Not Pretending Anymore by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 3
Molly
The next morning, I woke to the smell of bacon.
After I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I let my nose lead the way to the kitchen. Declan stood at the stove singing Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel.” He had earbuds in, so he didn’t immediately hear me walk out. It gave me a chance to listen to his voice, which was…pretty damn bad. For some reason, that made me smile. A man who looked the way he did and was blessed with so much charisma had to have some flaws. Plus, I liked the fact that he didn’t seem to care that he couldn’t carry a tune.
I walked straight to the coffee pot, opened the cabinet above it, and grabbed a mug. Declan took out one earbud and smiled.
“Morning, roomie. I hope I didn’t wake you with my singing?”
I wasn’t generally a morning person—mostly because I worked the night shift—so I had a hard time falling asleep before two in the morning on my days off. Nevertheless, I felt chipper today.
“You didn’t.” I poured coffee and raised my mug to my lips. “And is that what that sound was? You were singing? I thought maybe someone was strangling a cat.”
Declan squinted. “Are you trying to tell me I don’t have a good voice?”
“I can’t possibly be the first to break that news.”
He smiled like I’d given him a compliment instead of insulting him and nodded his chin toward my mug. “You drink your coffee black. Me too. Told you we were meant to be roommates.”
I chuckled and stepped closer to the stove. Declan had three burners going, including the one that hadn’t worked since I’d moved in. “How did you get the left front burner to turn on?”
“You had a clog. I took it apart and used a toothpick to clean out some dried grease stuck in the burner holes.”
“Oh. Wow. Well, thanks.”
“Glad to be of service. Now why don’t you take a seat? Breakfast is almost ready.”
A few minutes later, Declan placed a perfectly formed omelet, bacon, and hash browns in front of me, along with a glass of orange juice.
“This looks amazing. Because of my schedule, I don’t tend to eat a lot of breakfast. If I’m hungry after I get off work, I usually just grab a yogurt or something. I don’t sleep well on a full stomach. But this is actually my favorite type of meal. I prefer breakfast foods to most dinners. It’s probably the thing I miss most about a normal morning schedule.”
Declan sat down and cut into his omelet. “Why do you have to miss it? Just make breakfast for dinner, before you go to work.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know…because breakfast is morning food.”
“Who says?”
“Umm…everyone?”
“Let me get this straight. Breakfast is your favorite food, but you don’t eat it because traditionally people eat it in the morning and you’re usually sleeping during that time.”
“You’re making it sound silly. But it makes sense.”
He perked a brow. “To whom?”
I laughed. “To me.”
Declan tsked. “Molly, Molly, Molly. Not everything needs to have a specific time or place. It’s a good thing I’m here. You need my help.”
“Oh I do? Exactly what kind of help is it that I need?”
“You need to loosen up a little.”
We’d been joking around until now, but his comment hit a nerve. My last boyfriend had called me uptight on more than one occasion. So I felt a bit defensive. “I don’t think you know me well enough to make that type of judgment. I’ll have you know, I’m not uptight.”
Declan tilted his head. “No?”
“No.”
“Alright, Molly. Whatever you say…”
Now he was just pacifying me. “Don’t say alright, Molly. You’re making me sound rigid. But I’m not. I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat breakfast at night if the opportunity presented itself. It just hasn’t. That’s all.”
“Okay. Sorry if I upset you.”
I’d effectively killed the mood. What had started as a fun morning had now turned into breakfast in silence. By the time we were done eating, I felt like a giant ass.
“That was really delicious. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
Declan forced a smile. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. You went to all this trouble, and I jumped down your throat. It won’t happen again.”
He smirked. “Oh yes it will. I tend to say things that should probably be kept to myself. So it most definitely will be happening again.”
I chuckled. “Okay. Well, maybe you can work on that, and I’ll work on not snapping at you so easily.”
“Sounds good, Mollz. You have any plans for today? You’re off, right?”
I picked up my plate and started to clear the table. “Yeah, I’m off. I worked three twelve-hour shifts in a row, so now I’m off for a couple of days. Though I don’t have any big plans really. Today I’m going to go food shopping and to the dry cleaner. And then later I’m meeting some friends from work at happy hour. I mentioned it last night.”
“That’s right. Tonight you’re seeing Doc in the Box.”
“Do you mean Will? He works at the hospital with me, not one of those roadside urgent-care places.”
“Oh, I know. But he’s an OB, right?”
“Yes…but…. Ohh, doc in the box.” I chuckled. “Cute.”
Declan and I cleaned up the kitchen together. I loaded the dishwasher while he put away all of the things he’d used to cook, cleaned the kitchen table, and wiped down the stovetop. When we were both done, I dried my hands on a towel before blotting at my wet shirt. The damn kitchen faucet had a leak that sprayed whenever the water was turned on more than a trickle. I’d had a piece of electrical tape wrapped around the neck as a temporary fix, but it must’ve fallen off.
Tossing the dishtowel on the counter, I looked up and found Declan staring. I quickly realized why. Last night I’d slept in a white T-shirt and no bra, and now the top half of my shirt was completely see-through. Not only that, the wetness was cold against my skin, so my nipples were fully erect, practically piercing through my invisible shirt.
Folding my arms, I attempted to cover up. “The…uh…water faucet sprays a bit.”
Declan’s eyes lifted to meet mine. He swallowed and cleared his throat before looking away. “I’ll take care of it today.”
“Oh. It’s okay. It’s been that way for a while. I can just call the super again. You don’t have to fix it.”
He grumbled. “Yeah, I do. I absolutely freaking do.”
***
Later that evening, I was a little disappointed that Declan hadn’t been home before I left for happy hour. I’d gotten myself more done-up than usual, and could’ve used his bluntness to find out if I looked like I was trying too hard. I mean, I was, but I didn’t want it to look that way.
My four outfit changes had made me late, so most people were already at McBride’s when I arrived. Noticeably absent was whatshername, who usually came to happy hour to hang on Will’s arm. Feeling unusually nervous, I walked straight to the bar and stood next to Daisy, a new physician’s assistant. I’d met her a few times on the unit, but this was the first time she’d come to one of our twice-a-month meetups.
“Hey,” I said. “I’m glad you came.”
“Hey, Molly.” She did a quick sweep over my outfit. “I love that green on you. You look so different without scrubs and a ponytail.”
I smiled, now glad I’d made that last wardrobe change and sprung for a professional blowout this afternoon. The emerald color of my silk blouse was a bit bold for me, especially against my pale skin and dark hair. But I’d paired it with dark jeans and simple wedges to try to keep it casual. “Thank you. You look really nice, too.”
The bartender walked over and set down a napkin in front of me. “Hey, Molly. How’s it going? What can I get for you today?”
“Hey, Patrick. I’ll have a Stoli vanilla and ginger ale, please.”
He nodded. “You got it. Coming right up.”
“Mmm…” Daisy said. “That’s the drink that tastes like a cream soda, isn’t it?”
“It is. You want one?”
She looked at the bottle of beer in her hand, which was almost empty. “Sure. Why not?”
I looked at the bartender. “Can you make that two? And hers is on me.”
“You want to start a tab?”
“Yes, please.”
After Patrick walked away to make our drinks, Daisy said, “You didn’t have to do that. But thank you.”
I smiled. “No problem. So tell me how you like being at Chicago General? How long has it been now? Has to be almost a month already, right?”
She nodded. “Five weeks, actually. I really like it. Not that I have too much to compare it to. This is my first job after graduating. Some of the doctors can be really intimidating.”
“You mean like Dr. Benton?”
Daisy grimaced. “Especially Dr. Benton. God, that man makes me so nervous. He walks into a room and I start to freeze up.”
“I’ll tell you a little secret about him that might help.”
“What?”
I leaned in. “Smile a lot. It freaks him out.”
She chuckled. “Are you serious?”
“Yup. Anything he asks you, just respond wearing a giant smile. It’s like it disarms him or something. I have a theory that he barks at everyone so they won’t be able to smile, because smiles are kryptonite to him.”
“Wow. Okay. I’ll try it. That’s really great to know. What else you got?”
“Have you met Dr. Arlington?”
“Yeah. He’s pretty grumpy, too.”
“He’ll try to dump his interns on you and take off for hours if you let him.”
Daisy’s eyes widened. “He did that to me the other day. Told me to show them the ropes. I had no idea what to do with four interns. They’ve been at General longer than I have. They would’ve been better off showing me the ropes.”
“Yup. So next time he attempts to leave you with them, you say ‘Actually, I need to go see Edith in the nursing office.’”
“Even if I don’t need to go see her?”
I nodded. “Yup. He’s terrified of Edith.”
“He is? But she’s so tiny and sweet.”
I pointed at Daisy. “Until you piss her off. Then she’s pretty damn scary. Even the threat of Edith will scare Dr. Arlington. She once laid into him for dumping his interns, and now if you just mention her name, he backs off.”
She laughed, probably assuming I was exaggerating, but I wasn’t. We worked with a real cast of characters. Patrick, the bartender, walked over and delivered our drinks. While we sipped, the two of us looked around at the group. Tonight was a nice turnout.
Daisy lifted her chin and pointed to where Will was talking to an anesthesiologist at the far end of the bar. “What about Dr. Daniels? What’s his story?”
“Will’s one of the good ones. He’s pretty nice to everyone. You won’t have any problems with him.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I meant what’s his story. Is he…single?”
Oh. Ugh. Shit. “Umm… I’m not sure. He’s off and on with someone. Are you…interested?”
Daisy sipped her drink with a coy smile. “He’s really good-looking.”
Yeah, he is. I shrugged. And of course, just then, he had to walk over to us.
He kissed my cheek. “Hey, Molly. I didn’t see you come in.”
Daisy straightened her posture.
“I just got here,” I said.
He nodded and turned his attention to the woman next to me. “It’s Daisy, right?”
She lit up with a megawatt smile. “It is. It’s nice to see you, Dr. Daniels.”
“Please, call me Will.”
“Alright, Will. You know, the other day I happened to notice you getting into your car in the parking lot. You have a Northwestern alum sticker. Is that where you went?”
“It is.”
“Me too.” She made a fist and pumped it into the air. “Go Wildcats.”
“Oh yeah? I’m a huge fan. I still keep season tickets.”
Daisy pouted. “I’m so jealous. I couldn’t afford them this year. I was a cheerleader for four years, and I miss the excitement of game days.”
Ugh.
Will sipped his beer. “You’ll have to come along for a game then sometime.”
Her pout curved to a smile. “I’d love that.”
Double ugh.
Little Miss New Girl just got herself invited to a day alone with Will in thirty seconds, right in front of me. I really sucked at flirting.
The two of them slipped into a conversation about some new quarterback for the upcoming football season, and I was left attempting to smile at appropriate times while feeling like my heart was being ripped out. Normally, I wasn’t one to take out my cell phone when I was with people, but when it buzzed in my pocket, I decided to make an exception.
I was surprised to find Declan’s name on my screen.
Declan: How’s it going? Are you playing hard to get?
I sighed and typed back.
Molly: Apparently easy to get is more Will’s style. A woman basically just made a date with him right in front of me.
The dots on my phone jumped around for a minute, then stopped, then started up again. Eventually, my phone rang in my hand. Declan’s named flashed with an incoming call.
Excusing myself from the conversation I really wasn’t part of anymore, I stepped away from the bar to answer.
“Hey.”
“I thought this might warrant an actual conversation. What happened?”
I shook my head. “A new PA basically just told me she has the hots for Will, and when he walked over to say hello, she got herself invited to a football game within thirty seconds.”
“Okay. Are they still talking?”
I glanced back at the bar to find Daisy flipping her hair and giggling. Frowning, I said, “Yes.”
“What are you wearing?”
I looked down. “A green silk blouse and jeans.”
“Nice,” he said. “I don’t even have to see it to know you look phenomenal in green with your hair and skin color. Are the jeans tight?”
“Sort of.”
“Heels?”
“I have wedges on.”
“Okay, so you’re looking smokin’ hot. This is good…very good. Here’s what I want you to do. Is it warm in the bar?”
“Umm…it’s comfortable, I guess.”
“Alright. Well, you’re warm. Go back to the conversation, and while Dr. Dickalicious is talking to—what’s this woman’s name?”
“Daisy.”
He scoffed. “Dumb name. Anyway, go back to this conversation, and while he’s talking to Violet, lift the back of your hair and sort of fan it up and down like you’re warm. Then order a glass of ice water from the bar. When the bartender brings you the water, accidentally spill it on your shirt.”
“What? No. Why the heck would I do that?”
“Just trust me and do it.”
“Half of my closet is on my bed because I struggled to find exactly the right outfit to wear tonight, and you want me to ruin it?”
“You won’t be ruining it. But let me ask you something else—how big is your purse?”
I looked down at my hand holding it. “I don’t know, about twelve inches long by ten inches tall, maybe. Why?”
“Okay, perfect. So before you go get your water, make a quick trip to the ladies’ room and slip off your bra. You are wearing one, right?”
“Have you been drinking, Declan?”
“No. But I might hit that bottle of wine you have open in the refrigerator when we hang up if you don’t listen to me.”
“Declan, I am not taking off my bra and intentionally spilling a glass of water on myself.”
“Take a chill pill, Mollz. It’s no big deal. You want this guy to notice you in a new way—that will definitely get him to take notice. Trust me, he’ll forget all about Rose.”
“Daisy.”
“Whatever. Now, are you going to take the horse by the reins or what? This is the way to do it.”
“I thought the way to do it was to play hard to get.”
“I’m calling an audible.”
“A what?”
“It’s a football term. One that Little Miss Marigold who’s going to the game with your doc probably knows. But that’s unimportant now. Just trust me on this.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so, Declan. That’s not the way I want to be noticed.”
“Alright. But I’m telling you…it would work.”
“Goodbye, Declan.”
“Later, Mollz.”
