was just her sleepy brain trying to rationalize not killing a perfectly fine upstanding citizen. How could anyone think about doing anything bad to a man so handsome? her brain whispered in her ear.
Debra was dismally aware of the contrast between them as well. Here she was, as was her right to be, sitting in her kitchen, hair a mess and dressed in her pajamas and bathrobe. She’d forgotten completely about meeting Dr. Nelson today, thinking that as easily as she’d let the idea go, he wouldn’t remember he’d suggested it either. Assumptions got a girl in trouble, she reminded herself.
Eric put the last touches on the eggs he’d scrambled, the coffee cake he’d picked up from the local store, the pancakes that he was fortunate not to scorch and the bacon and sausage he was told were the best in town. It certainly smelled good, and as he set Debra’s plate in front of her, he sat across from her and sighed as he finally got the chance to rest his feet.
“It looks really good, Dr. Nelson.”
Eric eyed Debra, felt a frown forming on his lips, and then decided to let it slide. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to get her to call him by his name. Hearing ‘Dr. Nelson’ all the time made him feel like his father. He said, “Go on and dig in before it gets cold, huh? You’ll have to tell me if I’m a good cook or not.”
Debra did as he asked and surprisingly enough, even though parts of her brain told her that it was mighty hard to ruin eggs and bacon, thought that it was exceptional. It tasted better to her because she hadn’t cooked it.
She heard Dr. Nelson chuckle through a bite of eggs and had to look up to see what had gotten into him. When she did, he said, “You look like I just gave you a bushel of apples.”
The comment took Debra by surprise, so much so that, as she began to laugh, she nearly choked on a bit of bacon she was working on swallowing. Once she was able to get it down, she said, “Don’t do that! What if I really did choke?”
Eric laughed harder. “I’m a doctor, I got your back.”
Debra laughed with him for a few minutes, enjoying his company, slipping into the ease of friendship she’d noticed was natural when it came to him. She started to get up to refill her coffee mug when the doorbell rang for the second time that morning.
She sighed, set her cup on the counter and went to the door. After the morning began the way it did, Debra wasn’t in the mood to suffer any more interesting surprises and so help her, if it was anyone other than her sister, there was going to be a punishment handed out like greeting cards.
Debra opened the door and before there was any sort of exchange, her sister flew in, set a baby carrier on the floor and rushed past her down the hall to bathroom.
“What…”
“Can’t talk - gotta go!”
Debra frowned at her sister’s flowing hair, at the heels that padded through the carpet and then clicked on the tile in the bathroom. She moved from where she stood at the door and removed little Annie from her carrier. The girl was cute as a button and would be one year old the coming November, but she never felt more sorry for any living creature.
“What a cute kid,” Dr. Nelson said as he moved to stand next to Debra. She hadn’t noticed before how much taller he was than her, but a person could notice a lot of things when there wasn’t much more than two inches separating you from them. Dr. Nelson was close enough to kiss her as he leaned in to get a good look at Annie.
Debra swallowed, hard, and backed out of his reach, nodding to keep herself from speaking. She didn’t trust her voice in the least. Thankfully for her sanity, he seemed to sense that being close to her made her uncomfortable, so he backed to a safe distance a foot away from her, but he reached over and tickled Annie’s tummy to make her giggle.
“She got a name?”
Before Debra could answer,
Debra was dismally aware of the contrast between them as well. Here she was, as was her right to be, sitting in her kitchen, hair a mess and dressed in her pajamas and bathrobe. She’d forgotten completely about meeting Dr. Nelson today, thinking that as easily as she’d let the idea go, he wouldn’t remember he’d suggested it either. Assumptions got a girl in trouble, she reminded herself.
Eric put the last touches on the eggs he’d scrambled, the coffee cake he’d picked up from the local store, the pancakes that he was fortunate not to scorch and the bacon and sausage he was told were the best in town. It certainly smelled good, and as he set Debra’s plate in front of her, he sat across from her and sighed as he finally got the chance to rest his feet.
“It looks really good, Dr. Nelson.”
Eric eyed Debra, felt a frown forming on his lips, and then decided to let it slide. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to get her to call him by his name. Hearing ‘Dr. Nelson’ all the time made him feel like his father. He said, “Go on and dig in before it gets cold, huh? You’ll have to tell me if I’m a good cook or not.”
Debra did as he asked and surprisingly enough, even though parts of her brain told her that it was mighty hard to ruin eggs and bacon, thought that it was exceptional. It tasted better to her because she hadn’t cooked it.
She heard Dr. Nelson chuckle through a bite of eggs and had to look up to see what had gotten into him. When she did, he said, “You look like I just gave you a bushel of apples.”
The comment took Debra by surprise, so much so that, as she began to laugh, she nearly choked on a bit of bacon she was working on swallowing. Once she was able to get it down, she said, “Don’t do that! What if I really did choke?”
Eric laughed harder. “I’m a doctor, I got your back.”
Debra laughed with him for a few minutes, enjoying his company, slipping into the ease of friendship she’d noticed was natural when it came to him. She started to get up to refill her coffee mug when the doorbell rang for the second time that morning.
She sighed, set her cup on the counter and went to the door. After the morning began the way it did, Debra wasn’t in the mood to suffer any more interesting surprises and so help her, if it was anyone other than her sister, there was going to be a punishment handed out like greeting cards.
Debra opened the door and before there was any sort of exchange, her sister flew in, set a baby carrier on the floor and rushed past her down the hall to bathroom.
“What…”
“Can’t talk - gotta go!”
Debra frowned at her sister’s flowing hair, at the heels that padded through the carpet and then clicked on the tile in the bathroom. She moved from where she stood at the door and removed little Annie from her carrier. The girl was cute as a button and would be one year old the coming November, but she never felt more sorry for any living creature.
“What a cute kid,” Dr. Nelson said as he moved to stand next to Debra. She hadn’t noticed before how much taller he was than her, but a person could notice a lot of things when there wasn’t much more than two inches separating you from them. Dr. Nelson was close enough to kiss her as he leaned in to get a good look at Annie.
Debra swallowed, hard, and backed out of his reach, nodding to keep herself from speaking. She didn’t trust her voice in the least. Thankfully for her sanity, he seemed to sense that being close to her made her uncomfortable, so he backed to a safe distance a foot away from her, but he reached over and tickled Annie’s tummy to make her giggle.
“She got a name?”
Before Debra could answer,
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