Chapter 2

Josie

TWO WEEKS LATER…

I settle back into my poolside lounge chair, and with a sigh I close my eyes. I came off a hellacious shift at the hospital, and some rest and relaxation at our neighborhood pool is just the ticket. The town home I bought is swank, and my first real use of the type of money an ER doctor can make. It’s in a gated community and there’s hardly anyone here during the weekday, so I try to take advantage of it as much as I can.

The relaxation lasts for all of about three minutes before I can feel something blocking out the hot June sun on my skin. I crack an eye and see the outline of a tall, well-built man standing over me with rays of sunshine shooting out in all directions from the edges.

“These chairs taken?” I hear Reed’s voice and I crack the other eye open.

Sitting up, I hold my hand over my eyes to block the sun a little, and his face comes into focus. He points to the two chairs beside me and raises an eyebrow.

“Um…no,” I say hesitantly, and then sweep my gaze around the pool. There’s only a handful of people here and probably two dozen chairs open and available spread around.

“Cool,” he says as he throws a towel down on the chair nearest to me, and another towel on the one next to it. “Got a friend joining me. She’s still in the house doing whatever it is girls do to get ready to go to the pool.”

“Let me guess,” I say dryly as I nod to the chairs. “Blond hair, stacked, and wearing a string bikini?”

Reed grins down at me a moment before taking the chair next to me. “You shouldn’t stereotype.”

“You have a type,” I say as I shrug and then lie back down again.

“A type?”

Rolling my head, I put my hand back to my forehead to shield the sun so I can look at him. “Yeah…a type. You have it bad for Barbie.”

His grin doesn’t lessen and there’s amusement in his eyes. “Oh, enlighten me then.”

“I already did,” I quip, and then repeat. “Blond, tall, big boobs.”

“How would you know that?” he asks, still highly amused with me.

“Because I’m a trained ER doctor and I’ve got amazing powers of observation,” I reply lightly. “Since meeting you two weeks ago when I had to ask you to muzzle Screaming Barbie, I’ve seen a revolving door of them. Let’s see…there was Carbie Barbie, who was so skinny I bet she only eats lettuce. And then Fashionista Barbie, who looked like she walked off the pages of Vogue, and then—”

“You have something against fashion?” he interrupts me.

“When you wear scrubs as your basic outfit, it’s just not that important to me.”

“Okay,” he says as he nods at me solemnly. “That’s Carbie Barbie and Fashionista Barbie. Who else?”

“Well, that’s all I saw, but I’m sure there were others. I’ve never seen the same one twice.”

“You’re totally sort of stalkerish,” Reed points out.

I snort in return. “Puh-leeze.”

“Now that the Barbie conversation is over,” he says as he leans back into his chair, propping his feet up on the bottom, “tell me more about what you do.”

Rolling my head back, I close my eyes against the sun but continue the conversation. “Let’s see. Went to medical school and residency at Duke, and now I’m at Raleigh Memorial Hospital.”

“Where are you from originally?” he asks, and I can tell by the lazy drawl to his voice he’s probably got his eyes closed in relaxation as well while we talk.

“California,” I tell him. “How about you?”

“Minnesota,” he replies. “Tell me something unusual about yourself.”

I can’t help the involuntary curve of my lips. Here this guy—and let me clarify, an insanely gorgeous and well-built guy who has loud, passionate sex next door to me—is asking me about my personal life.

Weird.

“I’m addicted to puzzles,” I tell him. “I’ve always got one going on my kitchen table.”

“Oh yeah?” My eyes stay closed and my face pointed toward the sun, but I can imagine him lying there doing the same with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Jigsaw puzzles,” I clarify. “Helps to slow my brain down after I get off work. It’s how I unwind.”

“Interesting,” he says, and the tone of his voice sounds…really interested.

My head turns and my eyes pop open to look at him, and I see he’s scrutinizing me. His eyes are half closed against the sunshine, but it’s not enough that I can’t see the green-gold of his hazel eyes surrounded by thick lashes. Eesh…how did I not notice those eyes that night?

Probably because I was so pissed.

“I need some help, Reed,” a voice pitched slightly high says from the foot of the chairs. Both our heads turn that way and I’m looking at another Barbie doll. She has to be at least six feet tall, which still makes her shorter than Reed. Her bikini is miniscule…scraps of fabric barely covering her goods. Her waist is tiny and her stomach flat, and it causes me to suck mine in a little. Of course, I’m wearing a conservative one-piece black bathing suit, so it’s probably not necessary.

Just reactionary.

Barbie holds out a bottle of suntan lotion to Reed as she cheerily says, “Can you put some on me?”

Reed pushes up from the chair and takes the bottle. “I thought you’d already put this on at the house.”

“I was going to,” she says in a light, fluffy voice that is sugary and sweet and breathy all at the same time. “But the bottle said for external use only, so I figured I better wait until we get out here.”

My jaw drops and my eyes slide over to Reed. His gaze cuts to mine, and although his facial muscles hardly twitch, I can see the effort he makes not to laugh.

He looks back to Barbie and tells her gently, “That just means to use on your body. Not to ingest it.”

“Ingest?” Her head tilts to the side and her eyes sparkle with curiosity over his meaning.

“Eat it,” he clarifies.

“Oooohhhh,” she drawls out in slow understanding. “Oh gosh, that was so silly of me to think it meant outside.”

Reed ducks his head and I have to bite the inside of my cheek. My face smooths out very quickly, though, when he says, “Kiki, this is Josie.”

The introduction jolts me and I sit up awkwardly. Barbie—I mean Kiki—turns to me and gives me the brightest, cheeriest smile I’ve ever seen. I’m guessing her blindlingly white straight teeth cost a fortune.

“Is that like Josie and the Pussycats?” she asks me with that airy voice.

“Short for Josephine,” I reply as I return her smile and suck my stomach in further.

“Well, any friend of Reed’s is a friend of mine,” she chirps happily.

I’m prepared to lie back against my chair again to relax now that that is out of the way and so I can extricate myself from this conversation, but then Kiki squeals, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I went to my psychic the other day—who’s also my hairdresser—because I’ve not been very fulfilled in life lately, and was considering a pet. He told me he wasn’t sure if that was in my future, but that he did foresee a cat. I wasn’t sure about that because I have allergies, so I had to really think about it. And let me tell you, thinking’s just hard, right? But I did, and I thought and I thought about it, and it’s just now hitting me…maybe he was talking about you. You know…the whole pussycat thing you got going on.”

I just blink at her, unsure what to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Reed turn and bend over the chair to straighten the towel, but I know he’s doing that so she doesn’t see him holding back a laugh.

Before I can respond, Kiki smacks her palm to her forehead and says in awe as if she’s received some new enlightenment. “Or…it could be the stray cat I’ve been feeding the last few days at my apartment.”

“Okay,” Reed blurts out as he pops back up straight and digs into the back pocket of his board shorts. He pulls a wallet out, opens it, and grabs a hundred-dollar bill to hand to Kiki. “How about you go get us some drinks up at the cabana? I’ll take a beer. Josie, you want something?”

I shake my head as Kiki takes the money and gives him a cute shrug and a brilliant smile before turning toward the outdoor bar that’s part of the amenities here at our complex. She totters off with a sway to her ass and I realize she’s wearing high heels.

Who in the hell wears high heels to a pool?

Reed sits back down on the chair and his sigh causes my gaze to slide over to him.

“Fine,” he mutters. “I have a type.”

“That was Ditzy Barbie,” I say with a solemn nod of my head. “But hey, she’s really nice.”

Reed groans as he sits back against his chair and laments. “I thought I’d have this great, celebratory summer having nothing but carefree fun, but honestly…it’s been trying.”

“The Barbies?” I ask to clarify.

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes,” he says with a sheepish smile.

“What do you do anyway?” I ask suddenly, realizing I don’t think I’ve ever seen him leaving for work or returning at normal hours. “And what are you celebrating?”

Reed’s smile goes from sheepish to amused. “I take it you’re not a hockey fan?”

“Oh, I like watching it,” I tell him. “I just don’t know much about it.”

“I play for the Cold Fury,” he says.

My eyes go round with understanding. He’s the first professional athlete I’ve ever met. In fact, I’ve never met anyone famous before. “Wow.”

His grin gets bigger. “So I’m celebrating our Stanley Cup win.”

“Oh,” I say in understanding as I nod my head. “Then I guess burning through all of Raleigh’s Barbies is a good goal.”

“It’s stupid,” he admits with no lessening to his smile. “But it’s had its perks.”

I snort and lie back against my chair, closing my eyes again. “I just bet.”

“Still,” he drawls. “It can be tedious.”

“You’re not big on the intelligence factor,” I point out. “That means you have to work overtime in conversation.”

Reed laughs, and the sound is deep and rich. It’s a very nice laugh. “You’re probably right.”

“Phew.” I hear Kiki’s voice and my eyes pop open. She’s tottering our way on her ridiculous heels, holding a beer in one hand and a clear plastic cup with what looks like a Bloody Mary in it. “It’s hot enough to lay an egg on the sidewalk, isn’t it?”

I can’t help it. The laugh comes out and I feel instantly wretched about it.

“What’s so funny?” Kiki asks in that singsong, nothing-upstairs voice.

“Nothing,” I say as I shake my head. “I just remembered a funny joke someone told me the other day.”

“Oooh,” Kiki squeals as she shoves the beer at Reed, then sits down at the end of his chair. “I just love jokes.”

Leaning forward, Kiki stares at me earnestly, an open and engaging smile on her face. She’s a nice girl, and I feel even worse for laughing at her. I also can hardly focus on her face, with her gigantic boobs practically spilling out of her bikini top, so I decide I’ve had enough pool time for the day.

“Actually,” I say as I swing my legs over the opposite side of the chair so my back is facing Reed and Kiki. I stand up and grab my towel and phone. “I’ve got to get some stuff done around the house, so I’m going to head in.”

“Oh,” Kiki says with disappointment, and I turn to find her looking crestfallen. “I thought it would be fun to hang.”

I give her a smile—fully genuine, because she seems really, really nice. “Maybe another time, but it was really nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she chirps and then takes a sip of her Bloody Mary.

“Bye, Reed,” I say a nod.

“Wait a minute,” he says as he pulls his phone out of one of his pockets. “Give me your number.”

“For what?” I ask as I blink at him stupidly.

“I’m going to be out of town for a few days and would love for you to keep an eye on my place. Maybe pick up my mail.”

“Why do you need my number for that?” I blurt out.

“In case there’s an emergency or something,” he says with an eye roll. “It’s what neighbors do for each other.”

“Fine,” I mutter, and then rattle off my number for him. He plugs it into his phone and then shoots me a wink.

“Thanks, neighbor,” he drawls. “Let me know if I can return the favor.”

“Sure,” I mumble in response as I turn away.

That was all kinds of awkward and weird but also highly entertaining. Reed and his antics will at least keep me entertained this summer.