Diagnosis: Daddy (Doctors in Training 1)

“I heard there’s a good chance of rain tomorrow,” she said, reaching for the remote. “I wonder if that’s still in the forecast.”

“You can stop now, you know.”

“Stop what?” she asked, tuning to a local nine o’clock newscast, keeping the sound turned low.

“Stop chatting to try to cheer me up. I feel better.”

She smiled at him. “I’m glad.”

“I still feel like an idiot for screwing up the test, of course,” he added, glum again for a moment.

“Everyone messes up sometimes. I’m sure it isn’t the first time you’ve frozen on an exam and I doubt that it will be the last. All you can do is your best.”

His smile tilted a bit crookedly. “Now you sound like my mom. Don’t worry, Mia, I’m not going to throw myself out my bedroom window.”

She laughed lightly. “Wouldn’t hurt you that much if you did. It’s a one-story house, remember?”

He chuckled. “It was just a figure of speech.”

At least he’d almost laughed. She smiled at him, then glanced at the television screen. The weathercast hadn’t started yet. A woman anchor with teased hair and a bit too much eye makeup was talking about a scandal involving a prominent local politician.

“This is Friday, isn’t it?” he murmured, as if it had just occurred to him.

She nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“No school tomorrow.”

“No.”

“Do you have any plans?”

“I told Alexis I would take her to the zoo if it isn’t raining tomorrow afternoon. She said she loves zoos.”

“That’s the way you want to spend your day off? Walking around the zoo with a six-year-old?”

“I told you I would take care of her weekends,” she reminded him. “There will be times when I’ll need to leave her with you when I have other plans, but I’m free this weekend.”

“I, uh—”

“Actually, I’ll need you to watch her this coming Thursday evening. I’ve got a committee meeting at school. I’ll be able to pick her up from school and feed her dinner, but I need to leave by six-thirty. You can make sure she’s in bed by eight.”

“Yeah, sure.” He swallowed visibly.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “You can handle it, Connor. It’s not that difficult. Alexis is no trouble at all. She entertains herself well, but you’ll need to remind her when it’s time to get ready for bed.”

“I’m sure I can handle that. I certainly don’t expect you to be here every evening. In fact, if you want to take off tomorrow night and go out with your friends, I can…Oh, wait. I told the study group I’d meet with them tomorrow evening. But I can cancel—”

“You will not. I have no plans for tomorrow evening. I’ll let you know when I need a night off.”

“Yeah. Okay.” He reached up to rub the back of his neck.

“Does your neck hurt?”

His hand fell. “Guess I tightened up during the exam. I’ve been tense ever since.”

“Would you like me to massage it for you?”

His long hesitation surprised her a bit. She’d given him neck rubs before after long study sessions. He’d never seemed to give it a second thought, other than to thank her for the assistance.