Promise Of Forever

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“Try one on,” Beth said, modeling her red satin beret topped with the coiled-wire toy. Vanessa reached for the feathered tiara. Noah chose a cowboy hat with a miniature horse on top.

Mona looked at them as if they’d lost their minds. “I am not wearing anything that ridiculous,” she said firmly, glaring at the hats as if they were snakes.

“This may be your one and only chance,” Beth teased. “The hats are for me to wear, not you…well, unless it’s your birthday or you’ve brought treats for the office.”

Mona threw up her hands. “The parents will think you’re ridiculous, Beth Brennan!”

“Well, let’s hope so!” Beth had occasionally worn her silly hats around patients since her residency and never encountered anyone who thought they kept her from doing her job. “Playing the clown isn’t for everyone, Mona, but I like it. Well, I do as long as I don’t have to wear one of those round red noses. They’re just not comfortable.”

Noah and Vanessa laughed as she intended, but Mona rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

Vanessa stopped her. “Mona, take a picture of us.”

“I don’t know how.”

“It’s easy. You can do it.” Vanessa showed her and positioned Beth and herself on either side of Noah.

Posing for the picture, Beth’s smile came easily. This was a beginning. Antiseptic, impersonal care was out and gentle, loving fun was in.

“I don’t know if I did it right,” Mona complained, shoving the camera back at Vanessa. “Taking pictures is not my job.” She fairly flew out of the room.

“Well, it is my job,” Vanessa said, “and I need the practice. Let me get a picture of the two of you.”

Standing this close to Noah, Beth caught the faint scent of his soap or aftershave, a fragrance she liked very much. She looked up at him and realized he was looking at her as if he really liked what he saw.

Maybe it was the hat.

“Got it,” Vanessa said, taking the picture. “That was great! Now one more. Dr. Beth, you pretend to be the doctor.”

“‘Pretend?’” Beth teased.

Giggling, Vanessa said, “You be the doctor and, Noah, you be the patient. Dr. Beth, listen to Noah’s heart with your stethoscope. That will make a cute picture.”

“I vote for a tongue depressor,” Noah said, grabbing one from a jar on the counter behind him. “Doctor Beth can check my tonsils.” He wasn’t about to let her listen to his racing heart. Standing there beside her, he’d felt like a kid with a crush on the pretty girl at school.

Vanessa agreed and moved them into the pose she wanted.

Noah went along, opening his mouth wide and saying Ah. Could he have felt any sillier?

“Good job,” Beth said, completing her exam, giving him one of her knockout smiles and a pat on his shoulder, as if he were one of her patients.

But he liked that pat and wouldn’t have minded another. The cowboy hat must have rolled back the years.

“On your way out, cowboy, you can choose between a sticker or a lollipop,” Beth said.

“Stickers? Oh, that’s new!” Vanessa exclaimed. “We haven’t had anything but the lollipops before.”

Noah smiled at her enthusiasm and wondered if the combined goodwill of the three of them could help Mona with her outlook on life.

“You know,” Vanessa said, looking at the pictures on the digital camera, “you two look great together. Are you seeing anyone, Dr. Beth? Noah isn’t.”

“Vanessa!” both of them said as a duet.

“Okay, okay! It was just a suggestion.” She grinned, shelved her tiara and scooted out of the room.

Noah put his hat away. Beth put hers away. Talk about an awkward moment.

Doctor-nurse romances were as old as medicine itself, but Noah had never been part of that and wouldn’t be now, despite this edgy anticipation he felt around Beth. Had he ever felt this aware of Merrilee when they’d first met? Had he noticed things like how pretty Merrilee’s smile was or that her eyes were the shade of dark honey?

Blue! Merrilee’s eyes were blue. He waited for guilt to punch him in the gut, but he only felt guilty that it didn’t. “Vanessa kids around a lot,” he said to reassure Beth that he hadn’t taken their young receptionist seriously.

Beth nodded and spoke with her crisp professional tone. “We might as well acknowledge that two single people working in the same office are going to be teased until people realize we’re just friends.”

He was surprised she had the guts to say it, but it was true. People had been trying to set him up almost from the day Merrilee died. Beth Brennan was the hot topic of gossip right now, and he would be mentioned in the same breath that she was…for a while.

“Even if we ignore it, they probably won’t stop until one of us starts to see someone,” Beth said ruefully.

“It’ll have to be you,” he said dryly. “My daughter is the only woman in my life.”

Beth sighed very unprofessionally. “I hate to date.”

She looked so genuinely disgusted that a chuckle escaped. Even disgusted, she looked adorable. His new boss would have no trouble finding someone to date.

“Hey!” She frowned at his laughter. “That’s going to cost you. Until I find Mr. Right, I might just act as if I don’t mind the teasing. What do you think of that?” she challenged, mischief in her eyes.