The Sweetheart Hoax (3 page)

Jesus, anyone who knew him knew he loved women. He loved everything about them. He loved them so much he’d never been able to settle for just one when so many were out there for the taking. Kelly had been a misstep—a big one. Her charm, her high dollar wardrobe, and her drive to succeed as a businesswoman had lulled him into thinking she was a woman of style. He’d been enjoying her company until she’d plastered her face along the highway like some ambulance chasing attorney out for a quick buck. In Phil’s mind, there was a very distinct line between networking and embarrassing pleas for business.

He put Kelly out of his mind as he pulled into his driveway at the Flannery & Williams premier development, Interlude, and hopped out of the car. The place still smelled new, Phil thought as he opened the door and took the stairs two at a time toward his second floor master suite. Of course, why shouldn’t it smell new? He was hardly ever home and the lack of furnishings made it seem as if he’d just moved in, as opposed to having lived there for over a year.

He carefully placed his custom-made work shirt into the dry cleaning bin and selected a sage green golf shirt with the Andover logo to accompany his khaki golf pants. He caught himself smiling as he reached for the designer belt he’d splurged on and then grumbled, “Doesn’t mean I’m gay. I like nice stuff.” He fastened the belt closed and walked out of the closet. “Damn it, now I’m talking to myself.”

He brooded on the short drive to Andover and felt only slightly better as the guard waved him through and an eager attendant pulled his clubs from the trunk of his Mercedes.

“You playing eighteen today, Mr. Williams?” he asked. “Got a beautiful afternoon ahead.”

“Just the driving range for me, Kyle.” He needed a partner for golf and for the weekend at home.

***

When Kate Flannery walked into the office late in the afternoon, Margot was reminded of the first time she’d seen the stunning brunette. She’d come to interview Phil and Danny for Design & Build magazine and Phil had melted like butter on a hot biscuit when he’d gotten a look at her. Margot felt nauseous watching the scene unfold before her eyes until Danny came into sight, and Kate’s color had drained from her face when he walked by without looking up. That’s when Margot knew Phil didn’t have a prayer with the beautiful journalist who, unbeknownst to all, had had a prior relationship with Danny. And now, just over two years later, they were happily married and expecting a baby.

“Hi, Margot,” Kate said as she turned to close the door.

Margot got a full glimpse of her protruding belly and smiled. “You’re one of those annoying pregnant women.”

Kate rubbed her mound like a proud mama. “Excuse me?”

“I mean
,
you’re annoyingly skinny. It looks like you’ve shoved a basketball under your shirt.”

“I’m eating like a horse and this is all I have to show for it. But I’m not complaining. At least I’m showing. For awhile there I thought I never would.”

“You look wonderful,” Margot said.

“I feel wonderful.” Kate placed some shopping bags on the couch in the waiting area and eased into the sea grass chair. “I love being pregnant. Oh, God,” she said and sat up straighter in the chair. “I am annoying.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just happy.”

Kate pushed herself up and waddled over to Kate’s desk. “You don’t look happy. What’s going on?”

Margot sighed. Despite her continued pangs of jealousy for the woman who had it all, Margot had developed quite a liking for Kate. She’d talked to Kate about her plans before, but never with a timetable attached. “I came in today all psyched to quit, and Phil left for the afternoon before I got a chance to do it. I just want to get it over with.”

“You’re quitting already?”

“I’m done with my coursework. I’ve got one more test to pass—the big one—and I’m as good as hired at the hospital.”

“Margot, that’s fantastic. I didn’t know you were so close to being done.”

“It feels like it’s been forever. I’m excited, but change is hard.” She looked around the small waiting area. The warm chocolate walls and contemporary furniture provided a stark contrast to the industrial white of the hospital. “I’m ready to take the next step, but I have to quit first.”

“Does Danny know?” Kate asked.

Margot felt her cheeks heat. “No. I wanted to tell Phil first since he’s always around. I doubt Danny will care one way or the other.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Margot. He’s said more than once he’s glad you’re around to keep the office in shape and Phil in line.”

Margot snorted. “I don’t know about either of those things. Phil doesn’t even know I exist.” Whoops, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Kate placed her hand over Margot’s on the counter. “No luck there?”

Fear and embarrassment swelled in Margot’s stomach as she jerked her hand away and straightened the papers on her desk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” Kate said.

It was the pity Margot saw in her eyes that kept her defenses in place. “Phil’s my boss. All I meant was that any warm body who can answer the phone, do a little computer graphics, and run some errands would fit the bill around here.”

“Okay, if you want to deny what I’ve seen on your face every time I’ve been in this office, you can. Believe me, I understand the need to protect your heart.”

“Kate, really…”

“I’m done being annoying. I’ve embarrassed you, and I’m sorry.” She straightened and placed a hand on her lower back. “I came by to see if Danny can come to my appointment with me. Is he in?”

Margot shook her head. “He just left.”

“Shoot. I tried calling and it went straight to voicemail, which meant he was on the phone. I figured I’d take a shot.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Margot asked.

“Yeah, for the most part. I get tired easily and my back is really starting to ache.”

Hummm
. Constant back pain could indicate pre-term labor, but Margot thought it better not to stress the already anxious Kate. Besides, she was headed to the doctor. “Be sure to mention your symptoms to the doctor.”

“Symptoms? Do you think something’s wrong?”

“No,” Margot quickly backtracked. “But some people think telling the doctor how they feel is complaining. Doctors need to know exactly what the patient is experiencing in order to get a clear picture for diagnosis.”

“Spoken like a nurse,” Kate said with a smile. She grabbed her bags and went out with a wave.

Margot sat back in her chair and stared at the pencil sketches of completed Flannery & Williams projects along the wall. If Kate knew how Margot felt about Phil, everyone else probably knew also. Oh, God. Maybe Phil knew, too!

She let her head slam onto the desk’s surface and vowed to quit first thing in the morning.

***

Phil ordered a draft beer after his impossibly bad round of golf. He’d considered it fortuitous to find Dr. Randall
McBain
on the driving range and in need of a partner. Unfortunately, there was nothing fortuitous about losing fifty bucks and your pride in one fell swoop.

“Drowning your sorrows?”
McBain
asked with impish grin on his ruddy face. The young doctor couldn’t help but rub salt in Phil’s wound.

“Just putting a cap on a crappy day.” He set the frosty mug on a coaster and faced his regular Sunday golfing buddy. “I’d offer to buy you a drink, but you took all my money.”

McBain
settled at the bar next to Phil. “Good thing all you need is your signature.” He motioned for the barkeep. “I’ll have your special on draft.” He turned to face Phil. “So what happened today? Break some pencils? Color outside the lines?”

McBain
was infamous for his holier than thou attitude. No one’s work was more important than his, certainly not an architect’s.
Even the architect designing the building for his medical practice.
“Fuck off,
McBain
.”

“Ouch, Phil. That hurts.”
McBain
laughed at his warped sense of humor. “Seriously, did you kill someone on the table today?”

“Did you?”

“Only if by killing you mean performing my most impressive breast augmentation.” He looked down at his outstretched fingers. “These hands are responsible for molding the now perfect figure of the world’s hottest college professor.”

Phil popped a peanut in his mouth and then nearly choked as recognition hit. “Priscilla Prescott?”

“You know I can’t divulge patient information.”

The wicked gleam in his eye told Phil he’d hit the mark. “Danny used to date her.”

Randall sneered. “I’m glad he’s off the market. He really skewed the odds for the rest of us.”

Phil couldn’t get past the idea of Priscilla having surgery. “I thought her tits were real?”

“My patient’s tits,” Randall gave an exaggerated wink, “were real. She wanted a lift and my reputation had made its way to her hallowed halls. I should get some sort of academic award.”

Phil shook his head. “Is there anyone left on the island you haven’t nipped or tucked?”

“Quite a few, actually.” He nodded to the bartender when he delivered his beer. “Business should be brisk for the next decade or so.”

“I like them real,” Phil said before he thought better of getting into a conversation with Dr. Shallow about the merits of real vs. implants.

“I appreciate the appeal of a natural rack,” Randall admitted. “At least on the young ones.”

“I’d assumed you go for high and tight.”

Randall shrugged and took a swig of beer, letting out a comical “
Ahhhh
” as it slid down his throat. “Nothing better than a cold beer after robbing you blind on the course.” He chomped on a handful of peanuts and pondered Phil’s question. “I’ve begun what I like to call a scientific case study.”

“Is that so?” Phil asked. He recognized the sarcasm of Randall’s response.

“I consider it research. Women want natural looking implants and there’s no better way to give them what they want than by…sampling the best of what nature provided.”

“I’m constantly amazed at the lengths you’re willing to go to for your craft.”

“Hey,” Randall said with a hearty smack on Phil’s shoulder. “Somebody’s
gotta
do it.”

“And where do you find these natural beauties?”

“The hospital, my dear boy, is chock full of young nurses. I’ve got my eye on one very tasty morsel right now.”

“The hospital doesn’t frown on doctor-nurse relationships?”

“The hospital doesn’t know about my relationships.” Randall looked appraisingly at the two women who sat next to him at the bar. “Besides, Maggie’s not at the hospital yet.”

“Still in high school?” Phil asked.

“Just done with nursing school. She’ll be on staff in a few weeks, assuming she passes her qualifying exam.”

“Well then,” Phil raised his glass in toast, “here’s to Maggie passing her exam.”

“Here, here,” Randall said with a devilish gleam in his eye.

Poor Maggie didn’t know what she was in for.

Chapter 4

Phil sat staring out the window of his office while absently tossing his ball from hand to hand. His crappy night hadn’t gotten any better after two beers and dinner with Dr. Randy. His morning run hadn’t done much to cheer his mood one bit. Phil spent most of the night wondering how the egomaniacal doctor managed to lure young nurses into research when Phil couldn’t even come up with one woman to take home to meet his parents.

Any woman he’d ever dated before was off the table. He wasn’t with them any more for a reason and he wasn’t about to cross back over a bridge once he’d moved to the other side. He couldn’t take a stranger or someone he’d known for only a little while because that would just be weird. The perfect solution was a woman friend—someone he could explain his reasons to who wouldn’t think he wanted more out of them than a weekend of pretense. The problem was he didn’t have any women friends.

“Hey,” Danny popped his head inside Phil’s door and cocked his head toward the reception area. “Where’s Margot?”

“She made a run to the shopping warehouse for supplies. Her voicemail said she’d be in around ten.”

Danny seemed appeased, but instead of going back to his office, he stood in the doorway and studied Phil. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?” Phil asked. Danny wasn’t one for office gossip and he sure as hell didn’t linger in doorways when he could be on the phone or at a building site.

“You look like shit.” He made motions toward his head. “Your hair is all messed up and you’ve got a puppy dog look on your face.”

Phil carefully finger combed his hair into place. “I’ve got less than three weeks to find a woman to ask home with me and I don’t have a clue who it’ll be.”

“Somebody from the country club?” Danny suggested.

“I was there last night. That well is dry.”