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Forever Desired: Billionaire Medical Romance (A Chance at Forever Series Book 2) by Lexy Timms (3)

“Welcome!” The maid was probably in her early sixties, and had a ready smile on a face so weathered Mel sort of expected to it see on a rancher, wind-burned and ruddy. But the smile was bright and open and genuine.

Mel liked her instantly and fought the urge to collapse into the woman’s arms, then cry after the day they’d just had. It was like finding someone’s grandmother.

“I’m Alice. I come in two times a week,” the woman said by way of introduction. “I also tidy up here and there. It’s just Dr. Layton, and he isn’t here too often. So I just show up to keep the place not buried in dust.” She waved a hand, taking in the entryway and the hallway beyond. “Come, I’ll show you to your rooms!” She smiled and grabbed the massive suitcase from Maria’s startled grip, and continued her monologue as she half led, half dragged them through the mansion.

“Th-Thanks?” Maria half asked, looking from Alice to Mel with big eyes.

“I understand you run a hospital in the jungle,” Alice said, her eyes alight with curiosity and wonder as she glanced back at Mel. “It sounds very exciting. Dr. Layton’s been telling me all about it.” She paused and waited for them to catch up, and then leaned in conspiratorially, pitching her voice so Maria wouldn’t hear. “To be honest, it sounds frightening. I don’t know how you manage it, I really don’t. I was a nurse once, you know. A nursing assistant, really, but I’m retired now and just help out now and again.” She laughed a little. “Maybe it’s not much of a retirement, but I absolutely am no good at Bingo, and there just wasn’t enough to do during the day. I admire you, Dr. Bell, I really do. Few people can even think about what you do, and I’ve heard how effortlessly you do what you do and…oh, here we are!”

‘Here’ involved a winding hallway and a towering flight of stairs where Alice never lost her breath, nor seemed to require inhaling through her stream of chatter. At the end of another hall two doors presented themselves, and Alice indicated that they were the rooms set aside for their use.

Alice beamed at them both. “You can decide who gets which room. Once you’re settled, just come back the way we came to get to the dining room. Dinner isn’t until 8, but if you need something after your long trip, just let me know. I’ll be here all day today until dinner. Then I have to hurry home and feed George. Normally I wouldn’t be here this late, but Dr. Layton asked me to stay a little longer just to tend to the two of you.” Alice stepped back, lightly touching Mel’s arm. Something in her smile changed, became more genuine, as though Mel had passed some sort of test. For a moment it seemed that Alice truly was glad they’d come.

“Thanks so much for all your help,” Mel said, smiling back, feeling for a moment that she, too, was genuinely happy they’d come.

“It’ll be wonderful getting to know you!” Alice murmured, then flitted back down the hallway with more energy than Mel could possibly muster, even after a good night’s sleep.

Mel shook her head and turned to face the two doors: one to her left, the other to the right. The hallway ended here, with a painting of a sailboat on a calm sea, and some kind of useless table beneath it holding a bowl of fresh fruit. Who did that? It occurred to her that Alice had probably left it there, in case they’d wanted a snack, and while it seemed thoughtful it felt a little too…well, pampered.

People really lived like this?

With one hand, she carefully reached out and touched a piece of fruit. Yep, it was real all right.

And now she was freaked out by a bowl of friggin’ fruit.

“This is nuts.”

“No, Dr. Mel. That’s an orange.”

Mel and Maria looked at each other a long moment. Through the months since Maria’s accident, they’d been doctor and patient, guardian and child, and since yesterday sometime, traveling companions. In the wake of the primal force that was Alice, they were now two women equally lost and in some state of disbelief. Hurricane Alice was more potent than anything that had ever hit Belize. And they got some fancy weather in Belize.

“Open the door.” Mel indicated the choice closest to Maria.

Maria regarded her door, as though it would bite her. She edged backward a tiny bit, bumping into the suitcase hard enough to stumble and almost fall. “You first.”

“Don’t be silly,” Mel countered, reaching a hand to steady the girl. Making no move to open hers.

There was a long pause while they stared each other down.

Mel won.

Maria gave her a look that belied her twelve years, and reached for the knob. She turned it and jumped back with a small squeak as the door swung open. Curious, Mel peered around the doorjamb, just about tripping on her own suitcase in the process.

“Holy shit?” Maria asked.

Mel could only nod.

“This is bigger than my house,” the girl whispered. “How many people sleep in that bed?”

Mel laughed. “Just you.”

They stared a long time.

If this had been a hotel, it would have been considered a junior suite. The room was simple, uncluttered, and clean—extremely clean. There seemed to be flowers stuffed into every corner and crevice, beautiful tropical creations on dresser and table and desk, but the bouquets were understated and simple, accenting the room and giving a welcoming feel that would delight a young girl.

Who was she kidding? She was just as delighted.

Plush rugs, the color of the jungle canopy, were spread across the hardwood floor. A fireplace against one wall made the room cozy, even if it wasn’t lit. An armchair and lamp invited one to curl up and read if they so desired. The bed might have had a different zip code from where they stood, but was clearly visible, canopy and all. Pillows the colors of gemstones scattered across a matching spread that was designed to be every little girl’s dream. Had the walls been brick instead of being painted a soft taupe, you might have thought you’d been transported into a princess’ tower, dragons not included.

“Is it okay if I sleep on the floor? If I sleep in that, I’ll get lost and not find my way out again.”

Mel hugged the girl with a surety she didn’t feel and backed away, at a loss for words, and wondering what could possibly be on the other side of the hall. She suddenly realized the fruit was for provisions, should one get lost. Maybe grabbing an orange now wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Don’t be an idiot.

Mel swallowed her courage and moved into the hallway, to the other side, and opened the door.

The room shone in whites and yellows, sweeping cloth draping the bedframe, and for a moment Mel had a strange longing for the mosquito netting and hammock of home.

Home. What a strange concept. How had an assignment in the jungles of Belize suddenly become home? Maybe because it was a place she was used to. Could familiar settings and furnishings become a home just by being there day after day? Yet her life in America seemed so long ago, like a memory belonging to someone else. Even the bad parts had had the sharp edges worn off. That was Brant’s doing, she knew. She raised a hand to her breast, touching it lightly through the fabric. Even this did not seem quite so tragic, softened somewhat.

She was learning to let go.

And now, she’d left the jungle. No more daily challenges. Instead, she stood here, in a world of perfumed princesses and soft beds and money.

Money.

She stared around the room. Noticing for the first time the art…actual art on the walls. Not prints. A panicked glance showed her the fine quality of the furniture. The sheets…she didn’t want to know, but damn, she really did. She hadn’t slept on a bed or sheets in so long. She stepped forward, touching the coverlet and finding it as exquisite to touch as she’d imagined it would be.

Holy shit, Brant had to be loaded.

“Dr. Mel?”

She’d completely forgotten about her travel partner. She whirled around, heart started into sensibility as she forced a smile because crying was too near the surface. And the last thing she wanted to do was to let it show. “I’m sorry, sweetie, were you saying something?”

The girl looked at her, eyes dead serious. “Do you want to sleep on the floor with me?”

It felt good to laugh.

The warm embrace she gave Maria went a long way to chasing away the fear that had been gnawing at her belly since the Uber had expelled them in front of this mansion. Mel kissed her head and sent her back to her room before grabbing the suitcase and dragging it in behind her. “Go jump on the bed. Seriously.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, see if it’s bouncy.”

“Nobody’s going to yell at me?”

Mel laughed again. “Shhh…I might join you.”

The door closed before she could blink. She shook her head as she chuckled again.

And here I stand.

Maybe it was a silly thought, bordering on hysteria. But it felt right, this defining moment where a portion of her life was shut off forever. She was at a crossroads, with a brand-new world full of frightening possibilities spread out before her.

Was she ready for it?

Mel thought of Brant as she’d seen him last. The way he’d looked at her. The way he’d made her feel.

Yes. Oh, yes.

Steadier than she’d been since she arrived she sank into a plush chair by the window, not really seeing the lush landscaping, the sloping roofs of neighboring mansions. Already her mind was picking its way through this new world, finding her place here. She had a job to do.

Besides, Brant probably wouldn’t be home for a while anyway.

She opened the phone that Doctors International had purchased for her use, and called home. Her home. In Belize. Just to make sure everything there was still running without any major glitches without her.

While she waited for a connection she stood again, too restless to sit, and wandered the room. The door at the end revealed a private bathroom, with a shower big enough for her entire staff to share. She fought against that image. Now the separate tub room enough for two—that image she held on to. And two sinks. She was tempted to designate one just for brushing her teeth. It took her a minute to find the tiny room that held the toilet. Thankfully a plain porcelain thing, not hammered gold as she was afraid it might be. It had a bidet next to it, like a faithful sidekick.

“What in the world do you do with that?” She stared in mystified amazement, and backed out of the space almost reverently.

“Doctors International,” a crackled voice shot over the phone, breaking a fascinating little daydream that had started as she’d stared at the tub, imagining Brant in one end and her in the other. Or both in the same end. Either way held so many possibilities.

“H-Hello, this is Melissa Bell…Dr. Melissa Bell. I need to be connected to my clinic in Belize.”

“One moment, please…” the phone clicked and clucked a few moments and then a familiar voice, though not one she wanted to hear, came through crystal clear.

“MEL!”

She blinked a few times, and sat down on the edge of the tub. “Kenneth? I don’t understand; I was trying to get the clinic…”

“I know, but I left instructions that your calls come through my office. I’ll have someone reconnect you when we’re done. How was the flight? I imagine it was rough. Did you have any trouble with customs? Transporting a minor between countries wasn’t easy to arrange!”

“No,” Mel answered honestly. “They just looked at our passports…” What was the director of Doctors International doing rerouting her phone?

“Good! Those take a long time to process. You realize we had to pull some strings to arrange it for her, but it’s all worth it in the end.” He barreled on over anything she might have been able to add. “I know that your…friend…is doing all the work on her for free, but there was still considerable expense on our part, and we need to leverage this opportunity.”

“What do you mean?” Mel didn’t like where this was going. In fact, she had an uncomfortable feeling that she knew exactly what he was saying.

“We’re releasing a press statement right now.” He took on a sing-song tone that Mel took to mean he was reading: “Doctors International is pleased to say that one of our dedicated and skilled doctors is helping a little girl from Belize find her smile. Little Maria was badly burned in a fire that nearly destroyed her home, as the brave young girl ran into the flames to save her father.”

Mel groaned, and covered her face with her hand.

Kenneth continued on, oblivious to her reaction. “The preeminent reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Brant Layton, will be operating on the girl to restore the beauty and smile that won our hearts.”

“You’re turning this into a circus?” Mel was appalled. No. He can’t do this. She’s a child!

“No, but this is the sort of story that warms people’s hearts, and warm-hearted people are generous people. Remember, every dollar we get can save a life.”

“She’s twelve, Kenneth; she doesn’t know how to handle this sort of scrutiny.”

“That’s why we have you, Mel. Anyway, hang on a moment.” The silence seemed louder after his chatter. There was a shuffle and then Kenneth spoke again, “I’ll be in touch with details on interviews and press statements. You don’t say anything, we’ll take all questions at our level. Just make sure…” he shuffled some papers, “Maria? Yes, Maria. Just make sure the girl’s there on time.”

“KENNETH!” Mel screamed into the phone, but the device merely crackled again. “DAMN YOU, KENNETH!”

“Well, I’m not Kenneth, but I appreciate your religious zeal,” Carmen said on the other end of the line.

“Carmen?” Mel slipped off the edge of the bathtub and hit the floor. Hard. “Sorry about that… How is everyone?”

 

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