The M.D. Next Door

“Our parents just wanted us to be self-sufficient. Mom would be proud no matter what careers we had chosen to accomplish that goal.”

“That’s what I want for Alice,” he confided. “For her to be happy and secure in her future. I want her to be prepared to take care of herself.”

“An important goal for any child, boy or girl,” she agreed. “My parents encouraged us to train for a career that would always be in demand, preferably one we enjoyed doing. They didn’t push medical school, but they approved our choices.”

“What sort of medicine does your brother practice?”

“He’s a surgeon, too. Pediatric orthopedics. He’s in the last year of his residency.”

“And you all plan to remain here in Arkansas?”

“Yes. Mitch considered going elsewhere for his residency, but our dad died just before Mitch’s last year of medical school. Our grandmother had just had her first small stroke. Mitch felt like he should stay close to Mom, even though she tried to convince him she would be fine if he wanted to leave the state for a few years. Arkansas was always Madison’s first choice. She loves being near to the family.”

“Nice that you’re all so close-knit.”

She smiled a little wistfully. “Yes, it is. Even though the careers we’ve chosen have limited our time together. As I said, it’s rare for us all to have a day to spend together. I hardly remember the last Christmas when at least one of us wasn’t working or on call. But we all call or see Mom as often as we can, and she keeps us informed on how everyone is doing and we get together when we can.”

Seth responded only with a nod as he merged into traffic on the highway toward their neighborhood. He seemed to be growing more distracted as they neared her house, for some reason.

He had just taken the exit from the freeway when he asked, “Do you go to a lot of those charity things?”

She shrugged. “My share, I guess. Usually for some sort of medical cause—funding research for various diseases or raising money for new hospital equipment, that sort of thing. Why?”

“Just curious. Do you like them?”

Was he asking if she’d enjoyed the evening? She worded her response carefully. “I always try to have a nice time.”

“I don’t go to many. I have a few pet charities I try to support. There’s no way to keep up with all the good causes. And I attend a few, like tonight, because there’s no politically acceptable way to get out of it without offending someone important to my job. I mean, it was a good cause but I’d have been just as happy to send a check as to attend the gala, you know?”

If there was a message imbedded in that speech, she seemed to be missing it. “I’m sure a lot of people there felt that way tonight, though everyone seemed to be on good behavior.”

He nodded. “Just saying.”

Fortunately, he turned into her driveway just then, so she didn’t have time to come up with a response. Which was good, because she wasn’t at all sure what, if anything, he expected her to say.

She wasn’t surprised that he insisted on walking her to her door, nor did she protest. She appreciated the little niceties of dating as much as any woman.

“Thank you for going with me tonight,” he said as she stuck her key in the lock. “I enjoyed your company.”

Her hand on the doorknob, she smiled up at him. “I had a very nice time.”

He hesitated a moment, as though he were reluctant to leave. Knowing he was returning to an empty house, she wondered if he was hoping she would invite him in.

“I usually have a cup of tea to relax after one of these things,” she said somewhat tentatively. “Would you like to have a cup with me before you head home?”

She was satisfied that she’d worded the invitation clearly enough. Just a cup of tea and a few more minutes of conversation and then she’d expect him to be on his way. Considering they were still in the process of getting to know each other, she was far from ready for anything more, regardless of the attraction simmering between them.

His pause was almost imperceptible. She suspected he’d analyzed her words and her tone before responding, “Tea sounds nice.”

Refusing to second-guess the impulse, she opened the door and ushered him in. Aware that this was his first time inside her home, she watched him glance around as she set her purse and keys on an entryway table. She wondered if he noticed that her decorating style was actually quite similar to his own. Clean, modern lines; inviting, conversational groupings; warm, earthy colors. He favored darker wood tones than she did,

but other than that their styles meshed quite well. So, she wasn’t surprised when he said, “I like your place.”

“Thank you. I usually drink my tea at the kitchen table, but we can sit in here if you’d rather.”

“The kitchen works for me,” he answered promptly. “You might have noticed, I tend to prefer casualness to formality.”

“I have noticed,” she said with a smile as he tugged at his bowtie, letting it hang at the sides of his now-unfastened collar. “You can’t get out of that tux fast enough, can you?”