Faking It With The Doctor
CHAPTER ONE
ABIGAIL
“Working late again?” my assistant asked, smiling as she poked her head into my office.
“As always,” I said with a smile. “Especially right before a fundraising gala – there's always so much to do. You know how it is.”
“I do,” Kirby said. “But it's already after seven on a Friday, Abigail. There's really not going to be a lot you can do. You really should go home and get a little rest.”
Kirby had a point. This late on a Friday isn't exactly the best time to get things done given that most normal people are already off the clock and gearing up for the weekend. I really should just go home.
Of course, if I had anything to go home to, that option might be a little more appealing.
The remaining few details of my upcoming fundraising event could be handled at home or even on Monday morning. As with most days, however, I preferred the quiet, tranquil sanctuary my corner office was to me. It was an office I'd worked so hard for, and now that I was here, I was practically living in it.
My title – CEO of Brighter Horizons – was one I'd worked hard for and took incredibly seriously. We might be a small non-profit, but running the whole show took a lot of work. I often did the work of several employees just to make sure things got done right and on time. And although people told me to hire someone to help me, I preferred to do the work myself. Not only was it a way to make sure things got done to the standards I wanted, but it also let me put the money I'd spend on a new employee or two back into the organization.
It seemed like an efficient, win-win to me.
We were, after all, doing good things in our community with the money saved by not hiring extraneous staff. Besides, if I hired more people, I wouldn't have an excuse to work late and avoid going home almost every single night. If I ever pried myself out of my office, I might actually have to socialize and get a life. Or worse yet, date somebody and land a boyfriend.
And with everything I had going on, God knew, I had no time for that.
“Well, goodnight, Abigail,” Kirby said. “If there's anything I can help you with, just give me a call, okay?”
Kirby was more than my assistant. Over our time together at Brighter Horizons, she had become my best friend. She could be a little odd and quirky, but she was completely honest and trustworthy just the same. We spent a lot of time working side by side on various projects, and given that we saw a lot of each other, it just seemed natural that we fell into a deep, lasting friendship – one that I treasured. If I’m being honest, , she was really my only friend these days.
“No, I'm not going to call you, Kirby. You have plans, remember?” I scolded her. “You have a date with Mr. Perfect, if I remember correctly?”
“A date, yes,” she said.
A smile stretched across her face – the kind of smile that made her eyes light up. I'd never seen her so happy or excited before. But whenever she talked about Mr. Perfect, she always got that look on her face. It was utterly adorable and I couldn't possibly be happier for her.
“But it's just that. One date,” she said. “I have plenty of time before and after –”
“Not if it everything goes well,” I said with a wink. “Hopefully your date tonight turns into a weekend together complete with breakfasts in bed.”
“Maybe so,” she said with a shrug.
I knew Kirby was downplaying her relationship because she felt bad for me and didn't want to rub it in. Things were getting serious between her and Brian – aka Mr. Perfect – but I could tell she didn't want to talk about it too much around me, given my lack of potential dates. I tried to tell her over and over that it was okay, that I was genuinely happy for her. No matter what I said or did, though, she still continued to walk on eggshells around me in regard to her relationship.
“Go, have fun and don't you dare think about work,” I said with a laugh. “That's an order.”
“Given that it's Friday night, I should be saying the same thing to you,” she said. “But we both know it would fall on deaf ears.”
“I'll have fun,” I said. “With my glass of wine and some Netflix. Don't you worry about me, I'll be just fine.”
Kirby gave me a small smile and then turned and left. As soon as she was gone, the office grew quiet. It did sort of creep me out a bit to be in the building when everyone else had gone, but it was better than being alone at home. If I turned on a little music, I’d soon forget I was here by myself, and settle in to what I needed to do. I picked up my iPhone to plug it into my speakers when I noticed I had a missed call from my mom. Groaning inwardly, I punched the button and listened to the voicemail.
“Hey honey! So, your dad and I wanted to know if you were free this weekend for dinner. Joanne's son is in town and I wanted to introduce you two –”
Click. I deleted the voicemail before listening to the rest. There was no need to even bother. I'd have to make sure that I was busy this weekend. All weekend. Way too busy to meet Joanne's son Chad. He was apparently a doctor and someone my mom was already having dreams of me marrying. In her head, she was probably already planning it all out.
I'd heard good things about Chad and he didn't sound like a bad guy. But honestly, I wasn't interested. Not just in Chad, but in men in general. I just wasn't there at that moment in time.
My phone rang again while I was still holding the phone and I jumped a bit. My mother sure didn't know how to take a hint. I cancelled the call, then instead of waiting for the text I knew she'd be sending, I beat her to it. I quickly keyed in a message and hit send.
Mom, I can't talk. I'm in a meeting.
She responded with, At seven pm on a Friday night?
Shit.
My phone rang again as I stared at the screen. My mother's picture, of course, popped up, informing me that she was on the other end of the line. This time, I let out a long, dramatic sigh and answered.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Abigail, really? I wasn't born yesterday, you know,” she said. “I know when you're avoiding me.”
“Mom, listen, okay, you're right, I'm not at a meeting,” I said, trying to think quickly on my feet. “I'm actually – on a date. With a guy. I stepped away to talk to you for a minute, but I really need to get back to him, so if –”
“You're on a date?” her voice raised on the other end.
“Yes, actually I am. Don't sound so shocked,” I said, doodling on a Post-It note on my desk. “We're at a really nice restaurant and everything. So, I really should get going.”
“Which restaurant?” she asked me.
“You probably wouldn't know it, it's downtown,” I said. “Some hipster place. I’d never heard of it before tonight.”
“Try me,” my mom said. “Your dad and I go downtown a lot and we've tried a lot of different places. Even some of those hipster restaurants.”
“Uhh well, it's called –”
I racked my brain, desperate to come up with something. As I struggled to think, I vaguely remembered Kirby mentioning that Brian was taking her to dinner – but where? Thankfully, a name popped into my head at the last second. “The Cellar,” I said. “We're at The Cellar.”
“Oh yeah, I've heard of that place before,” she said. “The reviews are all very positive. Is it any good?”
“Haven't had a chance to eat yet, but if you let me go, I can give you my expert opinion on the place later,” I said, hoping she'd take the hint that I needed to get off the line. “Mom, my date is waiting.”
“Uh huh,” she said, not sounding entirely convinced that I was telling her the truth. “Well let me know if you're able to come to dinner on Sunday. Chad will be here, and he's anxious to meet you.”
“Mom, what if things go really well with this guy tonight and I don’t want to meet anyone else? I asked.
“Yeah, well, if I actually believed you were dating someone, I'd answer that,” she said.
Damn. My mom knew me too well. But I continued playing it off, falling victim to my own lies. I wasn't about to let her know she was right, or I’d never hear the end of it.
“I told you, mom –” I said, pausing briefly and covering the phone, pretending to talk to someone else, “No, it's fine, I'll be there in just a moment – mom, listen, the food is here, and I really need to go. Talk later?”
I hung up before she could continue questioning me. For God's sake, Mom, I thought. This was the third or fourth time she'd tried to set me up with Chad. And each time, I made up some excuse, usually work-related. But eventually, I wasn't going to have an excuse and I'd have to meet the guy. It was either that or find a fictitious boyfriend with a backstory good enough to get her off my case. I went to plug my iPhone in when another text came through.
So when will we get to meet the new guy in your life, huh?
Sigh. I shook my head and started the music.