Emergency Engagement

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Quinton took a deep breath. “I’ve been raised since birth to take over my father’s pediatrics practice, marry, join the country club and live in a nice part of town. While I love pediatric medicine, I don’t love the girl my parents want me to marry and I have no desire to live in either Ladue or Town and Country. And then there’s my mother. She’s as upper crust as they come and my father is very patriarchal. I’m the eldest child, and besides passing my name to my son, I’m to carry on the family traditions, just like he did. It’s my birthright and my responsibility.”

“So, you have to make them understand that times change. You’ve chosen a different path.”

“It’s not that easy,” Quinton said. “They can’t accept thirty-five, single and happy in Chicago. They see bachelorhood as some sort of failure—not as a lifestyle choice. They’ve even arranged for a date to my sister’s wedding which is four weekends from now, on February twelfth.”

“An arranged date? They still do those things?”

“My mother’s idea. It will be an arranged marriage if she has her way. Shelby’s wedding is almost here, and afterward my mother will have an emotional let-down and nothing to do. She’ll turn to me. Actually, she’s already started.” Quinton took a deep breath. “So I told my mother I was bringing a date. Which is why I came over here tonight.”

“I don’t see how I can help you with any of this. I don’t have any experience in this area. I’m not from a wealthy family. My parents are divorced and live on opposite coasts. I hardly see them. We’re not what you call close. I don’t understand these family matters.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Quinton suddenly seemed impatient. “Let me just be blunt. Here’s my idea. I want you to be my date in exchange for a place to live.”

“You what?”

“I want you to pretend to be madly in love with me and go to the wedding with me.”

He stared at her and she stared back. He opened his mouth to offer her five hundred dollars, but another idea popped into his head. Beth Johnson needed more than five hundred. She needed time to get well and get back on her feet. She needed a chance. He’d screwed things up for her—she was right about that—and he had to make amends.

“Move in with me for a month or so,” he continued. “Just long enough to let you and Carly get back on your feet. You’ll have your own two rooms. With my hours I’m never home, and no one will think anything of me picking up some extra ER shifts to give you privacy. Plus, the weekend of February fifth, I’ll be in St. Louis for my parents’ anniversary. The weekend after that is the weekend I want you to go with me to my sister’s wedding in St. Louis and pretend to be my date.”

“You’re crazy.” Beth gazed at him to make sure she’d actually heard what she thought she had. His expression indicated he was serious. “You’re asking me to live with you and pretend to be in love with you at a wedding? This is insane.”

Quinton nodded. “Probably, but it’ll work. It’s less messy than finding a wife and it’ll keep my family off my back. It’ll provide you a place to live and some time to save up your security deposit. We each get what we want. And don’t think you can’t do it—I know you can. You’re a beautiful woman. All we have to do is get you gussied up and my family should be satisfied that I’m happy. You just keep insisting that you could never leave Chicago. Hopefully, they’ll relent and give up asking me to leave once you’re in the picture. Afterward you’ll dump me and I’ll remain heartbroken for at least a year.”

He’d said she was beautiful, and she’d liked it. She mentally shook her herself. “But wouldn’t they want you to change cities after your breakup so you could leave the memories behind? They’ll probably also start really throwing women at you, to help you get over me.”

He frowned. “Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I’ll tell my parents that we have a chance of working things out. That might buy me some more time until I can figure out what to do. Maybe you should be my fiancée and not just my date.”

Quinton’s fiancée. The idea sounded so seductive. Beth fought the devil whispering over her shoulder. “I don’t know why this is necessary. You could simply say no.”

He stood up and paced. “I’ve done that more than a dozen times, but to no avail. My family won’t accept my choices. Besides, my mother has a heart condition. As a doctor, I know it’s not as serious as she maintains, but it’s real. My dad asked me not to upset her. Believe me, I’d rather tell my mother the truth but I promised. If lying about our relationship means adding a few extra years to her life, I will. Despite her flaws, she’s my mother.”

Beth knew all too well about extra years. Randy hadn’t had any. But then, Quinton’s family could afford top medical treatment. Randy couldn’t.

“Castles in the air collapse,” Beth warned.

“I realize all the pitfalls,” Quinton said. “I understand honesty is the best policy and all that. I made my intentions about my career clear to my family from the start. But what do you do when the other party refuses to listen, refuses to consider your wishes? What do you do then?”