Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe

Deliberately, he shifted toward her. “Let me know when you’re ready to run screaming into the woods.”

“I should warn you, I know karate.” And several other Japanese words.

“That won’t do any good. The highest you could kick would be my kneecap.” He grinned. “You know, the two of us really should spend more time together. Maybe my memories will flood back.”

“My memory doesn’t need refreshing.” Heather had to tilt her head to meet his gaze. “Anything you want to know, you’re free to ask. But since you made it clear the next morning that you had no interest in pursuing the matter, I’m surprised you keep harping on it now.”

Jason reached out and brushed an errant curl off her temple. His touch shivered straight into parts of Heather that she considered off-limits to him or anybody else. “In my hungover condition, I may have muttered something less than gallant. For that, I apologize.”

“Your exact words, as I recall, were, ‘Whatever happened last night, I trust I’ll hear nothing further about it.” A slight tremor undermined Heather’s tone. Darn it, she didn’t want to show any vulnerability around Jason.

He had no right to know how much he’d wounded her. For the first time in years, she’d begun to open up to a man, only to have him throw it in her face.

If she’d had different life experiences, she might have found his attitude merely churlish and dismissed it from her mind. To a woman who’d been abandoned as a teenager by the man she’d loved and trusted, however, his rejection had struck her like a physical blow.

“Did I really say that?” Jason asked. “Ouch.”

“Those were your exact words. I already explained that there’s nothing wrong with my memory.” Heather was preparing a few more sharp remarks when she saw him focus on a spot behind her and realized someone had come into the room.

She turned, already knowing there was only one person at Doctors Circle who could approach that quietly on bare floors. Coral Liu possessed an inner calm that had impressed Heather from the moment the young woman started work in January. Even now, when she was probably quaking inside at facing her boss, her smooth, intelligent face showed only respect.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Coral held up a catalog of office furniture. “Mrs. Barr asked me to show you this. I thought it might be helpful to make your selections while you’re in the new office, so you can picture how things would fit.”

With an impatient expulsion of breath, Jason took the catalog. “I don’t have much of an eye for interior decorating.”

Coral bit her lip. Jason’s slight sign of impatience bothered her, Heather could tell. It was too bad such a rough-edged man had been paired with a sensitive secretary, although she knew Natalie had interviewed a number of applicants before recommending Coral.

“I took the liberty of drawing a floor plan, if you’d care to look at it,” the secretary said.

“Sure.” Jason didn’t lift his eyes from the catalog as he flipped through.

Coral handed Heather a sheet of paper. Although the markings had been sketched with a tentative hand, the young woman had done a careful job of arranging the desk, a couch, chairs and filing cabinets. “Looks good to me.”

Jason gave it a quick glance. “Might work. I’ll give it a more thorough going-over later.” He handed everything back to Coral. “Put these on my desk, please.”

“Yes, Dr. Carmichael.” She turned away, disappointment clouding her eyes. Apparently she’d hoped her floor plan would draw a more positive response.

“Oh, Coral. One more thing.”

She stopped, her slim back rigid, and turned to face him.

“On second thought, I realize it wasn’t such a bad idea to unpack my files and books,” Jason said. “We won’t be moving for at least a month, and I’d have hated not being able to find things when I needed them. In future, just check with me before doing something like that, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” After giving him a shy smile, Coral retreated. Her shoulders, Heather noticed, had relaxed.

“What were we talking about?” Jason asked after Coral had left. “Something important, I recall.”

Heather refused to resume the discussion of their ill-starred encounter in Atlanta. “We were reviewing the mural. I approve of it. Babies, babies everywhere sets the right tone.”

“I’ll tell Patrick. As I said before, decorating isn’t my strong point.” Despite his well-known dislike of wasting time, Jason appeared in no hurry to move on. “The rest of our new staff should be on board before April. I’ll forward their bios to you, if you’re interested.”

“I’d like that.” Time to make her getaway, Heather decided. “Thanks for showing me around. I have to be going.”

“You haven’t picked your office.”

“I’ll leave that to you,” she said. “I’ve got an appointment.”

Although technically she was finished at five o’clock, infertility patients had to be seen during their optimal times of the month, which weren’t always predictable. Some of the women also contended with rigid work schedules, so Heather made a point of staying flexible.

“I’ll see you later, then.” Jason didn’t suggest walking back across the plaza together, to her relief.

Once she was out in the fresh air, Heather’s spirits rose. With luck, they had put that entire Atlanta business behind them. With a little more luck, the sensual awareness vibrating between them would abate as soon as familiarity bred boredom. Any day now.

She marched across the courtyard, her sensible pumps clicking confidently against the pavement.

“TELL ME AGAIN what was wrong with this one,” Rob Sentinel said as he and Jason emerged from the third apartment building they’d visited.

Jason appreciated the young obstetrician’s offer to spend part of Saturday ferrying him around town. As a recent arrival himself, Rob knew the ropes of apartment hunting.

“There was no built-in microwave,” Jason said.

“That’s what I thought you said. I just didn’t believe it. They sell microwaves at discount stores, you know.” Rob sounded impatient, which was understandable, considering that he’d given up a chance to play golf with George today.

“I’ve already accumulated more stuff than I want.” Jason knew it didn’t make sense, his dislike of loading himself down with material possessions. Still, with only a few clothes, a small TV and a boom box, he’d been able to ship everything easily from Virginia.

If he had good financial sense, he’d buy a place, his mother had advised in a phone call from Boston. Being a real estate agent, she figured he was making a mistake by not investing now that he appeared to be putting down roots.

Certainly Jason didn’t plan to change jobs any time soon. Possibly not for many years.

Yet in the past there’d been times—one in particular, after his engagement had fallen apart—when both his personal and professional lives had benefited from his ability to pack up and move on short notice. He wasn’t ready to give up that freedom yet.

“Hold on.” Rob paused next to his car and folded his arms. “Didn’t you ask me earlier whether any of the apartments allowed dogs? A dog isn’t exactly what I’d call a minor acquisition.”

“It was an idle question.” Jason had always dreamed of having a dog. His parents, who took pride in their spotless Brookline home, had nixed the idea while he was growing up, and he’d had no opportunity since then. “Maybe when I retire, I’ll buy a large place and a dog to go with it. I don’t know why I bothered asking today. It just popped into my head.”

For some reason, he wondered whether Heather liked dogs. He’d spent the last couple of days wondering about Heather’s taste in a lot of things, although he’d been too busy to seek her out again.

“Your subconscious might be sending you a signal,” said his companion.

“Excuse me?” How on earth had Rob figured out that he was thinking about Heather?

“The dog. If that’s what you really want, we’re taking the wrong approach.” The obstetrician leaned against the car. “I don’t think an apartment is what you need.”

“If you’re about to suggest I invest in real estate, stop right there,” Jason said.

“I was thinking more along the lines of renting a house or a town house,” the younger doctor said. “That’s what Dr. Rourke does.”

“Oh?” He tried to sound casual, although he found himself intensely interested in hearing more. “Where does she live?”