Her Doctor Daddy (2 page)

Lexi stood at the counter of Allegheny Airlines at the University Park Airport. “I’d like to purchase a ticket to Ft. Lauderdale, please.”

“Would that be round trip?” the ticket agent asked, typing the information onto her keyboard.

“One way, please.”

The agent stared at the information on her screen. “That will be two hundred and fifty dollars. How would you like to pay?”

“Is cash okay?”

“Certainly, but I’ll need to see some identification. And do you have any bags to check?”

“Just one.” Lexi reached into her purse, pulled out three hundred-dollar bills and handed them to the uniformed ticket agent along with her driver’s license. The woman eyed the information, typed into her terminal, and slid the license back across the counter. “Thank you, Miss Roberts,” she said, handing her fifty dollars in change. Lexi stuffed the cash into her pocket and watched as the agent finalized the transaction.

“Your flight will be leaving in about ninety minutes, and you’ll be changing planes in Pittsburgh.” She wrote a couple of numbers on the packet and circled them in black marker. “Gate 2C is down that hall to your right, and you’ll be sitting in 2B, which is a window seat,” she advised cheerfully, handing over the envelope that held Lexi’s ticket.

* * *

Trying to get comfortable in the small seat of the airplane, she snapped one heavy end of the metal buckle into the other and pulled the black woven belt tight around her hips. Gazing out the window, Lexi remembered the conversation she’d had with her dad just a week before.

A loud ring came from the hall pay phone, waking her from a sound sleep. “Aren’t you going to see if it’s for you?” her roommate groggily asked.

“Let someone else answer it.”

There was a brisk knock on the door. “Lexi, it’s your dad,” the cheerful voice of the RA called out loud and clear.

“Can’t anyone ever say that I’m not here?” Pushing the blond strands of hair from her face, Lexi crawled out of bed, threw on a pink terrycloth bathrobe, and opened the door. After casually walking down the hall, she picked up the telephone dangling from the long, silver-corded wire.

“Hello?” Hanging her head, she held the heavy black receiver to her ear, but didn’t say a word. After two minutes of listening, she placed the phone back onto its holder and returned to her room. Holding both hands over flushed cheeks, she quietly muttered an array of obscenities to herself.

Her roommate, Shannon, threw the covers off and sat straight up in bed. “Lexi, what did he say?”

“I’m not taking my education seriously, so he’s done wasting his money. You know, it was his decision that I should major in science and become a dietitian. Even though my best grades were always in English, he argued I’d never get a job in journalism. According to him, I don’t have the instincts to be a writer, and he has no intention of flushing his money down the toilet. He told me to come home and hung up.”

“So that’s it? You’re just going to quit school and go home? Why don’t you take out a student loan?”

“He doesn’t think I’m smart enough to get a job that will justify having school loans. I may be done with college, but I’m definitely not going to live with him. His house never seemed like a home to me or my sister, Katie. Why do you think she moved a thousand miles away?”

Putting an abrupt end to the one-sided conversation with her dad that would replay in her mind over and over again for many years, the flight attendant’s high-pitched voice rang over the intercom. “The pilot has turned on the
Fasten Your Seatbelt
sign as we begin our descent into Ft. Lauderdale. Please return your seats to their upright position and stow all baggage in front of you.”

After returning her empty paper coffee cup to the stewardess with a polite smile, she turned to continue staring out of the airplane window.

* * *

Lexi’s stomach flipped as she breezed through the jet way in the Ft. Lauderdale airport. Peering down at her watch, it occurred to her that she’d given her sister the wrong arrival time. Following signs to the baggage area, she collected her large green duffle bag and began to look for a pay phone. With a sigh of relief, she spotted a bank of them on the wall across the expansive terminal area, reached into her purse, and pulled out a handful of change. Lifting the receiver, she inserted a quarter and dialed the number, after which she was promptly told that the call would be seventy-five cents for two minutes. She slid three quarters into the slot and was finally rewarded with a ring on the other end. Nervously, she tapped her foot on the floor as the phone kept ringing.

Pick up, Katie. Please be home.

After several rings, Lexi slammed the receiver back into the cradle and her three quarters rolled into a metal cup at the bottom of the phone.

Shit. I’m not going to wait here all day.

Lifting all of her worldly belongings, she looked around the heavily advertised walls and eventually spotted the sign designating the location of the taxi stand. As Lexi walked through the automatic sliding glass doors, a blast of hot, humid air took her breath away—an instant reminder that she wasn’t in State College anymore. Grinning, she peeled off her fleece coat, draped it over her shoulder and stood in line to wait for a cab. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a short, dark-haired man hailing yellow taxis, and when he gave her the once-over, she had hopes of being next in line. With long flowing blond hair, wispy bangs, soulful blue eyes, and a little turned-up freckled nose, there was a possibility that her appearance was about to come in handy.

“What’s your destination?” the man asked with a wink. As she handed him the address, the short stocky fellow pointed one finger into the air and blew his whistle. A cab raced forward, stopped abruptly, and a young, thin man sprang from the driver’s side, picked up Lexi’s bag, and flung it into the trunk. “Where to, boss?”

Handing him the slip of paper, he called out, “North Pompano.”

The handsome driver opened the back door for her, returned to the driver’s seat, put the car in gear and sped off. During the entire ride, she noticed him leering at her from the rearview mirror. A chill ran through her small body as she decided to memorize his name that was posted on the back of the ripped black vinyl seat…
just in case
.

About thirty minutes later, he pulled up in front of a complex of apartments. “We’re here,” he said, his accent thick with Hispanic heritage as he pulled down the worn metal lever to stop the meter. As Lexi handed him the fare in cash with a little extra for a tip, it now occurred to her that she was close to being broke.

The driver hopped out of the car, opened his trunk, and set the broad, army green duffle bag onto the sidewalk. Wary of oncoming traffic, she awkwardly slid across the seat to exit the stale-smelling cab.

“
Gracias, senorita
,” he sang out the window before speeding off.

Taking stock of the apartment complex to gain her bearing, Lexi picked up the heavy duffle and made her way toward the back of the building. Walking past the pool, she noticed several young men turning their heads to take note of the new girl in town.

“Hey, beautiful, what’s cookin’?” a deep voice called out.

Ignoring the comment, Lexi continued her attempt to locate the numbered apartments. Hooding her eyes with a cupped hand, she pressed on in the thick, sweltering air until she finally found the right address. Exhausted and relieved, Lexi set her belongings down and rapped loudly on the door. But unfortunately, no one answered.

Damn! Where was Katie?

Sitting on top of her huge duffle bag, she wanted to cry. For the first time since making the decision to live in Florida, she’d almost regretted not going home. Her older sister had advised her about the many unsettled people who took refuge in South Florida, attempting to escape their problems up north. And if that wasn’t enough, the constant reports about some crazed serial killer in Ft. Lauderdale had been dominating the evening news. Although she’d never felt loved by her dad, at least his house was a safe place to live.

Jarring her from those negative thoughts came the jingling sound of rattling keys. Lexi peered up through her long blond bangs and spied Katie rounding the corner. In a wave of relief, she jumped up and threw her arms in the air. “Oh, my God, I gave you the wrong flight times.”

Katie laughed as they hugged. “Some things never change, little sister.”

* * *

“This complex has mostly young, single tenants. You probably ran into a few at the pool on your way in.”

Lexi winced at the memory. “You can say that.”

“Well, you’re going to love our neighbors, Rich and Ronnie Antonelli. They’re brothers who each have their own apartment a couple doors down on the left. Rich is a mechanical engineer, and I’ve told you about Ronnie—he’s an accountant.” Katie grinned and waggled her eyebrows as she poured two glasses of Chablis. “Even though you’re underage, here’s a little something to celebrate your arrival to Pompano.”

“I remember you mentioning Ronnie, but didn’t realize you were still dating him. Oh, my God, you’re not going to kick me out before I get settled in, are you?”

“Relax, even though I really like him, we’re taking things one step at a time. We’ve only been dating for a couple of months.”

“Does he know you’ve managed to sample everyone in this complex except his brother?”

The corners of Katie’s lips turned upward as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, my God, you’ve had a taste of Rich, too?” Lexi asked incredulously.

“I know you didn’t do well in microbiology, but I’ll bet your grades in sarcasm were top of the heap. No, little sister—I never went out with his older brother.”

“Okay, okay—no more ribbing about your dating habits. So, when will I get my tour of the famous Ft. Lauderdale bar scene?”

“I thought we’d take it easy since it’s your first night here, but be advised that Rich is pretty excited to meet you. When I showed him your picture, his exact words were… ‘Damn, she’s hot!’”

“Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day!”

“If it’s okay with you, Ronnie and I both agreed that a double date for dinner at the Sea Watch tomorrow night might be fun,” Katie said, the words quickly spilling from her mouth.

“Sure, that’s fine with me.” Stopping to look down under the coffee table, she spotted a headline in the local newspaper and grabbed the top section. “Jesus. This is terrible…”

“I know. Don’t look at that—it’s too scary,” Katie cautioned, taking the front page from her hands.

“So, the serial murderer in South Florida hasn’t been caught yet. I thought the police would’ve been all over this by now.” Her eyes stared anxiously at the bold
Florida Sun
’s headline in her sister’s grasp:
Still on the Loose in Ft. Lauderdale
.

Katie took a deep breath and focused on Lexi’s facial expression. “The pressure is heavy on the men in blue across the country because of this maniac and a couple of other serial murderers known as Ted
and the Zodiac Killer
.
But this guy is preying on young women in our area. He’s making everyone extremely nervous in this little beach town… including me.”

“Please tell me you aren’t still going to bars by yourself,” Lexi said, anxiously crossing her arms.

“I haven’t visited a bar alone since my first date with Ronnie. But once in a while I’ll go with a girlfriend for happy hour, and as they say—there’s safety in numbers.”

“I don’t know who
they
are, but how any woman can feel safe at all with a murderer running around this town is beyond me,” Lexi mumbled as her eyes spotted a flimsy chain lock on the front door. “I just finished a book about a teacher who picked up some psycho in a bar.” There was a quick hitch in her throat as she continued in a nervous voice. “
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
was inspired by a true story and the murder happened in 1973…”

“Come on, Lexi. You know I’d never read that kind of book, and you shouldn’t either—it’ll give you nightmares. Besides, between the guys that live in our apartment complex and the ones I’ll introduce you to at the hospital, you’ll have plenty of dates from which to choose. You, my gorgeous little sister, will never have to pick up a man in a bar.”

“So, does that mean there’s still a job opening for me to check out at the hospital?”

“I’m not sure which shift is involved, but I hear there’s an opening for an emergency room secretary, and it’s definitely worth checking out tomorrow morning.”

“I’m all in, sister,” Lexi said, flashing the two-finger peace sign with one hand as she clinked glasses with the other.

Chapter Two

“You’re looking very cool in those platform shoes, but won’t you be pounding the pavement searching for a job today?” Katie asked, her eyebrows drawing together.

“I’ll be fine. See you later,” Lexi said with a dismissive wave, closing the apartment door behind her. Since she’d only packed casual clothes, Katie had loaned her a camel polyester knit straight skirt with a white short-sleeved top to complete the outfit. Walking down the street, she brushed her hands down the front of the skirt.
I love that this fabric doesn’t wrinkle.

The bright sun was already high in the sky and Lexi was pumped to get started. She figured it would be a good idea to hit all the regular minimum wage-types of establishments first and save the opening at the Pompano Regional Hospital for her last stop of the day.

Rounding the corner onto Royal Palm Beach Road, she took stock of where she was, and as luck would have it, the first place she spotted was the First Savings Bank. Approaching the tall building, Lexi took a minute to check her reflection in the large front window. With a deep breath and a little apprehension, she pulled on the heavy glass door and strutted in.