Loving the Nurse by Piper Sullivan
Teddy
Same old Cal. Years later and he was still the same reckless guy he’d been as a teenager, only now he was fine as hell, and a doctor to boot. Life was so unfair at times. I mean, would it be so bad if he was a brilliant doctor with an unfortunate bald spot? Maybe a touch of bad breath or yellow teeth? Anything but that gorgeous face with a plump bottom lip, the deep blue eyes that glittered like sapphires when he was flirting or teasing and that thick head of brown hair that looked like his only styling tool was a few talented fingers.
“Stop!” I gripped the steering wheel and slammed my eyes shut, determined to shut out all thoughts of just how delicious Cal Rutledge still was. No, that wasn’t right. He was gorgeous in high school, but it lacked that oomph he had today, that thing that made him appealing to grown women rather than hormonal teenage girls. “This is ridiculous, he’s just a man.” A delicious man, sure, but a delicious man who still treated women like nothing but a passing amusement for his pleasure.
Thoughts of Alana, the woman who fled his place in tears, helped get my seriously neglected libido under control. That poor woman had to learn a lesson I’d learned far too young about the boy I thought could do no wrong. Her tears were wasted on Cal, because they’d been forgotten as soon as she was out of his sight.
Yep, still a jerk.
But he had the distinction of being a jerk offering up a lucrative job that Teddy Brothers couldn’t turn down, not realistically. Even if I wanted to, there was no way Vincenzo would keep his cool once he found out. Sure, I ran the place, but he managed the books and was laser focused on the bottom line. If Cal accepted the bid, I would accept the job. I would accept it and work much too closely with the one man I had no desire to get up close and personal with ever again.
I’d find a way to deal with Cal the same way I dealt with all the other pricks a woman in my position came across in this industry. Creatively.
A smile crossed my face as I drove through town on my way back to the office, my confidence growing as I reminded myself that Cal was just a man, a flesh and blood man full of flaws, despite his pretty face. Yeah, I could handle renovating his house.
No problem.
Back at the office, I smiled when I spotted two of my favorite people. “Antonio, this is a nice surprise.”
My brother flashed a wide grin and smiled, extending his tattooed arms out to me. “Rosie wanted to show off her new crown and it was time for some fresh air.” Antonio had moved home six months ago, hoping the crisp Oregon air would help with Rosie’s severe asthma.
I looked over at Rosie who preened as I gave her a thorough examination. “I like that the jewels in your crown match your sneakers.” Where Antonio managed to find such a wide selection of crowns for my princess obsessed niece, I’d never know, but he managed it with a calm I admired, because the Ricci family was known more for temper than Zen.
Rosie stuck her pink lips out into a pout. “Thanks Aunt Teddy. Daddy wouldn’t let me wear my princess dress today.”
“He wouldn’t? What a cruel king he is!”
Rosie smiled and Antonio narrowed his gaze in my direction. “It’s at the dry cleaner’s because a certain princess spilled spaghetti sauce all over it.” He shook his head and an amused smile formed. “It’s like if you decided to wear dresses at her age. She’s got the desire, but your clumsiness.”
“Former clumsiness,” I corrected him. “How’s work?”
“Great. Just got a new sponsor and a shit load of cookware waiting to be washed and photographed.”
“That’s awesome, congratulations.” Antonio had spent years as a chef in Los Angeles, building up his brand until he was at the brink of celebrity chefdom, but he set it all aside for Rosie and now he was one of the most popular food vloggers in the country. “Do you miss it?”
He shrugged and shook his head, gaze focused on Rosie who sat on Vincenzo’s lap while he worked. “Some days, sure. But I get to cook what I want every day and there are no customers asking for well done steak.”
“Oh, the horror!”
“I know, right?” He flashed a smile and I could admit he looked more relaxed since returning to Jackson’s Ridge. “Hungry?”
“Always.”
“I brought Cenzo a plate of food, but there’s more at home if you have the time.”
“For your cooking? Always.” I never passed up a chance to sample Antonio’s dishes and dealing with Cal had burned all the calories from my breakfast burrito and coffee. “Meet you there in ten?” I had to give Vincenzo a briefing on my meeting with Cal before heading to the bungalow Antonio bought just two doors down from me.
* * *
“What’s all this?”
“Poker night done right.” Antonio flashed his famous smile that sent women to his YouTube channel in droves. “Have a seat and tell me about your day.”
“I showed up at Cal’s place to do a bid on his house, walked in on him breaking some poor woman’s heart.” He flashed a knowing smile and shook his head.
“He finally admitted he can’t do it on his own?”
“Hardly,” I rolled my eyes. “Claims he doesn’t have the time. It’s a big job.”
“The whole house needs to be gutted and updated. It’s a big job, good for the company.”
I nodded because that was the only thing that mattered. The job was good for the bottom line. Period.
Antonio mistook my silence and scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re still crushing on Cal? It’s been ages, Teddy.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Hell no, I’m not. He cured me of that particular affliction a long time ago.”
Instantly he shifted into protective big brother mode, his brows dipped into a dark frown as he sat food in front of me. “Braised pork with blackberry barbecue sauce and caramelized onions. What does that mean, he cured you?”
“Nothing,” I groaned and took a big unladylike spoonful of food and shoved it in my mouth. “Ancient history.”
“That’s not an answer,” he said and pulled the pork away.
“Hey! I was promised food, dick.”
Antonio’s lips twitched and he arched a brow. “And I asked a question.”
“Shouldn’t you go check on Rosie?”
He let out a deep laugh and shook his head. “She’s taking a royal nap. Your turn to talk.”
I took a deep breath, knowing he wouldn’t let it go until he had all the details. “Fine. I was sixteen and he was on the brink of eighteen when I told Cal all about my not-so-secret crush on him. I asked him to be my first kiss and he agreed, and yeah, it was incredible.” That kiss had been gentle and hot and sweet, everything a first kiss should be. “We spent some time together for about a week, ten days,” I clarified because apparently it still mattered to me. “He asked me to the Autumn Harvest dance, and I stupidly said yes. He never showed up.” There, that was the entire story.
Shock crossed my brother’s face and then understanding, and finally, sympathy that looked a hell of a lot like pity. “Oh, Teddy, he didn’t-,”
I shook my head and snatched the pork back. “I don’t care, Antonio. I’ve already dissected it enough, and I’m not interested in hearing your brotherly platitudes. You asked and I told you. End of story.” I spent too many months, hell too many years, after that night wondering what I did to make him stand me up and I was done trying to figure it out.
“Listen, Teddy, it’s not what you think.”
“I don’t care. It’s the past and there’s no risk of me repeating my mistakes. I’ll do the job if he accepts the bid and keep it professional, because that’s all that’s required. He’s your friend, not mine.”
Antonio held his hands up defensively. “Fine, be stubborn. Just go easy on Cal, will you?”
I couldn’t promise my brother that, because we didn’t lie to each other. Ever. “If he’s an easy client then he won’t have any troubles from me.”
“In that case, I guess I’ll make some popcorn and enjoy the show, because Cal will be anything but easy when it comes to his bachelor pad.”
Bachelor pad. I rolled my eyes at yet another reminder of who Cal used to be and who he still was.
* * *
Cal & Teddy’s story is available here
