular blue eyes that had widened in horror as she recognized him.

He grinned. “Dr. Sorensen.”

She looked from his niece, spinning around on the doctor’s stool, back to him, clearly confused. Then she seemed to snap out of her shock and came in, shutting the door behind her. “I didn’t realize you were a father.”

“Uncle. This is Ella, my niece, who’s staying with me for a few days.”

She bent down to peer into Ella’s face. “Hi, Ella. I’m Dr. Sorensen. Let’s have you sit up here so I can have a better look. Okay?”

Henry stood and without being asked, lifted Ella to the exam table. The woman didn’t appear to see him, her attention now on her patient. “You know you’re supposed to eat the candy, right?” she teased.

This earned a giggle from Ella. “I just wanted to see if it would fit.”

“I can see that.” She turned to look at Henry, with clear judgment in her eyes. “And you approved?”

He raised his hands as if helpless. “I was getting us root beer floats in the kitchen.”

Her right brow shot up—in question, he was sure, at his diabetes-inspired diet—before turning back to her charge. “Well, I’m going to try a few different things to see if we can get that thing out of there. Okay?”

A few minutes later, however, the Skittle remained.

“Okay, Ella, I’m going to go get a couple of things that might help to get that out. I’ll be right back.”

When Benny returned with a small pair of tweezers and alarmingly large forceps, Ella turned to him in terror.

“I know they look scary and they may be a little uncomfortable, but I promise you’re going to be okay,” she said in assurance. “And I know with certainty I have a root beer-flavored Popsicle for you when we’re all finished.”

Ella shook her head, panicked. “I want my—my mom,” she stuttered.

“Ella, honey, it’s going to be okay.” He grabbed the little girl’s hand in his own and nodded as he met her eyes, now filled with tears. It was like a kick in the stomach to see her so distressed.

It took about thirty seconds to pull out the offending candy, but every second that he saw the fear on his niece’s face felt like an hour. Was this what it was like? Having a kid? Being responsible for every little scratch and cut? It was…terrifying.

Benny held the purple Skittle up to Ella for a moment. “We got it. Great job.” She walked to the garbage and dropped it inside. “I’m just going to do a quick check inside your nose again to make sure I have everything, Ella.” She pulled a scope-looking thing from the wall and peered in both of Ella’s nostrils and her ears. “Looks good. She might be sensitive for a few hours. If there seems to be excessive runniness or she complains of pain, give us a call. Otherwise, she should be fine.” She turned her attention back to Ella. “Now you’ve got to promise me that you’re not going to stick anything else up your nose, okay? That goes for the ears, too.”

“Promise,” Ella said with a burst of enthusiasm. “Can I have that Popsicle now?”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” Benny opened the door and headed down the hall.

“Are we going to tell mom about the Skittle?”

Henry looked at his niece, considering only briefly the possibility of keeping this a secret. “I’m afraid so.” In good time, anyhow.

Footsteps were returning, but before they reached the door, there was a startled yelp followed by a thud. In a few steps, he was at the door, looking out at what caused the commotion.

Benny Sorensen was sitting on the floor, still grasping the Popsicle in her hand. A guy in a white lab coat was trying to help her up. It was hard to miss the stain covering her front—coffee, if the mug tipped over on the floor next to her was any indication.

“Dr. Sorensen, are you okay?” the guy was asking her.

She nodded, barely giving him a glance. “Y-yes. Fine thanks.”

“You were walking so fast around that corner I didn’t have time to get out of the way,” the guy said apologetically before chuckling as he looked down at her. “You’re going to need to keep a few extra coats in the office if we keep running into each other.”

Benny Sorensen was actually
blushing
? This was intriguing, and Henry leaned against the doorframe to watch the scene unfold.

Benny, however, didn’t appear to realize she had an audience, her gaze on the guy’s coat, which looked like it had suffered a little from the spill, too. “Oh, your jacket. I’m sorry.” She reached out like she was going to blot it with her fingers but realized, hand in midair, what she was about to do and froze.

“It’s fine. I’m done here tonight anyway. You have more patients?”

“Dr. Seeley?” interrupted the nasally voiced nurse who’d seen Henry and Ella when they first arrived. She’d come out of nowhere, and her brown eyes quickly assessed the situation, but she made no comment.

The doctor who’d taken out Benny Sorensen with his mug of coffee nodded at the nurse and waited for whatever message she had for him.

“Your friend is here. Should I send her back to your office?” There was a hint of disapproval in the nurse’s tone.

“Sure, Roz. Thanks.” Roz’s face didn’t show any reaction as she turned and headed back to the reception area. “Glad you’re okay,” Dr. Seeley said, returning his attention to Benny Sorensen. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

She just nodded, tongue-tied still, and Henry might have laughed if it wasn’t all so tragic.

The guy smiled indulgently—if Benny had been a dog he might have even patted her head. “Okay, good night then.”

Dr. Seeley went down the hall and stopped at a closed door at the end and opened it, flipping on a light.

“Luke!”

Dr. Seeley turned his head just as a tall woman with wavy blond hair and dressed in a slinky black dress reached him. She put her arms over his shoulder and practically sucked the guys face off with the determination of a Hoover vacuum.

Hot. She was definitely hot. Henry wouldn’t mind if she sucked on his face a little bit, either.

Benny was still as a statue, the Popsicle gripped tightly in her hand as she watched the embrace, her own reaction momentarily unguarded. She looked devastated.

Man, she had it bad.

Before she could realize he’d witnessed the entire thing, he stepped back and returned to his seat.

Ordinarily, considering how much of a pain in the ass she’d been since he first laid eyes on her, he wouldn’t give any further consideration to her obvious pain. But after the way she had taken care of Ella and made the whole experience so painless for them both, he felt more gratitude for her. Could even feel some sympathy toward her plight.

She clearly had no idea how to interact with the doctor other than colliding with him.

It made her seem almost…vulnerable. It couldn’t be easy being hopelessly in love with a guy who, from the tolerant albeit friendly smile he gave her, saw her in more of a brotherly fashion than anything else.

Maybe Henry could cut her a little slack after all.

…

Benny could hear the woman’s almost neighing laughter from where she was standing, even with the door closed. Could the woman be phonier? She’d bet those boobs were as real as the woman’s hair color.

Then, just as quickly as those thoughts came, Benny forced herself to stop and shook her head. She was being ridiculous and petty. The woman hadn’t done anything to her, and being catty—even only in her mind—wasn’t going to change the fact that Dr. Luke Seeley preferred his women pretty and polished and…not like Benny.

To make matters worse, she was standing there soaked with coffee, and she still had to go back inside the examination room and see
that
man.

She took a breath. The sooner she got in there and sent them on their way, the sooner she could leave and shower away her humiliation. “Sorry about the wait. Here you are, Ella.” She smiled and pulled the plastic off before handing her the Popsicle.

“You’re all wet,” Ella said matter-of-factly, sucking loudly on her treat and staring at Benny’s chest. She pulled her coat around herself more tightly.

“We should go, Ella,” Henry said. “Can you tell Dr. Sorensen thank you?”

Ella complied and, happy with her Popsicle, clambered off the table. Benny finally met Henry’s gaze, noting the odd look in his eyes, the slight twist of his mouth. “Thanks for the help, Dr. Sorensen. Have a good night.”

Was that pity she saw? Had he heard what had happened in the hall?

Any guilt she’d felt when she first saw him tonight, knowing that she’d just sent such a nasty complaint against him to the HOA with Kate’s help, evaporated. “You two have a nice evening,” she said stiffly, trying to convince herself that he couldn’t possibly have witnessed her humiliation with Luke. That would just be too much.

Henry, fortunately, had already grabbed his niece’s hand and was leading her out the door. “We’ll see you later, Dr. Sorensen.”

Out in the hall, she heard Ella ask her uncle what he meant by
later,
but she didn’t catch the answer. She continued to her office, intent on finishing up whatever paperwork was left so she could get out of here before she could cause more damage. Fortunately, Luke’s office was on the opposite end of the hall to hers, so she didn’t have to run the risk of hearing or seeing the two lovebirds again.

So much for her promise to herself to take more chances, to engage in at least one conversation with the doctor a day until it became like an old habit. She was not supposed to hear him coming and take off at full speed in the other direction—only to reverse right into him.