“Do you mind if we end our session a few minutes early?” I ask.
He shakes his head, clearly tired of talking about himself. We have so much more to cover in the upcoming months, and I can’t wait to peel back the layers. I hope by the time Duke’s suspension ends that he gets some closure. That he understands his anger issues can be fixed.
I open the door for Duke. “After you.”
“Mommy!” Max screams when she locks eyes with me.
Duke’s gaze travels between us, and then a rare smile turns up the corners of his mouth. Great. I didn’t want Duke to know about my personal life. I keep my family separate from my patients.
Ted is in the lobby with Max, chatting up my receptionist. How the hell am I going to explain why his favorite NHL player is in my office without violating doctor-patient confidentiality? The Capitals kept this part of Duke’s suspension off-the-books for a reason. And now, Duke’s biggest fan is about to discover the truth.
Chapter Nine
Duke
Our session ends with a commotion outside the door. Dr. Devine leads me into the waiting room, where a tall, dark-haired man accompanies a young girl. Long blonde hair spills down her back, and her pale skin flushes from telling a story to the secretary with enthusiasm. She has a lot of energy, practically out of breath from talking so fast.
“Mommy,” the little girl yells when she spots Dr. Devine. She almost runs into my leg to get to her. “Mommy, I was just telling Rosie about my new rabbit.”
Dr. Devine looks surprised, maybe even a little annoyed. She gives the man approaching us a dirty look. He’s dressed in an expensive black suit with diamond cufflinks, armed with a cocky grin.
“You bought her a rabbit?” Dr. Devine says under breath with a hint of annoyance in her tone. “Doesn’t she have enough pets, Ted?”
“C’mon, Delilah,” he groans. “It’s not that big of a deal. Why do you have to freak out over everything? She’s a kid. A few pets won’t hurt.”
“I wouldn’t have to freak out,” she says with a low growl, “if you’d stop doing things without asking me. She’s my daughter, too.”
Dr. Devine is married, which makes sense why she ignores my advances that would work on other women. Turning away from them, I take this family get together as my cue to leave, but the little girl tugs on my shirt.
She looks up at me with the same blue eyes as Dr. Devine. “You’re big,” she says with a squeak to her tone. “Giant big.”
“Max,” Dr. Devine says. “That’s not nice.”
I wave my hand. “It’s okay.”
Max looks up at her mom and then back to me, lowering her voice. “How tall are you?”
I crouch down to meet her height. “Six foot five.”
“Wow!” Her face beams with excitement. “Did you know that the tallest building in Washington D.C. is the Washington Monument?”
I can’t stop grinning. “No, I didn’t.”
“The Washington Monument is five hundred fifty-five feet tall. It was named after George Washington.” She’s speaking so fast she’s out of breath as she continues. “He was important, you know. He was the first president of the United States.”
A burst of wild laughter takes over me. “You’re a smart kid. Did you learn this in school?”
She shakes her head, and her hair smacks me in the face. “No, I went on a tour with Mommy and Daddy last year. I got my picture taken with Abraham Lincoln. He was tall... like you.”
I laugh again. Max is so cute and funny the way she talks about the statue of Abraham Lincoln like he’s alive and in the flesh.
“Come say bye to Daddy,” Dr. Devine says from behind me, snapping me back to reality. “He has to get back to work.”
I rise to my full height as the little girl hugs her dad’s leg, resting her head on his thigh.
“I’ll see ya later, Maxie.” He gives her a pat on the back before he peels her hands off him.
What a strange reaction. Dr. Devine looks irritated with him, her eyes narrowed and jaw set as hard as steel.