able to keep it a secret for long. Pregnancy is emotional enough without keeping it a secret. You have a supportive family. You should tell them, Charity, so they can be here for you.”
“I’ll take that under advisement, Doctor.” The paper on the exam table crackled as she swung her legs back and forth.
He began a quick exam, listening to her heart and lungs before reading over her chart. “Your numbers are good. Blood work looks great. Are you taking prenatal vitamins?”
She nodded.
“Eating well?”
She shrugged. “If that means eating everything in sight, yes. I’m eating very well.”
He smiled. “No. That’s not what I meant. Focus on eating quality food—foods that will give your baby the vitamins to grow big and strong.”
Her skin paled as she nodded. “My baby. I can’t tell you how bizarre that sounds,” she whispered.
“Unplanned, then?”
“Oh yeah.” A nervous giggle. High. Forced. “I met Sergio when I was working as a private tour guide in Florence. He sort of swept me off my feet. Seven weeks later, his wife comes knocking on our apartment door.” She shrugged. “Turns out his missus was someone important enough to get me fired. I hocked the diamond ring Sergio gave me after his faux proposal and made my way home.”
Graham had no idea what to say.
“I know. Crazy, right?” Her hands gripped the edge of the exam table so tightly her knuckles whitened.
Scared, alone, and hurting, then. “I’m sorry.” He meant it.
She smiled even though her eyes filled with tears. “Graham, you’re the sweetest guy.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “If I hadn’t already decided you and my sister are soul mates, I would so be crushing on you.”
“Not you, too,” he murmured. First Diana. Now Charity. No. Felicity deserved better.
She perked up. “Me too, what? Don’t tell me Filly made a move? I’m so proud of her. I mean, I sort of mentioned what I was thinking but I didn’t think she had it in her—”
“No moves have or will be made.” They’d talked about him? Was Felicity interested? What would he have said if she had? He pressed his eyes shut. Get a grip. What was wrong with him? He was forty, not some knobby-kneed high school kid. He shut down that line of thinking before it took root. “I’m not interested in dating. No matter what you, Diana, or Widow Rainey think.”
Charity groaned. “Oh. Who did she sic on you?”
“Some assistant principal.” He shook his head. He was not going to discuss this with her—she was his patient now. “It doesn’t matter.”
Her brows rose. “It does if the woman’s going to give my sister competition.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “If you’re going to be my patient, we need to lay down some ground rules.”
She crossed her arms and stared back. “I’m not good at rules, Graham.”
He ignored her. “When you’re here, you are my patient. Meaning we’re not going to discuss things that aren’t related to your pregnancy.”
She frowned at him. “But when I’m not sitting on paper, wearing some naked-backed robe thing we can still be friends?”
He wasn’t sure how to answer that. “It might be best for you to see Dr. Luna, Charity. Because of the…the family connection.”
She stared at him, her legs swinging rapidly. “You mean connection between you and my sister.”
“This isn’t going to work.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Six o’clock couldn’t get here soon enough. Maybe an hour at the gym would ease some of the kinks out of his neck and back. But if that were true, the last year of near-daily hour-long workouts would have his stress under control. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll stop. I don’t want to see Dr. Luna.” She sighed. “I’m scared, Graham, okay? Freaking out. Don’t pawn me off on some strange dude.”
“Dr. Veronica Luna,” he interrupted.
“Right, still. I’d rather see you. So, I’m determined to get you and my sister hooked up—but at least I’m up front about it.”