Private Partners (Doctors in Training 2)

His usual rakish stubble was missing, as well. He was clean shaven, his sideburns trimmed to a conservative length. With his glasses replacing his usual contact lenses, the change was quite dramatic. She studied him curiously, trying to decide how she felt about this new look. She’d never seen Liam with short hair, or looking quite so…well, preppy. He looked good—but then, it would take a lot more than a haircut to mar Liam’s good looks.

“Yeah.” He shrugged, his smile endearingly sheepish. “I guess this is my attempt at going incognito. You’d be surprised how well it works. I haven’t been recognized all day.”

“That’s not so surprising at all. It really makes you look different.”

“In a bad way?”

Amused by his sudden and wholly uncharacteristic moment of insecurity, she shook her head. “You look great. As always.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

Suddenly a little nervous, she ran a hand self-consciously down her faded T-shirt, rather wishing she still wore the professional, tailored clothing that had given her an air of confidence when she’d faced her family. “I just put on a pot of coffee. It should be ready now. Would you like a cup?”

Liam glanced at his watch. “Coffee at this hour? Is it decaf?”

“No. I was planning to study for a few more hours. I figured it would wear off by the time I turned in.”

“Of course,” he murmured, just a hint of disapproval on his face. “I should have realized you’d be studying. Am I interrupting?”

He was, of course, but she shook her head. “I hadn’t even gotten started yet. I had dinner with my family this evening, and I’ve only been home for a little while.”

“Ah.” He followed her into her tiny kitchen, which seemed even smaller when filled with him. “That explains why you looked so tense when you opened the door.”

“I happened to have a very nice time with my family tonight,” she retorted, feeling the diamond necklace still nestled beneath her T-shirt. “They were on their best behavior.”

“Didn’t pressure you at all about your grades or your résumé?” He looked skeptical.

“Well…not too much.”

He nodded as if she had confirmed his suspicions. “Mmmhmm. Did my name come up tonight?”

She took two mugs from a cabinet to avoid looking at him. “What makes you think your name would come up during my family dinner?”

“Because it so often does. I’m the dire warning they use to make sure you stay in line. I’m sure they remind you you’d never be doing so well in medical school if I were still around. After all, I caused you to get that B.”

He was so precisely on target she almost wondered if he’d somehow bugged her mother’s dining table. Pushing that fanciful thought aside, she said lightly, “My mother mentioned she saw you on TV last week. Dad changed the subject quickly enough.”

“I’m sure he did.”

Following her father’s example, she moved quickly to a topic less contentious than her relationship with her family. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah. I had dinner a couple hours ago.”

“Would you like dessert? I have half a chocolate cake hidden in the pantry.”

Her wording seemed to amuse him. “What did you do, hide it from yourself?”

“No.” She laughed and shook her head. “I hid it from my friend, Ron. He’s a fiend for chocolate. I wanted to save some for snacks this weekend, in case I don’t find time for a grocery run for a few more days.”

“Ron?” His tone was carefully neutral.

“He’s in my study group. I’ve told you about them. There are five of us in all. We get together several times a week to study our lecture notes and slides.”

“Oh yes, I remember. So this would be old, ugly, married Ron?”

She lifted an eyebrow. She wasn’t asking him who he spent time with when he wasn’t around—wasn’t even sure she really wanted to know. “No. This would be young, cute, single Ron.”

“Humph.”