My Sister's Boyfriend (The Trouble With Twins 1) (14 page)

She pushed open the door and felt a moment of surprise at the sight of Brent, his large frame filling up the chair across from the older man. What was he doing here?

"Come in, come in, Miss Riley. Dr. Moulton has come to me with an excellent suggestion that I really think you should hear."

"Oh," she said, tingles of warning crawling up her spine. She glanced at Brent but he refused to look at her directly. This couldn’t be good.

"Have a seat, and I'll let Dr. Moulton tell you all about it since it's his idea."

"Good morning," he said, his big green eyes looking at her sympathetically.

Why would Brent be looking at her like he wanted to comfort her? Had he gone to the chairman over his ridiculous bachelor auction idea?

"Good morning," she cooed and folded her hands in her lap then crossed her legs at her ankles in perfect ladylike composure, all the while trying to withhold judgment until she was certain of his double cross.

She planted a smile on her face that dripped with southern charm.

"After we talked about this idea briefly in the meeting the other day, I decided to make some calls to see if I could line up some celebrity bachelors who would be willing to go out on a date with a total stranger. They were eager to help the hospital, and before I knew it I had lined up a star-studded cast that I couldn't turn away. We have running back Louis Stapleman from the Dallas Cowboys, Gus Franchowski from the Stars, and even a TV reporter from KXAS-TV who’s willing to help us out. I also managed to get Justin Sommers from the daytime drama
Desire
."

"You've been working very hard, Dr. Moulton," she acknowledged, her voice a sweet purr, her heart near bursting.

The big jerk. Last night he'd been whispering words of seduction to her over the phone all the while knowing that this morning he would be making her look like a fool in front of the chairman.

Not to mention she’d gone to his house naked!

She pasted a fake smile on her face, determined to see this meeting through without giving him the pleasure of humiliating her.

He glanced at her, and she gave him her “just wait until this is over,” smile and watched him visibly recoil. She'd use all the southern charm her mother had instilled in her, but once they were out of the chairman’s sight, she’d be fighting like an alley cat.

"Plus, I've signed up ten available nurses and doctors to participate. At this moment, I have fifteen bachelors, some of whom I expect to bring in sums of thousands of dollars or more. And our celebrities have agreed to match whatever amount they go for."

"Wow, maybe you've chosen the wrong profession." A small amount of sarcasm crept into her voice.

He didn't respond, but merely sat there taking the direct hit.

She turned to Chairman Weaver, “And the hospital board would approve of such an auction? I feared such an event could damage the hospital’s image, but if Dr. Moulton has such a star-studded cast, then the attention alone from his celebrities could earn us more money than we'd planned."

Chairman Weaver leaned forward in his chair and placed his hands on his desk. "Normally, I would say that this is not the right place for such an event, but since it's being held to build the new children's wing, and Dr. Moulton has obtained such well-known names, then I think you're right. We'd be foolish not to take advantage of the publicity. I'm going to give it my blessing with the caveat that it must be done in the best-possible taste. And I'm going to depend upon you and Dr. Moulton to make sure that it’s handled respectfully for all the parties involved."

"I'm certain that Miss Riley can handle the details much better than I," Brent said, trying to pass off the responsibility of this ridiculous event to her.

Jennifer smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, Dr. Moulton, you've done a fine job so far by contacting the celebrities and should continue with the coordination of this event."

Brent frowned and glanced at the chairman. "Right now is just not a good time. I have new residents coming in—” "

"You've already started working out the details with the celebrities. I think you should continue," Jennifer advised.

"Brent, I know this is your busiest time of year, but I have to agree with Miss Riley. Though I do think Miss Riley can help you work out some of the details. The two of you working together will make this a success."

Jennifer recoiled inside, all her anger chilling to a near-zero temperature at the thought of the two of them working on Brent’s bachelor auction together.

"Anything else, Dr. Moulton?" she asked. "I need other fund-raising projects, is there something
else
you'd like to take on? After all, our goal is to raise money for our new children’s wing. Your department."

He shook his head, his eyes almost pleading. "No, thanks, Miss Riley. I didn't intend to get involved with this one. It just happened."

Chairman Weaver frowned at the two of them. "Are you both okay with this?"

"Just peachy," Jennifer said turning on the fake charm she'd never had any intention of ever using, but suddenly thanking her mother for insisting she study the good ole southern girl’s primer.

Brent cleared his throat. "We'll get it done."

The chairman smiled. "Good work, you two. I know you’ll both do an excellent job for this hospital."

They stood and walked to the door, Brent following close behind her.

Once they were in the hall, Jennifer turned sharply and walked in the direction of her office as fast as her heels would carry her.

"Wait up, Jennifer," Brent called.

She kept walking, refusing to slow down for the scheming doctor she'd almost slept with. His footsteps echoed on the tile floor as he hurried to catch up.

"I know this looks bad, but I didn't do it to hurt you," he pleaded, reaching her side.

“As development director of this hospital, you knew my opinion regarding a bachelor auction.”

Jennifer continued walking, refusing to even acknowledge him. Her eyes remained focused on reaching her goal: the sanctity of her office.

"Even I'm surprised at the popularity of this idea. It just seemed to take off and grow," he said. "I knew you'd be upset just like you are now."

She rounded a corner and almost bumped into another woman. "Excuse me."

Brent had to move to avoid the cleaning people filling the hallway. The pager overhead called his name, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him grimace.

"I didn't do this to intentionally hurt you. In fact, I wanted you to get the credit, not me. That's why I tried to back out of this, which you could have helped me do.”

She glanced at him, her gaze cutting sideways at him to let him know just how much that argument was not going to help his position.

"Jennifer, I know you're angry, but I only did this to help raise money for the new wing. As many patients as we see, we desperately need this wing."

She felt a small crevice open in the suit of her anger, but she wasn't ready to give in to that tiny chasm.

Her office door faced her at the end of the hall. Brent still walked at her side. His beeper went off and he glanced hurriedly at the number. "Look, I have to go, but we're not through talking this out. Do you understand me?"

Jennifer unlocked her office door and went in. When he made to follow, she shut the door in his face and then leaned against it. She could hear his voice through the door.

"I didn't know that this idea would even work. It just sort of came together, and I began to realize we were going to make a lot of money for the new wing. We can help so many children," he pleaded, his voice trailing off through the door.

She couldn't help but laugh, knowing he must look like a fool, standing in the hall, beseeching a closed door. So why was she so upset? They both wanted the same thing: for the children of Tyler to receive good medical care.

Sure, he could have come to her, but would she have been willing to listen to him? Probably not. Though she was still angry with him, he had some valid points. She just wasn't ready to accept them.

It hurt that he’d gone over her head to accomplish what he wanted. Her job was on the line, and his actions stung her pride. But more than anything, he’d been recruiting bachelors while trying to sleep with her. That stung.

"Okay, we'll talk later," she heard him say through the closed door. "When we're both a little calmer."

Later did not necessarily have to be today or even right away, she thought. Obviously he felt guilty, and she wasn't in a forgiving mood at this moment. Yet how many men would go to this much trouble to help children? And how could she remain angry with him when his heart was in the right place?

#

"Hey Jennifer, you never told me what happened last night. Did you and our star quarterback finally make a touchdown?"

Jennifer glanced with annoyance at her sister. "He got sacked in the end zone for touchback, illegal interference and an extra player on the field."

"An extra player on the field?"

"Yes. His sister stopped by to visit and stepped into the room just about the time I dropped the raincoat."

Julia started giggling. "Gives flashing a whole new meaning."

Jennifer shook her head at her sister's playful antics. She was in no mood to be harassed about her disastrous attraction to the only man she'd ever cared about. With a sigh she turned away from her sister and back to the salad she was preparing.

"So I gather things didn't go so well last night?"

"Last week, last night, and especially today. This affair doesn't have a chance, and I'm giving up on him."

"Whoa, this sounds pretty serious. What happened to just one night to wipe him out of your mind forever?"

"Let's just say that after today he's pretty much history. I don't need to have sex with him again to get him out of my thoughts."

"Are you certain you don’t care for Brent Moulton more than you’re letting on?"

“Please, why do you always play this psychobabble game with me? I don’t love Brent Moulton!” Jennifer banged the knife down on the wooden chopping board. "Your life has always been so easy. From the time we were in high school, through college, even now. Everything pretty much goes your way. You've never had to struggle to get what you want, while I've had to wrestle and scrape every step of the way. When am I ever going to be free of your shadow?"

Julia stood in stunned disbelief, staring at Jennifer. "I'm…sorry. I didn't know you felt that way. I don't understand why you feel you've had it so rough."

Jennifer hung her head, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry. I've had a really bad day and I guess I just sort of let things slip out that I didn't mean."

"I think you did mean them. I think they've been buried there for a long time. So why do you think I've had it so easy?"

Jennifer bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying. She faced her sister. Maybe she should tell her the truth. "You've always been seen as the fun, flirtatious twin, while I was always the more somber, responsible twin. I get tired of being the sensible one. Sometimes I just want to be carefree and have fun like you."

Julia nodded her head. "Sometimes I wish people would take me seriously instead of looking at me like I'm just the dumb blonde who dresses like a clown to make a living. No one comes to me for advice. They come to you. Sometimes I wish I'd never been born with a beautiful, intelligent twin sister."

Uncontrollable tears slid down Jennifer’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Julia. I guess I never thought of what being my sister must be like from your perspective."

Julia walked to her sister's side and hugged her. "It's okay. We all have those days when we want to crawl back in bed and not have to face the dragons."

"No, I'm taking all my frustration from today out on you, and that's not fair."

"What happened?"

"After almost sleeping with him, Brent bypassed me and went to the chairman about the bachelor auction. We're now having a bachelor auction to raise funds for the hospital."

"Oh dear."

"Yes. You see, your not-so-smart sister trusted the doctor to keep his word, and he out-and-out lied to me about this stupid auction. I went to his house naked last night. I intended to have sex with him, not knowing that he had signed up employees of the hospital and celebrities to participate in his bachelor auction. So now I have to work with him to put on his bachelor auction."

"Oh dear."

“And I can’t say anything, because it makes me look like the evil director who doesn’t want to help sick children get the medical attention they deserve.” Jennifer pulled a paper towel from the roll and blew her nose loudly into the rough paper. She dabbed at her eyes. "Don't ever believe I'm terribly smart, Julia, because I've lied to myself all these years, thinking that Brent wanted me that night when it was you he really wanted."

"Oh, no," Julia quickly said. "He never wanted me. He wanted you that night so long ago. He just thought he was with me. Now he's too blind to see what's in front of him." She sighed. "Quit crying over him, and let's figure out a way to work this bachelor auction to your advantage. Somehow there's got to be a way to turn the tables on our hustling quarterback."

"But how?" Jennifer said with a sniff.

"Well, first off you have to bid on him at the auction and win. Then from there, our doctor needs a big dose of his own medicine."

"What are you talking about?" Jennifer asked.

"I'm talking about what every woman is born with and is very capable of doing. The art of the tease." She laughed. "By the time we get through with him, Brent Moulton is going to wish he'd never uttered the words
bachelor auction
."

Jennifer frowned. "How?"

"Sex appeal, teasing, and good old fashioned lust," Julia said, laughing. "This is going to be fun."

Jennifer suddenly had an uneasy feeling about what she was getting herself into. “I don’t know. I couldn’t even seduce him properly. What makes you think winning a date with him would be any better?”

Julia smiled.. “Leave the date to me. I’ll get you all fixed up.”

#